IAM2018 – Business Consultant Helps Create Business Growth Foundations

In this episode, we have Chandra Gore, a successful business consultant and public relations specialist.

Chandra shares her journey into the field of public relations and emphasizes the importance of strategic communication in connecting with audiences and for overall branding.

She expresses that being authentic should be the foundation of any business's public persona. She also outlined the value of using different languages and modes of communication to reach varied audiences. Chandra also discusses the importance of tenacity and fearlessness in business leadership.

Website: www.chandragoreconsulting.com

Previous Episode: IAM808 – Consultant Helps Create Business Growth Foundations

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Full Interview:

Transcription:

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Chandra Gore Teaser 00:00

Strategic communication is how you connect with the community, connect with your audience and also the language and what you are, what just what you're telling about yourself.

So it's all about because it ties in your marketing. It ties in your branding. It ties into everything.

Intro 00:18

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.

Gresham Harkless 00:46

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast. And I have a very special guest back on the show today. I've Chandra Gore. Chandra, great to have you back on the show.

Chandra Gore 00:55

It's glad to be back and actually in person this time.

Gresham Harkless 00:58

Yes, absolutely. We were just talking and Chandra was on episode 808 of our podcast.

During the pandemic. So actually seeing and being on the other side here and intelligent office is awesome.

Chandra Gore 01:09

Yeah, it's crazy to be live talking to people.

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Gresham Harkless 01:14

Exactly.

Chandra Gore 01:15

I like being home though.

Gresham Harkless 01:17

There we go. We'll get you in and out really, really fast. But you're doing so many phenomenal things. What I wanted to do was just hear a little bit more about your story, what you've been working on and all the awesome things you're doing to make an impact.

Chandra Gore 01:28

Okay. So I fell into public relations by accident. I'm a business consultant. By trade. That has been my saving grace. Oh, I love doing that. Because to have someone bring an idea to me. And I give them the full exactly how to launch it, what to do. Just adding public relations to that, the strategic communication side, will help them to get the reach so that people will look at their business. So it's like it all came together.

Gresham Harkless 01:58

Yeah, that makes sense. So you said a phrase that wasn't all the way familiar with strategic communications. What exactly is that?

Chandra Gore 02:05

Strategic communication is how you connect with the community, connect with your audience and also the language and what you are, what just what you're telling about yourself.

So it's all about because it ties in your marketing. It ties in your branding. It ties into everything. So, It's everything from your, how to put it, it's from your background all the way to your future endeavors to, those nuances that happen, crisis management, all of that is under that same umbrella.

Gresham Harkless 02:37

Interesting. That makes so much sense. And I almost think that. You find that a lot in all aspects of business, but I imagine, especially within public relations, things can be siloed. We're not realizing that these things can all work strategically to help you reach whatever goal that you might have.

Chandra Gore 02:52

So, say you are a community organization that is supplying books to children, right? And then. If you tell the story on why then, you got to find your audience, then you have to find, you have to connect those dots and then you want to make work on your public persona. You can't have, there's certain things that don't align with children's books.

So looking at all of those and then looking at who to connect in your community to get in front of those children to connect with the parents. So you have to learn those different languages that all come into play so.

Gresham Harkless 03:26

Yeah, I love that. She said languages because again, if you're not doing it, you have Spanish speaking with German or French, they're just not corresponding as well.

Chandra Gore 03:35

So a lot of people don't get that you can say the same message in so many different ways. So that's the art of strategic com because. You're just repackaging the same thing, but so it appeals to the different audience because for a TV producer don't want to cover the story. You have to speak that language. So, yeah.

Gresham Harkless 03:58

Interesting. So that's a lot of what you do. Probably speak these different languages. Your clients get placement, right?

Chandra Gore 04:04

Yes, I do want to put I want to put multilingual on my stuff, but I can't. Right?

Gresham Harkless 04:08

Multilingual PR.

Chandra Gore 04:10

And it's all a lot of people think having a logo. And a pretty picture.

That's it. , No, no, because its too. So I always say marketing and public relations are first cousins or, you know, they're relatives. And so then if you have a strategy on top of that, marketing your public relations, that business strategy, They're all in the same family.

But you cannot have. How do I put it? If your business foundation, your strategy is not sound, what's the point of having public relations and marketing when you won't be able to, once you get that visibility, you won't be able to sustain it. People will leave bad reviews. People will say things. Then comes crisis management.

That's expensive.

Gresham Harkless 05:03

That makes perfect sense. And, if you don't have all those things talking to each other, cohesive, then, being with different families and, very, very, very, very distant cousins at the very least, that are exactly exactly you definitely don't want to do, do that work.

