Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Jimenez.
Valerie , please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Bold Entity was founded in November of 2010. After working for a few small advertising agencies, I transitioned to be a creative director for the world’s largest plastic manufacturer. During this role, I was managing marketing efforts across 8 different countries, which gave me a lot of confidence in my career.
At this point, I started to plot my exit and the beginning of business ownership. My big vision was to offer integrated marketing services to small to mid-size businesses that didn’t compromise strategy or the quality of the creative. Often times, the agencies that were serving this market segment were talented in one or the other, but rarely did you see an agency that understood that both creative and strategy were vital to the success of any marketing effort. I wanted to be that – an agency that optimizes resources to provide better results, without compromises.
Then, a friend of mine that owned a company was relocating his office. He had some time left on his lease that he had to pay regardless of whether he was using the space, so he offered to let me use his office for free for the next six months.
This seemed like the perfect sign, and so I resigned. At the moment that my boss heard the news, he assured me I would never be successful at running my own business. The rest is history.
Throughout these nine years, Bold Entity has built hundreds of websites and served clients in every industry imaginable – from wedding services to aerospace. Today, we are known for our proprietary brand strategy and brand-infused digital marketing strategy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Since 2010, the growth of Bold Entity has been slow and steady, yet not a smooth road. I’ve learned along the way that more sales do not equal more profit. It is important to understand how to price your services effectively. This is a big challenge for service-based companies, but one must always keep an eye on the bottom line if you don’t want to end up working 18 hours a day, making just enough to pay your rent.
For creatives that decide to start a business, the problem is always scaling. Because we are so connected with the work, it is always hard to step away and work “on the business, rather than in the business”. This takes an enormous amount of discipline because it puts us out of our comfort zones. I am still mastering the art of stepping away to work on processes so that growth doesn’t happen chaotically.
Then, the issue of work-life balance. Who thought that would ever be an issue, especially when you love what you do? I’ve come to realize that even though I am tempted to work 12 hours every day, the people around me suffer because of it and it is hard to build long-lasting relationships.
Please tell us about Bold Entity.
Bold Entity is a full-service branding and digital marketing agency. We are known for our proprietary branding process that was designed specifically for small to mid-size businesses looking to take their business to the next level of growth.
This proprietary branding strategy walks them through a discovery module, where executives and management are gathered to reflect on their business. We then gather information from their most valuable clients. The data that yields out of this process, as well as in-depth industry and competitive reports, are then used to drive their digital marketing and infuse it with authentic emotional connection.
What differentiates us is the ability to run data-rich and data-driven digital marketing strategies. This saves our clients a lot of money and time because we confidently launch our campaigns knowing that what we are executing will be effective and profitable for our clients.
What I am most proud of is our ability to serve our clients fairly and effectively, and to see their businesses growing. I am most happy when I hear that they hired a new person. For a small to mid-size company, a new hire is genuine proof of effective marketing.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have focused on developing systems and proprietary processes and methodologies early on. I’ve realized that in competitive industries like marketing services, proprietary systems are the only way to stand out and differentiate. These processes will have to come from really understanding your value and the needs of your customers.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1722 N. Hall St, Suite 120
Dallas, TX 75204 - Website: boldentity.com
- Phone: 214-989-7022
- Email: info@boldentity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldentity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boldentity/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/boldentity
- Yelp: https://clutch.co/profile/bold-entity
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bold-entity
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