IAM1285 – CEO Magnifies a Brand from the Root

Rachael Seda is CEO and Co-Founder of Mix+Shine Marketing, a Virginia Beach-based agency focused on bringing national exposure to health, nutrition, food, and beverage clients.

Once named to TopRank's list of Women Who Rock Social Media, Rachael's first passion is social media. Early in her career, she transformed multiple programs at associations in Washington, DC to put social media at the center of communication strategy. When she returned to Virginia Beach to work for national agency Padilla, it was only a matter of time before Rachael was running award-winning campaigns for health systems and food giants alike. (Including launching a viral lip dub video before the age of TikTok).

In 2014, Rachael and her business partner April opened Mix+Shine Marketing, growing into a full-service agency. The agency has launched several successful food and nutrition brands, planned the largest plant-based nutrition event on the East Coast, and led campaigns communicating the safety of COVID-19 vaccination.

Rachael co-hosts The Corporate Dropout podcast, where she interviews business owners on their business growth and lessons learned. She spent her pandemic year helping small business owners keep the faith in lockdown with free virtual sessions pivot – and using this unconventional “downtime” to sharpen their marketing skills.

Outside of the workday, you'll find Rachael on a run, practicing on the tennis courts – or poolside with a margarita. Rachael is Hawaii-raised, enneagram 8, and never met a stranger. Say hello at @mixandshinepr.

Website: www.mixandshine.com

Instagram: mixandshinepr

Podcast: the-corporate-dropout-podcast

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Transcription

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00:20 – 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.

00:45 – 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 Rachel SATA of Mix and Shine marketing. Rachel, it's great to have you on the show.

00:54 – Rachael Seda

Hey, thanks for having me. I'm really happy to be here.

00:56 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, super excited to have you on. And before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Rachel so you can hear about some of the awesome things that she's doing. Rachel is CEO and co-founder of Mix and Shine Marketing, a Virginia beach-based marketing agency focused on bringing national exposure to health, nutrition, food, and beverage clients. Once named top of ranks list of women who rock social media, Rachel's first passion is social media.

Early in her career, she transformed multiple programs at associations in Washington, DC to put social media at the center of Communication Strategy. When she returned to Virginia Beach to work for national agency Padilla, it was only a matter of time before Rachel was running award award-winning campaigns for health systems and food giants alike, including launching a viral lip dub video before the age of TikTok. In 2014, Rachel and her business partner April opened Mix and Shine Marketing, growing into a full-service agency.

The agency has launched several successful food and nutrition brands, planned the largest plant-based nutrition event on the East Coast, and led campaigns communicating the safety of COVID-19 vaccination. Rachel co-hosts the corporate Dropout podcast where she interviews business owners on their business growth and lessons learned. She spent her pandemic year helping business owners keep the faith and lockdown with free virtual session pivot and using this unconventional downtime to sharpen their marketing skills outside of the workday.

You'll find Rachel on a run, practicing on the tennis court or poolside with a margarita. Rachel is a Hawaii-raised Enneagram eight and never met a stranger Rachel, super excited to have you on the show and all the awesome things you're doing. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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02:33 – Rachael Seda

I'm ready.

02:33 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's make it happen then. So to kind of kick everything off, I know I touched on a little bit, but I wanted to rewind the clock, and hear a little bit more about how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

02:42 – Rachael Seda

Perfect. Well, you know, I never thought that I would have my own business or be a CEO, so it's funny to find myself here. You know, I always loved marketing. That's what I went to school for, communication. And I just kind of graduated in the age of social media, just kind of really hitting the ground running for businesses. So it's kind of a unique time to figure that out and how we use that to kind of promote businesses. What I love about it is I think that it provides a level playing field for so many small businesses or up-and-coming businesses in a way that was not an opportunity before social media.

So I found myself in my career going from nonprofits to associations and helping them build that strategy and then landed at a national agency and helped do that on a big scale for clients as you mentioned. And, you know, it's funny, my now business partner and I were partners at the agency, and we were finding ourselves doing amazing work. But as the agency grew and got acquired, we found ourselves farther and farther away from that work that we felt moved the needle for clients.

And that was really working closely on a full strategy and looking at all your goals and not just taking a tactic and saying, just do that. So one day, over margaritas, we just were kind of talking about, like, what if we did this on our own in the model that we know worked well for the clients that we had worked with before? And so, you know, tequila has its way of making you think you could do lots of things right. So the next morning over coffee, she kind of looked at me, and I looked at her, I said, she said, were you serious?

