It’s National Small Business Week🎉 and I could not imagine a better way to close out than an interview with the THE RONNE BROWN 😱, founder of Girl CEO.

How did I meet Ronne Brown, you ask? I direct messaged her on LinkedIn and requested an interview. She responded the same day and we set a time. It was that simple. I was sorely surprised at how quickly she responded though. Entrepreneurs are busy, their emails get flooded, their children demand their attention, or any number of things. But the TedX speaker made time to speak with me. On the call, we started our conversation by discussing digital marketing, entrepreneurship, and ended up discussing family and bewaring fraudulent activities online. Yet, it was all centered around building strong businesses. Starting a business takes grit, drive, perseverance, and consistency. It takes courage, commitment and tenacity. Ronne Brown started by learning on what I call “Google University.” Don’t sleep on Google! A world of knowledge on every subject known to man is at your fingertips. Use it!  “I couldn’t pay anyone else to do it,” she told me about starting her business from the ground up. She had to use resources that were available to her — the internet. I learned so many things during our conversation and I’m so happy I get to share with YOU.

Here are 5 takeaways from our conversation:

1. “DON’T QUIT YOUR JOB PREMATURELY”

As a mentor and business coach, this is the biggest mistake Ronne is seeing in the entrepreneur community. “People are going to end up in very serious financial issues and problems based on poor decisions like quitting their job before the business is a business,” she said. The idea of quitting a day job and going into business full time has only accelerated as the world becomes more digitized. Yet, it’s not advisable to cut off a primary source of income as you’re building a business, which is already a risky endeavor in and of itself. A 2013 research study showed that  hybrids (those who work full time and have a business) were 33% more likely to be successful than those who quit their jobs. This makes sense as we’re already living in a time where having a day job is no longer sufficient to (especially in Boston) and having a side hustle is a standard.

2. THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I was actually surprised to learn that Girl CEO’s content and posting is “done by hand.” (Check them out and see everything they offer, you’ll see what I’m talking about) While other individuals, brands, and companies people have relied on content management systems like Hootsuite, Ronne does not want robotic behavior in her business. This is a bold statement as technology is changing the face of marketing. Digital assistants (like Alexa and Siri) and chatbots (artificial intelligence programs that simulate human conversations) are becoming popular in commerce as social media opens up more entry points for customers to start conversations with business.

Before we get there, however, much work has to be done between business-to-people engagement on social media. “Just talk to people, respond to their questions, and just engage with people,” Ronne said. She makes it sound so easy, right? Well, that’s because it is. If a small business finds it hard to engage with potential customers through messaging apps or through content, they will find it difficult to grow as consumers are expecting timely and helpful responses.

You can read more about user engagement in my last post STOP TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO DM YOU, DO THIS INSTEAD

3. “BE EVERYWHERE - IT INCREASES YOUR VISIBILITY”

While I don’t believe the “be everywhere” strategy works for all businesses, if you can leverage having a podcast, writing books, producing youtube videos, and facilitating web courses, then absolutely do it!  With the rise of short-form video apps like TikTok, no one should underestimate the power of visibility. TikTok has 500 MILLION ACTIVE USERS. That is mindblowing and if you’re marketing to Gen Z and not on this platform, you should consider it.

4. “THE WHAT TO DO IS FREE, THE HOW TO DO IS NOT FREE.”

Remember how Ronne and I discussed “Google University” and how it’s easier than ever before to learn what-to-do, especially when building a business? There are free courses on Youtube University, free podcasts, and free articles.

“Everything is free,” I exclaimed. “No, no” Ronne responded, “the WHAT-to-do is free, the HOW-to-do is not free.” And after thinking about it, she’s right. The “how-to-do” is not free. Once you figure out what business you want to build (through research, experience, etc…), how you’re going to build it is going to cost you — Time, Money, Energy, Sleep, and maybe a little bit of your sanity.

5. “CREATE A HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT”

The thing about entrepreneurship is that you can’t do it ALL by yourself. At some point in your business life you will contract or hire people to join your team. In order to yield best results for your business, it’s important to develop a leadership model that supports creativity and makes people feel empowered. People can’t work at their best and full capacity when they’re physically, emotionally, and intellectually drained from negative company culture. Ronne Brown has a team of eight people whom she spends time with regularly. “I spend a lot of time with my employees and always creating personal connections,” she told me. “If I don’t create a healthy environment for my staff, that will determine how my staff work,” she continues. I got a hint of the company culture she fosters when I read that her spring intern packets stated, “If dancing while you create & execute goals isn’t a MUST this position isn’t for you.”

Ronne Brown is the author of From Mopping Floors to Making Millions on Instagram: 5 Steps to Building an Online Brand, available on Amazon.