Camara Randolph, Cross Channel
Looking back at her childhood Camara Randolph believes that the idea for starting her own business came from her grandmother who owned her own hair salon. Daily after school she helped out at the salon and quietly watched her grandmother manage time, money and people on a daily basis. Later she came to realize that as an individual business owner her grandmother was in charge of her time and how much money she made. This memory came back to Camara when she began to think about transitioning from her work at the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau to something else. When Camara made the decision to step out on her own, she decided to leverage her strengths around building strong relationships, communicating with business leaders, and utilizing productivity and technology tools. “Like any normal person I was fearful of starting my business during a time of recession. If my grandmother, who had three kids at the time, could go back to beautician school at night to learn new skills and how to manage a very successful business, I could start my own business too.”
When asked what people skills she learned from watching her grandmother on a daily basis, Camara said, “There were two major things. I learned how important it is to honor confidentiality, and how to build a life around your core strength and interests.” Her grandmother was a consistent model for resourcefulness by managing her business as well as her family.
Today Camara believes that her business stands out because she integrates new media marketing tools to help individuals and business owners attract just the right clients for them. Attracting ideal clients is not a one and done thing. Essentially you are building relationships which takes time. It is a fluid somewhat ever changing process that has to be built on a strong strategy. She feels her best skills lie in teaching others how to use a multilayered plan to marketing and promoting their businesses.
Perhaps the biggest surprise about Camara is that she is an avid reader consuming at least one book a week. While she says she enjoys a novel now and then, most of her reading focus is on marketing, business building, and relationship development. One of her favorites is Martha Beck’s, Finding Your Own North Star, and Robert Cialdini’s, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
Interviewed and Written by Patsy Hatfield Lawson, Front Porch Presentations
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