How To Build An Authentic Branding Strategy With Jocelynn Flowers

Authenticity in branding is more critical than ever. In this episode, I talk with Jocelynn Flowers, founder and CEO of J Flowers Marketing, as she reveals her journey from New York City to building a thriving digital marketing agency in California. 

Jocelynn opens up about her commitment to keeping brands human in a world filled with automation and AI. She shares her unique approach to branding, emphasizing that every business—whether it's a solo operation or a large team—needs a “soul” to resonate with audiences. Jocelynn explains how her agency helps entrepreneurs who are brimming with ideas yet struggle with the implementation phase, partnering with them to close gaps and drive their vision forward. We also dive into her leadership evolution, how she fosters a team culture that values each voice, and why she believes continuous learning is key to staying ahead. If you're seeking a way to strengthen your brand's connection with clients and make an impact, this conversation is for you. 

Connect with Jocelynn Flowers:

Connect with Jocelynn Flowers to learn how she and her team at J Flowers Marketing can help bring the humanity back to your brand. Follow her journey, gain insights, and see how she can support your growth and impact! 

Books Mentioned:

• Attention Management by Maura Neville Thomas 

Join the New Catalytic Leadership Community

Check out our new online membership site, with new resources by Dr. William Attaway and his team added weekly: https://checkout.catalyticleadership.net/

Chapters

• 0:02 Journey to Leadership
• 2:20 The Humanity in Branding
• 4:39 Bringing Personality to Business
• 10:31 Overcoming Implementation Gaps
• 18:36 Leading with Continuous Learning
• 23:03 Building Strong Client Relationships
• 27:49 Reflections and Advice

Transcript

Dr. William Attaway: 0:00

I am so excited today to have Jocelyn Flowers on the podcast. Jocelyn is the CEO and founder of J Flowers Marketing, where she, along with her team, specialize in empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners who are currently generating six figures and aspire to scale to seven figures and beyond. As a certified productivity specialist and social media manager, she embarked on this journey from the heart of New York City back in 2016. Today, she's thrilled to celebrate her seventh year in business, flourishing amid the serenity of Palm Springs, California. Jocelyn, I'm so glad you're here. Thanks for being on the show.

Jocelynn Flowers: 0:41

I'm so excited to be here and I'm thrilled to see where our conversation goes. It's going to be a good one. I'm so excited to be here and I'm thrilled to see where our conversation goes.

Dr. William Attaway: 0:46

It's going to be a good one, I can tell.

Intro/Outro: 0:49

Welcome to Catalytic Leadership, the podcast designed to help leaders intentionally grow and thrive. Here is your host author and leadership and executive coach, dr William Attaway coach, dr William Attaway.

Dr. William Attaway: 1:11

I would love to start with you, sharon. Just a little bit of your story with our listeners, particularly around your journey and your development as a leader. How did you get started?

Jocelynn Flowers: 1:17

Absolutely. I love this question. So, starting out with my business in New York City, it was kind of this tall tale dream of can I do this full time? Where am I going with this? Do I have all the skills and knowledge that I need to really be a business owner and eventually scale to a point where I can have a team that is supporting multiple different entrepreneurs wanting to get out there more?

Jocelynn Flowers: 1:43

So one of the things I really took advantage of in New York City is kind of being that small fish in a very large pond and getting to meet a lot of different entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders and learn from their experiences and kind of take everything that they were sharing with me and see how do I want to use that in my own way, how can I create something from this that feels more authentic to me, and so, being able to do that, I then made the transition, moving to California a week before the pandemic hit. So there's a fun story in there of really how we made that pivot. But really being able to kind of move here and say you know what, let's do it full time, let's dive in, it's all or nothing, and it's been the greatest decision that I've made actually.

Dr. William Attaway: 2:36

That's so awesome. So there are so many digital marketing agencies, right? What makes your approach to marketing different compared to so many others?

Jocelynn Flowers: 2:49

Yes. So I get a little bit of backlash from it, but I love it because I love that it creates a conversation. But there's so many new softwares out there, so many new technologies that allow brands to get out there in more ways than you could ever imagine, but it starts to take away the humanity of the brand. So, for me, even if it's a one person show, or if it's a team of 50, team of 100, that brand still has to have a soul. Soul to it, still has to have the humanity to it. And so, though you have a larger enterprise corporation, you still have to have something that people can resonate with and connect with.

