Latoya Morris With Total Image Consulting Group

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Coach the Coach radio brought to you by the Business RadioX Ambassador Program, the no cost business development strategy for coaches who want to spend more time serving local business clients and less time selling them. Go to brxambassador.com To learn more. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:33] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Coach the Coach Radio, and this is going to be a fun one today on the show, we have Latoya Morris with Total Image Consulting Group. Welcome, Latoya.

Latoya Morris: [00:00:45] Well, thank you so much, Lee, I’m so excited to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:48] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Total Image Consulting Group. How are you serving, folks?

Latoya Morris: [00:00:56] Sir. So, you know, I like to tell people this, I’m going to just give you my little, my little spiel, I’m every CEO secret weapon and on every business owner’s triple threat. So Lee, my main purpose is helping women, service based entrepreneurs and small businesses. Connect the dots within their business by identifying, organizing and refining their Interbrand message, using a creative, holistic marketing approach that I’ve created to build a more profitable, fulfilling business.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:28] So now where do you see people kind of getting their brand wrong?

Latoya Morris: [00:01:34] Oh, well, you know, especially during the pandemic, I find that a lot of businesses started either in fear or survival mode, and they almost miss the marketing step completely and they tend to start a business. I like to say backwards and I’m guilty of it as well. I like to tell people that I’m kind of like an attorney because people call me after they’ve gotten in trouble and then they want me to help them fix it. And so a lot of times it’s just really identifying what I like to call the Interbrand. And with the Interbrand, it’s more about the components of a brand, the building blocks and the foundation of a brand. So it’s not really a logo or a color or a website. And even though that’s a part of branding, sometimes small business owners or just businesses in general, they only think that that is branding and it’s not branding is how people feel about you. And so my job is to really kind of hone into your impact on the world and how that how we can maximize that to get some impact and really bring in some profitability. But yeah, most most definitely. I find that small businesses skip that step, the marketing stuff and what that means for their customer.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:49] So when they skip that step, are they just getting right into the work of what they do and less about kind of their holistic way they’re serving?

Latoya Morris: [00:03:01] Yeah. They skip the planning process, and I’m I’m just I’m going to say this, Leigh, I’m a perfectionist. So for me, I have to connect the dots and make sure that the foundation is together. I don’t know if you’re familiar with real estate, but you know if you don’t have a strong foundation, it might look nice. You might have a great business idea. It might be perfect, but you’re going to have cracks. And when the storms come, you may not be prepared. And so a lot of businesses, they just go full force. They they have an idea. They think they can serve and service everyone. And that’s just not the case. It’s really about finding what you’re good with and what you’re good at and then figuring out what your customer is actually willing to pay for. And a lot of businesses miss that. They disconnect, especially again during the pandemic. They kind of have this disconnection and they really don’t know their customer post-pandemic.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:55] So now do you typically work with like solopreneurs? Do you work with non-profits? Do you work with creatives and manufacturing? Like, is there a niche that you serve?

Latoya Morris: [00:04:06] Sure, so I actually have an entertainment background, a music entertainment background. And so that’s my first love. But I also started my first real business when I was in college and that was retail. So I work with retail, preferably in beauty care, entertainment, more so in the music. I also work with non-profits, so youth based nonprofit organizations, and then I work in the mental health space when it’s related to counselors. So I actually have a lot of counselors that are starting their private practices now, some great success stories. So that’s typically the industry that I enjoy. Working with solopreneurs to small business owners is really where I focus my attention on women based businesses.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:54] Now what are some symptoms that these people are having that maybe are kind of warning signs that they might have a problem and that you might be able to help them?

