IAM1165- Creator Helps Entrepreneurs Position Themselves on Social Media

Veronica is a 24-year-old DC Lifestyle Blogger, Tiktok Content Creator, and Serial Entrepreneur. She is originally from New Orleans, LA, and moved to DC a little over 2 years ago. When she isn't eating food and reviewing local DC restaurants on Tiktok, she is running her digital marketing and social media consulting agency, Content Confidante. Where she helps entrepreneurs position themselves on social media through 1:1 private coaching.

• CEO Hack: Trello for organization
• CEO Nugget: Just get started, everything will become better
• CEO Defined: Being there for your community and serving people

Website: http://www.contentconfidante.com/

Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@veronicadroulia?lang=en

Biz Instagram's – @veronicadroulia
@contentconfidante
@noathecollective

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00:15 – Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:42 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Veronica Drouillet of Confidant. Veronica, it's great to have you on the show.

00:52 – Veronica Droulia

Thank you so much. I am so excited to be here. I want to thank you again for inviting me to the show.

00:58 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. I thank you for, you know, taking some time out and all the awesome things that you're doing and getting to hear a little bit more about what you do, your story, and all those awesome kinds of tidbits we can kind of learn from you. Before we jump into that, I want to read a little bit more about Veronica so you can hear about some of those awesome things. Veronica is a 24-year-old DC lifestyle blogger, TikTok content creator, and serial entrepreneur.

She is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to DC a little over 2 years ago. When she isn't eating food and reviewing local DC restaurants on TikTok, she is running her digital marketing and social media consultant consulting agency, Content Confidant, where she helps entrepreneurs position themselves on social media through one-to-one private coaching. Veronica, super excited again to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:40 – Veronica Droulia

Yes, I am so excited to speak to the community, and thank you for that awesome intro. I am so excited. This is gonna be awesome.

01:46 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely, well, you're doing all the awesome work. I'm just kind of introducing you. So what I wanted to do, I guess, to kick everything off was just to kind of rewind the clock a little bit, hear a little bit more about how you got started. What I call your CEO story.

01:58 – Veronica Droulia

Yes, I love that. So I am actually pretty new to the entrepreneurial world. So I have been a digital media coordinator pretty much since the end of high school. So I've been going at this for quite a while and social media kind of came up on the rise around that time. So I actually was working for this startup fashion line around January of 2020. I had previewed with them at New York Fashion Week and LA Fashion Week. It was a really awesome experience. However, right before the pandemic and the lockdown, they had some philosophical differences, the co-owners. So unfortunately, the company disintegrated and I was left with no job. I was getting my MBA at George Washington University here in DC. So, you know, I still was in school, but I wanted to find a way where I could really impact my community and really use my passions and my skill sets to kind of jump forward into something new.

So I was sitting there at my parent's home in Louisiana because that's where I ended up getting stuck at the time, which was very interesting. But I ended up really buckling down on this business idea, Content Competent, where I help entrepreneurs. Even if they're new, maybe they're new to the game, that's great too. I really started thinking about how I felt whenever I was starting this business and how I could help people feel less alone in the social media space. So in June 2020, Content Confidant came into play, and it's been going great ever since. And I've graduated with my MBA. So things are just going really awesome. I'm really excited that I entered into this journey of entrepreneurship. It's been great.

03:45 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And definitely congratulations and all the awesome things that you've been able to do. But of course, graduating and getting able to get your MBA and everything, I imagine it's been very helpful in terms of probably starting this business as well.

03:59 – Veronica Droulia

Yes. Now, GW has a fantastic entrepreneurship school and a center where they help you grow your business from the ground up. So if anyone is interested in starting their own business, I definitely recommend trying out any of their academic programs. It's incredible. I feel blessed to have gone to such a school that really hones in on the entrepreneurial space.

04:21 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that a lot of times the resources and people and places and things you have around you can often set you up for success. So to have such a great resource like that has been incredibly helpful. So I know the school helped you to launch what is now Content Confidant and all the awesome things that you're doing now with your experience as well. So could you take us through a little bit more on how you work with your clients and how that process works?

