Racquel Collard – SMB Marketing Solutions – Making Sides Hustles A Reality

THE INTERVIEW:  Racquel we are delighted to share your knowledge, experience & insights with the GallantCEO audience.

Let’s begin with a little introduction. Tell our audience a bit about yourself and your company.

My name is Racquel (pronounced “Rachel”—thanks, Mum!) and I am a professional marketer on a mission to help more businesswomen take control of their marketing.

After many years in the corporate world, kicking marketing-ass and fighting the good fight, I, like many people during COVID-19 lockdowns, took some time to re-evaluate and I realised that, whilst I was making good money and doing well at my job, I had lost my passion for corporate marketing. Increasing revenue and driving more sales for distant shareholders was no longer enough.

I wanted to make a difference in the world and, given the number of women starting their own businesses or turning their side hustles into full-time gigs, I focused my skills and knowledge on helping women like you build the businesses of their dreams by implementing marketing plans that work.

I’ve now written a book, Marketing Launchpad, and through the framework readers will discover:
• A greater clarity about who you’re helping and how, i.e. your niche, your offer and your messaging.
• How to attract your ideal client through strategic content marketing without coming across as pushy or “salesy.”
• How to stop wasting money and energy on marketing that doesn’t work so you can spend more time doing what you love.
• Create your unique, strategic plan to take your business to where you want it to be. Your way.

Basically, everything you need to know before you start marketing, saving time, money and energy on marketing that doesn’t work.

2021 and 2022 has been a tough year for business around the globe.

In your experience can you share how businesses prosper in 2023?

I’ve worked with a lot of clients in the past few months on getting their marketing and business fundamentals in place before they go to market with their offer. Having clarity and focusing on the right areas of your business, give you the confidence to go to market with a clear message for your target market about how you can help them solve their problems, while still building the business and lifestyle you want t achieve.

For me, it’s about working to a solid strategic plan and then adjusting to market conditions – if needed.

The economy has been turned on it’s head in the wake of the pandemic.

What should businesses focus on in 2023?

Make sure you are working from a solid business base, with a business structure that will deliver the results you want. Work on a strategic marketing plan allowing you to own your niche and assess all marketing activity for a good ROI. Double down on what is working and finesse or dial back on what isn’t working.

Many businesses went from working in the office to working at home.

What are the pro’s & con’s of working from home and have you any first hand experience?

I moved from being office based to WFH at the beginning of the pandemic and then continued the WFM model for my business.

The pros of WFH are getting a LOT of time to do deep work without the contact interruptions that occur in a busy office environment. Both my team and I loved that side of it! Plus fewer office politics or needing to deal with difficult coworkers from other departments. Between chat, video calls and emails, my team were more productive than ever and communicated within our group more efficiently.

On the con side, you do have to demonstrate your value to the powers that be in a more deliberate way. They can’t see you celebrating your wins as they pass your desk, so you need to share with them in other ways. Plus, it is easy to leave someone out of the loop because they’re not in your line of site, but that’s probably just a sign of an issue that was there anyway, but was smoothed over in person and escalated with WFH.

The war between Russia and the Ukraine has caused a rising effect on inflation.

How can business owners combat the rise of inflation and what have you done that you can share?

I don’t have a particular plan to combat inflation as that happens at a government level in Australia. That said, I always make sure that I have a buffer for as many economic conditions as I can so that I can ride them through. I have been offering more payment plans during this period though.

In the last 5 years we have seen the rise to Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, NFT’s, Digital Marketing and many more!

What do you think will impact the world most in regards to online selling?

I’m a marketer, so my focus has been on digital marketing and the changes there.

The advent of AI in content production and blockchain on advertising platforms isn’t new, but it seems to be reaching that groundswell that precedes mass adoption. That said, I’m still educating clients about the benefits of marketing automation and how to structure their websites effectively, so it’s a mixed bag.

On a more subtle note.

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive who would it be and why?

Ruth Bader Ginsberg – her life and experiences would be fascinating
Mother Teresa – to found why she went down the path she did Jacinda Adhern – to get her insights into leading a country as a woman. Plus she seems smart and funny and I like that.

Reading is still one of the most popular ways to learn anything.

What is your most recommended book(s) by who and what did you learn from them?

I don’t have one go-to book. I read widely and prolifically and try to gain insights from all. Obviously, I’d have to recommend my book for women launching or relaunching their businesses!

What is your purpose for getting out of bed each day and what do you aim to achieve in the future?

My mission is to help more women overcome the gender pay gap through business ownership. I want women everywhere to be able to build successful, sustainable businesses that deliver them the lifestyle and purpose they see, so that’s what I work on every day.