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Marketing , Magic , Mindset - Insights from Jimi Gibson
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In this episode of The Entrepreneur Speaks, I sit down with Jimi Gibson , Vice President of Brand Communication at Thrive Agency, TEDx speaker, professional magician, and a respected voice in the world of digital marketing. Thrive Agency has earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list for seven consecutive years, and under Jimi’s leadership, the company continues to transform websites into powerful, client-growing machines.
In this conversation, Jimi shares his entrepreneurial journey : the highs, the challenges, the breakthroughs, and the lessons that shaped his career. We dive into:
✨ How Thrive Agency’s results-driven approach fuels sustainable business growth
✨ Why websites must constantly evolve to remain relevant
✨ The 215-point digital health analysis that sets Thrive apart
✨ How to build a people-centered company culture
✨ The surprising connection between magic, leadership, and marketing
✨ Jimi’s biggest lessons from decades in the digital marketing space
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, small business owner, or someone curious about digital strategy, this episode is packed with practical insights and inspiration.
📌 About Jimi Gibson
Jimi Gibson is the VP of Brand Communication at Thrive Agency, a Forbes Agency Council member, digital marketing expert, author, and TEDx speaker. He specializes in results-driven digital strategies, website transformation, and people-centered leadership.
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Transcript
Introduction to Jimmy Gibson
00:00:07
Speaker
Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast. I'm your host Kofi Animetu. Today we are diving into the fascinating world where creativity meets strategy.
00:00:22
Speaker
My guest is Jimmy Gibson. Vice President of Brand Communication at Thrive Agency, an award-winning digital marketing firm that's been on the Inc. 5000 list for seven straight years.
00:00:38
Speaker
Jimmy is not only a seasoned marketer, he's also an author and also a TEDx speaker and professional magician. So we have a magician on our show today.
00:00:51
Speaker
Jimmy brings a unique blend of insight and showmanship to everything he does. In this conversation, we'll explore his journey, the ups, the downs, the lessons learned, and discover how he's helped transform websites into client-growing machines.
00:01:09
Speaker
built people-first company cultures, and found ways to harness his own magic power for good. Get ready for a mix of practical wisdom, inspiring stories, and maybe even a touch of magic.
00:01:26
Speaker
Let's welcome our guest once again. Welcome to my
From Performer to Creative Director
00:01:30
Speaker
show, Jimmy. Jimmy Gawadurkowski Hey, Kofi. Glad to be here. i'm Looking forward to our chat. Alright, so Jimmy, you've built an impressive career in digital marketing, becoming Vice President of Brand Communication at Thrive Agency.
00:01:45
Speaker
Can you take us back to the beginning? Let's go back to the very beginning. What was your earliest step into this field and what really drew you to it? Yeah, I'll um give you a little bit of history and actually starts with the magic part, Kofi. I was fascinated with that. I got a magic kit when I was um six years old and in high school, um a gentleman that I met who was an executive at an advertising agency. That was what they used to be called before they transitioned to digital marketing, um said they were looking for a performer to help a global brand do some promotional shows. And would I be interested? And so I said, sure. And that relationship lasted another 16 years.
00:02:28
Speaker
But as I got to hang out at the advertising agency, I thought, wow, this is kind of cool. The The sequence of a magic trick is really like a marketing conversation. And so I went to school and studied creative advertising and started out in agencies working as a graphic designer. And I would always ask the owners of the agency, like, why are we doing this? What does the client want to achieve? And I guess they got tired of me asking. So they said, well, why don't you go talk to the client and ask them?
00:02:59
Speaker
And so I always had this interest in, you know, it's not about pretty pictures. We've got to do something to increase the client's um revenue or help them expand or or whatever the case may be.
00:03:11
Speaker
And so I progressed up that ladder until I was creative director. And then I was working at an Omnicom agency, which is basically a global holding company for ad agencies. And ah the person who was running that agency decided that they wanted to do something else. And so we're all looking at each other going, oh, what do we do?
00:03:32
Speaker
So I threw my hat in the ring, my top hat in the ring, and said that I'd like to run
Challenges of Leading an Agency
00:03:37
Speaker
the agency. And so I was able to ah put on my tie and go meet with a client and then come back and take off my tie and help the team ah create the concepts that impacted the business.
