Today we’d like to introduce you to Faye Hill.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Faye. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am the founder/owner of two companies in Dallas. Faye Hill & Associates and The Hill Agency Int’l. I will begin with my original company and tell you how that led to The Hill Agency Int’l.
In 2002, I moved back to Dallas from Miami, FL, and noticed that customer service in churches was terrible. I attended a megachurch in Dallas at the time. When I mentioned it to the Facilities Manager, he asked me to research and find a place for training and he would send the church staff. I searched tirelessly and was unable to find anything close to what was provided for Corporate America, so I decided to start my own customer service training company for churches.
After months of developing training videos, workbooks, and the curriculum, I began training churches in the DFW area and eventually in other cities and Canada as well. Most of my clients were larger churches and once I had trained many of them, I realized that the smaller churches were not as interested because they did not see it as a business but more of a ministry.
Someone saw my video and suggested that I go to work for the National Seminars Training Group and train all over the country. I was hired for Social Media Marketing, not Customer Service! That was ten years ago and I literally knew nothing about social media for business. I turned unfavorable evaluations into reviews that stated I was a guru of social media. I actually still manage social media for large companies in Dallas today!
Let’s fast forward to The Hill Agency Int’l! Someone in California hired me to manage their social media a few years ago. After a few months, she started her own speaker’s bureau and asked me to be her Director. I knew nothing at the time about speakers bureaus. I was a public speaker myself and I was willing to learn. This lady had been Ken Blanchard’s Director and I trusted her ability to train me.
The owner of the bureau eventually decided to become a tour guide overseas and she closed the business. I had made many contacts while attending meeting planners’ conventions that I just put away for a rainy day. Just prior to the pandemic, I was attending a Mastermind class and the owner of the company asked me to please represent her and book her as a speaker. After talking for a while, she convinced me to start my own bureau. One thing led to another and I launched my Speaker’s Bureau Showcase on Zoom March 20, 2020, in a time when nobody was hiring in-person speakers. I have 35 speakers from all over the country and most were referrals. Literally. I did not seek out any of the speakers and did not know the majority of them before they signed on. So many people are amazed at how I embraced the pandemic circumstances and moving forward. I had virtual speaker panel discussions every Friday on different subjects to build our brand.
I am currently facilitating webinars with a team of my speakers to train churches on live streaming and how to pivot from in-person services to virtual services. It is called Church Netiquette 101 and 102. I have also written the book “Master the Art of Giving.” It is a guide to funding any church project with no debt.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have had many challenges with both companies. One of the struggles with Faye Hill & Associates was breaking into an unchartered area with churches. Twenty years ago, no training was available for churches, I had to get the organizations to understand that the church is a business and needs to operate with the same professionalism as a corporation. This was a major challenge!
With social media, the challenge of being placed in a position to train people on something I knew nothing about opened a totally new journey for me. Creating classes and becoming an expert was a great accomplishment in my business. Launching a speakers bureau that makes money booking speakers at events in the middle of a time when all events were shut down is definitely a challenge. I have learned through this experience that (to quote Helen Keller) “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
Please tell us about The Hill Agency International.
The Hill Agency Int’l works diligently to attract top keynote, seminar, workshop and other speakers who are experts and influencers in their respective industries. We are proud to represent a diverse group of speakers. Their subject matters are just as diverse as their ethnicities and experiences. We are successful entrepreneurs, public intellectuals, and TED speakers who work to remain abreast of today’s trending topics while acknowledging and exploiting the wisdom and value of the past.
Our speakers have a personal mission to deliver positive transformative messages using thought-provoking technique and their engaging personalities. We think of ourselves as a global talent agency that is the resource for event planners who work to make things better today than they were yesterday. We have inspired thinkers who are driven by the mission to leave an imprint on the world. We are set apart from other bureaus because we pivoted in a time of turmoil and became virtually certified to deliver the same dynamic speeches virtually as we did at live in-person events.
Faye Hill & Associate’s vision is to inspire churches to recognize that God wants His people trained to meet the excellent standards set for ministry. We have provided training for numerous churches in the United States and Canada for over 18 years. Utilizing corporate platforms and customer service focused agendas, the company has developed and implemented strategies that have a guaranteed success rate.
Our group of highly-skilled consultants are qualified to assess the needs of any church and identify the necessary steps to take for improvement. We are set apart because our company prides itself on providing measurable accomplishments. We strive to deliver the best possible full-service consulting that improves the overall quality of services received by parishioners and consumers. During the current pandemic, we train churches to present virtual services with excellence!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My parents were both entrepreneurs when I grew up in Yakima, Washington. My father owned a painting contracting company and my mother was the owner of a beauty salon. They were not only mentors, but they showed us the difference between working for yourself and working for someone else. The mindset of entrepreneurship was established at a young age for me. My parents deserve the credit.
Contact Info:
- Address: 300 S. St. Paul Street #1121
Dallas, TX 75201 - Website: www.thehillagencyintl.com /wwwfaye-hill.com
- Phone: 214-561-7522
- Email: Faye@thehillagencyintl.com
- Instagram: @1fayehill
- Facebook: facebook.com/thehillagency
- Other: linkedin.com/in/fayehill
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