IAM994- Owner Helps Clients Reach the Right People

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00:17 – 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 the valuable info you're searching for. 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 Melanie Hardcastle of Melanie Hardcastle marketing and events. Melanie, it's awesome to have you on the show.

00:55 – Melanie Hardcastle

Thanks, Gresham. It's great to be here. Excited about our conversation.

00:58 – Gresham Harkless

I'm super excited to have you on as well. And before we jump into that conversation, I want to read more about Melanie so you can hear about all the awesome work she's doing. Melanie is the owner of her digital marketing agency, Melanie Hardcastle Marketing and Events. She left her full-time job a year ago, a year and a half ago to pursue entrepreneurship and has never looked back. Melanie works with clients to help them find their brand voice, execute their marketing strategy, and produce killer virtual events. If you want to grow your audience, reach the right people, and scale your business, she's your woman. Melanie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:32 – Melanie Hardcastle

I am. Thank you.

01:33 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit here. A little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

01:41 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So I was working full time as a director of marketing at a media company for about five years. And then I was doing some freelancing on the side, so sort of moonlighting. So I would go to my nine-to-five, come home, and do my freelance gig on the side which was mostly social media management for a couple of clients.

And so I got to the point where I had a lot more client demand for different services, but I was in my full-time job. So I had to turn things down, which is a good problem to have. But then I yeah. So I made the decision that I was just gonna go for it and make the leap and gave my two weeks' notice and started my own thing. And as my bio said, I kind of never looked back. I'm very glad that I made the jump.

02:34 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I appreciate that. And I feel like probably your clients do as well too that made me jump in that leap and created a little bit more space to take on some of those clients and opportunities you're you couldn't take on at that time. But I think it's so huge to kind of, you know, just know, I appreciate you talking about the five years of being able to learn all that and then be able to set yourself up. Because I think so many times, we think people sometimes just flip a light switch, and then they start a business. But it's really the expertise you had and being able to build the business on the side, it sounds like, and then be able to grow into all the awesome work that you're doing now.

03:08 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. Absolutely. And I, before I left, put out some feelers with my current clients asking them if I was to do this. First of all, do you recommend it since most of them are business owners? And then also, would you potentially have more work for me so that I could kind of build out that pipeline before I left my day job?

03:28 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Very, very smart, and I think it's it's a great lesson for all of us because I think we all have great ideas. But to put those feelers out to see if all the other people also think that we have a great idea as well too always helps to increase our likelihood of, success. And so I wanted to drill down a little bit more, hear a little bit more about how you're working with your clients. Could you take us through how you serve the clients that you work with?

03:50 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yes. Definitely. So I have sort of two sectors of my business. The first one is marketing. So I do a lot of marketing strategy. So coming up with marketing plans and campaigns for clients, some of whom have a little bit of marketing experience, some of whom have none. And then what I do a ton of is social media management. So managing clients' accounts from top to bottom. So that'll be content creation, creating graphics, sourcing images, and then actually scheduling the post and engaging with their accounts. So that's one side and then the other side is events which obviously over the past year and a half has been mostly for all virtual events. So thankfully I had experience producing webinars in past jobs.

So I had one client come to me and say, hey we're making all of our events virtual now. This was back in, March twenty twenty, and they needed help figuring out how exactly to do that using Zoom and a couple of other platforms. So I sort of made that pivot, helped them produce their events, and then got referrals from them and ended up producing a ton of various conferences, one-day events. I work with a lot of associations, nonprofits, and organizations like that. So it's been really rewarding so far.

05:12 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I imagine, the organizations, the agencies, the clients that you work with probably have those events that they want to have had. The how they had them has evolved and changed and and pivoted. So it's so important to still be able to kind of execute and to get that mission, out to the world and to be able to help out people, but not knowing how to do it. It's great to have people like yourself to be able to lean on.

