Episode 381: Business Growth and Thought Leadership, with Nicole Mahoney and Sharon Toerek

Destination On The Left

On this episode of Destination on the Left, you’ll hear my conversation with Sharon Toerek about the importance of finding your niche and how growth happens once you commit to it. We also discuss how becoming a thought leader in your niche leads to new relationships and opportunities. While this interview centers around building a marketing agency, I’m sure you’ll find value in the insights we share in our discussion.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• Why having a clear vision is crucial for agency leaders and how it helps in making decisions and evaluating opportunities
• What the accidental birth of the Destination on the Left podcast allowed me to achieve, and how it became a lifeline for global listeners during the pandemic
• How I diversified my client base and funding sources to grow the business
• How the DOTL podcast allows me to develop a reputation as a thought leader in the travel and tourism industry
• How I manage content creation with limited bandwidth as the owner of an agency and the time commitment involved in scaling my business

Vision-Driven Decision Making

On the podcast I share why it was so important to have a clear vision for the future of Tap Into Travel to support economic growth and prosperity within the communities we serve. We discussed why having that well-defined vision allows agencies to align their strategies with their long-term goals and adapt to ever-changing market dynamics.

Our conversation explores the importance of diversifying client bases and funding sources to avoid dependency on a single mechanism. I share how my participation in an economic gardening program through a local economic development organization allowed us to expand into new markets in the northeast.

Building a Media Ecosystem

I detail my vision of integrating three existing brands – the podcast brand (Destination on the Left), the agency brand (Break the Ice Media), and TAP allows us to realize the concept of building a robust media ecosystem. We discuss why an interconnected approach to content creation and thought leadership allows agencies to maximize their reach and impact across various platforms and engage diverse audiences.

Thought Leadership Impact on Business Confidence

Sharon and I also discuss the challenge of calculating the direct return on investment (ROI) of thought leadership, but we ultimately understand the significant impact it had on both our agencies’ confidence and billing rates. I loved digging into all of these fascinating topics with Sharon, and I know you’ll find our insights into the power of strategic vision, adaptability, and the ever-evolving nature of thought leadership in shaping the success and relevance of agencies in today’s dynamic market landscape helpful.

Resources:

• Tap Into Travel: https://www.tapintotravel.com/
• Research: Collaboration in the Travel, Tourism, & Hospitality Industry: https://breaktheicemedia.com/collaboration/

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