Brand It Like It’s Hot!|Phyllis Williams-Strawder (CKO Creator)|DH103 - a podcast by Shawn Walchef

Phyllis Williams-Strawder knows hot brands always leave a mark. That's why the creator of CKO Creator wants you to Brand It Like It's Hot!
Check out this Digital Hospitality podcast interview with Phyllis Williams-Strawder to learn about her insightful journey from barbecue to branding, becoming an entrepreneur, communicating online, using Clubhouse, and many more stories and lessons from a tremendous thought leader.Learn More about CKO Creator at: https://www.ckocreator.com

Connect with Phyllis Williams-Strawder on Social Media @CKOCreator: https://www.facebook.com/CKOCreator/Follow Phyllis Williams-Strawder @CKOCreator on Clubhouse: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@ckocreator




One look at the LinkedIn profile for Phyllis Williams-Strawder and you’ll find she’s a brand coach, an author and a CFO.https://youtu.be/UZDAXQqeSus

One conversation with Phyllis and you’ll quickly find she’s not a bullshitter.“I'm not trying to be mean,” Phyllis quickly asserts on the Digital Hospitality podcast. “I'm trying to get you to the place where you want to be. And so, you're going to get some tough love and we're going to get this thing done.”

Pulling no punches, Phyllis’s real talk and down to business demeanor is uncensored and unexpected. In a worldof newly coined coaches and corporate speak, it may be more important than ever.

See, Phyllis’s"Ghetto Country Brand Strategy"work is exactly the kick in the ass almost everyone living in the'fake it until you make it'fantasy world really needs.

After a decade of running Bigmista’s Barbecue in Long Beach with her husband, Phyllis learned the ins and outs of the hospitality industry and also the role she best plays in it.“This industry is broken from the inside out,” notes Phyllis. “There are a lot of people within the industry that love hospitality. They're all about serving people and they want to do that. They just don't want to do it for you.” 
Phyllis believes people want to work and they want to serve. What Phyllis realizes is that hospitality isn’t just about being nice, it’s about being honest.This honesty, service and loyalty does not stop with your customers either, it has to be felt and experienced by your staff just as much.


Be True to Yourself:The starting point for this fluid flow of honesty and hospitality? Being true to yourself and knowing who you are. This means leaning into your quirks and letting the world love them because you do, too.

“Let's roll out all your crazy and find out what works within your restaurant,” Phyllis advises. “When I talk about people's crazy it’s about leaning into that. This is true especially in the restaurant.”


CKO CREATOR — https://www.ckocreator.com/In a world where everyone is so consumed with being perfect and polished they forget who they are and neglect who they’re serving. On the contrary, Phyllis sees the ‘crazy’ within an individual as the basis of their brand.

Owning that human aspect may be scary in public or in the workplace, but it’s what builds loyalty, love and relationship with your customers and your staff.“It takes a level of vulnerability and transparency in order to make sure that you're making that relationship when people come in and they actually come for you,” shares Phyllis.
During her decade running Bigmista Barbecue with her husband, Phyllis owned her crazy even if she was still learning what her true strengths were. This could mean anything from arguing over Twitter with her better half to asking employees to handle certain tasks to ensure their marriage lasted another day.Still happily married and still thriving, Phyllis eventually learned that while she was good in the kitchen, she was great at the administrative side.

“I do know how to cook, but my husband is so much better at it,” Phyllis says. “The more I started networking and getting in contact with people, I became the go-between with him and our staff because my h...

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