00:03:50
Speaker
And I just love that part of that left brain, right brain. And started to do that at a number of different agencies and was fortunate enough to come on board at the Thrive Agency um about five years ago and I'm enjoying every minute of it. So that's a quick history.
00:04:10
Speaker
All right. So let's still talk about your journey. You've been on this journey for quite some time. And every journey, as you know, has its high points and also challenges. Looking back, what you say has been your most defining app moment and how did this shape your career?
00:04:27
Speaker
Yeah, I would say... If I look back, it was that point where I stepped into running the agency. You know, when you're part of the creative team, it's a lot of fun conversations. You get to work with ah writers and photographers and videographers. And um yeah it's great.
00:04:48
Speaker
Stepping into the role of running the agency is a whole different ballgame. You've got to know P&Ls. You have to know cash flow statements. You have to make sure the profitability of the agency will sustain the employees working there. You have to be on client calls. you have to You're the one who has to deal with all problems.
00:05:07
Speaker
problem questions, right? And so there were a lot of lessons that I learned early on about the difference between being an employee as part of the group and then being responsible for the inner workings of the company. And so, you know, I know this is an entrepreneur show. I would consider that I was responsible as the entrepreneur of that
Thrive's Strategy and Growth
00:05:30
Speaker
branch. And it was, is up to me to make sure everything was running the way it needed to run.
00:05:39
Speaker
that's That's good. um So you've you've worked with hundreds of businesses and and and ah each business comes with its own unique characteristics or features.
00:05:53
Speaker
How are these direct diverse experiences, working with all these diverse businesses, influence your own entrepreneurial and also leadership mindset? Yeah, I think when you look at a business, um there may be a tendency to have a preconceived notion about what that business needs to grow or um whatever that KPI is that they're looking for. It could be a simple campaign for a response to an online ad. It could be, um you know, I've worked in the field where we're actually creating campaigns to hire people into the company.
00:06:32
Speaker
And so you have to fight that mindset of this company is like that company. And when you work across various industries, you become humble pretty quick because you don't know everything about those businesses, right? And so you have to ask a lot of questions and you have to be intimately curious about what that business is about.
00:06:54
Speaker
What are the dynamics of that business? Who are their competitors? What is their sales process look like? What is their lead flow look like? And i think the more you do that,
00:07:05
Speaker
the more it actually shows you that if you're not genuinely interested in your clients and what their business, they can tell a mile away that you're just sort of dialing it in. And so I would say that's the thing that I've learned in working with a variety of businesses. There are a lot of agencies that specifically work in a particular vertical.
00:07:27
Speaker
And i think I would have a hard time with that because I would just want to do the rinse and repeat, right? um So I think that's what I've loved about a variety of different types of clients. Okay, very interesting. um So your company, Thrive Agency, you've been on the Inc. 5000 list for seven consecutive years.
00:07:46
Speaker
And that's no small feat to be there for seven consecutive years. What do you think has been the key driver behind this sustained growth? Yeah, I think it comes from ah Matt Bowman started the company, gosh, it's been 20 years coming up in October, which is crazy thinking about digital marketing and how much it's changed over that time period.
00:08:08
Speaker
But um His whole core belief at the beginning and why he wanted to start the company was to help business owners grow using the power of the Internet.
00:08:21
Speaker
And when that is the driving force, what do you want to do? You want to help as many business owners as possible. And so when that is your core belief, then that helps you chart your path.
00:08:35
Speaker
And it's infectious. You help one person, you want to help two, you help two, you want to help 16. And so when he can clearly communicate that to the rest of the company, then that justifies, oh, we're going to hire another salesperson. We need to hire this type of person.
00:08:54
Speaker
And it's just a very simple statement. We want to help businesses grow with the power of the internet, independent of their industry, independent of their size. And I think that's what propelled that huge growth that happened between 2016 and 2020.
00:09:10
Speaker
co boom So your company's philosophy is also to grow businesses um and not just make sales. um Can you share an example or examples where sticking to this principle has led to unexpected win for your clients?
00:09:26
Speaker
Yeah. So I think when your mindset is, and, you know, we have a number of questions that we talk about in the intake process when we're speaking with a client or a prospect, and we want to know what are their goals.
00:09:39
Speaker
um We typically work with ah folks who are in a growth mode and they want to grow. And so that determines budget, that determines um recommendations that we make.
