[quote style=”boxed”]Taking my networking opportunities seriously. I do not just go anywhere. I am looking for executives who can make decisions on purchases. I will not find that person at a free event or a $10 event. I like to network at high-end events and meet people who can afford what I do.[/quote]
Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C, is a celebrity, international speaker, talk show host, author, director and movie producer. As the host of the Wright Place TM TV Show, now in it’s 14th season with over 362 shows previously broadcast on television to over 6.5 million homes each week in Southern California on Direct TV Channel 64.Now seen nationally on DISH ON DEMAND network in 60 million homes, The Wright Place TV Show continues to provide resources for Entrepreneurs. Dr. Wright has spoken to crowds as large as 3,600!
As America’s Crowd Funding Strategist, she teaches workshops for Small Business Administration, is the Los Angeles Crowd Funding Examiner and Guest blogger for other Crowd Funding sites. She was named Hiscox 2013 Small business Star and consults privately with clients on their own crowd funding projects. She is the author of the upcoming book “101 Tips to Successful Crowdfunding: From Someone Who’s Been There, Done That and Got the Cash”.
Where did the idea for The Wright Place TV Show come from?
I wanted small business owners to have a place where they could find information and inspiration to take their business to the next level. In 2001, when I started there were not many shows doing that.
What does your typical day look like?
A lot of my day is centered around setting up production, tape days and working with sponsors.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I usually come up with an idea for a show segment, share it with the production team, they add some ideas to it and make it bigger and better and I plan the execution with them.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Crowd funding! I really love sharing with entrepreneurs how to use it and working with clients privately on their projects to raise money.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I am very good at time management and planning. I know how long it takes me to do things which allows me to get more things done and know if I can take on a new project or not.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I worked as customer service for a company that bought gold from people. I learned to handle lots of telephone calls and how to handle customers who were unhappy. The job taught me a lot.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would learn to be better at making sales in my business. Without sales, you have no business.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Get advice from people who have actually done what you are trying to do. Get a good mentor.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Taking my networking opportunities seriously. I do not just go anywhere. I am looking for executives who can make decisions on purchases. I will not find that person at a free event or a $10 event. I like to network at high-end events and meet people who can afford what I do.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I took a class on business and came home and used the strategies and my pipeline literally dried up. I went from my slow but survival rate to zero for 2 months while I used this strategy I learned. I finally dumped it and when back to what I was doing before I took the class and it took another 30 days but I went to the level I was at before I tried this new strategy. I was able to overcome it by cutting expenses to the bone, while the income was slow and then giving up on something that clearly was not working for me. I had to forget about how much money I had spent with the consultant and just admit, it did not work for me and move on.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Have one product or service that is very highly priced. For example a T-shirt business with one shirt that sells for $500 or more when most of their shirts at $20. It would be priced far above any of your other products and services. It will get people talking (word of mouth) and you will sell some to people who want the top of the line products. We all have people like that in our tribe.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I was home schooled for most of my life, back before home-school was even a word. My mother was threatened with jail for taking me out of school. I went back to public school in the 10th grade and then graduated from high school.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
I like Hootsuite, it is easy to use and I like planning my social media.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
How To Sell When Nobody’s Buying: (And How to Sell Even More When They Are) by Dave Lakhani. The title says it all. This book helped a lot when the recession was tough and it’s helping even now. I really enjoy Lakhani’s writing and this book is a personal favorite.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
DC Cordova- www.excellerated.com
Connect:
Dr. Letitia Wright on Twitter: @drwright1
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.