Entrepreneur Profile
Angela Delmedico, CEO/Founder, Elev8 Consulting Group
Mini Bio
Angela Delmedico is CEO and founder of Elev8 Consulting Group, a consulting company specializing in business strategy development and building highly effective branding, marketing, and publicity campaigns.
Name: Angela Delmedico
Title: CEO/Founder
Company: Elev8 Consulting Group
Years in business: 4
Business location: Las Vegas, Nev.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Nationwide
Number of employees: 10
Chief product: Marketing | Branding | Publicity | Business Strategy
Website: www.elev8cg.com
First of all, how is business these days?
Business has been great and continuously growing! The Elev8 Consulting Group team is helping businesses, non-profits, and startups create, manage, and grow marketing and publicity campaigns that generate profit-generating results and increase brand awareness.
What led you to start your own business?
I learned the hard way as co-founder of a previous startup that there are a lot of companies we had sourced and hired that underdelivered and overpromised. I realized I had a unique value and service to offer other businesses. I had the "aha" moment and a why.
I then launched Elev8 Consulting Group to help other entrepreneurs, startups, businesses, and nonprofits with strategy and highly effective marketing, branding, and publicity campaigns. I offer trust, talent, an outside-the-box strategy and efficiency. I care about their time and know how limited it is. My passion is helping businesses set and exceed their goals and objectives and providing a stellar ROI while doing it.
What sources did you use for startup capital?
I bootstrapped. All I needed was a logo, a website, a message, and my savvy to start. I’m grateful for the generosity and support I received from others along the way. I have to thank a very talented graphic designer Dina Barsky from New York, who created my logo at a very reduced rate. I owe her big time. That logo is a small step, but it really actualizes the launch. I created my first website on my own (don’t get me wrong, I’m not bragging because it really needs a makeover). But three years ago, it was a coup! I’m not a coder, but that didn’t stop me from sitting down and figuring it out until I had a website.
What do you think is your biggest business strength?
Persistence. Tenacity. Honesty. Communication skills. Quickly assessing a client’s communication style and needs to streamline projects. I can talk to techies and I can talk to business owners who are overwhelmed with information overload about what steps to take to get where they need to be. There is so much information out there, it can be confusing for any business owner.
What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?
I love what I do. It’s truly fulfilling to help other businesses and entrepreneurs succeed at what they do! And it is fun to create something from nothing! Whether it's a company, a campaign, a website, a flier, a book, a new product, service, or widget, it’s downright exhilarating.
What’s your least favorite part of running a business?
Time, time, time. There's never enough. Working on time management. My goal is to create a business that eventually allows me to also focus on other things I’m passionate about.
What do you think are important entrepreneurial skills to have?
Persistence. Tenacity. Strength. Resilience. Confidence. Fortitude. Humbleness. Self-awareness. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and utilize that. Take what you have and go for it. Build on the rest.
What are some challenges you’ve faced in business and how did you overcome them?
Finding the time to manage, hire, train, delegate, run, grow, and scale my business is a challenging process. It’s part of being in a constant state of growth, which is a plus. Whenever things get too comfortable, I usually implement an improvement or system or new idea to take it all a step further and improve things down the road.
Last year was a big challenge. I dislocated my shoulder, which held me up in a sling for a bit. I added in a whole slew of physical therapy appointments that I didn’t have time for, and it really crammed my work days. It was a nightmare. Being limited on the computer, phone, driving, etc., was horrendous! I had to put on an ice pack every single waking hour for an entire month.
So, it was crazy timing. I had a ton of new clients and had just presented at a conference. And I had to keep it going or fail. I hired more talented staff, delegated more work, and ultimately turned this nightmare into a learning lesson on scaling my company. All without my clients knowing I even had an injury. Ultimately, I ended up increasing clients and doubling my revenue last year, in spite of that obstacle. It was a great learning lesson in how to scale and scale fast.
I remember going back to the doctor after my shoulder was healed. She asked how business was, and I mentioned I was growing my business, hiring, etc. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow like I was nuts and asked how I did it. That is the skill an entrepreneur should have. Be a little crazy and willing to do whatever it takes.
What do you wish you’d known before you started out?
I wish I had known the true power of visualization before I started out. I learned about it and studied it and tried it, but didn’t really do it. Once I started writing a vision statement and created a vision board, I realized how powerful our thoughts are and how we can dare to dream bigger and more outlandish, whatever it is. Dare to dream. We only have one whirl on this planet, so just go for it.