00:09:52
Speaker
And I think, What has helped us and the surprising things that happen is often when you're a business owner, you're so involved in the business, you can't see the opportunities. And so when you communicate, yes, we believe we can reach this goal by doing these particular tactical things.
00:10:13
Speaker
They look at you and they go, i don't know how that's possible. Yeah. And then a year later, when they've actually met those goals, they go, wow, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for putting the resources in place on your team to help us do that. And I would say those are the stories that, again, go back to helping people navigate the power of the Internet and then seeing that play itself out. And so I think if you're looking at a business coach or you're looking at a partner related to marketing or whatever the case may be,
00:10:43
Speaker
um they should be challenging you. If they're not, then it's probably not the right partner. who Very true. um So doing my research on before this interview, I came across a statement you've made that I want us to interrogate that particular statement some more.
00:11:02
Speaker
um where you talk about websites as constantly evolving and becoming client-growing machines. um so so So you talk about websites that is constantly evolving and you can make them client-growing machines. What are some unconventional but effective strategies that you recommend to keep a business website alive and also thriving?
00:11:28
Speaker
Yeah, and I would say that is um even more important now in the days of AI and LLMs. and And if your website has not been updated or revamped or some work done on it in the last two to three years, it's probably time for a tune-up and a check-up.
00:11:46
Speaker
And I would say the unconventional thing, and it's going to sound silly, And it's going to sound like it's not unconventional. It's going to sound like common sense.
00:11:57
Speaker
But if your website does not clearly express your personality, your value proposition, and exactly who your customer is in the clearest way, it's kind of a waste of internet space.
00:12:11
Speaker
And so what we're constantly doing and, you know, businesses evolve. So your website needs to evolve. Maybe you're expanding geographically. Maybe you're expanding your product line, whatever the case may be, that should be reflected in real time on your website. And so, you know, we talk about social media feeds and the changes in sentiment that happen on those social media feeds. You should treat your website as if it is a day-to-day reflection of your business.
00:12:40
Speaker
business and the dynamically changing things that are happening. um I mean, we can get into technical things related to page load speed, but I would say the opportunity is there to not press the chat GPT button on content for your website, but to really look at it and go,
00:12:58
Speaker
Am I expressing my expertise, my authority? Am I gaining trust by showing ah client reviews and social signals?
00:13:09
Speaker
um And yeah, I would say those are a lot of the conversations that we get into that seem like they're not, you know, a big secret, but you would be surprised at the percentage of businesses that don't pay attention to this.
People-First Culture at Thrive
00:13:27
Speaker
Hmm. So still doing my research in preparation for this interview, I also came across your 215-point digital health analysis, and and and this sounds incredibly very detailed.
00:13:42
Speaker
um Can you walk us through what that process looks like and how it impacts your client's strategy? Yeah, 215 data points, that sounds like a lot. But when you consider all the platforms that folks are on from an organic state, a paid state, um various stages that a business is in, whether they're a startup, whether they're mature, whether they're in growth mode, um what industry they might be in who their competitors are, um what footprint they have out there related to backlinks, ah PR mentions, um how big is their website. It quickly eats up those 215 data points. And so because we have about a thousand active clients and we've been in business for 20 years, we have a lot of data that we can
00:14:33
Speaker
compare a new client to some of this benchmark data that we have related to industries and where folks should be. um We do that 215 data points and then we create a score. The score is from one to 100, much like a domain authority or domain rating.
00:14:53
Speaker
And then we talk about the business goals and how the business goals can be impacted by a change in some nuance in that score. And then that score follows that client along through the relationship.
00:15:10
Speaker
And what that does is it gives a common language to the progress that we're making. It opens up transparency as to why we're doing what we're doing. And it's a dialogue um that we're able to have with that common language. And yeah, I think that's been instrumental in the way that we approach our client relationships and then have some, you know, real data that backs it up. It's not fluffy metrics. It's not impressions. We're looking at conversions and business growth.
00:15:41
Speaker
boom Your company also balances natural relationships with delivering results. How do you personally ensure that this balance is maintained in your leadership role?
00:15:55
Speaker
Yeah, it's never an equal balance, Kofi. I'm just gonna give you the ah picture of driving down a road. And let's just use a dirt road. um And there's a ditch on either side.
