Today we’d like to introduce you to James Brown.
James, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always worked. My parents had a construction company and put me to work at the young age of 5. I later moved into something more creative when I was 16 and started doing visuals in windows for a small retail suit shop in Ashland, Kentucky (Right outside of my hometown of Raceland, Kentucky). I later went to school for business and radiography. Learning quickly that radiological health care was not for me, I focused in on business management and marketing. I moved to Atlanta during the Olympics and started working for Macy’s and Nautica Sportswear. Several years later I had the opportunity to work with Kenneth Cole in Miami and that job brought me here. Perry Ellis International hired me years later, where I worked for 14 years before leaving to start my own business in 2016.
Today, I am a Shorty Award-nominated and Gold ADDY award-winning, top-performing, social media and retail marketing professional with over 25 years of experience at private and public companies. I am a connected, detail-oriented and driven team player with the ability to identify business opportunities and provide actionable insights to influence customers and achieve client goals. This is evident by the recognition from my peers and the returns on investments in projects I have directed during my career.
I have held various positions in fashion, hospitality, healthcare, real estate, e-commerce, entertainment, public relations, music and event planning. All of these have positioned me and my business as a leader in the business and personal brand marketing field. As mentioned, my executive level experience includes positions at Kenneth Cole Productions, Federated Department Stores (Macy’s, Burdine’s and Rich’s), Nautica and Perry Ellis International, where I developed and directed the day-to-day retail marketing and digital online social media marketing efforts for 13 brands like Perry Ellis, Original Penguin, Cubavera, Jantzen Swim, Laundry by Shelli Segal, Ben Hogan, Grand Slam Golf, C&C California and Peony. Recent clients include former Miami Real Housewife & TV Personality Lea Black, the 14-year-old designer for the apparel brand, Swedroe by Ariel, and hospitality design supplier, Fabric Innovations.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been a long road but I have learned enough to help me plan in advance to avoid mishaps for my business and my client’s businesses. I have learned a lot over the years and the corporate companies that allowed me the opportunity to work as an executive presented me with many learning experiences and opportunities which prepared me for obstacles and challenges that have come along the way. The old saying, “When one door closes, another one opens” would certainly be true in my experience.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the James Brown Consulting story. Tell us more about the business.
James Brown Consulting is an Independent Consulting & Digital Strategy Agency building on 25 years of marketing experience. James Brown Consulting specializes in retail and e-commerce marketing with an emphasis on social media and digital strategy. Our mission is to bridge the gap between traditional and new media marketing for today’s small and enterprise businesses.
Expertise:
Analytics & Reports
Crisis Management
Digital Strategy
Experimental Marketing
Fortune 500 Experience
Budget Management
Social Media Marketing
Community Management
Customer Service Development
E-commerce & Website Design
Facebook Ad Expert
Retail Marketing
Campaign Photoshoots
Small Business
Social Media Analytics
Experience:
Adobe Creative Suite
Campaign Management
HootSuite University Certified
Sprinklr Certification
WordPress
Socialbakers Social Media Solutions
Google Analytics
Salesforce
Woo Box Contest Management
Zendesk Customer Service
I have been honored with several high-level speaking engagements and industry awards, which include:
Shorty Award Nominee, Best Use of Foursquare in a National Campaign, The Shorty Awards, 2011
Keynote Featured Panelist, The SO-LO-MO Movement. Is Your Business Ready?, IBM Brand Innovators, 2012
Featured Keynote Speaker, New York Ad: Tech Convention, 2011
Gold ADDY Award, Best Digital Advertising Campaign, American Advertising Association, 2014
Board of Directors, Communications Director, Fashion Group International South Florida, 2016
Featured Panelist, Social Media Week Miami, 2011 – 2016
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
As I mentioned earlier, when one door closes, another always seems to open up with opportunities. All of my years of charity work, networking and making contacts across the globe have certainly helped me make connections with individuals and companies that have given me opportunities now that I am a business owner. As a consultant, you know your job is always temporary. However, when clients keep you on beyond the original agreement and sing praises about the company and the results I have given them, it makes others search you out and want you to work for them. I call that good luck!
Pricing:
- Social Media Starter Packages from $350
- Small Business Consultation Starts At $350 – Free with Monthly Retainer Agreement
- Enterprise Business Consultation $500 – Free with Monthly Retainer Agreement
- Social Media 24/7 Management (Posts, Ads, Optimization, Content, Engagement Response, Customer Service) starts at $1000 per month.
Contact Info:
- Address: 725 Ne 22nd Street PH 1C
Miami, FL 33137 - Website: http://www.jamesbrownconsulting.net
- Phone: 786.423.5952
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowninmiami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesbrownconsulting/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesBrownInMIA
- Yelp: https://jamesbrowninmia.yelp.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbrowninmiami
Image Credit:
World Red Eye
Corrado Amenta for Onkei
Dale Stine
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
