Who is Debbie Jollie?
I am a Trinidadian, mom of one eleven year old son, entrepreneur, facilitator and a work in progress 'stutterer'.
Tell us a bit about your business endevours.
I am a marketing strategist. I help companies grow by auditing their current sales & marketing strategies and helping them refocus on the areas that really matter: Strategy, operations and people.
My services include:
- Strategic Business Plans/Marketing Plans
- Diagnostic Assessment/Marketing Audits
- Training, Coaching & Development
- Personal Branding
-Speaker & Workshop Facilitator
- Social Media Strategy/Content Development/Writer
How has your skill-set grown over time?
I consistently invest in my personal development. Each year I do courses online and offline and train in areas I feel I need to improve. Over the years this has taken the form of formal tertiary level education, to cooking classes as well as oratory sessions.
I also continue to expose myself to various organisations and apply my sales and marketing experience to help improve their processes, find solutions or grow their brands. By working with diverse firms, I learn as much from them as I offer to them. This builds my skill-set for the very next client!
How do you believe business to business (B2B) marketing will evolve in 2020?
B2B marketing has been evolving to include more and more digital techniques, such as the use of Customer relationship Management (CRM). Unfortunately, many Caribbean businesses have yet to embrace a basic website and social media strategy.
B2B marketing as I see it is likely to continue to be more data driven and adopt more artificial intelligence (AI). It is my hope that more B2B Caribbean companies begin to focus on an integrated marketing strategy that embodies both online and offline activities.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in pursuing Marketing as an entrepreneur?
Where do I start? 🤓. It is important to start building your personal brand as a marketer if you want success. People only buy when you create: KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. It is therefore important to start networking and building a solid profile online. Once this is carried out and maintained, it will be so much easier to transition to a full-time entrepreneur when you are ready.
What is one common myth about entrepreneurship that you would like to clarify?
That you can gain over-night success! There are many online courses and individuals who will suggest you can make a lot of money in a short space of time and become totally rich almost over night.
While I am sure there are some lucky individuals who may testify, if you invest and research in any successful entrepreneur from Richard Branson to Gary V, you will find many failures. These two men in particular speak about 'the grind', the many sleepless nights and the personal sacrifices they have endured for their success.
Entrepreneurship is extremely rewarding but it is also about doing consistent hard work for several years before getting those big breaks.
Where can our readers connect with you online?
You can find me online in the following ways:
a. Website: www.debbiejollie.com
b. Linkedin - Debbie Jollie - The Stammering Communicator
c. Instagram - DebbieJollie
d. Facebook - debbiejolliecoach
Feel free to direct message me on any of my social media platforms.