00:16:08
Speaker
And let's just say the ditch on the left side as you're driving is relationships. And if you veer off the road and land in that ditch and it's all about relationships, yeah that's a pretty fun place to be, right? Everybody's getting along. Everything's fun. We're joking around. We might go out after work and have dinner. But if it stays in that ditch too long, that's not very healthy for either party, right? Because a company is investing money and they expect results.
00:16:36
Speaker
And so now if we get back on that road and we veer off to the right-hand side and we fall in that ditch of results, that's a pretty good place to be. Things are going, we're getting the results.
00:16:48
Speaker
But if you're not a very friendly person to work with and it's just a pain to have a meeting and it's a lot of friction, that's not gonna be a good relationship either. And so we try to figure out where we are on the road And we're never straight down the middle. It's always veering off. And so we need to add a little bit here and there to make sure that that is a great relationship for both parties. And, you know, it's a two-way street.
00:17:17
Speaker
um We can lean heavily on one side or the other, but so can the client. And we're constantly evaluating that. And then we're feeding that information to the team and the client so that everybody's aware and they're in agreement as to what side of the road we're on.
00:17:36
Speaker
I also came out across this quite an interesting thing, which I want us to talk about, yeah that strife discourages over time. You even track volunteer hours as a performance metric. um How have these people's first policies, how have they impacted your team's culture and also productivity?
00:17:57
Speaker
Yeah, it is kind of strange. I mentioned earlier that I had been at a variety of agencies. In fact, I interviewed at an agency that had ah showers in the creative department. And I thought to myself, why do they have showers in the creative department? Oh yeah, I'm never going home.
00:18:13
Speaker
Um, and so i thought, yeah, I don't really want to do that. Um, we believe that if you have a healthy life at home with family and friends, you're going to come back to work with a clear head and give us your best and be appreciative of that time. And nobody gets to win a badge for working together.
00:18:33
Speaker
all weekend and all night, right? And so if nobody earns a badge for working overtime, now, obviously in the industry, we have times where we need to work overtime to get projects done. I'm not saying that we ignore that, but it's not a regular practice.
00:18:49
Speaker
And so what should you be doing in your time off? Well, again, you should be hanging out with family and friends. But we also believe that entrepreneurship um has the greatest impact in the world that can make a difference in your community. um in your country, around the world, it doesn't matter. And so we encourage our folks to get involved in their community. If you're a writer, go write for a nonprofit's website and donate that time. If you want to volunteer to um help an organization by using your hands and sweat, help them build something, go do that. And we have a goal for the number of hours we would like.
00:19:31
Speaker
ah for folks to be involved. And we also have a goal for financial support of other places around the world. And we actually have a matching program that will match you dollar for dollar. And so what does that do? That creates an open heart, an open hand. And it says, wow, this company not only cares about it, and they're not just going to stick a we care about the world sticker on, you know, on the website, but we actually play that out.
00:19:58
Speaker
um Unfortunately, most agencies have about 30 to 50% turnover a year. That's crazy. Can you imagine the waste? We've been able to maintain a voluntary attrition of 5% for a long time. And so economically,
00:20:17
Speaker
That makes sense. It um't not only makes sense because it's the right thing to do, but it also gives people a feeling like, why would I leave this place if they are supporting me as a whole person? Hmm.
00:20:32
Speaker
were Very interesting. and So still building on that point. and So for leaders listening who really want to foster a similar work culture like you have, what would be your one piece of advice you give to them to start making in this shift?
00:20:49
Speaker
Yeah, i think there can be little things. Don't try to take on more than you can accomplish. Maybe there's some people in your organization that would like to recommend some ah organizations to support and get involved with. um For every new client that we onboard, we ask a team member to pick somebody through Kiva Loans. And we a award Akiva loan to some entrepreneur around the world. And we ask our person to be involved in that process. And so we're not using their money. We're using the company's money, but they feel part of that. And so once you start to
00:21:27
Speaker
um have that be part of your culture, then people are going to go, hey, maybe we could do this. Maybe we could do that. You might once a quarter close the office for a half a day and go have people volunteer at a local um food bank or or something like that. I think those are simple ways to get involved.
00:21:48
Speaker
um And they don't require a lot of time, energy and effort. And then ask your team and what better way to involve the company than to be involved in something that your team cares about.
