By LaTasha West
The
Dream Catcher series seeks to provide information and real world advice. Over
the next few weeks I will share interviews that I have done with ladies who are
successfully chasing, following and living their dreams. These women are wives, mothers, business
owners and DREAM CATCHERS who are willing to share a small piece of their journey with you.
I hope this series encourages, motivates and inspires you to
believe.
This week I chat with Summer
Alexander, CEO of Summer Alexander
Research, Inc.
Here is what Summer has to say:
LaTasha:
Summer, how long have you been in business now?
Summer:
3 years!!
LaTasha:
What, if anything would you change about your journey in business?
Summer:
Honestly there isn’t anything I would
change – even the months with no clients, the days I felt like giving up and
the many, many tears I shed. I’ve come to understand that every little thing
I’ve experienced has been a necessary step on the path to get me to exactly
where I am today.
LaTasha:
What was the biggest misconception that you had about working for yourself?
Summer:
That I would have more time! While I do have flexibility with my time, I am
always in CEO mode. When I worked a job, at the end of the work day once I
walked out the door I didn’t think about it again. With my business there
always seems to be more to do, another idea to implement, one more email to
send, etc…
LaTasha:
Were you born an entrepreneur or did you become one? Explain.
Summer:
I was definitely born to be an entrepreneur but didn’t always know it. I had a
“good job” working with people I loved and making “good money” but I found
myself unhappy – restless even. I didn’t know why. After 7 years I was
downsized and found myself unemployed for the first time since I started
working at 16 years old. Initially I loved the freedom of not punching a clock
but there was always this inner nudge pushing me to do more. Turns out that
nudge was trying to tell me I had so much more work to do in the world but not
for someone else.
LaTasha:
If you taught a class on entrepreneurship what would you name the class and
why?
Summer:
I’ve
learned that no matter what business you are in, you are in the business of
marketing which is why I teach entrepreneurs how to market their businesses
effectively in my Effortless Marketing Bootcamp. What I love about this
training is that I have a chance to not only work with the group as a whole but
to talk monthly with each entrepreneur individually over the course of 6
months. So often we sign up for programs and trainings but never take the
action necessary to actually achieve the results. I named my program the
Effortless Marketing Bootcamp because I’ve taken the effort of taking action
away by holding you personally accountable.
Summer’s Business
Summer Alexander is an
award winning Market Research professional with a passion for making data and
analytics understandable for business owners.
After working 7 years as a Network Engineer for AT&T, Summer took the
knowledge and skills she learned in the corporate workspace and paired them
with a formal education in marketing to partner with small business owners and
help them grow strategically.
Summer learned first-hand what it takes to grow a company while working for the
owner of a multi-million dollar small business. She helped fund the production,
marketing and distribution of products by researching and presenting key market
information to private investors which helped to raise over $300,000 in capital
for the company. As the marketing manager Summer was also responsible for plan
development and execution of all marketing and advertising activities for the
company.
Now the driving force behind her own company Summer has been featured in Black
Enterprise
and has had the pleasure of working with clients such as Pace Suburban Bus
Company, IL Department of Veterans Affairs, and was hired as the Marketing
Director for the 20th anniversary of the Black Women's Expo and directly
contributed to attracting more than 30,000 attendees over the 3 day
weekend.
In addition to developing strategic marketing plans for companies throughout
the US, Summer is also a professional speaker and an Amazon #1 Best Selling
Author of The Little Book
of BIG Marketing Ideas and the September 2014 release Effortless Success: How to grow
your business without hard work, struggle and sacrifice. As professional
speaker and trainer, she has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs through her
practical yet motivational marketing bootcamps and workshops.
With a personal motto of “Doing what I say I will do, when I say I will do
it,” Summer is recognized by clients as providing prompt, accurate and
reliable market insights to help increase client attraction and profits for
small businesses.
Learn more about
Summer when you download her free recording Break the 7 Mindset Blocks Keeping
Your From Earning More In Your Business:
Website www.MarketingMoneyMindset.com
https://www.facebook.com/SummerAlexanderResearch
Twitter handle
https:// twitter.com/SummersResearch
Summer is just one
of the many amazing women who are catching and living their dreams!
The Dream
Catcher blog series is just one component of our mission to inspire you to
chase and live YOUR dream. We invite you
to join us on this life changing journey! For more information on the Live the
Dream Symposium Tour, Radio show or The Next 100 project visit
www.idefinemysuccess.com
