01.
Introduce yourself (include your name, your business/what you do for living)
Hi there, my name is Nicole Brashear, Owner of Nicole Brashear Digital Marketing Services. I help small to medium size businesses with their digital needs such as Social Media and Email Marketing, Creative Content Development and Website Management.
02.
What’s your background?
I started in digital marketing by being 1 of the 5 people who started ULTA.com. I am super proud to say, I helped launch the most popular cosmetic website in the world. That was in 2000, so I have over 16 years experience in digital marketing. A lot has changed since then!
03.
How did you start your business?
A little over a year ago, I decided to go on my own because many people who owned businesses started reaching out to me for help. It is very time-consuming to manage all the social platforms, advertise, A/B test, develop email strategies etc. It just made sense to dedicate my time to help grow brand awareness and ultimately conversion to small to medium sized businesses. I couldn’t be happier.
04.
What inspired you as a creative woman?
My inspiration comes from amazing support groups such as Creative Women’s Co., or Ms. Tech, learning from other professionals in the industry and attending networking events. People inspire me, traveling inspires me, Chicago inspires me!
05.
What was your first job ever? Any funny or memorable story?
I always had an entrepreneurial mindset. My minor in college was Japanese. So, I studied Japanese language and culture for 4 years. After graduating I went to Tokyo to work for Komatsu International. Komatsu was the absolutely one of the best experiences in my life. Everyone was so amazing. My co-workers helped me integrate into the culture like a local. I made a lot of friends including a wife of a co-worker who was from Thailand. She helped me import a container worth of handmade straw bags to Illinois from Thailand. I had no idea what I was doing but I learned fast because now I had to sell them to make my money back!
06.
If you won a lottery today, will you still continue to build your business?
If I won the lottery today I would definitely continue doing what I do today. Just because you have more money doesn’t mean you stop doing what you love!
07.
Walk us through your day
Every day I wake up early so I can enjoy the quiet morning with my coffee and sift through my emails. I answer every single email. I think that is very important and says a lot about a person who takes the time to reply. Even if I get invited to an event and I can’t attend, I respond thanking them for thinking of me. Around 8:30 or 9:00 am I start to check on all of my scheduled posts for all of my clients to make sure they posted and the tags are tagged correctly.
I spend a few hours doing what I call “The Daily Workout” for each social page, I then start reading whats’ trending in various industries so I can post if appropriate or create content for a future post.
Most days, I am creating content, creating strategies, create ads and reporting analytics. I also develop emails for clients through MailChimp or Constant Contact. Many calls happen throughout the day to current clients or the start of a new client.
Every day is different other than my mornings. My mornings are always the same.
08.
Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of?
I am proud of the results I get for my clients. They put a lot of trust in me and it is my job to perform. I get butterflies in my stomach when I get to report our results.
09.
Where or what do you think you will be/do in the next 5 years?
I still plan to on helping businesses in 5 years with digital marketing but it will be completely different than what it is today. It is becoming more automated, so the platforms will change, new ones will launch and virtual reality will be the star.
10.
Share a quote/advice that you’d like to tell the 25-year-old you.
Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.