Jocelynn Flowers: 3:36

So my team and I really focus on bringing humanity back to the brand and having something that feels authentic and that people can resonate and say you know, that's something I felt, that's something I've gone through, because that's what's really going to have them connect deeper with a brand and say I want to go with this brand long-term, like I want to be a lifelong supporter of this company, of their mission, what they're trying to do, and so it's a little bit more different than using the AI, using all these tools coming. Yes, they can be a tool, but I don't think that there's something that you really should rely on, because you're going to start to feel kind of that connection fall away. So that's where we really focus in is bringing that humanity back to these personal brands, no matter what size they are.

Dr. William Attaway: 4:31

Yeah, ai is such the topic of conversation, particularly in the digital marketing world, and, like you say, it's a tool, right, but talking about bringing the humanity back, that's refreshing, and I don't. I don't't hear that emphasis nearly as much, particularly these days. Can you give an example of how you do that, maybe from one of your clients?

Jocelynn Flowers: 4:55

Yes, absolutely. So. One of the things about bringing your humanity back is there's going to be things about you as the individual that influence how you go out and talk about the work that you do. What is really the backstory behind that and your mission, because it all starts from somewhere. So a great example for me is I have a client who now supports multiple, six, seven, eight figure clients themselves that we support Um in addition in our partnership kind of um collaboration, if you will. And they started out on Broadway. They wanted to be an actor and it led them into this career of being a life and impact coach. So they wanted to be able to help other individuals create their dream, create the life that they want, and so they use their skills in their training as a theater connoisseur, if you will, an actor to really bring that presence forward in their coaching practice. So now they are a keynote speaker that have spoken all over the world. They are a published author actually have his book right there. That was not planted, I promise, but he now gets to be on this larger stage really teaching entrepreneurs and leaders and corporations on how to be more impactful from the stage, because it's all about your presence and how you're showing up for those people you want to serve.

Jocelynn Flowers: 6:36

And another great example of that I know we had conversations about this a week ago where, for me, a great example of it, what you'll see in my marketing personally for my company is I'm a goofball, I love sports, I am an avid hockey fan. Do any of those things relate to marketing or digital marketing or the clients that I serve? Not necessarily, but it allows those potential clients to understand who I am as the individual that's going to be supporting them as a partner, as a collaborator. We don't ever approach a situation where one's above the other. We're equal partners in it, because your success is our success. If you're not getting success, we're not getting success. So we really are even keeling that, and it's really important for me to make sure that is a part of every collaboration that I do with any client that we work with, and my team feels the same way. So that's where we kind of bring a little bit of that humanity in.

Jocelynn Flowers: 7:41

I know we've joked about it today. I look very professional, very CEO-like in the typical sense, but most of the time I'm in athletic wear, I'm in a hoodie. We're getting down to business. We're talking about how can we get you out there more, because I have both sides to that. That is my day-to-day life. I'm usually on the go, running from meeting to meeting meeting with my team, meeting with clients and so I want to show that it doesn't always have to be perfectly polished. I can still be a successful business owner and support other entrepreneurs and leaders, whether I'm all done up or just came in from a run with my dog and we're getting to it. So be yourself, be authentic, because ultimately, your impact is going to be based on your passion around your overall mission. What is the big thing that you really want to do to bring to the world and those who want to serve?

Dr. William Attaway: 8:44

So who do you serve? Who does your agency focus on?

Jocelynn Flowers: 8:49

So you mentioned it a little bit. So six figures scaling to seven entrepreneurs. We work with a lot of professionals in the coaching industry. That's kind of our bread and butter. They've been our go-to. But we actually started working with a lot of different service-based providers as well that are really close to and near and dear to my heart. I have three dogs. I call them my co-workers. They're always sleeping on the job though, so we've got to work on that. But I love anything that has to do with animals, and so we recently started working with a few different brands in the mobile pet grooming canine first response.

Jocelynn Flowers: 9:33

A lot of different businesses, a pet sitting, a dog walking business. So it allows me to kind of incorporate all of the fun things from my personal life with my animals and have that come into the work life as well. We also have worked, you know, with hairstylists, nail salons, anything really in the creative space that has a bigger mission behind their purpose. So a lot of the clients we work with aren't really in it just to make the money. They're not looking to get to this Fortune 500 stance. Maybe they are, but they're wanting to use that success for a bigger purpose. A lot of them do nonprofit work. A lot of them volunteer their time to different organizations that are really making a difference. So to me that just makes it a lot more impactful in how we can serve them and help them grow that mission a making a difference. So to me that just makes it a lot more impactful in how we can serve them and help them grow that mission a little bit faster than if they were doing it on their own.