What is the smartest move you have made with your business so far?
I have hired stellar people to work on my team. Talented, multi-faceted, friendly, creative, intelligent people to help deliver amazing services to our clients.
Our brand is our exceptional team. Our deliverables are our high work ethic, exceeding expectations, great service, and ROI. And that goes a very long way.
We’re also committed to a positive healthy work environment, so we’re at peak performance mentally and physically. Our brains work better when we’re moving around often. Better brains provide better ideas and better services. No boring afternoon sleep slumps or brain dumps here. Everyone takes a few minutes to exercise, walk, dance, strikes a pose, stretch, do some yoga, etc., every single hour if their workday is on the computer. Eventually, I’d like to create a better office environment that provides walking desks and some more fun activities onsite to break up the day. Right now, we use what we have.
How do you find new customers? What do you do to make sure they become return customers?
We’ve been very fortunate to receive clients via referrals and word-of-mouth. I meet many colleagues, business alliances, etc., at networking events, member groups, and through other connections. This is true networking. These aren’t necessarily clients, but all these connections can lead to amazing things. I’ve presented at a few conferences in niche industries, which also helps increase exposure to potential clients.
Our company commitment to exceeding client expectations and our ability to offer full-range marketing/publicity services ensures return customers. We help clients with many of their goals. They have the ease of using one company, and/or the ease of not hiring a full-time internal team on their staff. Elev8 Consulting Group is an entire marketing/PR department.
We understand the big picture of how all the pieces of the marketing puzzle work synergistically together: websites, marketing, branding, publicity, SEO, SEM, SMO, etc. We’re able to create and execute custom strategies for our clients, based on their short-term and long-term goals and budget, and we greatly enhance their ROI over the long haul.
What’s your management style with employees?
I use all management styles at different times, depending on the deadline, the employee, the client, or the project. In general, I believe in a hands-off approach. I bring people onto my team because they are talented and because I trust them to do the work they are hired to do. Micromanaging employees doesn’t work. It often causes unnecessary stress and, in essence, a constriction of creativity. If I have to micromanage them, they’re not a good fit. My team thrives in a collaborative environment. Team members feel more respected and a higher level of commitment to the work they are doing. I’m grateful that I have a very loyal, dedicated team.
What are some other companies or entrepreneurs you admire, and why?
There are a gazillion companies and entrepreneurs I admire, past and present. We all have something to learn from others. There are a lot of buzzword entrepreneur names we see in mass media these days. I admire them and learn a lot about innovation, leadership, growth, and running a successful business.
Entrepreneurs face different unique challenges. The vision. Taking that dream and going for it. The leaps. The worries. The hurdles. The time management. The hiring. The scaling. The knowledge curve necessary to remain innovative and stay ahead of the pack. This, that, and the other. The obstacles and learning curve parallel across industries. I admire anyone who is daring enough to take their dream and try to make it happen. I admire those who have been through the trenches and share their stories. It helps all of us to become better.
Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?
I have tons of favorite quotes. We all need something at different stages on different days. Here are a few:
“Life is found in the dance between your deepest desire and your greatest fear.” –Anthony Robbins
“Dear optimist, pessimist, and realist: While you guys were busy arguing about the glass of wine, I drank it! Sincerely, the opportunist.” –Lori Greiner
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” –Chinese proverb
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” –Henry Ford
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” –Dr. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich.
What new initiatives are you working on?
I’m working on scaling my business. It’s a process with lots of moving parts.
Right now, a big piece of this is implementing automated company internal operations for increased efficiency on the backend.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to start a business similar to yours?
The advice I would give to anyone hoping to start a business is to stop dreaming and just do it. There is no perfect time. Seize the day. Utilize every resource you have and start something. A lot of people have ideas, but few execute on those ideas. If you think you have an added value product or service to bring to the world, go for it. Commit yourself to achieving it. Live it and breathe it. Utilize all the resources you have right now at this moment and start something. Every little step you take towards your vision brings you closer to your desired outcome.
If you are going to start a marketing firm, really think about how you are going to be different from the numerous competitors out there. What is your unique added value? Think about a niche, a particular skill, or how to do something better than the competition. Or, you can always call Elev8, we’re looking for top talent!
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