05:39 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. Definitely. It's been being able to help them with that, especially because a lot of these companies, the bulk of their revenue is from the event. So it's really important that they were able to make that pivot and serve their either members or customers virtually. So, yeah, I'm hoping that some of those relationships, continue when they're able to do in-person events too. So I think that having kind of proven myself for the virtual events will be a good way to sort of segue into that other vertical of the in-person events when we're able to do those again.

06:14 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I think it's a great way to be able to make that happen. And then, of course, you know, you have that marketing arm that you mentioned as well too to be able to understand that strategy because I can imagine a lot of these same organizations probably would need help as far as, like, being able to kinda communicate, use social media, but just overall strategy as you help them out too. So I imagine you'll be in high demand when things whereas now, and then when things, you know, transition to whatever they will end up being.

06:37 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. I'm hoping so. I think there'll be a lot of hybrid events too. So I think that the skills I've used over the past year and Apple come into play for those, which have the in-person and virtual components. So we'll see how those end up sticking out.

06:51 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. Well, I want to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself or your business or a combination of both, but what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

07:01 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. So actually what you mentioned earlier about having both the marketing and events experience is the the differentiator. Most companies do either event, whether virtual or in person, or marketing. Having both skill sets has been huge because, as you mentioned, a lot of these companies wanna put on their virtual events, but then they also don't know how to market virtual events why would they be ahead of now? Maybe they've done some webinars or some smaller events, but being able to help them with things like email copy, social media copy, ads, and things like that has been has been huge. So I think that that sets me apart from just a purely events or purely marketing agency.

07:45 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. I don't know if feel this way, but I always thought that's not the only reason you can have an event, I also thought events could be a great opportunity to market your business in and of itself to market, of course, the event, but I also feel like it can be an extension of a brand or whatever they're trying to do. So I imagine both that kind of, sides of the coin, so to speak, probably help out, in terms of how you're able to serve your clients.

08:08 – Melanie Hardcastle

Right. Events are great for lead generation like you're saying, whether these are kind of existing, warm, or cold leads. But events are a great way to market what else your organization has coming are going on. So whether that's promoting your membership offerings, promoting upcoming events, or even just little low ticket items like following on social media, getting engaged on Twitter, things like that. So it all works together in tandem.

08:35 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I love that. And I'm sure you have been too, and probably your clients as well just imagining the possibilities of being able to kinda merge those things. So it's great that you have both those, aspects in your secret sauce so that you can help people kinda navigate and and speak the language, so to speak.

08:50 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. Definitely.

08:52 – 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?

09:03 – Melanie Hardcastle

Right. So something that I use, and I learned this from the author Gretchen Rubin, is called the one-minute rule. So the premise of it is if you can complete a task in less than a minute, just do it right then. So I use this for both business and personal use. I mean, personally, it could be something like putting the laundry away or something that you would normally put off but ends up taking less than sixty seconds.

And then, I'll sort of go through my agenda for the day or through my email inbox and just scan in the morning and say, okay. What would take me less than a minute to respond to write something down or reach out to this contact? And that is super helpful for me because I think a lot of us procrastinate obviously and then put off tasks that aren't that hard or time-consuming. After all, they feel a lot bigger when you're first looking at them. So that's been helpful for me, and I hope it can help other people too, whether it's business or personal.

10:03 – Gresham Harkless

I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So that could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client, or if you were to happen to be a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

10:14 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. So for this, I would say that self-promotion focuses on my branding. So I've been focusing on my branding. So I've been posting to my social media accounts a lot more, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and showing my face a lot more, which I know is important for engaging with your audience. I felt awkward doing that at first. I was like, people are gonna think I'm trying to be some influencer, things things like that. But I've gotten multiple new clients from my post doing things like that. So it makes it completely worth it.

10:59 – Gresham Harkless

Nice. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call 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, Melanie, what does being a CEO mean to you?

11:11 – Melanie Hardcastle

For me, the first word that comes to mind is freedom. I love being able to choose who I work with, which is not the case when you're in a kind of full-time role. So I love, yeah, having the freedom to choose my clients. And then also, and I feel like this is kind of the stereotypical entrepreneur life, but just having control over my schedule, that's huge. I've been in jobs before where I've felt like people just, like, watch the clock or it's kind of, you know, butts in seats is what matters.

