There are tons of books out about starting your business, how to effectively create your brand, how to reinvent yourself, yada, yada, yada. And not many TV talk shows can do this--yet the exception is The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on CNBC. His show manages to motivate, inspire and give you tons of info within the span of an hour every night.
The
August 11 show was all about capitalizing on your brand and defining
your brand. The guests were "supermodel turned supermogul" Kathy
Ireland of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, Inc., Richard Notar, managing partner of Japanese restaurant cuisine, Nobu, Jeffrey Taylor, founder of Monster.com and Eons.com, and--what a treat--B.Smith, of B.Smith Enterprises.
I love Ms. Smith. I think she runs circles around all the other lifestyle-show goddesses. Thank God for her show on TV ONE
because where else would you see a gorgeous over-forty Black woman WITH
LOCS giving you recipies, entertaining, dining and craft ideas?? From a
former model (like Ireland) who is already a successful restaurateur?
She gave great advice on the show to a man with a startup company
asking how he could reach multiple target audiences with one brand. Her
advice was simple: focus on one area of the brand first, then extend.
And then they had the nerve, the audacity, the utter gall to feature yet another gorgeous over-forty Black woman WITH LOCS. (Yes, I'm really feelin' the bookers and producers over at The Big Idea right about now) She's one of my favorite voices and probably one of the most talented women in the entertainment business who has been doing this from way-back, Siedah Garrett.
Siedah Garrett has more than held her own singing side by side Michael Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You" and co-writing one of his biggest #1 hits, "Man in the Mirror." And you can't forget about the Dennis Edwards duet, "Don't Look Any Further." To list the other hit songs she has written and who she has written for would be a block long list (of course I can't resist to name drop a few: Madonna, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan and she was recently nominated for an Oscar for the Dreamgirls hit: "I Love You, I Do.") She even did a stint as the frontwoman for Brit band Brand New Heavies (after N'Dea Davenport). I still play her song "Everchanging Times" around the house, when I'm in one of my adult contempo/80's soft rock moods and my five-year-old daughter loves that song.
So I also love Ms. Garrett, and not just because her strong voice can nab five-year-old fans. But here's why: she was a guest on The Big Idea--not giving advice, but asking for advice. She's designing her own line of handbags and asked the branding experts how she can re-brand herself, as an award-winning singing/songwriting/producing career with her new passion for making handbags and purses? Kathy Ireland gave her a smart, direct answer which also leaned toward extension: go hard and use that triple-threat asset--don't think re-branding, think more of brand extension and work, work, work the media and get your name out there. Siedah mentioned she's got celebs already booking orders and being seen with her bags: Oprah, to name just a few. And she's gotten press in O the Oprah Magazine.
Uh, enough said, right? Yeah, we'll be seeing Siedah Garrett designer handbags in Barney's New York by Christmas. Bet.
Photo credits: discoverblackheritage.com (B.Smith pic) and Brad Barket/Getty Images North America (Garrett)
