Changing The Narrative: Former Corporate SVP Turns Full-Time CEO of Her Own Company
After working over 25+ years in corporate America, this highly sought-after speaker and corporate pioneer took a leap of faith - and transformed her side-hustle into a full-time executive lifestyle firm--which is committed to coaching women on how to be their best multi-dimensional selves.
Services
Brand Development | Social Media & Digital Strategy | Public Relations
Industry
Lifestyle | B2B | B2C
Here's the Sitch (aka Situation):
Transitioning from a 25+ global corporate career to full-time entrepreneurship is no easy feat--espeially when you're mainly known for your work and (huge) accomplishments in the c-suite.
(Cheryl Grace enters the chat.)
But the challenge was no match for Cheryl Grace.
After transforming corporate reputations and changing the way consumers and decision-makers valued Black America's spending power and corporate influence, she decided to commit, what she calls her "Career 2.0," to transforming individuals to next level advancement at work, in love and at home. Unapologetic about living a fabulous life and her journey to get there, Cheryl left corporate America behind in April 1, 2021 to level up Powerful Penny LLC (a side-hustle she began in 2017)--and she was eager to share her new narrative.
Our Approach
While being mindful of the sensitivities of this transition, we started our collaboration with a brand audit and strategy to ensure Cheryl's messaging as well as identity factors were updated to best show why her shift was an example of how corporate women can reclaim their power and live a fabulous life.
Then, we used our leading strategy to kick off a 9-month"From C-Suite to Corporate Coach" campaign which targeted visibility opportunities via traditional media, speaking engagements and strategic alliance. Our outreach began local, and gradually expanded to national platforms.
Having set the foundation of Powerful Penny's brand awareness, we implemented a follow-up 5-month "Continuing the Fabulosity with Intentionality" campaign in 2022 to solidfy Cheryl's brand as a valuable contributor as an executive lifestyle coach for individuals as well as corporations; and complement her owned media platform (Level Up with Grace LinkedIn newsletter)
Our Impact & Client Milestones
Two months into BRVC's collaboration with Cheryl, we met our media goals by 66% (with 75% of coverage being national and internationally recognized) and our speaking engagement goals by 50%.
Over our 14-month collaboration, out of the 46 placements earned (Estimated 2B+ impressions):
3 were TV interviews where Cheryl promoted products live, as well as her online store (Cheryl's Shop of Fabulosity) where she sells work and love products, courses, workshops and bootcamps
Coverage included traditional and non-traditional online, print and broadcast platforms
52% of the coverage included backlinks to Cheryl's platforms, 38% generated direct traffic
1 resulted in Cheryl writing bylines where her executive lifestyle expertise was consistently exposed to women 40 - 65 years old, who reside in the U.S., U.K., Italy and Australia
Notable outlets include: Essence, Yahoo, Sheen Magazine, Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, Well + Good, Daytime Chicago, Hustle & Soul, xoNecole, The Sisaundria Show, and Crunchy Tales.
5 months since our campaign ended, our efforts resulted in coverage on the She Ventures Podcast and Today.
Out of the speaking engagements and strategic alliances secured:
1 resulted in Cheryl receiving a 2022 Entrepreneurship Innovator Award
1 resulted in Cheryl being a Main Stage speaker at 2021 Black Women's Expo, where provided on the spot executive coaching to 4 attendees; and she also had a booth to sell her products all weekend
1 resulted in Cheryl being a panelist and love workshop facilitator at 2022 Essence Fest