Matia Johnson is a native Washingtonian, strategic communications specialist, visual design guru, screenwriter, and newlywed! She has an undergraduate degree in English and Communications and a master's in Producing Film and Video. With over 10 years of experience in publications, program development, and communications in both the government and nonprofit fields, she has developed a niche for branding and has established Innovative Minds Media, DC’s premier branding agency for small business start-ups. “IMM” specializes in digital branding, marketing, and small business tools for Creatives, those who are looking to open their own business, or take their business to the next level. As a rising entrepreneur herself, Matia continues to trust in GOD, determination, skills, and passion to see her dreams, and other people’s, take the shape of reality.

• CEO Hack: Focusing on the basic stuff that we forget about
• CEO Nugget: Don't undersell yourself
• CEO Defined: Being a full-body person, thinking smart and strategizing

Website: https://www.innovativemindsmedia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativemindsmedia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/immcreativemag

FULL INTERVIEW

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Transcription

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[00:00:02.20] – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

[00:00:29.89] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Matia Johnson of Innovative Minds Media. Matia, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:39.50] – Matia Johnson

Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.

[00:00:42.10] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Matiya so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Mattia is a native Washingtonian, strategic communication specialist, visual design guru, screenwriter, and newlywed. She has an undergraduate degree in English and communications and a master's in producing film and video. With over ten years of experience in publications, program development, and communications in both the government and nonprofit fields, she has developed a niche brand for niche for branding and has established Innovative Minds Media, DC's premier branding agency for small business startups. Innovative Minds Media specializes in digital branding, marketing, and small business tools for creatives, those who are looking to open their businesses and take their businesses to a different level. As a rising entrepreneur herself, Mattia continues to trust in God, determination, skills, and passion to see her dreams and other people's take the shape of reality. Matia, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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[00:01:44.90] – Matia Johnson

I am ready.

[00:01:48.20] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome to have you on the show. You're doing so many phenomenal things. So I wanted to kick everything off by winding the clock a little bit. Tell me how you got started with your CEO story.

[00:01:59.40] – Matia Johnson

With my CEO story, honestly, it started when I was a little girl. I've always been into creative writing, and then I always knew that I wanted to move forward with being my own boss at some point being an entrepreneur. I knew that the nine-to-five behind-the-desk life wasn't exactly for me and that it wasn't going to be for me for the duration of my life. And so I just kind of kicked into gear. I feel like I'm a natural born creative and that's just kinda like the blood that's flowing through my veins. So that's just what I have my passion for.

[00:02:34.80] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I definitely appreciate, you know, you for, for following that because I kinda felt like, when I was getting started, I felt like I had some of that blood in my veins too, and I kinda felt wrong for feeling that way. But I think the more I talked with other entrepreneurs and business owners, the more I felt at home. And I was like, I'm not alone. I'm not crazy. Some so many other people kinda feel that exact same way.

[00:02:54.90] – Matia Johnson

Exactly. There's a nation out here. And, you know, not a diss to people who, you know, have done corporate jobs all their life for thirty years, twenty years. Not at this at all. By all means, make your money how you make your money. But I just, you know, stand for what I believe in when it comes to being an entrepreneur. So, that's like, my right of passage.

[00:03:15.09] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I think, it gives people kind of permission because I think so many times, especially when you feel that way and it's different than, you know, maybe everybody else around you, you feel kinda bad, for wanting to pursue that. But I think when you step into that and you hear many people like yourself that can do it and celebrate other people that are doing it, that gives you a certain level of excitement and encouragement to take those steps.

[00:03:39.40] – Matia Johnson

It does. Definitely.

[00:03:42.30] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper. Could you tell us a little bit more about your company and what you're doing to kinda help support the community?

[00:03:50.19] – Matia Johnson

Yeah. So I am the CEO of Innovative Minds Media, and it is a strategic communications and branding company right here in the DMV. We call it DMV, but DC, Maryland, and Virginia. And, it's it's a baby. It is a baby. It's been around for about two years, and we recently launched our first premier issue for our magazine. So I was always looking for, okay, so how can I make myself different? How can I set myself apart? Because in DC there are so many different branding agencies, I mean it's just like in New York there's like a subway on every corner. So I mean like how can I make myself, you know, stand out in this crowd? And so I said, hey, you know, I'm a really good creative writer and I wanna stay true to form with that. And so why not just create a magazine that can showcase these different entrepreneurs and these fashion designers and these comedians in DC who are right here, you know, making a name for themselves? So I think it's a great way to showcase a great mixing bowl.