Magic and Marketing: A Unique Blend
00:22:02
Speaker
Let's now talk about an interesting side of your your your life. or part of you, Jimmy.
00:22:13
Speaker
You being a professional magician, I see that as very interesting. You are the first magician who's still my show. Let's talk about that part of your life.
00:22:24
Speaker
Tell us about that part of your life, your professional magician part of your life. Yeah, that's been a fun journey. um And just like driving down that road, um I've driven down the 100% magician road and the 100% marketer road. And then I've been somewhere in the middle where I've done both.
00:22:43
Speaker
And I think they feed off of each other. i mentioned this global brand that I was doing promotional shows for that lasted 16 years. um i actually... auditioned for a theme park show ah in the States. And we had a cast of 22 people and there were about 13 major illusions where um I floated someone in the air and they vanished in midair and reappeared at the back of the theater. um i vanished a Corvette, um was sawed in half and you know, all these types of big illusions that you see on the Las Vegas stage. um Then a few years later, I actually produced two shows for that theme park and starred in both of those shows. So that was a lot of fun.
00:23:28
Speaker
Um, I've had a corporate show at the MGM in Las Vegas. I've had a magic theme tour that was featured on the food network and it's just a great icebreaker. Uh, just like we're talking about it right now. People are interested.
00:23:44
Speaker
But I also think it feeds my filter in the way that I see marketing because there is three stages to a magic trick. And I believe there are three important stages to a marketing conversation that can be instrumental in connecting with your audience, um eliciting that curiosity, and then moving them to a call to action or conversion. And so um I still perform today. I donate my time at various events around town. I'm still paid. If I have a speaking opportunity, which um I do a lot in my role, um i do a magic trick and I help ah communicate some sort of a message because it's a great metaphor for just about any topic. You know, we all
00:24:32
Speaker
um Use the phrase, why don't you just wave your magic wand and make this disappear? Or can't you just do your magic and make my revenue increase? You know, that kind of thing. So people are very familiar with it. And it's it's just kind of ah an interesting topic that people like to talk about.
00:24:50
Speaker
Very interesting. Let's still dwell on that side of your life and and its impact or link it to what you do on a daily basis. So how has your background in magic, how has that influenced your approach to marketing and also leadership?
00:25:07
Speaker
Yeah. So I think people are probably familiar with um a card trick, right? A magician will want you to pick a card and then they'll find the card, right? Very simple structure. So if I'm here, Kofi, and I say, ah i want you to think about, well, first of all, um i don't think I even ask you where you're located. Where where are you located in the world, Kofi?
00:25:31
Speaker
I'm in Ghana. Ghana. Yes. I have met some people from Ghana. um I have heard it is absolutely beautiful there. i see you have a painting behind you. Is that in Ghana?
00:25:45
Speaker
It's there's not a depiction of Ghana, but it is painted by someone in Ghana. Okay. So an artist from Ghana. So um tell me if you walked out your front door, what would be the scene that I would see? Are there palm trees? are there what What kind of foliage? what What would I see if you walked out your front door?
00:26:02
Speaker
So you see a few trees, you see a number of um flowers. Yes. Great. Great. Well, let's stay outside because I think that's a beautiful scene.
00:26:15
Speaker
And i want you to just think about a deck of cards. Now, are you familiar with the different suits of a card? You've got spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds, right?
00:26:26
Speaker
ever um Do any of those, do you prefer red or black? right Red. So that would be the heart or the diamond, right? And so we could get into a lot of poetry about a heart meaning relationships and love. We could get into diamonds meaning revenue or valuable things or gems in your life or lessons that you may have learned. Which one are you drawn to, the heart or the diamond? Heart.
00:26:58
Speaker
Heart. Great. And why did you choose the heart? Yeah, I think that is more on the personal side. So it appeals to me personally. Okay, great.
00:27:12
Speaker
Well, I won't dig too much into that, but I'm going to go with that. I would assume you're a very caring and empathetic person, and you probably have a lot of deep relationships with family and friends.
00:27:23
Speaker
And so um if we look at a deck of cards, and some people say ace is high or ace is low, let's just treat the ace as a number one, okay? And then...
00:27:36
Speaker
a king would be at the top. And so if we count all those cards, there would be 13 cards. And so you had said that this heart represents part of your personality and you could have picked anyone. And maybe, you know, if this was like a personality test, you A heart would be a component, but I get a sense that a heart is a pretty strong component of your personality.
