Melinda Emerson, “SmallBizLady,” is regarded as America’s #1 Small Business Expert. For more than 24 years, she has been the CEO of Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. She also runs a second company SmallBizLadyUniversity.com, where she assists small businesses to start, grow and scale with her webinars, online courses, and coaching programs. She considers herself a fierce advocate for small businesses with her mission to End Small Business Failure.
Through Quintessence Group, her firm advises Fortune 500 companies on marketing strategies to engage the small business market. Ms. Emerson’s firm has worked with over 150 corporate partners including VISA, FedEx, Verizon, Google, Adobe, The Hartford, American Express, Pitney Bowes, and Sam’Club. Quintessence specializes in customer acquisition and retention strategies to enhance customer growth in the small business market. She helps both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies utilize social selling techniques including content, digital marketing strategy, email, and influencer marketing programs.
Melinda Emerson draws upon a wealth of business knowledge and insights to inform her work. She has published more than 5,000 articles on her highly regarded blog “succeedasyourownboss.com,” which reaches over 3 million readers each week online. Her bestselling book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, is in its third edition through Simon and Schuster. In addition to being a former columnist for The New York Times, she is regularly featured in publications such as Inc., Entrepreneur, Yahoo Business, Black Enterprise, and Essence magazines. She is frequently sought after as a media spokesperson for news outlets including Fox Business, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC News and NBC Nightly News, as well as in print publications like The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Fortune. In fact, Forbes Magazine recognized her as the number one woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.
In addition to running her successful businesses, she has a passion for teaching entrepreneurs. She is currently as adjunct professor at her alma mater, Drexel University and she mentors many young women business owners, “I want to help young entrepreneurs benefit from my hard-learned lessons in business. I love sharing my secrets to success.”
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Melinda Emerson:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
Outside of my workplace, I am extremely passionate about my family, my community, and my faith. I am involved in many community service organizations, and I sing on the praise and worship team at my church. I am a professional single mom and dedicated business owner on a mission to end small business failure. I am a coaching leader who is committed to helping everyone be successful around me. I believe in leaving people better than I found them.
Describe your background and what you did do before you started the company.
I have a degree in broadcast journalism from Virginia Tech; I started my career as a news producer in top-rated television. I worked in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia markets.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
My company, Quintessence Group, started in 1999 as a video production company; later, we developed websites too, and in 2007, we completely pivoted to focusing on social media marketing and content strategy. In 2011, we morphed into a full-service marketing consulting firm that exclusively focuses on working with Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. Some of our clients include Verizon, Google, VISA, FedEx, and American Express. We also have an online school for small businesses www.smallbizladyuniversity.com.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
I am extremely passionate about what I do, and I am relentlessly consistent in my work. I value establishing lasting relationships. I value partnering with clients to build innovative strategies to get results. I value my team. Teamwork really does make the dream work.
Which are the major services of the company, and how does the company get ahead of the competition?
At Quintessence Group, we develop customer acquisition, customer retention, social media/content strategy, and influencer marketing programs. Our competitive advantage is that we only do B2SMB marketing. Our secret sauce for helping our clients reach the small business market is our intimate relationship with their target customers. As the SmallBizLady, my personal brand, blog, podcast, social media, and newsletter reach millions of small business owners each week online. I have my finger on the pulse of the small business community, which I leverage for my clients.
What value-added services does the company provide?
Nobody knows the small business market like we do. We also develop courseware and educational content for our clients.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture?
An ideal company culture is one that focuses on its employees and customers. I feel it’s important to continuously improve and find ways to meet customers’ needs while upholding company values.
What principles do you believe in, and how do you build this culture?
You want your workplace to be nurturing and fun, with a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to excellence. You need to be kind and thoughtful as a leader, and that will set an example for everyone else.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
In any business, you need to be focused on the future needs of your customers. It’s not about what they need today; it’s about looking ahead at what your customers and employees will need to be successful in the future.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
Any business is only as strong as its team’s processes. In a strong company, anyone can be empowered to be a leader, even an intern.
What are your responsibilities as the President of the company?
What is the happiest part of your daily routine? I love it when someone takes what I taught them and turns it into success. I believe in celebrating small and big wins in business.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
As a new leader, when in doubt, focus on the needs of the client, ask lots of questions, and do more listening than talking.