04:43 – Veronica Droulia

Yes, exactly. So I actually started out a little bit differently. I've really pivoted throughout the last year. At first, I started with website design and GIF animation, I made custom GIFs for Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. I was doing social media management. I was doing a lot of different services. I would say within the last 6 to 8 months, I really started honing in on one thing and one thing only, because I knew that if I could put all of my energy into one service, I could make it really something great. So I started doing my one-on-one private social media coaching where I work with my clients for 12 weeks. Throughout the 12 weeks, we have a weekly strategy session for 60 minutes where we can talk about whatever it is that they need help with within the social media realm.

They also have 24/7 access to me via Voxer during my office hours. It's been really cool to see the progression, whether they're starting from the beginning or hitting a rough patch and needing help navigating social media. It has been an enriching experience collaborating with individuals from diverse industries, whether they are aiming to enhance their personal brands or managing small businesses. I work primarily with the health and wellness space, I would say for small businesses, So it's been really cool getting to learn from them. It's just been an awesome experience. I assist individuals, whether it's helping them gain more clients through social media, aiding in their social media growth, or providing education on social media. It's really awesome to see the difference from when we started working together after 12 weeks. So it's been super fulfilling and I've met some awesome people. So I feel really grateful to work with such incredible, incredible people.

06:32 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. I kind of hear growth and progression from everyone you've worked with. I love how you kind of talked about too, sometimes as social media is all about connecting and some of those things, sometimes it could be very lonely. I appreciate your point about how important it is for the people you work with, including clients and program participants, to not feel alone and to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their goals and aspirations.

07:02 – Veronica Droulia

Exactly. And I provide them with all the tools and resources that I have. I provide them with templates, with everything that, you know, make sure that they don't ever feel lost in this space and that they have these building blocks to go out and create. I think that's what's really awesome. But like you said, it's, I like to be like a secret business partner in a way. That's why I came up with the name content confidant, you know? So I understand what it felt like at the beginning of my business, really feeling lonely in this journey. I wanted to be a mentor and a resource for people that we're looking to have a partner throughout all of this. I think that is what really fulfills me every single day. It's been really awesome.

07:44 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I imagine everybody who's going through that business journey so many times, you wish that you had that confidence so you didn't have that lonely feeling and that person you can kind of lean on with that expertise. So I love that you've been able to kind of step into that because I feel like, and you probably know this better than, you know, anytime, anyone, I feel like social media sometimes can feel like us its own language or maybe even multiple languages if you're thinking about all the different platforms. So having that confidence to be able to figure that and steer that ship, helps out a lot.

08:11 – Veronica Droulia

Totally. And I will. I love that you said that because social media really is its own language and there are multiple languages within it. You know, there are different platforms, new algorithms, and various content planning techniques. Social media encompasses numerous different avenues. That's really what I try and do. I try to make it a less overwhelming space for people.

08:34 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And would you consider that to be what I like to call your secret sauce? The thing you feel either that you or your company across about and makes it unique? Is it that ability to sound like have the know-how, of course, but also understand that human aspect of somebody that's maybe going at it alone or feel like they're alone and be able to kind of be that confidant to them? Definitely, definitely. I love how you said secret sauce.

08:52 – Veronica Droulia

I'm definitely utilizing that. I think that's awesome. So I definitely think that is, you know, one of the components of my secret sauce. But also, I think just being an influencer myself and a content creator, I think that has really done numbers for me because I know what it's like to work with brands one-on-one. I know what it's like to market and advertise for other people. I know what it's like to build a following, to create content. I think that is really what has been the kicker for me I am totally immersed in that experience as well. So, you know, I kind of have that experience.

I think that that makes me look credible, you know, and I think that is something that I have really held to value is that obviously I have a bunch of different hats that I wear and one of them happens to be an influencer but at the end of the day, my clients are the number one thing for me. I think having them both kinds of exist in harmony has been really cool because they can see exactly what I'm doing and they can maybe not mimic it, but they can see what I'm doing and see that it works. And I think that's what's really awesome.

10:02 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. It's one thing to be able to talk to talk, but to be able to walk the walk and talk to talk is where things go to an entirely different level. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:19 – Veronica Droulia

Yeah. So I am all about organization and even with my clients, maybe sometimes they don't want to necessarily talk about social media directly. Maybe they want to talk about how to be more organized with their social media habits or how to be more organized so they have time to work on their social media. So I use the app called Trello and it's also a website but you can basically make these boards. So whether it's creating your content on a board or whether it's your weekly task planner on a board. I think it's really, really effective and super productive because I can handle all of my leads on there. I can put all of my trips when they're happening.

