IAM2647 – Serial Entrepreneur Works With Clients to Build Brand Evangelism and Social Impact

Transcription:

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Moni Jefferson Teaser 00:00
And slowly but surely, that community just has grown. So we have 1,800 global military spouse entrepreneurs, remote workers, ideation stages, all the way to leveraging and hiring spouses. Some spouses have companies that are hiring the spouses that are in the group.

It's a melting pot of knowledge, motivation, mentorship, peer-to-peer mentorship, which is the most important because you can be vulnerable with those that are on the same journey or have gone through the same journey as you.

Intro 00:35
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 01:00
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 Monique Jefferson of Dog Tags and Heels.
Monique, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Moni Jefferson 01:11
Hi, thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:14
No problem, super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about Moni so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

Moni is a serial entrepreneur and active duty Air Force spouse. Moni is the owner of Dog Tagging Heels, a PR and social media agency where she works with national and celebrity clients to build brand evangelism and social impact.

Most notably with Blue Star Families, Heroes at Home, and the Rosie Network. Also known for her work in the tech space, Monet has created and raised capital for her three military lifestyle apps, Mill Cam, Mill Emoji, and My Ultimate PCS.

Founder of Millspouse Creative, the global networking community for millspouse entrepreneurs, full of mentorship and resources. Moni's most recent venture, AMSE, Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, connects milspouse influencers and freelancers with organizations who want to make an impact with their products and services in their military community.

Moni is married to Roy, her best friend, for 22 years and has three kids that keeps her life busy and is a daily reminder to be grateful for the little things. She enjoys spin, traveling, and snuggling with her kids. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Moni Jefferson 02:25
Yeah, why not?

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Gresham Harkless 02:27
Let's do it. So you're doing some awesome things and, um, no problem. And I wanted to kick everything off. We'll hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story and what led you to get started with all your business and your ventures.

Moni Jefferson 02:37
Yeah, so I am a military kid. I married in Air Force. Well, we married, and then my husband joined the Air Force. With the military, you move every three years.

So I dabbled in work here and there, a couple MLMs, starting groups. And it was my season. I had kids, and I stayed home for 11 years. And I really enjoyed that season.

In that time, I went to school. for PR and communications and I got a degree, but I didn't use it. I just knew it's something that I needed to have for my future, but I didn't know why because at the time I was in the season of just building a family and supporting my spouse as he built his Air Force.

So about, I think in 20, 2014, my husband deployed for a year and I, um, I started to dabble a little bit into like what the entrepreneurs freelance space was.

I was like, what is this new phenomenon? Like, I just thought it was really cool. Facebook was out and there were all these groups. So I started a blog and the blog was dog tags and heels and it was sharing my military life experience as a spouse. raising kids on this journey, right?

Quickly realized that it just was not for me. There were other bloggers already doing it and they were doing it very well. But I just didn't want to write all the time because if I write, it's always like an exclamation bold, asterisk, asterisk, asterisk. Everything I talk about, I'm really excited.

And so I just, I felt like it just was not a really good fit for me. That was, it did well. I worked for a couple of really great agencies, military communities that hired me for their blogs and things. And then we moved to Maryland and I realized that my youngest, Tiberius at the time, was going to be going to pre-K.

And I was like, oh, what do I do with all my time? Like, how can I be a stay-at-home mom and there's nobody to mom?

What am I going to do? So, I started looking for work. So, we moved there, I think it was in 2005, and I started looking for work and was quickly discouraged and deflated because everywhere I interviewed, it was a great interview. I was overqualified or qualified and I had the skills that they wanted to bring in on the team.

But I wasn't getting good jobs. So, I was like, man, what's going on? I did start looking at my resume and I said, wow, it's really gappy. I move every three years.

I don't have consistency. It shows, you know, like I worked at a clothing store, then I worked as an assistant manager somewhere. So, there was no, there wasn't consistency. And I understand from an organizational aspect, when you're hiring somebody, you want to show commitment and longevity, right?

So I understood that. It was frustrating, though, because I had to explain that every time I moved. And where I lived, where I moved, was actually not like the best city ever. So when people ask you, like, why are you here?