I said, oh, I'm very serious. And she goes, I said, are you serious? And she said, yeah. And we just went back to our desk, and, since that point, we started building our business, finally left, and created our agency full-time. We now have an agency. Ten full-time people work with us. And that's the story. I mean, kind of was kind of just one of those things I didn't know was going to happen, but kind of know in that moment when I said it out loud. I knew that that's what we needed to be doing.

I kind of presented everything that could have held us back. I said, well, what if it doesn't work out? Well, we just go get another job. We have enough experience. What if, you know, we're not taken seriously? What if this? And so I put together all the what-ifs, and they didn't seem to add up to keep us from doing what we wanted to do. Why can't we create an agency and a business where that is possible, not only for ourselves but for other women and men who value their families, too, and want to be present?

05:30 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. So I wanted to drill down a little bit more, and I know you touched a little bit upon, like, how you work with clients. Could you take us through a little bit more on what that is, what that looks like, and how you're making that impact for the clients you work with?

05:42 – Rachael Seda

Yes. So we look at ourselves as a full-service digital marketing agency. And, you know, there's this word boutique that you'll often hear, and maybe that's the right word, but I always explain it as we are an extension of your marketing team. So when we have a client, I often will be at an event with a client. They'll say, oh, this is my marketing team. They don't differentiate us as the agency. They, we build this close relationship and trust that they look to us as their marketing team.

And I think that that's so valuable because you know that you could hire so many people to do your marketing or any kind of service, right? But if they look at us and say, an extension of their marketing team, and we operate as such, we are invested in their goals, as invested as they are. Because if they don't if they don't succeed, neither do we, quite frankly.

And so that's our model, that we're almost a hire your marketing team we're in. So we also make sure and vet our clients the same way that they vet us. And we want to, if it's a product or a service, we want to believe in it and test it out before we accept it as a client.

06:53 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I like to call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself, the agency, or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

07:03 – Rachael Seda

Well, hands down, following my gut instinct, I've always done it. Um, I think can thank my mother for making sure that I listen to my gut instinct as a child growing up, I think we often, um, kind of, for lack of a better term, beat that out of kids, um, instead of reminding them to listen to it. And, yes, the authority is important, but. And, you know, the other adults in your life are important, but your gut instinct is more important than any of that. And so my mother always taught that to me, and I think that served me well in life, but, um, specifically in business as well.

Um, and, you know, they're. You're especially growing a business. You're going to have a lot of people that want to advise you, and I think it's important to also, um, engage in other advisors. But at the end of the day, you have to listen to your gut instinct because it got you to where you are now, and there's no reason to stop listening to it and just take someone's advice without feeling like it's the right decision.

08:02 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. As leaders and even as individuals, sometimes we listen to that gut feeling because something is usually there.

08:09 – Rachael Seda

Oh, for sure.

08:10 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. 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 app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

08:22 – Rachael Seda

Oh, gosh, I have a few, so I'm gonna. I'm gonna try this extinct.

08:26 – Gresham Harkless

Hey, go for it.

08:27 – Rachael Seda

Um, you know, I. Okay, so I have a few. Um, I would say the first one is to invest in yourself. I think that's the hardest thing to do, especially as a CEO. Uh, there are lots of places to put your money. You want to save it. Um, you want to put a lot of time and energy into everybody else, your team, but you cannot do it alone. Last year, I hired a CEO coach, Doctor Crystal Connor. And while it was an investment, I cannot tell you how valuable it was for me as a CEO.

Unknowingly, that would be one of the hardest years, most difficult years as a CEO, I had to make a lot of very difficult decisions in my business. And thanks to having her as a sounding board, I was able to face these tough and uncomfortable decisions head-on. And that has helped me kind of feel confident in the decisions that we made and ready to grow to the next level. I started this year off kind of like, figuring out all those tough things, making those decisions, and then knowing, like, they were the right decisions and where to go next, and that I had kind of a confidant that, like, had my back, but it was also, you know, hard on me.

So I think, invest in yourself, whether that's a coach or whether that's some type of training, or even if it's just, I'm going to have some. A self-care day once a month, like, make sure that you do that for yourself. I talk about a gut instinct moment. Like something inside me knew that it was worth it. And let me tell you what it was, and I think some of it, too, was I had a dedicated hour every week that was set aside for her to step away from all of the work and all of the distractions, to focus on some key important things.

So that you didn't put off making very important decisions that just really needed to be made. Um, and I think that's part of it, too. Taking that time, that CEO time, another one, is to build a team around you. I swear, whether it's that you just start with a virtual assistant and you don't think you can afford them. You have to delegate things on your plate that are not CEO tasks, or you will get stuck in admin tasks and never have room to think and grow. You'll never grow your business that way.