And I think what you touched on is that we can sometimes fall in love with the things that we do and think the things that we do are great. But I feel like part of what you do in that translation. It's being able to make sure that the other person on the other end knows that's great as well, too.

And that's something that we have to realize needs to be bridged.

Chandra Gore 05:35

In a lot of times. And this is what I tell, some of my clients, you can't be the only voice in the room. You can't be the only one saying how great you are. People have to co-sign that people have to legitimize you, knowing that you're great at what you do.

So a lot of times I don't know why you talk to them. Because you can't be the only one saying I'm great. I'm great. I'm great. I'm great. There's some people that gotta tell you you're great too. It's no. If you're only talking to yourself, you're only talking to yourself. So yeah.

Gresham Harkless 06:04

Yeah. That makes so much sense. And that's why I love the work that you do. Cause it's I guess the phrase and directly correct me if I'm wrong, like that earned media where people are celebrating, you are talking about you, it gives you validation for the greatness that you have within, but you need to have it validated because you don't want to be the only one saying, Hey, I'm great.

Chandra Gore 06:23

I've had news outlets ask. What other people have covered your client? , because sometimes, how some people they'll go in and they think that I should be on this platform. If your own local blogger or your own local news, your own local newspaper. Or something like that. Your community newsletter doesn't want to cover you.

Why would somebody like, why would a larger platform want to cover? You can't skip those steps.

Gresham Harkless 06:52

Yeah. So that makes it. Do you feel like that's part of your secret sauce thing? You feel sets your part and make sure you need that awareness around, like, how important all those pieces are and being able to translate that.

Chandra Gore 07:03

Yeah, that's my, it's so funny. Like I keep, I tell you all the time, the secret sauce is me because I have those that serrated moments of dating myself, but I have those moments where I can look when they talk, there's somebody talking to me. I have those moments. I zone out a little bit.

But I'm seeing the path like laid out in front of me, so that's the difference because I can say, listen, what you're doing right now online in the long run is not going to be great for you because.

Gresham Harkless 07:31

You probably have seen everything and let me ask you, so how long have you been, in the PR field or somehow related to the.

Chandra Gore 07:40

I actually, okay, so I had to think about this back in 2015 when I actually went into entrepreneurship,

I didn't realize that I was doing that then because I was looking at people's public image. I was googling them and stuff before I worked with them, even doing mini background checks and stuff and seeing what they look like in the community, so I've been doing this for a long time. 2015.

Gresham Harkless 08:08

Yeah. And the reason I wanted to ask you that is just because. I was getting visions. I don't know if you've ever seen the movie Beautiful Mind. , where he is literally writing on walls and all these things are connecting. He's seen something nobody else has seen. They're not sure what's happening.

But when you were saying that you had that data, Raven one I was picturing that, but I wanted to make sure, 'cause I imagine that vision didn't just happen overnight. It's because of the work and time and experience that you've been putting into the industry.

Chandra Gore 08:31

And I'm always, always reading.

I'm always learning. And one of the things I will pull out the old, it is a public relations dictionary. , And it has all of these things, so I always go back through and I'm like, wait a minute. And I'll go back to those terms or I'll look at other books, that helped me is so many, Oh, they're not all mine.

Cause sometimes you have to go back to that paper and then just, that has taught me so much. Cause sometimes those older. We're using the same tactics just on a digital level, but a lot of people aren't going back and realizing those strategies that were before will work now.

So that's another way. I have the leg up because I'm always researching.

Gresham Harkless 09:14

Yeah, it's like those foundational principles. 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?

Chandra Gore 09:26

Okay. So I will say scheduling. . It's not on a business level, but it's on a personal level because I feel I've found that having that piece and that quote-unquote balance.

So I wake up at the same time every morning. , And I actually, I love Alexa has been my saving grace. So I have it set to where. It gradually turns the lights up and it prompts me to go into my meditation and I tell people all the time, don't just jump up and get on your phone, take that time, get a drink of water and then get yourself together.

And that right there changes the whole trajectory of your day. , I have found that has made, cause somebody wake up, somebody said, I'm having a bad day. Go back to bed and get back up again. Because if you start your day in a positive way the whole day, no matter what happens, you'll smile and get through it.

So, yeah.

Gresham Harkless 10:23

Yeah. Tony Robbins has this quote that he says in order to win the day, you got to win the morning and I love that quote that you said. I'm definitely, you're going to borrow that. He said, okay, you didn't have a bad day or your best start your day started over. It started over.

Chandra Gore 10:40

It's like the first thing I do is like, when the lights are grass, I have to smile.

Yeah. I'm waking up. Yeah. That is the biggest thing. So. It's changed. I say that the last year it's changed how my business has grown. I've grown, it's changed everything. So yeah, wake up with that smile.

