IAM2605 – Entrepreneur Helps National Brands Create More Revenue

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Jacqueline Basulto Teaser 00:00
We're really excelling right now at helping companies that are used to doing wholesale. So, you know, they're wholesalers for these huge department stores like Target or Nordstrom or CVS, but they're really looking to create their own direct-to-consumer revenue now. That way they can speak directly to their consers.

They can provide content and just have more independence in what they're doing with their product.

Intro 00:31
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. Grist 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 00:59
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 Jacqueline Basulto of SeedX Incorporated. Jacqueline, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Jacqueline Basulto 01:09
Thank you so much. I'm really glad to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:12
No problem. Super excited to have you on. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Jacqueline so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.
And Jacqueline started her company, SeedX Incorporated in her early 20s after a short stint at Google with $20 and a dream to help businesses grow online.

Today, the company helps national brands create more revenue primarily through direct-to-consumer sales and strategy. Jacqueline is the daughter of immigrants from Cuba and Puerto Rico and is a proud New Angeline, New York slash Los Angeles resident.

Jacqueline, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Jacqueline Basulto 01:45
Yes, I'm excited.

Gresham Harkless 01:46
Awesome, let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

Jacqueline Basulto 01:54
Sure. So I grew up in New York City. Again, the daughter to Hispanic immigrants. So I always grew up with a great work ethic and really understanding all of the opportunity I had here.

And I think that laid the foundation for me seeking greater opportunity and wanting to build something of my own or a life of my own that my parents would be proud of, I guess.

I started SeedEX after working at Google for a bit because I saw the opportunity there was to help small business owners and really businesses of all sizes understand their online presence, what tools they had at their hands, and help them feel empowered to do so instead of scared of the tools that we have.

And so I started to do it on my own, just helping clients that I had met through Google and different conferences and things like that with small tasks, like improving their websites and their SEO and marketing.

And it grew into something I was really passionate about. And now we have a team of 15 people and we work, , with a myriad of different companies, but we're really excelling right now at helping companies that are used to doing wholesale.

So, you know, they're wholesalers for these huge, , department stores like target or Nordstrom or CVS, but they're really looking to create their own direct-to-consumer revenue now. That way they can speak directly to their consers.

They can provide content and just have more independence in what they're doing with their product. So that's what we're focused on right now in New York and Los Angeles, but really across the country and some clients across the globe. So it's really exciting to help empower people to do so.

Gresham Harkless 04:16
Yes, absolutely. And, you know, just like you kind of, you know, touched on, , in your, in your story, you know, so many people are so afraid of, you know, all these tools and things out there that kind of know that they should be using them.

Cause you know, you kind of hear from everywhere, but you know, people in organizations like you, that actually helped you empower these, these people that aren't sure where to probably even get started and, you know, how to Excel their, their online marketing.

Jacqueline Basulto 04:40
Yeah, that is the biggest thing I hear when I get on the phone with people is that they know social media is somewhere they should be and they should be emailing and all these different things, but they have no idea where to get started.

So it's really just about identifying people's specific situations, almost like a doctor would, right? And figuring out what's going to help them the most in the short term and the long term.

So it's nice being able to empower people like that, and then getting to grow with our clients.

We like to think of ourselves almost as, you know, like a private equity company, like we come in and we help you grow.

And we, we really treat our clients as if we were working for their company, like we're a big team or family. So yeah, I love what I do. And it's definitely, you know, challenging at times or all the time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Gresham Harkless 05:47
Yeah, I bet with all the, you know, changes and updates and new probably platforms that are popping up, it's always something that is always, you know, ever changing, but it's great to hear that you're kind of focused on that and helping out, you know, the clients that you're working with.

So I wanted to hear a little bit more. I know you touched on it on some of the services and offerings that you guys have.

Could you kind of drill a little bit deeper and tell us a little bit more on how you're serving the clients you're working with?

Jacqueline Basulto 06:11
Yeah, sure. So we believe in a philosophy that I call 360 marketing.

So it's this idea that when you look at a given company and you diagnose what's going on with them, we really like to take a holistic approach. So for example, a lot of agencies or consulting companies they focus on one element.

So let's say, uh, Facebook marketing. They're really great at Facebook advertising. That's what they do. And that's what, inevitably they sell you if you talk to them.
Right, so what we try to do is understand the whole picture that way. , if you're, if we suggest Facebook marketing, we also understand, how that relates to the website and how that relates to your email marketing strategy.

And then beyond that, how that relates to your overall business goals and things like that. We've built our team to embody that.

Our team's full of specialists. We have two web designers, two web developers, an ad specialist, content creator, social media specialist, etc.

That way, whenever we work on a client's project, we're coming To it with an understanding of the broader picture. So That's that's a little bit about how our team is structured and how we work on a project.

So that would include you know basically anything you can do online seo helping people with their websites email marketing text message marketing, Social media content, ad,s pay-per-click, I think that's at content creation and just helping in general with consulting.

We do some consulting as well.

Gresham Harkless 08:19
Nice, well, I definitely appreciate that 360 perspective, because a lot of times, like you mentioned, a lot of agencies and people will say, okay, well, I know how to do X, Y, and Z.

