Amie Thompson

Introduction and Who Is Amie Thompson

Taryell Simmons: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another episode of Rise Urban Nation. We have a special guest in the building, Amie Thompson. Amie, I have to ask: is there any relation to the famous coach from Georgetown, Mr. John Thompson?

Amie Thompson: Not that I'm aware of. Thank you for having me. I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Taryell Simmons: I've got family in Charleston, South Carolina, so we might be second cousins. For those who don't know, who is Amie? You can take that as wide as you want to go.

Amie Thompson: I'm definitely a workaholic, so a lot of times when I answer this question it starts with work. I'll try not to do that this time. I'm a sports lover. My Carolina Tar Heels are in the Final Four and playing tonight, and I'm thrilled about that. I'm a big music fan, and I'm looking forward to going back to concerts. J. Cole's Dreamville Festival was this weekend and I watched it online. I enjoy traveling too. But my passion is really about helping people. I like using the things I'm good at to help other people, personally or professionally, and I'm excited that I get to bring that into my business.

Creative Allies and Standing Out in a Crowded Market

Taryell Simmons: Let's go into the business side. What is your business?

Amie Thompson: Creative Allies is my company. We're a digital marketing agency, and we focus on providing marketing to other entrepreneurs. Our core base is companies just like us: maybe under ten or twelve employees and up to two million in sales, looking for a marketing partner. Most companies that size don't have a full-time marketing director, so they want collaboration and support with things like their website and social media. We also do a lot of video work and event planning.

Taryell Simmons: Digital marketing feels like such a competitive space. How do you stand out and solidify your niche?

Amie Thompson: It is a very competitive space, but there's enough money out here for all of us, because digital marketing is something everyone needs. No matter your industry or your size, government or nonprofit, everybody needs it. For us it has always been about referral business. Honestly, probably ninety percent of our business comes from referrals or repeat customers. That's a testament to my team, the work we've done, and the relationships we build. Making sure our clients are happy so they tell people about us is what makes us different.

Why Every Business Needs a Digital Footprint

Taryell Simmons: I was talking to a client a few weeks ago who told me they don't need a digital presence for their type of business. I told them everybody needs a digital footprint if they want longevity and sustainability. From your point of view, is it important that every business has one, and why?

Amie Thompson: Absolutely. Think about yourself as a consumer rather than a business owner. If you're looking for something to eat or need to get your hair done, you're going to ask somebody you know or go on Google. Those are the only two things you're going to do. It's the same for whatever product you offer. If you don't have a digital presence, they won't find you. Even with referrals, if someone gets referred to us and goes online and sees nothing, or something negative, they're not going to call just because somebody told them to. And you never know about the people who are looking for you and can't find you. Nobody is going to call you to say they couldn't find you online.

Amie Thompson: We also tell people that social media alone is not enough, because you don't own that information. If Facebook, Twitter or Instagram goes down, or your account gets hacked, you lose it. Have a website, and make sure that when people Google your name or your business, something positive comes up and they're clear on where to find you.

Thinking Like Your Customer and Finding Your Audience

Taryell Simmons: When businesses come to you, what's the number one problem you try to help them solve?

Amie Thompson: Besides thinking they don't need a digital presence, it's understanding that whatever you put out there, your website, your blogs, is about the customer and potential customers, not about you. That's actually the hardest conversation to have. A client will say, "I like this, I like this," and no one cares what you like. The website is for the person coming to look for your product or service. What does your audience want? What do they need? What questions do they have? It's a mindset shift, and everyone has that bias no matter how much money they have. The way I get people there is to take them outside of their own business. If you're new in town looking for a hair stylist and their website only talks about themselves, you won't spend money there. But if they show pictures of styles they've done and one looks like what you want, you'll connect with them. Just like we shop as business owners, that's how clients are shopping too.

Taryell Simmons: When I work with some of our natural born hustlers in the Black community and ask who their ideal customer is, they say, "Anybody who's paying." My ideal customer for this podcast is Black and Pan-African entrepreneurs, community builders, educators and advocates. How do you get someone to niche down?

Amie Thompson: It's important because different types of customers want different things. A good question is: who has bought something from you before? If they've had some sales, they can start to see that it's more women than men buying, or a certain age group. If someone has paid for it, someone like them will probably pay for it too. If they're brand new, it's harder, but at least start with a certain demographic, see if they're interested, and adjust from there.

The Accidental Entrepreneur

Taryell Simmons: Let's go back to your career journey. How did you become this icon in the digital marketing space?

Amie Thompson: The phrase I like to use is accidental entrepreneur. I never thought I wanted to run a business someday. I was very by the book: do this, do that, get promoted. Since my twenties I always did stuff on the side, but I'm not a risk taker. A couple of years ago I was exhausted from the grind. I had a little ownership in the company I worked for, but not enough for how much I was working. I probably work more now, but it's my business, and the flexibility and freedom to choose our projects and my team outweigh that. The timing of leaving corporate America lined up with the opportunity to run this company. I did not start Creative Allies; I took over running it. My brother has been an entrepreneur since he was young, and while my parents had more traditional jobs, they exposed us to the idea that running a business was available to us.

