Pivot! with Whitney Eckis

When the world was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses were left scrambling to adapt. And while many companies weren’t able to continue, others found ways to pivot and (in the process) were able to diversify and elevate their businesses in profound new ways. Such was the case for today’s guest, Whitney Eckis, Founder and CEO of Eckis Marketing, a creative communications agency based in San Diego, California. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic was an extremely challenging time for her company, Whitney was able to embrace it as an opportunity. She used the pandemic to invest time and energy back into her business by integrating what truly interested her and her team, which allowed her to pursue new opportunities for her company and even double their revenue in both 2021 and 2022! Her story isn’t one of pure success, though. There were many experiments that failed or didn’t go as well as they had hoped. But there’s always something to be learned from your setbacks, and ultimately they make the breakthroughs that much more rewarding! Today on the show, we chat with Whitney about her journey as an entrepreneur, how to build a community around your brand on social media, and the importance of being able to adapt to changing circumstances. She discusses the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic before describing their pivot into Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) with the launch of their CBD coffee brand Get Supr® and the powerful impact it has had on their marketing agency. For a fascinating conversation on the power of the pivot and much more, be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Get to know today’s guest, Whitney Eckis, Founder and CEO of Eckis Marketing.
Whitney’s upbringing and the example her father set as an entrepreneur.
Hear about Whitney’s first entrepreneurial pursuit when she was in college.
Whitney’s early experience with blogging, vlogging, and building websites.
Whitney’s Red Bull internship and the many skills it helped her develop.
Why social media wasn’t originally designed for brands and how that has shifted.
The challenge of building a community around your brand on social media.
How to keep the consumer’s journey in mind as an entrepreneur.
Whitney’s advice for keeping up with algorithm changes on social media.
How to be intentional with your online content as a brand.
Authenticity online and consumers’ desire to see behind the curtain.
The story behind Whitney’s new hemp-infused coffee brand Get Supr®.
Whitney’s transition from running a marketing agency to a product-based business.
How the Get Supr® launch elevated her marketing agency.
Whitney’s experience of pivoting to Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).
How pivoting allowed Whitney to explore new opportunities for her agency.
The uncertainty you feel while pivoting and why flexibility is crucial.
Why it’s okay to do experiments that fail.
The positive and negative impacts that COVID-19 had on entrepreneurs.
Hear about Whitney’s plans for her marketing agency going forward.