What do you get when you mix hard work, preparation, and strong faith together? The result is Keshia Walker, a Florida A&M University alum with a BS and Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. This SBI Super Star completed her internship experiences at Procter & Gamble and Amoco Oil Company. Keshia had a wealth of “insights” to share when she sat down to speak to the readers of F.A.M.E.
What is your company and what do you do?
Insights is a marketing and promotions company. We specialize in sports, corporate, and promotions or programs that target women. Those are our three main areas of focus. We do everything from special events to product launches, foundation management, and corporate partnerships with our over 40+ athletes and clients. We work with organizations like Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL). We also create and leverage opportunities for women through national organizations, grants, and opportunities or synergies that may exist and make sense.
When did you have the idea to start your company AND what made you decide to move on it?
I’ve run my own business since I worked at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. The opportunity presented itself and I prayed over it. I asked God to continue to bless and lead me and decided to move forward with owning Insights full-time while I was at Coca-Cola. I kept seeing and working on opportunities in the ethnic marketing segments and I’ve always had a love for sports. So when the opportunity presented itself, where I could walk away from Corporate America and start doing some of the same projects and responsibilities for myself, I jumped at it! I knew I would be able to work with clients and help them create ideas and programs that would allow them to reach their consumer segments.
What makes you different from others (from a business and personal perspective)?
From a company perspective I’m one of the few African American, women-owned businesses in this particular industry/area of expertise; where both sports and corporate meet and exist. Secondly, the brand background and leadership experience I possess from spending nine years in brand management, before I started Insights, has continued to be invaluable. The third and most important thing is I’ve got an excellent team of market managers in 27 markets around the United States. These talented individuals help to continue to make our brand and our clients successful in the markets where they’re trying to reach consumers, boost sales, and increase awareness of their brands. Whether it’s brands for a single party/celebrity or product brands for a corporation.
What keeps you going?
The constant change. This business, especially as an entrepreneur, is ever changing. There are always both good and bad challenges in this industry/ competitive set. I enjoy and thrive on competition and the opportunities to prove, meet, and exceed our client’s expectations.
Some people believe one must have a lot of investors, capital, and resources to start and maintain a successful business. What would you recommend entrepreneurs start off with?
I would definitely recommend to anyone who’s thinking about or starting his or her own business to set aside a minimum of six months of capital/ salary. A lot of companies take anywhere from 90 to 120 days or longer to pay their vendors and suppliers. So you definitely need some invested capital. The checks and money might not come in as quickly as you hope they would, which might pose a problem when you don’t have that guaranteed bi-weekly or monthly compensation you might’ve been making when you were working full-time in a different industry or segment.
You know you’re successful when…
you wake up in the morning and you go to bed each night with a smile on your face. You feel like you’ve accomplished something. That you’ve made a difference in the people and the lives you’ve come into contact with.
How do you help others?
I’ve been and continue to be a mentor both from a youth perspective as well as for other entrepreneurs that are coming into the business/in the business. I’ve provided guidance and direction to a lot of people who’ve had the opportunity to work with me. I’ve always recommended and pushed that they go out, start their own businesses, and find their own niche and opportunities in the world. So I still talk to dozens of former employees as well as individuals who contact me about information or advice about what they should or should not be doing. I’ve been happy to be able to provide that resource over the years.
What’s the best business decision you’ve ever made?
Deciding to do both sports and corporate instead of just staying in the Corporate arena. After 9/11, when Corporate became really slow, I was able to keep the company afloat and survive through my sports clients. The sports industry tends to be recession proof (for the most part) with the exception of this NFL lockout and the pending NBA lockout. However, outside of those situations the sports industry seems to continue to always be lucrative, maintain the financial ability to be successful, and provide income and refuge for the company.
What’s the hardest lesson you’ve ever had to learn?
No one is going to give you anything. You’ve got to work hard for it. You won’t always get or win a bid or opportunity based on having the best presentation. So it’s definitely an industry that’s based on relationships! It’s all about who you know and leveraging those relationships to continue to be successful.
Name a person (or two) who’s a model of success and why?
Mrs. Johnson (Bob Johnson’s former wife) and Magic Johnson are true models of success. They’ve defeated the odds despite the roles people tried to put them in. They also continue to give back to their communities while simultaneously building business empires.
Insights’ next big project is a new brand product called Gold Peak Tea. The firm will be launching the brewed iced tea in select markets around the country. The bottled tea is in the ready to drink category. To learn more about Keshia Walker and her team of change agents, visit http://www.insights-mpc.com/ or Insights Marketing on Facebook.