Taryell Simmons: It's not where you start, it's how you finish. What was your first job?

Amie Thompson: I delivered newspapers when I was about fifteen. I like making money, and I'm a good saver. My friend and I didn't have cars, so we rode our bikes to deliver them. It was my first taste of my own paycheck, maybe forty dollars, and I opened a bank account. Having your own money and not having to ask anyone for it really made a difference. The papers showed up at four in the morning and nobody checked that you delivered them. That self-discipline and focus has carried through every job I've had.

Taryell Simmons: That's the life of an entrepreneur. If you don't do it, it won't get done. Were you in digital marketing before?

Amie Thompson: No. I did sales and marketing for a technology company at the enterprise level, with much larger companies. The transition took a leap of faith and a lot of learning. One of the biggest things I've learned is how important relationship building is. If you're intelligent and willing to learn, you can learn most things, but it's hard to teach someone interpersonal skills. I pride myself on honesty and transparency. My clients don't expect me to know everything. They expect me to know how to get the answer. That alleviates a lot of pressure. You just need good advisors and a good network, and you have to be willing to get on YouTube and Google, talk to people and ask questions without feeling it's beneath you.

Advice for a Career in Digital Marketing

Taryell Simmons: What advice would you give someone at a dead-end job, or a college student, who wants a career in digital marketing?

Amie Thompson: Two things, and both come back to adding value. First, find people doing what you think you want to do and pick their brain. Most people love to talk about their journey. Second, volunteer. Plenty of nonprofits and small businesses would love someone to help with social media for a month or two. You'll learn and help them at the same time, and it will tell you whether it's something you want to do permanently. Sometimes you have to be willing to do it for free.

Taryell Simmons: When you look at your whole journey, what's one good lesson life has taught you?

Amie Thompson: The biggest thing is confidence. The one thing you can't buy is other people believing in you, so you have to believe in yourself first. Know what you're good at and what you're not. People enjoy working with us because I'm very clear about what we can and can't do. Even if you don't know what job you want, know what you can do: that you're disciplined, accountable, good on the phone. Be confident in that and it will take you a long way.

Taryell Simmons: It's like doubling down on your strengths and surrounding yourself with people who are strong where you're weak.

Amie Thompson: I'm a hundred percent in agreement. Why spend all your time going from terrible to less terrible when you could go from good to great or excellent? I try to identify my own strengths and my team's strengths and build on them.

Black Women Leaving Corporate America

Taryell Simmons: Last year I worked with a group called Village Up on a survey of underserved founders. Many women who moved into business in male-dominated industries lost confidence and felt imposter syndrome. Another study showed Black women are leaving the corporate world in large numbers to start businesses, and succeeding. Why do you think that is?

Amie Thompson: As an employee you can get caught up in what success looks like for someone else. You need to believe in your strengths and how you add value, and you have to be willing to walk away when people don't recognize it. Many people stay at a company where they're unhappy and start to think it's them, when it's the company. On the other side, for me it was being tired. The higher you go, you're often the only woman, the only Black person, the only Black woman. At one job I was the youngest, the only woman and the only Black person in leadership. They paid me well, but after a couple of years I was tired of not seeing anybody in those meetings who looked like me. There's also lack of opportunity, being passed over for promotions, and the flexibility of running your own business, especially with kids. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, but for people who can take that chance, I think it's great.

The Future of Digital Marketing

Taryell Simmons: What do you think the future holds for your industry?

Amie Thompson: Digital marketing will continue to grow. During the pandemic we had a couple of horrible months, then things turned around because everyone needs digital, and we grew nicely in 2020 and 2021. Nobody wants to go back to five days a week in the office, and people aren't commuting as much, so you have to market to them differently. Everything is moving more digital, and even if we get back to normal, people will stay set in these new ways of operating. It's also cheaper and reaches more people, because anyone anywhere in the world can participate.

Where to Find Amie and Final Words

Taryell Simmons: What projects are you working on, and where can people find you? And how did you come up with the name Creative Allies?

Amie Thompson: People can find us at creativeallies.com and on social, all under Creative Allies. We do a lot of nonprofit work, helping organizations doing amazing things for their communities with fundraising events, websites and social media, which goes back to my passion for helping people. Our company keeps growing in people and revenue. I always offer this: reach out to me. Anybody can take fifteen or twenty minutes, and sometimes one suggestion makes a real difference in a business. Connect with me on LinkedIn. As for the name, the company has been around a little over ten years and the co-founders came up with it. Good advice for anyone starting a business: pick a name that means something to other people, not just to you. We have about six people on my team and use freelancers and strategic partners for larger projects. Those are our allies.

Taryell Simmons: Any last words of wisdom before we sign off?

Amie Thompson: Believe in yourself and don't be afraid to take risks. Everything won't always work out, but you never know what will work if you don't try. Be confident and take some risks to start or grow your business.

Taryell Simmons: Have confidence, take risks, and be yourself. This has been another episode of Rise Urban Nation. This is Taryell Simmons signing off, and I'll see you next time.