SDH199: Creating Your Business. Taking Risks. Living your Passion with Jen Spencer

How do you plan to take control of an industry with your business? What would building a foundation for that scale of a business look like? We get into all of that with today’s guest, Jen Spencer, founder of Authority-Life! Authority-Life is an omni-present brand building company with public relations experts in social media, content building, and video editing. Their goal is to help entrepreneurs share their messages across various channels, and find their target audience. Authority-Life started when she was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, while working for a tech start-up in San Francisco. She was comfortable at her job, but felt like she was capable of doing more. So she began quietly building her own PR practice, and within a year she had built her side business into a company that supplied her with a six-figure salary! It was then she said she knew she had to make a decision between her full time job and Authority-Life. She loved working with the team, but knew it was time to pave her own path, and with the support of her own network of entrepreneurs, she took the leap. When she started her business, she knew she had to make a name for herself. San Francisco had an ample amount of start-ups, and entrepreneurs who needed help so she offered her expertise to them free of charge. Her services included ghost-writing, copy-writing, social media content building, and network and brand building. The work was long and time-consuming, but she loved the connections that she was making and the brainstorming process that the projects required. Being a writer as well, her creative home was in the art of story-telling, and she enjoyed coming up with different angles to convey that message.   One story that stuck with her was of a client who operated a marketing business in college. Over the course of his life, he had seven life-threatening heart conditions, and had to have open-heart surgery. To tell that story, and speak on his case studies within marketing, they went on numerous podcasts which they turned into blog posts, and an article in Forbes magazine. Some advice she offers to entrepreneurs building their brands is to experiment with platforms outside of Facebook, Instagram, and so forth. The best engagement comes from unique modes of sharing, and if done successfully, you can become a huge asset to that unrecognized platform. If you do share on the traditional social media platforms, make sure your content is varied. One of her favorite platforms is Instagram, and she said she makes sure to mix videos and clips with quotes and photos to sustain audience excitement. Hear more on how Jen continues to grow Authority-Life’s services and expands her team, learn where your audience lives, and what new platforms you can share your brand and story on! In this episode you will… Know how to combine services of an industry into your business so you can have a competitive edge Learn how to make a name for yourself and your company in order to build your reputation and network Know how to build a team that expands the services of your business and progresses it’s success Find where your target audience lives Hear about different ways you can mix up your content on sharing platforms to keep up audience engagement See how to find events that will help educate you as an entrepreneur INSIGHTS “In the beginning I was trying to do a lot of it on my own…but as the team grew…it’s been getting people with various skills, whether it’s video, social media, PR, [and people] that can really work well together as a team. That’s kind of how we build that omni-present authority, is really working together and not just working on one aspect.” –Jen Spencer “In terms of video and podcasting, there’s all these different ways of sharing your story. Don’t be afraid to experiment…a lot of great engagement comes from thinking outside of the box and not just sharing…on those standard platforms.” –Jen Spencer “I’m big on events… [I focus] on value, and not necessarily looking for big names, but more so [on] is there going to be actual strategies and takeaways that I can get a lot out of, and network with people that can really help grow my personal brand and business, and I can help them and add value to them.” –Jen Spencer “I told myself I’m gonna actively reach out to as many people as possible, and learn from as many people as possible…it’s a really good strategy to ask people how you can connect with them, help them, and to really get to know people and have other people you can support and support you on your journey. I found that with entrepreneurship, it can get pretty lonely…so that’s been a big thing for me, is taking that initiative.” –Jen Spencer RESOURCES Authority-Life Website Jen Spencer Instagram Jen Spencer LinkedIn School of Greatness by Lewis Howes All Things Social Media Facebook Group