And then my third one, you know, I call it vision boarding, but also just looking at, taking time to say, what is my vision for my company, my life, how I, you know, because it's not just, you know, we're growing a business, but most of our bus is doing it for a reason. So whether it's like champagne bottle goals, whatever motivates you. So I think the visual is very powerful. That champagne was motivating, I'll tell you that much. The last one I have is just as a busy CEO and mom, to me, podcasts are everything.

I can listen to them on the way to work, and that's kind of where I kind of get my mindset right. I love your podcast. I also love Brene Brown's Dare to Lead. That's one that kind of gets me in the right headspace in the morning. Um, and then my own, uh, CEO coach, she recently came out with a podcast called How to Be a Dangerous Woman. All of. All of those three, I highly recommend, or ones that just motivate you. But I. I think it's a great place to kind of, like, set your tone for your day, even as I learn much better from podcasts. So find whatever it is that helps you learn and something that inspires you to keep going.

11:41 – Gresham Harkless

I love that. And that might even be the CEO nugget. I was wondering, too, just being able to kind of, again, you know, running your race, making sure that this is how I learned. So this is what I'm going to do. So do you feel like, and even from probably having a podcast as well, too, do you feel like you've been able to kind of sharpen that, saw, maybe even invest in yourself by being able to kind of listen to, you know, the people that have been, quote-unquote, successful in learning those nuggets, but also, do you feel like you've been able to kind of learn that as far as being a host, too?

12:11 – Rachael Seda

Oh, my gosh, yes. I mean, when we started our podcast, I think that even just listening to other podcasts helped me kind of think about, how should I ask this question. How should I approach this? And of course, you know, being here with you today, it's always, uh, funny to be on the other side of it. Um, but I think it helps.

And I find that even, and I'm sure you found this in doing my podcast, that it helps me react faster on my feet when, you know, we have a client that needs something, whether that's I'm on a video, um, shoot and need to last-minute interview someone, need to prepare them to be on, uh, with the news. Um, so I think any kind of speaking, I think a podcast is helpful for that and just thinking on your toes.

12:59 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping out different, quote-unquote, CEO's on the show. So, Rachel, what does being a CEO mean to you?

13:09 – Rachael Seda

Oh, that's such a good one. I mean, to me, honestly, being a CEO at the end of the day means being a leader, um, especially when times are tough. Um, no doubt. I think that it means that I have to have perseverance and vision over anything and that I have to have the earned trust of my team around me so that together we can work towards that vision. Because if they don't trust me, that vision will never become a reality. I also really believe that it's the ability to inspire others to believe in themselves, too, and in our brand, and then what the future holds for them, whether that's my team member or whether that's a client.

At the end of the day, for me as a CEO, I take responsibility for everything that happens within our agency, within our team, and our work. And I take that very seriously. And I will fall on that sword every day for my team and my clients. And that. That's really what it means to me. Keeping the right people around you, both in your team, and to help support you, is. Is important. Be a good golden nugget.

14:11 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. Another great nugget. So, Rachel, truly appreciate that definition and that perspective. Of course, I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do now is just pass you the mic, so to speak, to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And, of course, how best people can get a hold of you. Listen to your podcast, and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

14:31 – Rachael Seda

Oh, you're so kind. I loved it. I have loved every minute of our conversation today. I think if I was going to give one last piece of advice, it would be that you know, I never look at what my competition is doing. I think that what I truly believe what we're doing is unique. I think there's someone out there for everyone. But you can get bogged down and look at what everyone else is doing. So just ignore what everyone else is doing and stay focused on your vision and your goals.

And don't let anybody else's success or what you think is success distract you from what you want. And you can find me. Rachel SATA. I am the sole person who runs Mixed and Shinepr on Instagram. I love spending time there. Um, we are there on TikTok, on Instagram, on Facebook, but I spend most of my time on Instagram and TikTok. And then, of course, we have our podcast, the corporate Dropout podcast.

And this year, on March 24 and 25th, we are doing a creative spark mixer, which is a summit, um, for up-and-coming emerging food and Bev brands to kind of help them learn how to market themselves and to get into retail. So that is going to be brand new. It's our first annual virtual summit, so we're excited about that. And details to come soon.

15:53 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. To make it even easier, we'll have the links and information in the show notes as well. So thereby can find out about the events, subscribe to the podcast, find out about all the awesome things that you're working on, and thank you so much for doing that and remind us of how important that is. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:07 – Rachael Seda

Well, thank you, Gresham, for having this podcast and for your great energy and all you do. So I'm excited to just be part of it and wish you the best of success.

16:17 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Please 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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