Dr. William Attaway: 10:32

That's so good, and I think that illustrates a point. If you want to do it yourself, you can learn a lot of things right, absolutely. But is that the best use of your time? And this is where it's so helpful to bring in somebody else's expertise, somebody who this is what they do and that can help you go farther than you could ever get on your own and help you get there faster.

Jocelynn Flowers: 10:55

Absolutely One of the biggest what we like to call gaps. To close, that we do that always comes up with those potential clients or clients that we work with is I have all of these ideas. There's no creativity gap, but the gap is the implementation part. So that's where we come in as your partner and can be in the creative process with you. But we're also going to make it happen.

Jocelynn Flowers: 11:20

We're going to make sure that implementation piece is there, which is where a lot of entrepreneurs and leaders do struggle, because they're trying to find that balance of I really want to create this, but how do I get it out there in the most effective way? That's not taking all of my time to be able to really have that deeper connection with those that want to serve, so being able to have that. But we're also acting really as a sounding board. We're here to brainstorm with you. We're here to collaborate and maybe even come up with ideas that you may not have thought about that really do resonate with you. That gets that mission and impact out there a little bit farther.

Dr. William Attaway: 13:34

I love you talk about closing gaps, you know, because every business has gaps. Every leader can identify some of those gaps, but sometimes their awareness is not even full of all the different gaps that they have. And that's where an outside perspective, somebody again with that expertise, can come in and ask questions and uncover gaps that need to be closed in order for a business to reach its highest potential. And it sounds like that's what you do.

Jocelynn Flowers: 14:03

Absolutely, and one of the things that I always tell any new client that comes in is that do not feel ashamed, do not feel hard on yourself for waiting as long as you may have to find help and to partner with somebody that can support you in that level that you need. Because I was a first-time business owner, at one point I tried to do it all. I wore all of the hats in the business and I learned very quickly after that first year that I can't support my clients effectively if I'm exhausted, if I am not taking care of myself. And you know putting in those boundaries to say I can prioritize you but I can also prioritize myself and you know that I think as entrepreneurs you know it it's not for the faint of heart, but it is for the full of heart when you choose to be a business owner.

Jocelynn Flowers: 15:06

That really is something, cause it's not easy. It's so much easier to go find a job somewhere else working a regular nine to five that you just show up, clock in and clock out, but to choose to be a business owner means that you have so much more to offer in the sense that can't be captured in that normal nine to five. We need to have that wiggle room, and being a business owner allows you to do that. It allows you to create the life that you want, to have more of the freedoms. Um, or you know, love to travel.

Jocelynn Flowers: 15:43

I love to travel as well, and I have a lot of clients that do come to me, um, that have that love for travel and say I really want to launch this because I want to be able to go to Italy for a month and be able to work remotely and not be tied down to a corporation.

Jocelynn Flowers: 16:02

And so being able to design that how you want and see it come to fruition is one of the most rewarding things as a business owner. And I will tell you, I've had multiple iterations of what those boundaries and that design of what the life I want to create looks like. But I'm able to do that where maybe working for an organization, I may not have that opportunity. So that's one of the biggest things I always tell clients when they come to me is you came to us for a reason and now we're going to get you farther. Always tell clients when they come to me is you came to us for a reason and now we're going to get you farther. We're going to get you moving forward in the direction you want to go and see what other heights we can reach with it.

Dr. William Attaway: 16:45

So, thinking about your business you know you've been in business longer than a lot of agencies now Like, what is your dream for your agency? Where do you want it to go from here?

Jocelynn Flowers: 17:06

I would love to one get to the point to where I can start giving back on a grander scale than I can now. I do the best that I can, just volunteering personally, but there's a lot of different organizations that I would like to be able to partner with or collaborate with that do give back to animal support systems, Because I'm a lover of all animals. I think animals can connect with you on a deeper level than any other being on the planet. So being able to support them and kind of give them a voice as well. So there's a lot of organizations I'd love to support with that.

Jocelynn Flowers: 17:41

But also just educating the youth nowadays and those generations that are coming up that it's okay not to go into what my family would say the secured job. So becoming a lawyer, becoming a doctor we need that 100%. But it's okay to create a career that may seem abnormal to some but if it brings you the joy and the life that you want, go for it. So being able to educate these generations coming up that you can think out of the box, you can create any kind of career that you want, but it's being committed to that and staying focused in your overall dream. What do you want to achieve from that, what's the impact you want to have and what's the legacy that you may want to leave. So there's a lot of things that I would love to do and it's ever changing. There's. I have a full list, so I'm checking that list off, one year at a time. We're getting there.