You couldn't lie and be like, oh, I wanted to be close to the beach or like, I need to be in the city. You knew, like, I'm a military spouse. So I interviewed for this One company, three times actually, and I, it was a great, it was to be the public relations director of their organization.

And they told me, they were just very transparent, and they said, we just can't invest in you right now, because we know you're going to leave in three years.

So that really hit me hard. It was really hard for me, and I figured I'm never going to get the job that I want. I'm never going to be able to practice public relations and communications the way that I want to, and I'm going to have to start always at the bottom every time. I cried a little bit, said a couple words, got a little angry, and the next day I woke up and started an LLC.

Just said, you know what, if other people are not gonna advocate and invest in me, it is my duty to do it for myself.

And if I'm not doing it for myself, I can't expect others to do it. So I quickly started the LLC. My husband goes, well, what is it that you're gonna do? And I said, well, you know, I don't know.

I like social media, so I guess I'll start managing social media. So that's kind of my background and how I got started with my business. And then of course, I named my LLC Dog Tags and Heels, perfectly fits my lifestyle. And quickly started from there just doing managing social media accounts for local organizations and companies.

And I found them through networking, learning how to network online and in person. So long story short.

Gresham Harkless 07:10
Well, no, I definitely appreciate you, you know, for being able to do that. I think that a lot of times, you know, people get frustrated, especially with the job market for whatever reason. And sometimes you feel like you're not finding the particular position that fits you best and the one you can excel at the best, especially with your expertise. But you've been able to kind of build and create it yourself.

And then, you know, even with, you know, everything you're doing with Millspouse, creative, you've also been able to build a community where people that are going through those exact same things are able to kind of come collectively together. And I know you were on our CEO chat podcast as well. So I love kind of everything you've been able to build, not just helping out yourself, but also helping out so many others.

Moni Jefferson 07:46
Yeah, I'm a big believer in bringing people along with you on the journey. I'm not a believer in feast and famine or competition or not sharing my secrets that have worked for me because that's just not the type of person that I am and it's not my moral compass. So for me, I'm always like the biggest giver. Like I'm always trying to bring people along and share and give and connect.

Like that's just the way that I am. So yeah, community is really important to me.

Gresham Harkless 08:16
Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that. So I wanted to drill a little bit deeper here, a little bit more about the different brands that you have about Dog Tagging and Heels and Mealspouse. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?

Moni Jefferson 08:25
Okay. So the Mealspouse Creative are Dog Tags and Heels.

Gresham Harkless 08:28
A little mix of both if you can.

Moni Jefferson 08:30
Okay, so actually they do kind of intertwine with each other. So when I started my business, I realized that I, um, there were, so when you, when you're an entrepreneur and I know a lot of you can relate to this, you are, trying to find as many resources as possible to learn, to run and navigate your business in the easiest, most streamlined way. And so I started going online to Facebook groups and about entrepreneurs and different spaces.

Military spouse groups in different spaces and just trying to find support and I didn't find one that had both. And so I said, if I'm struggling, and I'm outgoing, and I know how to network, and I'm doing these things, I know that there are others that are struggling as well.

I know that there are others feeling insecure, others feeling not enough, others feeling imposter syndrome, others feeling unworthy, others feeling confused. And so I created the Mill Spouse Creative kind of as a maybe in a little selfish way for myself, so that I could find other people to ping my ideas off of.

Like, hey, what are you guys using for this to manage this? How are you intaking clients? Do you have advice about bookkeeping? And slowly but surely, that community just has grown.

So we have 1,800 global military spouse entrepreneurs, remote workers. Ideals, ideation stages, all the way to leveraging, I mean, and hiring spouses. Some spouses have companies that are hiring the spouses that are in the group. So, it's a melting pot of knowledge, motivation, mentorship, peer-to-peer mentorship, which is the most important because you can be vulnerable with those that are on the same journey or have gone through the same journey as you.

So the Mill Spouse Creative was created out of that, out of my need to find those that were like me. in the unique situation. Dog Tags and Heels itself is a virtual PR and social media agency. I work strictly with clients on helping them build brand evangelism, which is basically just not paying for ad space, right?