I can put my daily to-do list on there and I can mark it off and I have the task completed. It's basically like a big board of to-do lists. This is really how I keep myself organized because it helps me to make sure that I am not forgetting about anything. I am on track and I have everything compartmentalized into this 1 resource. So I definitely recommend testing out Trello. It's awesome. You can customize it however you want, whether that's some branding that you want on there or anything like that. It's super fun to look at. It really helps me to feel accomplished and just really organized.

11:33 – Gresham Harkless

I want to ask you now for what I call CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It could be around social media, or it might be something if you were to hop into a time machine, you would tell your younger business.

11:43 – Veronica Droulia

So I think I always had my priorities in a different lineup. I think I've always known that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I wanted to start my own company and I wanted to impact as many people as possible with my skill set and my passion. But I think, you know, life gets in the way and also we kind of get in our heads sometimes and we're like, I'm not capable of that yet. Let me just wait, let me just wait it out, the time will come. I think the biggest thing I can recommend to anybody is to just get started. I know every single entrepreneur says this. I think that the number one thing that I regret is not getting started sooner. Because I always say, imagine what your business could be like within the next year.

Imagine what it could be like in the next 5 years, the next 10. Whenever you're waiting, you really are just postponing any of that success, any of the people that you could impact. I think that is the number one thing that I still kind of hold dear to my heart as my biggest regret because I wish that I would have had the guts to just start earlier. That's why I always tell people to just get started and everything will come with time and patience. It's all about getting 1% better every single day. So that's definitely how I feel about my golden nugget.

13:00 – Gresham Harkless

And I wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Veronica, what does being a CEO mean

13:09 – Veronica Droulia

to you? Oh, I love this question. That's amazing. So I think whenever people think about starting their own businesses, Not everybody, but I think some people start thinking about the quantitative aspects, right? How much money can I make? How many clients can I get? How many followers can I get? You know, and I think it's all about really being there for your community. I always tell my clients, like, don't worry about growing your following, worry about the followers you already have. I think it's really just a standpoint of just being there for your community, serving people, and making as much of an impact as possible.

Make sure that you are finding people who really need you and need your help, need your product, need your service, and really finding fulfillment in that. So being a CEO just means finding that fulfillment through helping other people. I think that is just really what makes me keep going every day. I always say focus on your why and good things will happen because when we start focusing on those quantitative things, yeah sometimes it's great to focus on those things, but if you make that your why, there's not really going to be much success. I think it's so important to really understand your why and go forth with that every single day and utilize it to really make sure that you're making a difference and you're building a community. That is definitely what being a CEO means to me building a community 100%.

14:34 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. I absolutely love that. The reminder of being focused on your why, so you can have that fulfillment of success, not the empty success sometimes it comes when you're kind of focused on those metrics and only those metrics as well. So Veronica, truly appreciate that definition. I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do was just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. Of course, how best I can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

14:59 – Veronica Droulia

Yes. So for anybody who is struggling with building their social media empires, anybody that is wanting to build a community, anyone that really just feels like there's something missing in this journey, maybe it's a lonely experience for you, I would absolutely love to just have a conversation with you, no strings attached. You can reach me at content confidant on Instagram on tick tock.

My email is admin at content confidant calm I would love to hear from you, you can even visit my website and You can book a discovery call with me for 20 minutes and just, and you can tell me all about your business and really what makes you tick. I would absolutely love to meet you and hear about all of your experiences. So for anybody listening who feels inclined to, please feel free to reach out. I'd love to hear from you. I want to thank you so much, Prashanth, for having me on the show. It has been amazing. Thank you so much. I'm feeling very, very grateful.

15:57 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. I'm truly grateful, you know, for all the awesome things you're doing. Obviously, the time you took today and to make it even easier, we'll have the links and information in the show notes, but I love everything that you've reminded us of and reminded us to continue to kind of keep going and lean into that, that why of what it is that we're doing. I love that you're doing that as well. So appreciate you so much, Veronica. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:30 – 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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