[00:04:56.00] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And that's what I, you know, I get so excited about, you know, in this day and age especially is that we have so many different, kinda platforms or ways we can try to help out one another, talk about, like, all the awesome things that our people are doing. I think there's not enough kinda quality, you know, magazines and the way people are creating, great things to be able to kinda capture them and showcase them, give them a platform to talk about their story and everything that you're doing. So that's why I absolutely love it.

[00:05:22.60] – Matia Johnson

Thank you.

[00:05:23.80] – Gresham Harkless

You're very, very welcome. So, I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce, and I know you might have already touched on this. So it could be for yourself or your business, but what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

[00:05:36.50] – Matia Johnson

I definitely think that I give a platform where entrepreneurs can be heard and where they can be showcased. Because sometimes it's really hard when, let's say, you open your business just last week. And especially during with all of this going on with the coronavirus sometimes people are like, feel like they're standing in a crowd trying to scream at the top of their lungs and just not being heard. And I feel like IMM gives those entrepreneurs the platform to be heard and to be respected and to just showcase their talent because, at the end of the day, that's what's most important.

[00:06:12.60] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And the ability to do that, I say I I often say the name of the game is visibility. And I think so many times people are trying to get their name out there, get their voice out, and talk about what it is that they do. Yeah. So having ways to do that is incredibly important.

[00:06:27.69] – Matia Johnson

I agree. And it and it's you know, back in the day, like, two thousand eight, two thousand nine, we didn't have Instagram. You know what I mean? Like, we just barely were getting on Myspace. So we're in a very heavy social media world right now and as millennials we we take advantage of it. That's like our means of business, you know. A hairstylist, she's gonna post on Instagram thousands of pictures of her work in hopes that someone will see it, and she's gonna use hashtags. And a fashion designer, he's gonna use hashtags whether he decides to use Twitter or Instagram. So, I mean, it's just kinda like our time now that we can take advantage of it.

[00:07:13.19] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. Because, you know, the the platforms and the tools to some degree are there for us to use and just making sure that we're we're using that and and we're dedicating our time and, you know, experience to, you know, getting our name out there is incredibly important. So that's why I love, you know, what it is that you do because correct me if I'm wrong. It sounds like you have a gift to be able to see kinda, like, the brands within the people that you're featuring, but you also can kinda provide those skills to kinda help them get their name out there as well and cement exactly what makes them unique and their own secret sauce as well.

[00:07:45.10] – Matia Johnson

I think you hit the nail on the head, but it's exactly what I have a heart for doing. So, I mean, it's just more than just branding and strategic communications. There's a method to it all. And, unfortunately, it's a lot of entrepreneurs who are not familiar with that method. So I think it's important to each teach one, and

[00:08:03.69] – Gresham Harkless

Mhmm.

[00:08:03.89] – Matia Johnson

I'm all about doing that.

[00:08:06.19] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. Because I think, and sometimes it could be I I at least I find sometimes when you're so close to what it is that you do, like you said, the hairdresser that is, you know, doing, you know, they're providing their services may not be able to step away kinda to be to understand exactly how to communicate what he or he or she might do for their potential clients.

[00:08:26.00] – Matia Johnson

Yeah. Completely. And it's like nowadays, you have to be present, you know, whether it's Twitter or Facebook. I don't even know if there's anyone else out there who's still using, like, Vine or Periscope or anything like that, but you just have to be present, you know. Know? Branding is a part of social media, so that's what a lot of people don't realize. And it could be hard at first because you're juggling so many things. You're trying to write a business proposal. You're trying to write a marketing proposal, and you're like, oh, crap. I do have to promote my business. How do I do that? And now that we're in such a high social media society, I can't even remember what it was like in, like, two thousand six seven for people. I have no idea what they did. I think they did, like, newspaper ads and all that. Do you remember those?

[00:09:15.60] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I do a little bit. That and maybe, like, passenger pigeons. They carry passengers or something like that.

[00:09:22.00] – Matia Johnson

Flyers. Funny enough because some things never die. People still put flyers on, car windshields and stuff like that.

[00:09:29.79] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Exactly. Well, it's kind of a way to kinda get out there, but, at the end of the day, you kinda have to speak the language to what everybody else is speaking and understand what everybody else is using. But you said something I wanted to kinda hear a little bit more about. You said that a lot of people don't realize that, social media is part of branding. Can you expand a little bit more on that for people who might feel that way or might have the same questions?