Like having people believe in your product or service. We're so inundated with ads all the time that it's so important for us to make a deeper income impact instead of like a wider impact, right?

Make sure we're connecting. I have a product or service, and you like it, and you're happy with it, and you're happy with my company and my service, you're going to share that with the people in your circle.

And then when they need that, then they're going to come to me. So I really focus a lot on high impact with your product and service with your social media.

So that's a little bit about both. Millspouse Creative just evolved into a membership community as well. And that's a place where I can have a high-touch impact with the spouses who want to go at more one-on-one, who want to co-work with other spouses doing what they're doing. And I bring masterclasses in with experts.

Gresham Harkless 11:33
Nice. Yeah, I definitely appreciate that. And I know we kind of talked, uh, I think when the very first time we spoke, um, about like how sometimes you just have to scratch your own itch for something to come out. And then you're just trying to find answers to yourself.

And you start asking people questions like you were saying, pinging other people about different ideas. And all of a sudden this community kind of evolves from there. I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and this could be for you or your organizations, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Moni Jefferson 11:58
For me, it is that I, narrow down and focus on the people that I serve. When I first started my business, and this is lessons learned, I did PR for everybody. You know, I was taking any client just to try to get practice and do all these things. And my secret sauce is just that you need to really figure out and be authentic with who you are and what you're doing.

So I would say my secret sauce is finding exactly who you're supposed to serve and then serving them even if they're less than 1% of the population, because they will come.

Gresham Harkless 12:35
I definitely appreciate that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit and 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.

Moni Jefferson 12:47
I am addicted to shift. CRM management system. I am in love with it. Like I have every email.

So I have seven, nine email accounts for different clients and the companies that I own. So it really prevents me from going back and forth on Gmail. It's all there. I see all the alerts, all the Facebook pages I manage as well, all the Slack channels, it's all there.

So that is my favorite. It is. giving me back my time and my sanity.

Gresham Harkless 13:19
Definitely, definitely. And the most valuable thing is time. So anything that can save you time and frustration is always a great hack. So I appreciate you for sharing that.

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. And you might have already touched on this, but if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Moni Jefferson 13:35
Be more transparent. I think in the beginning, you are looking at what everybody else is doing. and you try to compare yourself. And so you try to put up this facade or this, um, this idea, image of what you want people to see.

And even today, there's still some extent of that, but I feel like I'm more transparent about my journey. My life is not perfect. I'm not perfect. My business is not perfect.

We have struggles. I have failed multiple times. And so
that's one thing I would say is just to be more transparent and be authentic.

Gresham Harkless 14:16
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And so now I want 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 the show. So what does being a CEO mean to you?

Moni Jefferson 14:27
It means being for me, if you ask me a few years ago, it'd be like just to be my own boss. But today it means just being a good leader and being able to take whatever you're going through or your skills and talent and making it impact somewhere to help other people. and be part of a bigger mission. So a CEO just means being a great leader to me and making high impact in places that maybe usually wouldn't be recognized.

Gresham Harkless 14:55
Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that definition. I really appreciate your time. And 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.

Moni Jefferson 15:05
You can find me under monijeffersonpr.com under all social handles. I think that's it. I'm working on a new project called AMSE, Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, and it is a, it's an influencer database and network for military, for brands who want to connect with the military audience in a deeper way. So, we're excited.

I just launched that one. I know, like, I don't have enough to do on my plate.
I just launched a whole new business. I do have a partner, so that makes it easier. But, you know, our community is very much sought after. People want to showcase your products and services because the military community and spouses, we're tight.

If we say trust something, the spouses, you know, we trust it. So, brands and organizations want to work with us, and spouses make a living off of being influencers. doing specific work in that entrepreneur type of remote work. And we just want to be able to provide that place where organizations can come to and hire military spouses for certain things.

Gresham Harkless 16:11
Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate you for doing the work. I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Moni Jefferson 16:15
It was great to be here. Thank you so much. I appreciate you having me.

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 imceo.co. IMCEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Subscribe and leave us a five-star rating. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

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