Many coaches and consultants started their careers in the corporate world. They built successful careers. But at some point, they responded to a bigger calling to start their own firms. Whether for the sake of freedom or simply to pursue their passions, they took the leap. Rosemary Ravenel is one of those people.

She came to the US when she was a very young child, and they put her in a classroom packed with people who only spoke English. As a result, Rosemary developed a severe stutter that she carried for many years.

When she was young, Rosemary dreamed of becoming a newscaster. That meant she had to overcome her speech impediment. And with some help and lot of practice, not only she became a news analyst for MSNBC media, but also she became a polished bilingual communicator. With over three decades of experience under her belt, Rosemary has a lot, and I mean a lot, to offer. No wonder her client roster includes impressive names like the Latin Grammys, Norwegian

cruise lines, HBO, Leverage Mutual, to name a few.

⁓ corporate career and build a successful consulting practice? Let's find out how Rosemary did it in this interview. Welcome to episode number two of the Business of Trust podcast. I'm your host, Hugo Sanchez, and I'm so glad that you're here. Let's see what Rosemary has to say.

Hello, Rosemary. Welcome to the Business of Trust podcast.

Ugo, I'm excited to be here. Thank you for the invitation.

Thank you Rosemary. You are the most successful and accomplished communicator, public speaking coach that I know. And I know you have a very diverse background and you bring over three decades of experience. So how did this transition happen for you?

It's a cumulative process. It's all based on communication. started, well, let me go back to my college years. I wanted to be a broadcaster. I wanted to be on TV presenting the evening news. I wanted to be a Barbara Walters, but I had a speech impediment, which was mainly stuttering, which I worked very hard to overcome.

But still, that didn't deter me. But then when I graduated with a broadcast journalism degree, I realized how difficult it is to break into broadcasting. So I took the first job that I could find, which was in public relations and advertising.

So that grew to the extent that I was then able to work in the spokesperson work, the being the media representative into the work I did for clients. So I became both the person on camera as well as the person behind the camera, helping with strategy, communication solutions for global companies. And I had the honor of being the leader in public relations for companies like AT &T and Avon.

History Channel, Ericsson, and many others. So that role of being the spokesperson, being fluent in the language of media helped then bring me into what I'm doing today, which is to help individuals and organizations up-level their ability to communicate with impact. So it's really an extension, ⁓ more of a funneling of my interests and my collected experience over the years. So it's been organic.

put it that way. The transitions have been smooth and I'm privileged to be able to do today what I love to do.

Something that I love about your personal story is how you had to overcome a a speech, how do you call it? Speech impediment from stuttering. And then I know you did a lot of work on that end and your dream of being in broadcast, media became true. You actually were a newscaster correct?

I was a contributor, meaning the talking head around the table kind of thing. And I was with them for ⁓ two years at the very beginning of the history of MSNBC. So that was, that was doing live television. It was live, unscripted, just the camera was on and people all over the country were tuned in.

Later on in your career, you work in corporate America, particularly for Univision, the largest Spanish speaking ⁓ media channel in the world, correct? And you made a transition because you were in PR and you made a transition into following your passion and entering the world of public speaking coaching and executive communication coaching. What made you

Yes.

take that leap forward?

Working in entertainment, in media, is very high pressure. It's 24-7. was head of public relations for the entertainment division of Univision, which is now called Televisa Univision. it was nonstop. It was...

There was never a sense of having achieved because the minute you finish something there was there were 10 other things in the queue waiting to be addressed. And I found that in my day-to-day contact with on-air personalities that they had a need to improve their speaking. Not so much what you saw on camera. They were very polished, very experienced, but they stumbled and they struggled with speaking in English.

when they represented the company or they did work outside, off camera, in the community, at conferences, when they were themselves in their, know, their, not their role that they fulfill on the screen, but in the flesh. And then I started to recognize that there was a big business opportunity there to work with them. I already knew so many of them, that they would trust me to guide them very confidentially to another level of performance off camera. And that's where I realized there was a business opportunity.

building on those relationships that I already had.

And you and I have worked together for almost five years. And it's no secret to me that you've told me many times that this is your passion. So kudos and following your dream on that end. ⁓ So Rosemary, I like to talk about how you got your very first client, because at this point you have a lot of authority from your...

Thank you.

your position and your career, but a lot of people knew you in the PR world, the broadcasting world, but to make that branding change and getting your first client can be very hard. For those people listening to us who are thinking of making this transition from corporate to consultant, how did you get your first client?

you

It was a challenge to let people see me in a different context. It, although again, what I ended up doing in my business wasn't that, that much of a stretch from what I was doing before. It was an extension, but it was, I realized that I needed to make a bold launch statement and to do it as if it were a product or service launch that I had.

been doing all my career. I hired a publicist to help me announce that my company was open for business, what these services were, and did a lot of media and basically just plastered my mailing list or my personal database, letting people know what I was doing and a lot of personal communication, one-on-one, spreading the word. And that's the way I did it. It was a good...

