S1 E3: Alexis Kerr, VP of Hallmark Mahogany, Talks Brand Transformation, Cultivating Community and Elevating the Voices of Black Women

07/19/22 • 27 min

Maven Minds: Trailblazers of Modern Business

Hallmark Mahogany is rapidly evolving beyond signature Hallmark greeting cards and into a community that gathers, empowers and celebrates black women.

At the helm of this grand evolution is Alexis Kerr, VP of Hallmark Mahogany. She tells us about shifts in the brand under her tenure as well as the latest techniques used to build an authentic, genuine and meaningful community around it. Hear how she’s creating customer connections, empowering internal team members, marketing creatively, and releasing spectacular new content – all of which are contributing to the growth of the Mahogany brand and garnering support for its mission internally and externally.

“When it comes to black women, we want to see ourselves. We want to see ourselves in the products and services that we’re supporting. We also want to purchase products and services that support our community ” – Alexis Kerr, Hallmark Mahogany

In this episode, Alexis Kerr discusses:

The power of utilizing research to truly understand the needs of their community
Championing the support, voice, and ideas of those both internally and externally to succeed in rapid change
The ways in which they are building an engaged and empowered community

Consider and discuss: How can I apply this thinking to my business?

What is your business doing to create community?
What does your community look like? What does that relationship look like? What’s the dynamic between your brand and your internal team? How could you change or evolve these relationships?
What are you doing to support the businesses around you?
What are you doing to support your internal team members? How can you gain support from others? What does support mean for your business? How would things change if support was available? Are there avenues you haven’t been using to garner that support? How can you pursue those avenues now?
How would you define the speed at which things happen in your business?
What would it mean to have rapid change? Would it mean a couple of months? A couple of weeks? What’s the turnaround time to finish a product or project? What would it mean to have something finished quicker? Think about the costs associated with speed. How does that change your perception of speed in your business?
What do you know about your customer?
How are you acquiring that information? Are you gathering information from a reliable source? Are you operating purely on gut instinct or is informed by data? Is the customer that you are targeting present in your advertising? Is it the same on that actually ends up buying yoru product or engaging with your service? Is there alignment in that? Are you serving what the customer really needs? Are you aligning with what your customer is asking for? What would make your service more valuable? Is there opportunity to make that happen?

Key themes

Customer relationship
Business operations
Marketing strategy
Content
Branding

For extended show notes, resources, and ways to connect, learn more at: mavenminds.com/season-1-trailblazers
Podcast Editor and Strategist: @episodeready

Hallmark Mahogany is rapidly evolving beyond signature Hallmark greeting cards and into a community that gathers, empowers and celebrates black women.

In this episode, Alexis Kerr discusses:

The power of utilizing research to truly understand the needs of their community
Championing the support, voice, and ideas of those both internally and externally to succeed in rapid change
The ways in which they are building an engaged and empowered community

Consider and discuss: How can I apply this thinking to my business?

What is your business doing to create community?
What does your community look like? What does that relationship look like? What’s the dynamic between your brand and your internal team? How could you change or evolve these relationships?
What are you doing to support the businesses around you?
What are you doing to support your internal team members? How can you gain support from others? What does support mean for your business? How would things change if support was available? Are there avenues you haven’t been using to garner that support? How can you pursue those avenues now?
How would you define the speed at which things happen in your business?
What would it mean to have rapid change? Would it mean a couple of months? A couple of weeks? What’s the turnaround time to finish a product or project? What would it mean to have something finished quicker? Think about the costs associated with speed. How does that change your perception of speed in your business?
What do you know about your customer?
How are you acquiring that information? Are you gathering information from a reliable source? Are you operating purely on gut instinct or is informed by data? Is the customer that you are targeting present in your advertising? Is it the same on that actually ends up buying yoru product or engaging with your service? Is there alignment in that? Are you serving what the customer really needs? Are you aligning with what your customer is asking for? What would make your service more valuable? Is there opportunity to make that happen?

Key themes

Customer relationship
Business operations
Marketing strategy
Content
Branding

For extended show notes, resources, and ways to connect, learn more at: mavenminds.com/season-1-trailblazers
Podcast Editor and Strategist: @episodeready

Previous Episode

Meet the Mavens

Taking on the challenges of business firsthand? Leading your team through uncharted waters? Facing growing pains at every turn? Meet the mavens.

Inspired by the first explorers to journey to the summit of Mount Everest – the Maven Minds podcast connects innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders with game-changing experts that are blazing trails in modern business. Hear creative approaches to solving growth hurdles, business challenges, and project roadblocks as the mavens chart the paths through this new era.

Join in at mavenminds.com

Next Episode

S1 E4: Sweet Kiss Brigadeiro Talks Rapid Scale and Culture in Small Business

As Kansas City’s first artisanal brigadeiro shop, owners Jessica Harris and mom Regina, are bringing the heart of Brazilian tradition to the midwest. Similar to chocolate truffles, brigadeiro is soft in texture, luxuriously creamy, and can be crafted with a unique mix of flavor combinations.

Jessica and Regina started Sweet Kiss Brigadeiro on the side of their corporate jobs and have since been able to scale to a storefront with a certified kitchen and have landed features in major publications such as Good Morning America and New York Live.

“I’ve learned one thing - that everybody deserves publicity. You just have to do the work. ” – Jessica Harris, Sweet Kiss Brigaderio

In this episode, Jessica discusses:

Building a brand that embraces cultural traditions
Using PR to scale beyond their local area
And expanding their focus on a unique customer experience

Thought starters: How can I apply this thinking to my business?

Consider what it takes to take something from concept to execution.
Where in that process are you at with your business today? If you’re in those earliest stages, what is it going to take to get you to that next step? What is your most immediate goal? What is your long-term goal?
What is the role that PR could play in your company?
How would additional exposure help you? Is your product accessible online? Are there other opportunities that would additionally be beneficial?
What role does culture play in your business?
Are you telling that cultural story? Is that culture reflected internally as much as it is externally? Does that culture create a niche? Is there differentiation in how your product is conveyed to customers?
What are you doing to market your business?
Have you taken an audit of your marketing? Do you know how your marketing efforts are performing? Are you making the most efficient marketing decisions? Are you getting a return on your marketing investments? Are you tracking conversions? Are you aware of what it costs to bring in new customers?

Key themes