00:27:59
Speaker
And so um I'm going to say if you pick something closer to a one, two, three or something down low, it would just be a passing interest. Right. But if you picked something higher, like a 10 Jack, Queen, King, it might be a really strong part of your personality. But if you pick something in the middle, it might be, yeah, I could go either way, just depending on the day, right? Where do you think you are? On the low end, the high end, or in the middle?
00:28:28
Speaker
I think I'll be on the high end. The high end. Okay. So I'm just going to say somewhere 10, Jack, Queen, King. Name one of those. Doesn't matter to me.
00:28:40
Speaker
So I'll say a 10. A 10. So... so We started out with any kind of choices. We narrowed it down to red. You said heart. And then we talked about the sort of personality where you were. And so you're on the higher end, not all the way at the top, right?
00:28:57
Speaker
But a 10. So in effect, what you've done is you've actually chosen the 10 of hearts, right? Yes. Okay. Well, I don't know if you know this or not, but there's a deck of cards that's been sitting right behind me the whole time.
00:29:12
Speaker
Oh, really? I'm going to grab that deck of cards. All right. And um there's something I did that was really strange before we started. And I'll make sure the cards don't get out of the frame here. Wow, that's interesting. If I go through these cards, Kofi, there's one that's turned over. Do you see that?
00:29:40
Speaker
Yes. You see that? Okay. Yeah.
00:29:46
Speaker
And you said the 10, and we said the heart. What would happen if I turned this over and it was the 10 of hearts?
00:29:57
Speaker
I'll be shocked. The 10 of hearts. and Whoa.
00:30:08
Speaker
How'd you do that?
00:30:15
Speaker
All right, Kofi, how was that? How did you do this? Well, let's talk about that. Let's break it down. Yeah.
00:30:27
Speaker
yeah So there are three parts to any leadership conversation, marketing conversation, or magic conversation. The first one is connection. And so it's just you and me on this call, right? And so what do I have? All I have is your face and a painting behind you.
00:30:45
Speaker
And so I just start asking you questions and you started to smile when you were proud of the fact that you're from Ghana, right? I asked you if that painting behind you was a depiction. You said no, but it was done by an artist from Ghana. I asked you to walk out your front door.
00:30:59
Speaker
That probably feels pretty good that somebody is curiously interested in your life, right? That is a connection. um You have to express that through a marketing conversation. Your target market needs to know that you're specifically talking specifically to them. Your team needs to know that you care about them as individuals, right? And so when we have that connection point, that's actually a release of a neurotransmitter called oxytocin.
00:31:28
Speaker
And that's a feel-good chemical. That's like, wow, this is going well. I like where this is going. This is kind of interesting. Now, we could have sat there and talked forever, but the audience is going to leave, right? Because after a while, they're like, okay, this is kind of boring. isn't all about Kofi.
00:31:44
Speaker
um So I have to elicit curiosity. So now I introduced the deck of cards, right? And so most everyone out there, I would say, is familiar with the deck of cards. And as I started to talk through that, um you're thinking, where are we going with this, right? Right.
00:31:59
Speaker
The audience is like, okay, I'm going to play along too. And so you were making decisions. Were you engaged in that conversation, Kofi? Yes, I was.
00:32:10
Speaker
Okay. And because we had already established a little bit of relationship, not just because we'd been talking for 25 minutes, but because I was curious about you, you're like, okay, I'll go along for the ride.
00:32:21
Speaker
I think there's going to be a payoff coming because I'm kind of familiar with a magic trick. So I'm going to play along with Jimmy, but I was asking you to make decisions, right? I didn't see you looking at your watch. I didn't see you answering texts, right? You were sort of sitting on the edge of your seat. That's a theatrical term.
00:32:38
Speaker
And so that's our responsibility when we as leaders are trying to get a team behind us, right? You want them to lean in. You want them to buy in to what you're talking about. The same thing in a marketing conversation. You want them to be curious about what's coming, the possibilities of how this might affect them.
00:32:57
Speaker
Now, we could have gone on for that for a while. But again, if I had talked too long about the deck of cards, the audience is going to go, would you just get on with it, please? So you have to read your room, right?
