These days, it seems like everyone’s a brand. Truthfully, we probably spend more time focusing on our brands than we do anything else. With heightened popularity of reality TV, social media, and the like, it’s getting easier to market yourself to people all over the world, with just one click of your finger (or theirs)—but that doesn’t mean everyone will be successful in their journey. One woman who’s been super successful, however, is Victoria Reese. The 28 year old CEO of The Victor Group is making strides with her own company, while simultaneously building brands of various clients around the country.
The self-proclaimed “Brand Architect” is a Detroit native, and a Howard grad who took a risk after graduation and decided to move to one of the most unforgiving cities in the world—L.A. Since moving to the West Coast in 2012, Victoria has managed to do more than most people her age. (And older)
But just because she’s excelling in her field, that doesn’t mean Victoria wants to keep all the good stuff to herself–she’s all about sharing. After all, that’s what she does for a living! We sat down with Victoria to pick her brain, and here’s what she told us about building bands and her journey to being a successful business owner.
1)What advice would you give young, Black women trying to start a business and build a brand?
Never stop being a student of your craft. The more open you are to constantly learning, the faster you will master that craft. Find what ever it is that gets you truly excited and find a way make it your job. The more sense of purpose you have, the better the quality of work you will produce. Do not do it for the money, do it for the passion and purpose. The money won’t help you create a masterpiece or help your client take off. You’ve got to love what you do and that will make everyone happier in the end. Your clients will be better served, you will be exercising a muscle that only that can fulfill and you will produce better work. Lastly, get used to the “overwhelmed” feeling – As a small business owner it never goes away. The sooner you get comfortable with that feeling, the easier you’ll be able to manage it and work through it.
2)How did you get started and what were the some of the obstacles you faced?
I would get asked to work on projects and people would seek me out to advise them on an array of things pertaining to their business ideas or overall image. I’ve technically been consulting for years but didn’t know it. After playing around with a few business ventures, I finally honed it on what excited me – branding. I met with a Life Coach for just one meeting and helped me identity things that were holding me back from clarifying my destiny. From that, I had a name and a concept, and I haven’t stopped since. There are hundreds of things (both big and small) that I could name that were obstacles but the biggest challenge was self-doubt. At times, I didn’t think people would take me seriously as a business nor would they pay me. I realized that if I didn’t even take myself seriously FIRST, no one else would either. Once I showed the Universe just how serious I was, everyone else followed suit.
3)What have you learned along the way?
I learned that it takes long nights and long days to reach your goal. Sometimes that means missing out on happy hour or snuggle time with the boo. You’re going to be attached to your phone due to checking your email and stepping out of the room to hop on conference calls too. That’s all a part of the journey. The things that it took for me to get where I am at will not be the same for the person reading this post. It took courage and soul searching to get me here! I had a laundry list of things that I wanted to do in my career but I had to plant a seed in one thing and allow it to grow. So I did and it’s been an amazing journey thus far.
4)Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what is your ultimate goal?
At that point, I plan to have two offices – One in LA and possibly in Michigan (my hometown). I pray to have a rockstar client roster and solid relationship with fortune 500 companies. My ultimate goal is to build a conglomerate and have other businesses in addition to Victor Group. I hope to be a public speaker by then as well – Sharing my testimony across the world. I’ll be 33 so a husband and kids would be great too!
5)What’s the biggest mistake someone can make as it relates to their brand?
Putting the cart before the horse. Building a brand takes calculated risks and telling a story. If you are not careful of your “big picture” goals, you might be steering your brand in the direction. Oh, and please know your audience!
For more information, and to contact Victor Group, click on this link.
And make sure you stay social and follow Victoria on Twitter and Instagram at @picturethisvic