The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Writer

acadet@tribunemedia.net

For seven days straight, local business strategist Chelsea Johnson invited people “to pick her brain” and tune into a live Facebook stream to learn about valuable tips, tools and resources to help them grow their craft or business venture even during the current quarantine.

The single mother of a 14-year-old said Bahamians responded so enthusiastically to her “Learning with Chelsea” series that she is planning another round of talks. Those participating during the first instalment, she said, proved to her and themselves that launching new brands and companies is possible during lockdown.

As the founder of the coaching and consulting brand The Creative Business Strategist, Chelsea is no stranger to assisting others in getting their dreams off the ground. Over the years, she told Tribune Woman, she discovered that sometimes all people need is a proper sounding board and another perspective to help them get going.

“I am a jewellery designer and manufacturer by trade; one of my many gifts is generating solutions to problems as well. I used my nine years of business experience along with my gifts and industry knowledge and turned it into a consulting company,” she said.

“I wanted to help other business owners and those aspiring to to get started on the right foot...I am also a believer and I combine my faith with my business and encourage others to do the same. I am an advocate for buying Bahamian and seeing Bahamians operate in a world-class manner. I believe you can be small but still play big.”

Before the nationwide lockdown, Chelsea said she had planned to host a few in-person classes to impart her knowledge of business. But the coronavirus changed all that.

“I postponed the classes. And when things really went into lockdown, I was like, ‘OK, mama, it’s time to shift gears. Get going on what you always wanted to do.’ For me, that was to get things online - DMs, text messages, WhatsApp calls, you name it. Persons always see me as a resource or the go-to. And I am not scared to share information. If I see a way you can improve on something, I am not scared to give suggestions, even if you ask me or not. So when I started this series, I just wanted to share common challenges and solutions to these challenges we all face as creative entrepreneurs. Day one, we went from 157 viewers all the way up to 1,000 plus tuning in. No makeup, no fancy set, just me sharing my war stories. The feedback was beyond what I expected. And that was what was so amazing about it. So, I am gearing up for round two,” said Chelsea.

One of the main tips she shared during the first edition ofthe “Learning With Chelsea” series was for business owners not to stop their marketing during this time of quarantine.

“Go into overdrive now; get your employees on board and ask them their ideas, as this is a team effort. Get old-fashion and start using flyers and traditional means of advertising to get back to the basics; start to use video marketing to help in advertising. Ask your customers to share your products and services on their social media pages; collaborate,” she said.

“As the weeks continue, I want to virtually bring in more of my professional friends who are experts in their fields from around Europe, the United States and locally, to talk about topics surrounding branding, marketing, sales and doing business internationally. Digitally, I also will be releasing more e-products like books and e-courses, and DIY kits for businesses. I will also be releasing my marketplace platform geared towards connecting Caribbean-made products and buyers from around the world. So that’s pretty exciting. Business can be a challenge at times, trust me. Lord, it’s full of curves and bumps in the road. It’s amazing that the challenges and victories I have had along the way are now helping other creatives to be motivated and inspired.”

To keep up with Chelsea and her series of talks, visit www.tcbstrategist.com or ‘The Creative Business Strategist’ on Facebook.