Gresham Harkless 11:02

Love it. So, I guess speaking of time machines, I wanted you to have a good time machine. Maybe give us like What I call a CEO nugget. So it could be for yourself and that time machine and talking to you to business founder, or it might be something you would tell a client.

Chandra Gore 11:17

I could go back. When I launched my catering and my dessert company, I would have told myself to never give up Because I have a book of recipes. If I can go back, I will publish it. I still might do it anyway.

Gresham Harkless 11:32

I was gonna say that It's on the wax as they say.

Chandra Gore 11:37

I really would tell myself to never give up no matter what happens because I stopped baking and cooking when my dad was sick.

And I should have just used that as a fuel to keep going and keep developing recipes and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, that's the only thing I would ever go back and do. It's not a regret. It's just, yeah.

Gresham Harkless 11:59

Yeah the beautiful thing is, like you said, you already spoke it to this.

It's like you can always go back and make sure those things happen. Those things can happen. But I love that. Going through life. I think so many times the recipe for success. We forget that the most probably important ingredient of that is the perseverance and resilience.

Chandra Gore 12:17

You're absolutely correct because a lot of stuff that I visited. In the beginning, the start of my business, I'm doing now things implementing systems and stuff like that did not work at the beginning stages work now.

Yeah. So, yeah, you're absolutely correct on that.

Gresham Harkless 12:35

Yeah. And so now I want to ask you 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, Chandra, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Chandra Gore 12:44

Being a CEO is being fearless. Because within that fear, you can use it to fuel those moments because sometimes as a CEO, there are moments where you have to make or break it, that decision is going to make or break your business or, a relationship with a client.

So. Going into something fearless, like wholeheartedly staying 10 times, 10 toes down on what needs to happen is, that's what being a CEO is because sometimes you have to make the hard decision. Can be scared. You gotta go ahead and jump out there and do it because I've learned that not doing that has proven detrimental to my business.

So, you know, have no fear to do what you need to do and keep them moving. So.

Gresham Harkless 13:30

Yeah, that's so powerful.

Chandra Gore 13:32

And a lot of people forget that within that fear, that doubt, it's going to cloud your judgment because you go into self-preservation. You're not thinking about tomorrow. You're not thinking about next week. You're not thinking about the ripple effect.

That one decision that you're making out of fear, it's Can do to you. And your bottom line and cost you a lot of money. Okay. I'm speaking from personal.

Gresham Harkless 13:56

There we go. That's why we're here. And I think it's just so powerful when you realize what fear can do. And as you said, sometimes that can cloud your judgment, having you not make those best decisions for yourself today, but also a lot further in the future.

So, Chandra, truly appreciate that definition, of course, appreciate your time even more. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional for our readers and listeners now, and then how best people get ahold of you.

Chandra Gore 14:22

I would say to listeners and those reviewing to always, always look at how you're interacting with others.

Be authentic. Please do not create a persona because that inauthenticity is going to be the biggest detriment to your brand, your business, and your overall public profile. So, Always be yourself, no matter what, just be yourself. And yeah, that's pretty much it.

Gresham Harkless 14:54

Yeah, I love that. The quote is be yourself because everybody else has already taken it.

But I think that makes sense by staying true to yourself. But as you said so well, that whole brand piece is huge because If you are on, let's just say one interview and you're this way, and then you're talking to your employee, you're talking in this way. Those things end up becoming part of your brand.

Yeah, they it's in this world. It's getting easier to see. Oh, they're not that. There's not that alignment.

Chandra Gore 15:18

And I think that's I'm glad you said that because CEOs who are leaders of companies, if they're, they're saying the generous that this or that in the media, and then you have a slew of employees Going down this major list, that right there will kill a brand, your stock will plummet, investors will pull out.

So just remember that.

Gresham Harkless 15:41

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Stay true and stay consistent to know who you are. So, Chandra, truly appreciate that again. We'll definitely have the links of people who want to get ahold of you.

Chandra Gore 15:51O

h, you can find me at chandragoreconsulting.com. It's Chandra Consulting on every platform.

And that's pretty much it. And just since don't DM me because that's not going to get answered.

Gresham Harkless 16:04

There we go. We'll keep it, we'll keep it old school, somewhat old school. We'll have the links and information. So make sure you reach out to Chandra there. And I think that's, that should be it. I appreciate you.

I appreciate, all the awesome things you're doing.

Chandra Gore 16:16

And I appreciate you for having me again.

Outro 16:18

Thank you for listening to the I Am CEO podcast powered by CB Nation and 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 Apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. This has been the I Am CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless, Jr.

Thank you for listening.

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