Amber Dee is a business strategist working with online entrepreneurs to get better results in less time. Amber is also an author and a licensed counselor using her knowledge of human behavior to help you best market your business. She is the host of The Exception Effect Podcast where her main mission is to teach you how to be the "exception" in your business and life. 

WEBSITE: www.theamberdee.com

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My name is Amber Dee and I'm an online business and digital marketing strategist. My goal is to help entrepreneurs, brands, and creatives who want to attract their audience in less time. I started out with a dual degree in psychology and marketing but later switched from marketing to sociology (go figure!).

I've always had an interest in learning why people do what they do and how we can change our behavior to get the results we want in life. That's why marketing ties so well with my experience of modifying human behavior. After my undergrad degree, I worked at Emory University with children with autism as well as a local children's hospital. After leaving there, I ventured out on my own to truly live out my purpose. 

What inspired you to start your business?

Living check-to-check and not really living out my passion was all the motivation I need to keep going to find my true passion. I've always said that to do great work, you must do something you love. Working my initial 9-5 did not pull the best out of me and I knew that wasn't where I was supposed to be. 

Where is your business based?

Atlanta, Georgia

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I knew that the "traditional" path wasn't for me after I graduated with my undergrad degree. I knew that my talents extended beyond the job I was hired to do but looking back, I think I was afraid to branch out do my own thing. The job I had was just that, just a job. It limited my skills and my passion as well as my income.

It wasn't until I finished my master's degree that I felt more comfortable to venture out. I initially started out helping other's start their own practice and that's when I founded my niche of helping others start their business as well as my love for marketing. The first thing I did to grow was read tons and tons of articles, books, and bought several online courses. I continued with going to class to learn extra information. I made sure I would learn something new at least one hour a day. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Hands down my most effective way of raising awareness for my business is collaboration. Connecting with other like-minded individuals, helped me grow the business as well as helped me grow personally and professionally. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

When I started my own business, I had no idea what I was doing. I think the biggest challenge I had was my mindset of thinking I could do it all myself. Once I realized that most successful individuals have coaches, I finally got myself a coach and that helped me tremendously with growth. Though I'm also a licensed counselor, I still needed someone to help guide me to my destination

How do you stay focused?

It's so easy to get off track especially with all the noise on social media. I have even experienced "comparisonitis" and tried to understand why I'm not as far along as someone else and became stuck there.

I now have a new way to approach staying focus and changed the comparison to a positive instead of a negative. I have a vision board in my room so that it's the first thing I see in the morning as well as a rotating screen saver since I spend a lot of time on my phone. I also use comparison as motivation. If someone that was once on the same level as me has surpassed me, I use that to motivate me to continue with producing the best content possible.  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Social media is a great marketing strategy. To be more specific, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube are my jams because that's where my audience hangs out. I love collaborating with others on these platforms which allows me to get in front of their audience and increase my reach. 

your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Hands down, consistency is the number one thing that will tell anyone new to the business. Other things you can do to have a successful business is collaborate and connect with other like-minded individuals. By yourself, you can grow but with a crew, you can grow further.

Lastly, I recommend focusing your efforts. Don't try to do all the things at once. Find one or two things you can do best and be the expert there before you try to add on. Sometimes less is more.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Favorite app= Lightroom & Phonto

I love these apps because Lightroom makes editing your photos so easy and it's uber fast. Phonto is my jam because I can quickly create an image or text for Instagram or Instagram stories in less than one minute.  Saving time is everything. 

Blog= Gary Vee

Since digital marketing is my niche, I love how he goes through every aspect of the market and talks about the cutting edge of new strategies. 

Book= You, Inc. 

I love this book. It teaches you about setting goals, keys to success, and packaging. This was great first read for me when I first started and I even go back to review it. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tools are Iconosquare and Hootsuite. Iconosquare helps me keep track with my analytics on Instagram as well as competitors to keep me on track. HootSuite is a favorite by many and this is because it's a one-stop shop for posting, tracking mentions, and responding to comments all in one area. Remember I said saving time is everything?! ;)

Who is your business role model? Why?

I think a business role model should be someone that has traveled down the same or similar road that you want to travel. I love the inspiration for Oprah.  I live for motivation for Gary Vee, and I enjoy strategies from Neil Patel. Each one of these individuals serves my life in a different aspect, yet collectively they help me with getting to the next level. It's exactly what I need to continue to be successful.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

The first six months of my 2018 will be focused on collaborations and will have my marketing agency focus on growing Instagram accounts and those that want to be Instagram influencers or want to grow their own personal brand with digital marketing. I'm so excited about this new business venture. 

How can our readers connect with you?

FB, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest- @TheAmberDee