[00:09:51.89] – Matia Johnson

Yeah. Completely. And I'm glad that you resurfaced because, for instance, you know, everyone's always on their phone. You get on a metro and the phones are up. I don't know if people, like, have the newspaper in front of them anymore, but not really. So in the morning, if you're doing a morning commute, you're on Instagram and you're just scrolling. You're not even looking at anything in particular. You're just scrolling. And you hit up some celebrity's page. I'm not even a celebrity. Like, let's say if, it's like someone local who just recently launched a bar. Mhmm. And they're posting drinks and you're like, oh, wow. Look at like the aesthetics on their page. Honestly speaking, it's a method to it. Same thing with branding, you don't want to use a lot of colors.

You like Coca-Cola, everyone knows Coca-Cola for the famous like red and white, and the cursive on the can, and you just really have to get something that speaks to you. So when you're doing your social media page, you have to continue speaking for yourself and stick to your brand colors and stick to like if it's pink and white. Let's say you have like a dog grooming shop for poodles in particular. You wanna stick with the pink and the white and the cream, you know, it just kind of flows better. I wouldn't expect to go to an Instagram page with someone who has a, like, a poodle grooming shop and see, like, black and skulls. And I'm like, what is this for rottweilers? Like, we have completely thrown ourselves off of what we're trying to be here. Your brand is all about your personality, and it's always it's supposed to be the first language you speak.

[00:11:31.89] – Gresham Harkless

I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:11:42.70] – Matia Johnson

You know what? I am a big reader. I and I'm not talking, like, iBooks and, like, a Kindle and stuff like that or tablet. I'm talking about, like, back in the day when people actually bought a book and, like, held it in their hands. Honestly, there is a good entrepreneur book from the entrepreneur company that I think really helps people start off with businesses. It's a little old school but like I said some things never die, and so a lot of this old business stuff from back in the day like like nineteen ninety-five is still being used. I feel like you people should still know about like, how to draft a proper email. You know? So the basic stuff that, surprisingly, you forget about.

[00:12:27.60] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And so now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And I know you gave us loads of nuggets already, but I wasn't sure if there was something you might say, to a client, to your younger business self, or just something that might be around branding or business, related.

[00:12:44.50] – Matia Johnson

Sure. Definitely the clients. Don't undersell yourself. Don't undersell yourself. You know? A lot of times, we're really hungry for business and when we're new, and so we'll do things like, you know, discount for the whole summer, and you don't want to do that because there are people out there who will buy into your business just as long as you put yourself out there the way you are supposed to do it. You know, develop those unique relationships.

[00:13:17.70] – Gresham Harkless

Now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote, unquote, CEOs on the show. So let's see. What does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:13:27.60] – Matia Johnson

Oh, being a CEO means to me just being a person, you know. I'm a person, a a full body person means that I get up and I have a nine to five that I go to just like anyone else and so with IMM, I kind of stand strong with that. Like, by no means am I telling people that, hey, quit your job tomorrow. I think that with entrepreneurs, it's like a fascination. Like, yeah, you know, I'm gonna quit my job and business is booming, and what happens when it's not? So I just tell people always, you know, be a person, think smart, and strategize.

[00:14:06.20] – Gresham Harkless

Appreciate that. Appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you, get a copy of the magazine, find out about all about some things you're working on.

[00:14:19.29] – Matia Johnson

Yes. Well, I will leave everyone these parting words. And if you have a dream, if you have a passion, as cliche as it may sound, do not give up, but also utilize your resources. You cannot be a one-person show. So if you need to go out there and take advantage of YouTube, if you need to take advantage of classes that you need to pay for, please do so. Knowledge is power and if you're opening a business you're gonna need as much of it as possible. And, yes, you can follow me on Instagram at Innovative Minds Media, and our website is Innovative Minds Media dot com. And we recently launched our major issues, so that's up there on the website as well.

[00:15:01.50] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. We will have the links and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can follow up with you get a copy of the magazine, and hear about all the awesome things you're doing. But I definitely appreciate those parting words as well too. It definitely knowledge is power. And I think especially when you are kinda working on your business, you want every kinda advantage you can have to be successful.

[00:15:22.20] – Matia Johnson

You need it all.

[00:15:22.89] – Gresham Harkless

Exactly. You do need it all. Absolutely. But you can't do it all.

[00:15:26.89] – Matia Johnson

Force. Right.

[00:15:28.29] – Gresham Harkless

Exactly. You need it all. Can't do it all. So that's what, you know, so many tools and resources and people, as you kinda spoke to, are for. So definitely find ways to kinda, you know, sharpen our saw so we can be better, but at the same time, leverage and connect with and collaborate with others as well. So appreciate that reminder, Matia, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[00:15:48.70] – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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