Dr. William Attaway: 18:50

Nice. You know your agency, your team. They need you to lead at a higher level today than they did even two or three years ago Absolutely, and two, three, five years from now they're going to need you to lead at a higher level still. Jocelyn. How do you stay on top of your game? How do you level up with the new leadership skills that your team and your business and your clients are going to need you to have in the years to come?

Jocelynn Flowers: 19:22

Absolutely so. One of the things I think that is most important as a business owner or a leader is to always continue learning. So I get fascinated by the new things that come out, new philosophies, new approaches to things, because not every individual is the same, so the way I may work with one type of client is not going to work for another type of client. So for me, having different approaches that I can then tailor specifically to the client in the way that's going to be most receptive to them is going to be the game changer, because there's a lot of marketing techniques out there that, yes, you can do yourself. It's kind of the go-to. But being able to personalize it to that individual again, who is the face and the humanity behind the brand, is where I think the trajectory comes into play. So me always wanting to learn something new and kind of see how can I make this more effective, how can we save a little bit more time but also not lose ourselves in the technology. Being a digital marketing agency, we live with technology. It is our primary form to get our messaging out there. But I do know the importance of having that in-person connection. So any client that I work with on digital platforms. I always recommend to them you need to still get out in your community. You still need to find other businesses and ways that you can congregate with other leaders and learn from them. So that's something that's really important to me.

Jocelynn Flowers: 21:04

I do a lot of networking, a lot of connecting with local organizations, but also, for me as a leader for my team, I always want to make sure I'm prioritizing that every single person on my team feels valued and that feel they feel that they have a voice in the company.

Jocelynn Flowers: 21:25

I am never above them.

Jocelynn Flowers: 21:27

We are all equal parts.

Jocelynn Flowers: 21:29

Though I may be paying all of the bills, in that sense, their voice is just as important as mine and their input and direction on something is just as important as mine, because if I don't continue to learn from them and their experiences, that doesn't make me an effective leader for them and it's not going to make them an effective employee serving the clients that we serve.

Jocelynn Flowers: 21:59

So making sure that they do have that flexibility and comfort to be able to speak up in meetings, speak up with clients, share their opinions, share their creative ideas. For me, that's the most important part of being a leader is making sure my team feels supported in every way that they can, because that's also going to make them feel valued and wanting to stay with the company and grow with the company. I most of my team right now wants to get to partnership level and they're willing to do the work to get there and they're willing to do the work to get there and I do feel that is that 50-50 partnership with my team, because giving them the platform to share their voice is the most important thing for me.

Dr. William Attaway: 22:51

I love that others-centered view of leadership and I love that you are so committed to your team, knowing that you see them, that you hear them, that you know them. I think that is one of the greatest things we can do as leaders. And you're right, they do stick around. When they feel known, seen and heard, they stick around, they lean in and retention goes through the roof, not just of your team, but your clients feel it too. It goes through the team and into the client relationship. So I love that you're doing that.

Jocelynn Flowers: 23:26

Well, and the way we kind of talk about it is when we bring out a new client, they're not just coming in as a client, they're coming in as a new member of our team because we want to get to know who they are. We want to know do you have children? When are their birthdays? We love to celebrate them and get to know them on a deeper level, because that's how we can effectively do our jobs. We are not experts in the fields that they chose to create a career, but by knowing who they are, knowing their approach, knowing their philosophy and who they are on a soul level, we then can be able to market them more effectively and more genuinely that their audience is really going to kind of grab onto and want to support them again as a lifelong buyer or supporter.

Dr. William Attaway: 24:16

You mentioned earlier the value of a continual learning posture and I'm curious is there a book that has made a big difference in your journey that you would recommend to the leaders? Listening man, if you haven't read this, you've got to check this one out.

Jocelynn Flowers: 24:32

So I actually have a couple of them. So the first one is by Maura Neville Thomas, attention Management. So, again, being a certified productivity specialist, there's a very large stigma around if you block out your time, you're going to be productive. If you have this software, you're going to be super productive. What I love of her approach is it's more about the attention you're giving through those blocked times. That is really going to make you more effective and productive as an entrepreneur or even just a professional. So even if you aren't a business owner and you're wanting to be able to move up in the company that you work for, this is a great resource in order to do that, because it gives a lot of different exercises. That takes productivity kind of outside the box of what you may think.

