Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Olodun.
Hi Vivian, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
If you had told me years ago that I would be CEO of a multimillion-dollar marketing firm, I would not have believed you. My nonprofit Behind The Leaf, raised $15 million dollars seven years ago to invest in businesses owned and operated by women. We award small business grants each year at the Flourish Media Conference in February.
Everyone I knew worked for someone, and the people I admired most were in the military. Both of my parents are immigrants. My mother is from Panama. My father is from Nigeria. The version of success that I envision always involved “stability” in the form of working for someone.
I’ve always been good at making money and problem solving, but it wasn’t until college that I realized those two traits are the foundation for entrepreneurship. In my book, Stumbling Through Adulthood, an interactive journal for failing forward; I talk about intersectionality, resilience, and overcoming rejection. Like many millennials, I graduated college during the great recession. I learned that stability didn’t come from working for someone; it came from using the God-given skills I have to solve problems.
When I look at my life now as a bonafide business owner, author, wife, and mother. I know that I was able to get here because I intentionally surrounded myself with a tribe of people willing to feed into me. Those people were willing to share their areas of expertise to help me transform my mindset into a person brave enough to trust myself.
I started my first business in college because I wasn’t able to afford a dress. I ask the boutique owner if she would let me put on a fashion show to bring awareness to her small boutique near my college. She said yes. I put on the show and increased sales for her business by 30%. The best part…I got the dress I wanted for free! From that day on, my business would host fashion shows featuring local boutiques, and each year, those store owners would thank me for increasing their sales.
Years later, I was working a corporate job in luxury real estate helping top producing agents leverage technology to streamline sales. An agent noticed the way I managed my contacts and asked me to help her. I did and the word spread. My ability to manage data for better online communication solved a serious problem for sales professionals in real estate and other industries.
One day, I was approached by a beauty manufacturing plant to help them build a national marketing campaign. I was in the process of negotiating a raise in my corporate position, and it wasn’t going how I wanted. I was on vacation in Peru sitting on a mountain looking over Machu Picchu and I thought to myself, “if I can’t depend on my job to give me a raise, I should give it to myself.” After I returned from that vacation, I gave my two weeks’ notice. I haven’t looked back since.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building my company Flourish Media has not been a smooth road. I can thank my amazing team for where we are today but it took making mistakes along the way. One of the most important skills every CEO needs to master is hiring the right people. I always say, “if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, get a team.”
I’m grateful for the big mistakes in my business because those challenges now show up as company policies and procedures.
For example, I can remember hitting the pavement with my business partner trying to book consultation calls. We’d book calls throughout the day excited for each one, hoping that the meeting would result in new business. It didn’t take long for us to notice, that prospective clients weren’t showing up for the calls or they would show up late…meaning we would be late to our other appointments, which created a day full of frustration.
Needless to say, now we book calls using Calendly and we charge a small fee. That change immediately improved our results. Challenges in business are an opportunity to improve. If small business owners take that perspective, there’s great potential to flourish.
As you know, we’re big fans of Flourish Media. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Flourish Media is a multimillion-dollar marketing collective that helps business owners speak clearly to their audiences on the platforms that mean the most to them. Flourish Media creates business development and training products, workshops, and networking events to help businesses grow. Flourish Media is based in Miami, FL, and supported by a small team of female professionals who bring decades of experience to growing, established & startup brands by aligning business owners with resources proven to boost exposure & revenue.
Behind The Leaf 501c3 nonprofit helps diverse women see small business ownership as a viable opportunity for economic advancement by offering educational products, workshops, and networking events so that they can access resources and connect with mentors who understand & empower them. Behind The Leaf hosts the Flourish Media Conference in Miami, FL. At the conference, BTL offers a pitch opportunity for women small business owners and awards several micro-grants to participants.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was a fun, easy-going kid. I liked playing with my older brothers and spending time with my family. I played sports: soccer, cheerleading, track, and dance.
Pricing:
- Book, Stumbling Through Adulthood $24
- Marketing Support, The Ultimate Flourish Experience $35,000
- Sustaining Donation, Behind The Leaf $8430
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: vivianolodun.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivianolo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivian.olodun/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VivianOlo/
Image Credits
Michelle Vantine Photography, Alex Simon Photography, Women by Magda Photography