00:33:10
Speaker
And so now we move. And so when we're in that state, Kofi, of eliciting curiosity, that's actually a release of dopamine. And that's a neurotransmitter that we hear a lot about with social media addiction. It's not the addiction to social media. It's the expectation of a reward. Okay.
00:33:28
Speaker
And so when you post on social media, you want somebody to like it, share it, comment on it. Right. And so you can stay in that heightened state for a while, but after a while, it's going to drain you. And so you have to move to the next phase, which is the conversion phase or the call to action, or in a magic trick, the climax of the magic trick.
00:33:47
Speaker
And so now I'm moving to that conversion and you didn't even know what I was going to do, right? Like all of that conversation, we ended up with the 10 of hearts.
00:33:59
Speaker
Now, I'm stretching out this conversion because I'm saying there's a deck of cards behind me. Like, what was going through your mind when I pulled out that deck of cards? What what did you think was going to happen?
00:34:10
Speaker
I then guess that maybe we're going to try to do something magical. Yeah. And so then I very slowly pulled it out of the thing. And then I very slowly went through. And so I'm pretty much...
00:34:26
Speaker
asking you to come to the conclusion of about, about what's to happen, right? You see that card flipped over and in your head, you're thinking, no way, no way.
00:34:37
Speaker
Well, that's the way we need to make our team feel. Like, here's the possibility of what we're going to do for the next quarter. Are you on board? Oh, yeah, I'm going to get excited about that. Absolutely. Same thing in a marketing message. What? You mean you can actually solve my problem? Oh, my gosh, this is amazing, right?
00:34:55
Speaker
And so then I ask you, what would happen if I turned over that card and it was the 10 of hearts? So I'm dragging this out. I'm bringing it to a very top moment, right?
00:35:08
Speaker
And then I'm revealing what that card is. And then you have a physical reaction. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. That's actually a release of serotonin. That is the neurochemistry that says, oh, wow, this is awesome. Everything is right with the world. It all makes sense now.
00:35:23
Speaker
And so those are the three phases of a marketing communication, a magic trick and a leadership communication. They should all feel the same way.
00:35:34
Speaker
And i think we ignore that eliciting curiosity. i think we try to get too close to the conversion and the sale and we haven't respected the process, right?
Leveraging Unique Talents in Business
00:35:45
Speaker
And so that's how I sort of see the world of magic translating into a marketing message and a leadership message. So I don't know, you were the you were the brave volunteer. Do you have anything that, did you see yourself moving through those three phases?
00:36:02
Speaker
Yeah, yes. Taking me through, yes, we we actually went through that phase. Yes, but at that time I didn't know, so I was just following along with responses.
00:36:15
Speaker
Good. Well, I hope that was fun and folks can sort of remember that as they think about working with their team as a leader and how they should structure a marketing message.
00:36:26
Speaker
Yes, yes. Very impressive. I also realized that are a TEDx speaker and I came across a TEDx presentation where you spoke about harnessing your inner magic and using that for good.
00:36:43
Speaker
um What does that mean for you personally? How can professionals discover their own unique magic powers? Yeah. And so the TEDx talk is about you have magic power, use it for good.
00:36:56
Speaker
um And I won't spoil the theme of the TEDx. You can go watch it. um Kofi will put the link. But really, it's about what is it about you that has been with you for a long time. And I would imagine the listeners out there probably have something. It may have nothing to do with their day-to-day business, but you can use in your business. And your teammates have a magic power or an abracadabra that they can use that will help you and your business. And so I could sit here and I could hide the fact that I'm a magician, but it's very interesting.
00:37:30
Speaker
um I use it in my presentations. Anytime I go to the corporate office, they want to see a magic trick. And so I'm able to do something that I love and leverage that. For someone else, it might be playing music. It might be their ability to paint.
00:37:45
Speaker
um Perhaps they did all the paintings for the office. Maybe they um do paintings and they're gifted to their best customers. Maybe someone else has the best cookie recipe in the world and they have a plate of cookies in and the lobby of the business, right? Or maybe that's what's shipped to your customers. Right.
00:38:04
Speaker
Why not give the opportunity for people to participate in what they love and have that be a unique differentiator that people remember, they connect with, and allows that person to just beam and shine because they know that they're appreciated in their scene. So that's the way I see it. And i would just encourage everybody to figure out what that is for yourself and for your team and go for it. Great.