Jocelynn Flowers: 25:28

I've read this probably 10 times and I've shared it with my entire team. I've shared it with clients because, for me, I love organizations, I love systems, and if you saw my calendar, some people would probably cry, and if you saw my calendar, some people would probably cry, but it's so color coordinated For me. Yes, I have blocked time, but I color coordinate based on the mindset that I need to go into that time block window Because I can then shift. If I'm going into sales or elite generation, I have a specific color. I visually get that cue. All right, here's the mindset I'm going into. If I have tactical work or admin work that I need to get done, that's a different color because I can then shift and it doesn't feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over because I'm giving myself visual cues. So for me, that's how I can stay productive and effective in my job as a leader and an entrepreneur in continuing to scale my company. So it's finding the system and routine that works for you and continuing on with that.

Jocelynn Flowers: 26:43

So that is one. The other one is Play your Bigger Game by Rick Tamlin Nine Minutes to Learn, a Lifetime to Live. What I love about that is it's all about this higher dream that you have and really being comfortable and being out of the box with it. Nothing is off limits and with the exercises that he has in there, it really gives you a different perspective on how to look at entrepreneurship, how to look at being a leader, whether you're inside of an organization or in your own company. So I have tons of resource books, but those are two that I kind of go to a lot and gravitate toward. If I'm looking for new ideas or I need a refresher on something, those are the two that I'll generally grab first.

Dr. William Attaway: 27:36

Thank you for sharing those. I've not read either of them and I look forward to it.

Jocelynn Flowers: 27:40

Two recommendations there you go. I love it. There you go.

Dr. William Attaway: 27:47

I love it, you know, if we were to go back eight years and talk to you eight years ago, if you could go back and have a conversation with the Jocelyn eight years ago, given what you know now, what would you love to go back and say to yourself?

Jocelynn Flowers: 28:20

I would probably tell myself don't be scared to walk into the room of those.

Jocelynn Flowers: 28:21

Fortune 500 CEOs because you can get there. I know I was very cautious and nervous when I first started out of. Are they going to think that I'm smart enough, that I have the training? Do I have the certifications to be able to be successful and be in a room with this level of leaders? And truly anybody can be in those rooms. You just have to commit and be confident in the fact that you're bringing something new to that room that none of them have experienced and that new is you?

Jocelynn Flowers: 28:54

So any room you walk into know that you're bringing something new and valuable that that room's never experienced before.

Dr. William Attaway: 29:02

What great advice, jocelyn. You've been so generous today with your time, with your insights, with the wisdom that you've gained so far in your journey, and I know your best days are still ahead. Thank you for your generosity today.

Jocelynn Flowers: 29:17

Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. William Attaway: 29:19

I know folks are going to want to continue to learn from you and stay connected to you and learn more about what you do. What is the best way for them to do that?

Jocelynn Flowers: 29:29

I would say probably our website. It's got all of our access points to it. So jflowersmarketingcom and you'll get access to all our socials any way that we have a lot of free resources on there as well. If you're just starting out, or an experienced agency owner, leader, professional, we have a lot of different things on there for you.

Dr. William Attaway: 29:54

Perfect, we'll have all those links in the show notes, jocelyn. Thank you again.

Jocelynn Flowers: 29:59

Thank you so much, William. I had so much fun and I hope your audience enjoyed our conversation.

Dr. William Attaway: 30:15

Thanks for joining me for this episode today. As we wrap up, I'd love for you to do two things, and I hope your audience enjoyed our conversation to discover this podcast. Second, if you don't have a copy of my newest book, Catalytic Leadership, I'd love to put a copy in your hands. If you go to catalyticleadershipbookcom, you can get a copy for free. Just pay the shipping so I can get it to you and we'll get one right out. My goal is to put this into the hands of as many leaders as possible. This book captures principles that I've learned in 20 plus years of coaching leaders in the entrepreneurial space, in business, government, nonprofits, education and the local church. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn to keep up with what I'm currently learning and thinking about. And if you're ready to take a next step with a coach to help you intentionally grow and thrive as a leader, I'd be honored to help you. Just go to catalyticleadershipnet to book a call with me. Stay tuned for our next episode next week. Until then, as always, leaders choose to be catalytic.

Intro/Outro: 31:24

Thanks for listening to Catalytic Leadership with Dr William Attaway. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss the next episode. Want more? Go to catalyticleadershipnet.