And I think as entrepreneurs, we all know that you can get stuff done, sometimes a lot faster. Sometimes things are gonna take you longer. And I think it also allows me to since I do a lot of creative work, work when I'm the most feeling the most creative. So for me, that's usually I'm a morning person, and so that'll be the morning. So that's when I'll do a lot of my content creation, and things like that. But, yeah, I think just not being tied down by so many meetings and sort of rules, is the highlight for me.

12:17 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I love that rules piece as well too because I think so many times as we experienced in this past year, there are a lot of things that have disrupted all the rules of how to do events or marketing or whatever that might be. And I think it takes that creativity. It takes that, knowledge of self to know, like, when you work better, but also the freedom and the opportunity to be able to try out those things to experiment, but also see growth from that, is really where I think we will have what will eventually be, like, that new normal. But you have to have that space and that opportunity to do that. And I think being a CEO, entrepreneur, business owner, whatever we might call it, provides those opportunities to do that.

12:53 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. I completely agree. And being a business owner too, I think you also have a lot more control over, like, financially what you make. I know, obviously, at full-time jobs, you have that set salary and it's sort of capped or, each year it might go up by a small percentage depending on the organization. But I know, like, how much I'm making at all times, and then I know whether I can take on a new client, not take on a new client, outsource certain things. And I've loved that. I think sometimes having your own business has a lot of ups and downs, but I think that ultimately you have more control over, what you're doing and how much you're making really.

13:34 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. And I think at the end of the day, to some degree you're making those decisions and those decisions will determine, like, how your balances or your time is being spent or what clients you work with or don't work with. And I think you have that decision to be able to make that happen. And I and I'll always usually kinda compare, it's a to being like an artist and getting that blank canvas and getting to create it in the way that you want to do that. So I appreciate everything you said because I think it reminds me of that and the ability for us to kind of have sometimes similar businesses but create them in a different way that is unique to us.

14:07 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. I love that. I saw some stuff the other day that was, like, fifty-one percent of freelancers or entrepreneurs wouldn't go back to their full-time jobs for any amount of money. And I was like, yep. Check.

14:22- Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. I think there's a quote that, you know, they said entrepreneurs are people that will work, eighty hours a week to avoid working forty hours a week. So, you know, sometimes you have that opportunity where you get to enjoy what you're doing and you get to love the work that you're doing. Even if you might be working more and have more ups and downs. At the same time, you feel a little bit more empowered and free as you said as well too.

14:43 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. Absolutely.

[00:14:45.10] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Meli, truly appreciate that definition, and I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do is 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 and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

14:58 – Melanie Hardcastle

Yeah. Absolutely. I think just final thoughts would be if you're considering leaping entrepreneurship, plan it out about those feelers as I mentioned earlier. Save up all the kind of standard advice, but I would say go for it. It's super rewarding. I never really planned on having my own business. I've not I haven't been like, oh, I was an entrepreneur since I was six. But, but it's paid off for me.

And then as far as where you can reach me, I'm most active on Instagram. So it's at Mel Hardcastle Marketing. So you can find me there. Same handle for Facebook and then my website is just Melaniehardcastle.com. So that's where you can learn more about me, my services, and the kind of who I serve. So, hopefully, I will see everyone on Instagram or otherwise on the Internet.

15:51 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And to make it even easier, we will have the links and information in the show notes as well too so that they can connect with you on the interwebs. But truly appreciate that last reminder as well too. I think so many times when we want to start something, we think that we have to go from zero to sixty for that to happen, but I love you talking about those feelers. You talking about the steps that it takes. And I think as we start to realize that we're taking those steps, we are starting our business. It just comes to fruition usually based on all, the buildup of the steps that we have. So love that, reminder. Appreciate your time, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest day.

16:24 – 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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