00:38:31
Speaker
So, Jimmy, you've been on this journey for quite some time.
Entrepreneurial Advice from Jimmy
00:38:36
Speaker
If you could distill your journey into lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and marketers and ah generally our audience, what would these lessons be?
00:38:49
Speaker
I would say, um number one, it's going to take longer than you think, and it's going to take more money than you think. So just know that going into it and pick something that you are committed to and you can weather the storm with.
00:39:06
Speaker
um Don't spread yourself too thin. Focus on a few things. Get really good at that before you add more things into the mix. And it doesn't matter if you are promoting yourself or promoting a client.
00:39:20
Speaker
um Start with one platform, master that platform before you start to put content anywhere and everywhere, because you will just wear yourself out.
00:39:31
Speaker
And then i think the theme of the show today has been be yourself. incorporate your expertise and your passions into your business because that's what makes you different. People are fascinated with people's quirks, their struggles, their wins, and their point of view on life. So don't be afraid to share that.
00:39:54
Speaker
good Thank you for sharing that with us. We're just about wrapping up. um But let's spend some time with you offering pieces of advice to different categories of my my my audience.
00:40:06
Speaker
okay Let's start off with um someone who is in business, who is year one to about five in business. What would be your piece of advice to such a person?
00:40:18
Speaker
Yeah, so I think in year one to five, and you can look at statistics around the world, that's usually the point where businesses fail. And I would say they fail because they're not clear on the passion or the core of why they're doing what they're doing. And so we said earlier that Matt's vision for the business was that he wanted to help other business owners um grow using the power of the Internet. It was just one sentence, very simple sentence.
00:40:44
Speaker
And so that one sentence allowed him to communicate to his customers, communicate to people that came onto the company. And it was a very clear focus. And it was also a filter on...
00:40:55
Speaker
what he should not be doing in the business. I think it's often a challenge in year one to five because you have to pay the bills and you want to do anything and everything. But that can actually cause you to lose your business because you try to do too many things for too many different people. So I would say focus on what that one sentence is and stick to that thing that gives you that fire inside to get up and do that every single day.
00:41:24
Speaker
How about... Someone in business from year five and above, let's say yeah five to 10 years. What would your piece of advice there?
00:41:34
Speaker
Yeah, i would say go out and buy the book by Michael Gerber. um And the title is escaping me now. um I'm going to look it up as we talk. But typically what happens in that timeframe is that owner is still working in the business and not on the business. And so you need to get some people around you that are can help you and you don't have to do any everything and anything. And so focus on what you're great at and let some other people come into the mix that can help you do what you're not so good at. So you can focus on growing the business
00:42:19
Speaker
and not being in the business every day. And again, you should have that rule for yourself. I know it's impossible, but you should not be working overtime, losing relationships with your family and friends, um because those are the things that are going to inspire you and keep you going. And so the Michael Gerber book is called The E-Myth. It's a classic. Get that book, study it, wear out the pages, highlight it. I can't recommend that enough.
00:42:47
Speaker
All right. So, Jimmy, we're just about signing off. What will be your last words to my audience before we sign off? um Good for you. Good for you for being an entrepreneur. Good for you for going a different path. Know that it can change the world and you do have an impact, whether you're a solopreneur, whether you're in it with a few of your friends or whether you have a bigger corporation.
00:43:13
Speaker
Just know that the world around is watching and they're cheering you on and just keep going. Just keep going.
Conclusion and Farewell
00:43:21
Speaker
And these are the parting words from my guest, Jimmy Gibson.
00:43:25
Speaker
Jimmy, thank you so much for sharing your rich experience with us today on the Entrepreneurs Fence Podcast. We wish you the very best. Thank you, Kofi. had a great time. All right. So this has been another exciting episode of the Entrepreneur's Fix podcast.
00:43:41
Speaker
I'll come your way next time with an another that inspiring and exciting episode. I remain your host, Kofi Animedo. As always, do take good care of yourself and let's continue to keep hope alive.
00:43:54
Speaker
Cheers. Please be sure to subscribe to the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast on all your favorite podcast channels. And if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to us on social media or in the comments section below.
00:44:17
Speaker
Builders of tomorrow shining bright. From every land they find their beat. Yeah, it's the entrepreneur speaks.