FWM: Please Introduce yourself and your business.
DM: My name is Debra Mathias, and I am President of Connect to Clients Consulting. I am a LinkedIn trainer and coach. My passion is showing professionals how to grow, market, and promote their business or find a career on LinkedIn. Since 2011, I have assisted over 10K professionals to use LinkedIn for their business.
FWM: What prompted you to start Connect to Clients Consulting?
DM: I saw a niche. Very few people knew what LinkedIn was or how it worked, so I created programs to show them how to use the software and, most importantly, how to connect with prospects, referral partners, and companies. It was a labor of love. Each person I help gives me the satisfaction of knowing I am making a difference in their company, organization, chamber, or association’s success.
FWM: Describe your journey to success.
DM: In 2008, when the stock market crashed, I worked for a courier company in Columbus, Ohio. I was the Sales and Logistics manager, and no one was seeing salespeople. So, I got on LinkedIn and set up a profile. I did not understand how to use LinkedIn, but my thought was if my prospect or clients wouldn’t see me in person, maybe they would converse with me on LinkedIn. I was right. So, I started reaching out, connecting, and getting to know my clients and prospects as never before.
Fast forward to 2011. A networking friend of mine asked me to fill in at her “social media networking group” because her son was ill, and she needed to take him to the doctor. My initial response was, “I’m not on social media.” She laughed and replied, “You’re all over LinkedIn. Just tell people what you do.” And so I did. A Fortune 100 and a Fortune 500 VP of sales were in that meeting, and they hired me on the spot to come to their companies to train their business development people on how to use LinkedIn.
Through the years, it’s been my greatest joy to share the power that LinkedIn can bring to business owners. Building a brand, whether on LinkedIn or off, is essential to any business. I’ve mastered branding, promotions, and networking with LinkedIn. I also show people how to get found if they are looking for a career.
FWM: What is your superpower?
DM: I have three superpowers. The first is networking, whether it’s on LinkedIn, virtually or in person. The greatest superpower any business owner can have is to be an effective communicator, networker, and connector! My second superpower is that I am a 16-year breast cancer survivor. In 2003, the last race of the season, oh, did I mention I was a motorsport racer for 13 years — I was tagged on track and did a 360-degree spin on track. The belts did their job; I didn’t move and passed the guy that tagged me and finish the race. However, when I got back to the paddock and undid my 5-point harness and I had immediate pain in my ribs, or so I thought. Two mammograms and many exams later, nothing. They could not find, what I eventually found, a 1.1-centimeter lump in my breast. Two inches inside me, two inches above my top rib. It would have been Stage IV before it showed up on a mammogram my oncologist told me. I went through 33 radiation treatments and four chemotherapy treatments. I share this story because I am a believer in self-breast exams. Know your body. Chemotherapy left me with fibromyalgia, neuropathy, arthritis, and a less than perfect memory. Even today. I live in chronic pain. My third superpower is positive thinking. No matter the state of your business, the world, or your health, positive thinking is critical. Every day we have a choice to wake up and take on the day with a new slate. Start yours by thinking this will be the best day you’ve ever had.
FWM: What would the seasoned you tell the younger you?
DM: If I could go back and speak to my younger self, I would tell myself to be more aware of the people with whom I connect. Learn their business, get to know them, and connect them with people who can use their service or product. The old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know” is so true.
FWM: What tools have you put in place to help women? And why women?
DM: Helping women in business is my greatest joy. Past culture taught us not to promote ourselves, to be demure and quiet. I want women to realize their authentic self, stand up on their soapbox and tell the world who they are, why you should be doing business with them, and how to get there. I show them practical ways to brand, market, and promote themselves in their industry. Tools like social media and LinkedIn, used correctly, will make your business go from “local” to “national.”
FMW: How can our readers connect with you?
DM: The best way to reach me is www.linkedin.com/in/debramathias www.connect-to-client.com, or 614-563-7840. I am always on LinkedIn; I love to connect.