Mm-hmm.

I found my footing because I was able to create a curriculum that helped people survive on Zoom. how do you take the in-person, the real world in the flesh?

experience and translated somehow to this limited space we have into this rectangle. How do we conduct business? How do we stay sane and productive and profitable during that time? So I had to find my way as well.

Mm-hmm.

So up.

Up to this point, COVID happens. You're probably six months in the making of your business. Did you have a client by the time COVID hit? You didn't. Yet.

Yes, yes, I had several clients. was working with individuals.

My first few clients were some of the on-air personalities at Univision. And then there I also worked with, I activated my network. And interestingly enough, people started coming to me with a sense of, can trust you. I can trust you, Rosemary. This is confidential. I don't want the world to know that I need help.

Mmm.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

I want this to be between you and me and I want this to be something that is highly customized and personalized. I don't want to turn into a robot. I don't want to sound like someone else.

I love to use the phrase in trust because I mean, the name of this podcast is the business of trust. And the reason why I wanted to tune into your first clients is because the premise is that

as a professional service provider who is in the business of trust, you're gonna get clients through relationships, referrals, and reputation. And it seems that when you're starting your business, you really gotta lean into your network, like you said, and lean into the relationships that you have built throughout your career. And that is your first course of action. So it seems that that's what you did. And what you did, what I'm hearing is...

make sure that people in your network knew that this transition was happening. And when you adapted for COVID, it was the same relationships, but you managed to remain relevant in the new context.

Yes, as I'm sure everyone had to do some tap dancing and see where do we go from here? How long will it last? And I found my place in this new ecosystem with something called the Zoom Score, which I trademarked and you helped me launch it and make it widely available, which is simply a 10 point checklist that determines

if you are doing a professional presence on zoom. in other words, the things that need to be in place in order for you to be taken seriously with authority, with credibility, and that would lead to trust.

I improvised a great deal, put a lot of things out there as a trial balloon, and I believe I was successful. And it's still a work in progress because I think we have not fully embraced all the possibilities that are available to us through a virtual communication hybrid. And then how do we toggle back and forth between our screens and

in-person relationships.

It's definitely an art. mean, we're recording this podcast and I'm laughing as you're saying this because right before we started recording, you guided me to change my t-shirt because it was distracting on screen. So thank you for that.

One of the things that I'm very interested in capturing is stories about champions. So champions are people in our career, in our lives, who love us and love the work that we do and trust us immensely. And champions have the power, they're super referrers, and they have the power of bringing our business to a whole new level.

to a whole other league because they opened their doors to us. So these are massive referrers of our brand. Have you had champions in your career that you can think of?

in terms of champions and what I would call more ⁓ advocates, those are people who with whom I've had long standing relationships, people who from the long tail of my, of my career, who know my integrity, know the quality of my work.

know the level of professionalism that I have here to throughout and so the advocates that i have currently are people who meet and necessarily been clients but people who value my work and are met are powerful referrals.

referral sources who will be perhaps my list of contacts of people who have given me testimonials for my website And so these are really super advocates who I am very, very proud to have in my inner circle. And these are people with whom I have professional relationships with in terms of the Speakers Association, Public Relations Society.

different women, professional organizations, even within church groups, community groups, even in my own community and my own homeowners association where I have established strong ties. Everyone has the power of referral and you never know where those are gonna come from. And ⁓ sometimes you have to give away a little bit in order to gain. So actually my biggest client ever during particularly during COVID was one of the top 10

You

That's true.

insurance companies in the world. And I did free seminars where someone in that company saw what I was offering and brought me in to have a multi-year relationship with them where I was the in-house expert, the resource for everyone who needed anything to do with even internal communication, team building. And we did it all through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Hmm.

So I was able to create very, very custom curricula for them, for their Latin American teams. And that was tremendously gratifying because it went right to my wheelhouse and it also helped them with a service that they didn't have before.

I remember those times and as you're saying this, I'm remembering this wonderful book that I recently read called The Go Giver and it's by Bob Borg and John Davies Man and one of the, it explains five rules of massive success and it's all around giving and letting reciprocity come your way. So that's one of, in my opinion, one of the biggest rules of relationship building and having a business that works through relationships is

being very generous in your relationships and give a lot and trust that that will circle back to you. So you shared the story of how you got this big client. you mentioned that you started giving some free seminars in this place. Even just the fact of letting an expert come give a free seminar is in itself an act of trust because it might be free in terms of ⁓ money, but it's not free in terms of.

resources, time, they're paying each person who is there by the hour So that in itself is an act of trust.

Yes, yes. and the giving to receive it is fundamental. It's really the law of the universe. And you really can find thousands of applications in different aspects of life. But in business, it is, it should be, and still is even in the age of AI, it should be considered fundamental.