Latoya Morris: [00:05:08] Sure. Number one, they are struggling with time management, a lot of women, business owners, we we wear a lot of hats. Even if you don’t have a family, we still tend to wear a lot of hats. And so they have a lot of ideas, but they don’t have a clear focus and they’re doing 50 million different things, but it’s not really effective. So we kind of dove in to see what their processes look like and how we can make it better so that they have more time. Which is why I’m all about, yes, you have a business idea. It’s great, but I also want you to have a fulfilling life. And so that’s one of the red flags. Also, a lot of business owners don’t know what to ask for because they don’t know how to articulate their brand. So one good example, Lee, is I had a client who had a $100000 grant from a very reputable company. I’m in the Illinois area, so a very reputable company, so they know marketing and they gave them this grant for marketing. The problem was, is that they didn’t know how to market the company. And so this company was sitting on $100000 grant that they couldn’t use or another example. I have a client who actually just launched a skin care line for men, and she had paid for someone to do social media for her, and they were paying about $600 $800 a month. But they really weren’t developing or doing any content that spoke to their brand because they didn’t know what to tell them. And they told me they were like, You know, that’s my fault because I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. And a lot of times people are really good at what they do, whether it’s web development or logos, but they may not know how to, you know, package that if you can’t tell them. So those are the red flags that I that I have lately.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:55] So now if somebody starts working with you, what are kind of the first steps like, what is that initial phone call or conversation look like when you start working with a new client?

Latoya Morris: [00:07:07] Well, I first have an intake form that I submit because I really want to know a little bit about their needs. And then I also have a personality map, and the purpose for the personality map is because I want to know their back story. I want to know how they were growing up. What prompted them to start a business where they around entrepreneurs? Do they have any mentors? And then that way, when I talk to them, I’m able to really connect with them. My goal is not to necessarily just have these these set rules in place, but to meet them where they are and then try to get them to connect and come up a little bit and they’re thinking and thinking outside of the box. And then the first thing that I do when we talk is I have them write down their goals. And when we write down their goals, I actually have a section that I leave blank and that’s an exercise that I do, because what I want to know is if they’re doing what they’re doing now, is it going towards their goal for the future? So it’s an exercise that I see because a lot of times we have these really big goals. But if we keep doing what we’re doing now, we’re never going to be able to make that goal. And I’m more so focused on really breaking down that goal into small chunks so that you’re not overwhelmed. So that’s usually the first process.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:27] So now for you, what’s the most rewarding part of the job?

Latoya Morris: [00:08:31] Oh, my gosh. Ali, there’s so many things I love helping people, I’m a creative, so I love helping people. I love when a client calls me and says, Hey, I got a new client or I just opened up my private practice. I just love helping people and really just that’s very rewarding to me. And I’m an entrepreneur myself, so I just love business, and creating things is just something that I can literally do. My husband jokes, but I could talk about business all day, every day, probably. So you have to cut me off. But I just love helping people, and I love encouraging people to a lot of women entrepreneurs. They’re probably the only entrepreneur that they know. So sometimes it can feel like you’re alone and you don’t have anyone to talk to as an entrepreneur. And so I like to be that team member that says, Hey, I’m on your team. I understand, and you’re not alone. Don’t give up. You got this.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:29] So now when people work with you, are they working with you primarily one on one coaching? Or is there a group coaching or are there different ways to engage with you?

Latoya Morris: [00:09:38] Yeah. So I do one on one coaching, I also have a team that coaches, depending on the area, because I deal with non-profits as well. I do group coaching. Before the pandemic, I was actually doing more a group coaching, but now we still do it, but we do it virtually still right now. So I do still offer that, and I also just launched a online course, so I will be doing more courses as well. So there’s another opportunity for people to engage with me as well. So that should be launching. I thought it was going to be today, but yeah, that should be whenever they’re finished doing whatever they have to do. So yeah, those are some of the areas in which I work with people.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:22] So now if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team as our website.

Latoya Morris: [00:10:28] Yes, so I have two websites, I have one that you could connect on a more personal level, and that’s Latoya Morris. And then my company website is total image C as in Cat G as in Dotcom. So you can visit either one of those websites. You can also email me, contact at Latoya Morris and I respond.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:54] Well, congratulations on all the success you’re doing. Such important work and we appreciate you.

Latoya Morris: [00:11:01] Thank you so much. I’m grateful and thank you so much for allowing me to come on your show.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:06] Well, it’s great to hear success stories like yours. I mean, it’s just inspiring and the work that you’re doing is helping so many people. Thank you.

Latoya Morris: [00:11:14] Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:15] All right, this is Lee Kantor, we’ll see you next time on Coach the Coach radio.