Rushauna Beckles
Content Marketing Strategist
Served with Creativity
Introduction
Hi Sojourners! I had the wonderful privilege of meeting this month’s Women’s Leadership Mindset guest, Ms. Rushauna Beckles, at a recent virtual networking event! After scheduling a one-on-one to learn more about how we each serve the world, I was compelled to ask her to share with all of us:
How she started her new business and “giveback movement”
Tips to enhance our leadership mindset
How attain our dream career or business and so much more!
Check our interview below and be sure to follow Rushauna to learn more about her expertise in content marketing!
~Teresa K. Page
About Rushauna
Q: Tell us about yourself?
A: My name is Rushauna Beckles and I am a chocolate loving content and marketing consultant. I was born in Guyana and moved to Canada at the age of 9 years old. I am a graduate of the Early Childhood Educator program.
I'm a very creative, resilient individual who enjoys designing gift baskets and creating natural handmade soaps, wax melts, lotion bars and baking.
Q: What motivated you to start your business, Served with Creativity?
A: The pandemic. Lol. During the pandemic, I didn’t want to return to my daycare job, so I decided to utilize my creative skills, retail experience and my passion for assisting others to start my business. I began as a Virtual Assistant, pivoted to being a Content Marketing Strategist and in the current position as the CEO and Content and Marketing Consultant.
These developments came about because I learnt that a lot of business owners don't know the different types of content they need to create to attract their ideal clients. Also, they’re too busy overthinking their ideas and listening to coaches/mentors on where they should be showing up online. For example, some coaches love to tell business owners to market on Facebook and majority of the time they don't know anything about Facebook and may not even like it.
There are so many different ways to market a business that no one should feel stuck doing a strategy that they don’t like and isn’t working!
Q: What are Served with Creativity’s core values?
A: Our core values are creativity, kindness, and community.
Q: What problem does your services resolve?
A: We assist financial professionals to stop "winging it and throwing spaghetti at the walls to see what will stick when it comes to marketing their business. We also help them create a marketing strategy and plan that they can confidently execute on a consistent basis, and to hone in on the things that are working for them.
Q: For whom are your services designed?
A: My services are designed for financial professionals, coaches, mentors, money experts, educators, bookkeepers, etc.
Q: How do you improve upon the value of your services to stay relevant?
A: By regularly doing professional development (taking courses and training sessions).
Q: How do you establish trust with your team and clients?
A: We establish trust by getting to know the individuals and teams that we're working with such as their needs, goals, how they define success, how they want to be celebrated, etc. and doing what I say I’m going to do.
Q: How do you acquire and retain customers?
A: We acquire our customers through social media and network marketing and sharing with others our philosophy and how we can assist and develop strategies for their business. We retain customers through authentic relationship building, productivity and feedback/surveys.
Q: Share with us the most funny or intense “behind the scenes” adventure you have experienced while building your business or career.
A: Earlier this year, we hosted a free speed networking event and made the mistake of giving the participants the wrong time--an hour after the original time. Long story short, I missed my own event and a number of participants didn’t get to attend. When my team and I signed onto the platform, I saw that only two people attended.
Q: What kind of leader are you?
A: I am empathetic, transformational, participative, strategic and open-minded. I have the ability to create events that bring people together, be a resource and take the initiative to do things that bring about change and growth.
Q: How you have developed your leadership mindset.
A: I’ve always been someone who loves to assist others. I’ve developed my leadership mindset mainly through my work experience as an Early Childhood Educator and being a support to my colleagues. For instance, I took the initiative to create fundraising events to raise money for our daycare by making gift baskets and rallying my colleagues to bring items and buy tickets. I also created a Valentine’s Day morning surprise to show appreciation to parents and a secret Santa event to bring colleagues together.
Q: What tools/methods do you utilize to maintain or enhance your leadership mindset?
A: Attending workshops and summits. And reading books such as Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is focused on mindset.
Q: How do you effect change within your sphere of influence?
A: I started a giveback movement in 2018 to support low-income communities with school supplies which evolved into giving groceries amongst other things. I believe it’s so important to give back! We don’t need to give hundreds of dollars to make an impact, it’s the little things that we do that can make the biggest difference in someone’s life. For example: a compliment, encouragement, giving someone some grocery items, buying bus tickets or even donating items that we're not using.
Q: How will future generations benefit from the work you are doing today?
A: I hope someone benefits from my story with the generational wealth I intend on building, as well as my giveback initiatives and the impact in assisting financial professionals to promote financial literacy.
Q: What tip, encouragement or resource would you give to someone that is considering turning their dream career or business into a reality?
A: To have confidence and belief in yourself because entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster of a journey and to have a plan! Having a plan is key because it will help you to stay focused on the steps that you need to be implementing.
My favorite quote that I created is, “Feelings will not pay your bills.” There’s going to be days where you don’t feel like getting up, calling, emailing potential leads, marketing your business, creating content and the list goes on. But it’s important to separate your feelings and FOCUS ON YOUR CLIENTS AND LEADS, BECAUSE IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU--IT’S ABOUT THEM!
Q: What tip, encouragement or resource would you give to someone that feels frustrated or stuck in their current career or business?
A: Take a break from your business, career and social media to rest, destress and do things that you have been neglecting such as your hobbies. Then reevaluate what you want, what’s been working, what's not working, who you need to be to be successful and the small steps that you need to take to achieve your goals. Ask for help and get support in areas that you are struggling whether it is mindset, accountability, productivity, marketing etc.
Rushauna Beckles
Content Marketing Strategist
Served with Creativity