Yeah. And that's one of the reasons, I mean, when I invited you to participate in this podcast is because I know how relationship driven you are. I I consider you besides my client, my friend, and we share lunch a few times a year. And it's always lovely. So I think there's a very human component about doing business that is very joyful and.

When I see you, I see how active you are in your community, how active you are not only in professional circles, but also in civic circles, like you mentioned, the Homeowner Association. it seems like you really show up and you don't know where referrals can come from. you do, I've been to events with you and you seem to manage the room pretty good, connect with people. You're pretty good at small talk and actually you're delivering ⁓ training on small talk.

that leads into deeper conversations. We'll talk a lot about that in a second. But can you speak about the in-person relationship building

I've learned that you need to follow your interests and create those overlapping, those concentric circles. So it's not only business. So if I love tennis, I carve out part of my time, or now it's a pickleball, to forge relationships in those circles. And when you're there, you're doing more talking really than playing.

because you're waiting for your turn to go on the court, right? You're doing the cordial meet and greet when you first arrive to play. then afterwards you might have a cup of coffee or a beer. So those are opportunities to establish social ties that could flourish and build into business relationships. But it's following your interests. So eventually those groups will start to overlap. So if it's interest in art and culture and concerts and ⁓ civic affairs, community welfare.

Mm-hmm.

children mentoring, uh, young adults, all these things end up having some kind of, of, of, of parallel, uh, purpose. And besides you need to enjoy it. Everything you do, your time is so, so precious. Just enjoy everything. And with that joy, I think comes the sense of, of being relevant in all those places.

Mm-hmm.

And when you're establishing this relationship with people, it's a social context. You don't want to be the soliciting person who is always like selling to their friends. But it kind of happens naturally that if they like you and they trust you, even if you met, especially if you met like through other common interests, to have the relationship transcend into a professional relationship. Any word of advice for people who are very social?

but that transition doesn't necessarily happen.

It's delicate. You need to practice it a great deal and so that it becomes second nature. It's being observant, Hugo It's really being attuned to your environment. I like to, when I do workshops, I give my students some exercises in situational observation. What is around you? And I give them a sheet that has the alphabet from A to Z, and I give them a minute.

working in small groups, two or three people. And I say, okay, so you have one minute to identify something that's in this room on your person that starts with these letters. So it's an exercise in observing what is here, what is someone wearing, ⁓ parts of the body. it's, it's to be hyper aware of what's around you because your small talk comes from those observations. It's more than,

Hi, how are you today? I'm fine, how are you? It's, hey, I love the pattern on your blouse. I think it's such a nice, comfortable fabric. Or, you know, super hot day, I think you're wearing just the right garment for the 98 degree weather today. Things of that nature. It's not pandering, it's simply being observant and being tasteful and truthful. And that just opens up.

tremendous potential for conversation. Invariably, what happens when I tell someone what I do for a living, the first response is, ⁓ I can use that myself.

And you'd be surprised how sometimes people are connected through neighbors, through marriage, through family, to someone who could use my services and has the resources to compensate me for it.

There's a great deal of.

I'll complement what you just said by I hear there's a great deal of clarity in your communication. when people is clear about what you do and who you do it for.

and what kind of folks they should refer your way. The other thing is that, because I've worked with you for five years, I will just share that you're pretty good at sending names to the agency of people that you meet in person that you wanna add to your mailing list. You're actually pretty good at telling people that you have a mailing list and to see if you can add them to the list. And ⁓ that's, think that's such a...

good way to just remain relevant. Even if it's a person you met one time, it's a good way to stay top of mind on a value basis.

Yes. And

as you know, because you collaborate with me on this, everything I put out is, has value. I go out of my way to not be frivolous and to, and to offer something that is, that people can use that is, Hey, I just read this and I can, I can apply it to my work or I can bring it to my next meeting or I can apply it to my next media interview. And so it's something that these are nuggets that, are useful, practical.

and that apply to everyone.

Thank you Rosemary. If someone is listening right now and they want to learn more about you, where would you like to direct them?

It's very easy. What you see is my name, that's my website rosemaryravanel.com. And if you look up Rosemary Ravenel, there's only one Rosemary Ravenel, I believe, on earth, so I don't think there'll be any confusion. But I'm based in South Florida, rosemaryravanel.com, and there you'll see lots of information, including how to subscribe to my mailing list.

for my weekly ⁓ email and for my monthly blog and videos. So I'd be delighted to have conversations with anyone. I do offer 15 minute no obligation consultations and I love to see that in my calendar because that brings me great joy to meet different people and to learn about their businesses and their needs.

Thank you Rosemary, I appreciate you and I appreciate the time and the generosity of advice you've shared today.

This has been a pleasure. Thank you, Hugo.

Hey, before you go, I created this podcast to inspire you and to offer real help. Being an entrepreneur is not easy, and there's so much noise out there when it comes to marketing advice for coaching and consulting. So please visit the business of trust.com and subscribe to receive our new episodes that release every Friday. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Hugo Sanchez.