Whether it be Facebook ads, or whatever, or Instagram ads, or whatever, so when they speak to a client, they're automatically thinking from that kind of narrow perspective sometimes, rather than giving the client exactly what they would probably need to have the most success, and like you said, how it would integrate with other marketing strategies they might have going on as well.

Jacqueline Basulto 08:49
Yeah. And now everything is omnichannel. So, you know, really, you really have to have a full spectrum nurturing system in place to be successful online.

And I think that's the way that people start to stand out from Amazon and from cheaper competitors is by providing, you know, that journey from, when you visit the website to when you get your first email and You know you digest more content and really get to know a brand.

That's the power of digital marketing. It's not really about making the initial sale as much as it is about creating A sense of community and belonging online.

So that's what we're really trying to do with our clients is create long-term brands that people become advocates of and shop at for forever. So that's what we believe in and what our mission is with our clients.

Gresham Harkless 09:53
Nice. It definitely sounds like you're developing and creating like kind of that experience where, like you said, you know, from that first interaction on and on and on and on and on, you know, you have that, you know, consistent and awesome experience overall.

So would you consider that to be like your secret sauce? And it could be for you or it could be for your organization.

But do you think that's what helps you guys stand apart?

Jacqueline Basulto 10:15
I think it's it's part of it. I think our secret sauce, though, is really our scrappiness and our willingness to work very hard with whatever amount of resources were given so on my LinkedIn, I have the title digital Trojan.

And that's the culture that we try to live by, is that we're constantly improving ourselves, that greatness isn't good enough, and that no matter what kind of budget we're working with or what the situation is, we try to make the most of it. And our whole purpose is to create great things.

Out of almost nothing sometimes. So yeah, I think that's our secret sauce. It's that our team is really motivated to deliver beyond what any expectations are. And we really try to keep that alive every day.

Gresham Harkless 11:26
Absolutely. And yeah, like the, the digital Trojan, because a lot of times, you know, especially with a lot of these tools out there, that's kind of been somewhat of the equalizer for those big brands.

I actually touched on like the Walmarts and Amazons where, you know, the small, the smaller, maybe medi sized businesses are trying to figure out how to compete with them. But now, you know, with that scrappiness that you guys have, you're able to do that in this digital world.

Jacqueline Basulto 11:49
Yeah, exactly. So yeah, that's what we really try to do, is create an experience that those giants can't create on an individual level.

Gresham Harkless 12:05
Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Jacqueline Basulto 12:17
First of all, you know, the constant pursuit of, of knowledge and mental clarity, , is my CEO hack at actually, , you know, it's not any one specific habit, but it's the habit of putting something into place that helps to clear your mind and helps you, uh, be your best for your team and for your clients, or customers, whatever kind of business you're running.

Gresham Harkless 12:44
Absolutely. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. Or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Jacqueline Basulto 12:54
So I think I would tell my younger self not to quit. I think that there is this perception in the world that doing something risky means that you have a high likelihood of failure, right?

But I think that is really only if you quit. So if you accept defeat.

I think everyone fails and you just have to keep going and going and going and eventually you, you succeed. So that's what I would tell my younger self.

Gresham Harkless 13:27
And, , 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 this show. So Jacqueline, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Jacqueline Basulto 13:38
I think when you first, become a founder or CEO, whatever that journey is like. I think that when you first get that title of founder, or you reach the part of your career where you're a CEO or you're the head of a division or a large organization, it feels like it's about your own professional achievement.

And I think that very quickly fades. And what it really means and what you really start to understand and grab onto over time is that it's a great responsibility.

like we were saying before, you know, it's a responsibility to care for other people, to be the leader. , and it's a responsibility to develop talent, to help people, , get to where you are and beyond and their own personal, , experience and trajectory.

So that's, that's really what it means to me. It means challenging my team members, finding people who, don't see their full value in helping them learn and grow beyond where they currently are.

Same thing with clients within SeedX. And I think that's also the most rewarding part is being able to see someone start thinking more creatively and and feel more confident and gain skills.

And then thinking like, wow, I took part in that. So that's what being a CEO means to me.

Gresham Harkless 15:19
Nice. I appreciate that perspective. And Jacqueline, I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know.

And then, of course, how best they can get a hold of you.

Jacqueline Basulto 15:31
You can reach me through the SeedX contact form. So cdax.us is our website or on LinkedIn or my personal email address, professional email address, which is Jacqueline at cdax.us.
I'm always curious to meet other people who are interested in leadership. And I know this is a great podcast and resource for other CEOs and leaders and and aspiring future leaders.

Gresham Harkless 16:03
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. And we'll make sure to have those links in the show notes. So just so that anybody can follow up with you, Jacqueline, to hear about, you know, all the awesome things that you're doing and also take advantage of that offer that you provided to us.

So I truly appreciate you again, appreciate your time. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Jacqueline Basulto 16:19
Thank you so much. It was great to talk with you.

Outro 16:22
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. Check out the latest and greatest apps, books, and habits to level up your business at ceohacks.co.

This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

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