Life & Work with Nkechi May-Nzeribe

Nkechi May-Nzeribe

Hi, I’m Nkechi and I manage Reputations.

It’s both a passion and my job, to strategically shape how people, businesses or brands are perceived by their target audience.

…but that path to career and self discovery was a rather long and tough one.

If I were to give that journey a book title, I think I would go with: “How embracing my authenticity, eventually determined my ROI”.

Seriously …  Finding my voice and authentic selling point was quite the task.

It required: unlearning everything I knew (or thought I knew) about myself, clarifying who I comfortably was underneath it all, and how I could make money capitalizing on that unique value.

I had to:

– Simplify and redefine what success meant to me, one step at a time

– Reshape narratives where necessary

– Amplify my brand impact (personality too)

– And hope everyday, i was making progress,  leaving a mark in my little corner and soon, perhaps the world.

It really wasn’t something I could do haphazardly.

I had to dig deep into my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, even if the threat was me, my thoughts, habits/shortcomings!

Somewhere in the midst of all that digging, laid the path to a passion, an idea, a commitment to seeing it through, and to truly make it work.

It turns out, on a personal level, how I solve my problems (or view them) in my own life is a marketable commodity for people who face similar challenges and need a simpler way to think/deal with it, in the least painful and cost-effective way possible.

Even mistakes can have market value (who knew)!

On a business level, I use the same doctrines and principles of identity clarification to:

– simplify complex problems

– develop brand identity/story/content

– help increase sales

– while achieving a remarkable return on investment.

My secret? Harnessing the power of reputation management, where a brand story and identity become catalysts for optimization, attention, lead generation, and sales conversion.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

The bumps and bruises are many and still ongoing…….

“Growing pains” is a real thing, even in business.

My first challenge was ME.

It takes alot of strength and willpower to hold up a mirror to yourself and get honest about where you fall short and what it would take to convert that weakness into a strength.

Kinda like: how going to the gym is great in theory until you have to wake up early every day and put in the work or miss out on getting the result.

I had to learn how to get out of my own way mentally and see the finish line even when no one else believed it was there.

My Next challenge was …. convincing everyone else that there was value in the dream!

No one usually tells you this, but “support is rare”.

You think you have people until uncertainty hits and bam, you’re the only one standing in your corner, while everyone monitors to see if or when it’s safe to join you all the way over there.

Especially when you’re embarking on something like a career pivot like I was, it was a hard ball to push, getting people who’ve known me for a long time to see me through new lenses and simultaneously creating a new reputation for a new/unknown audience.

It’s quite tough to be running both the learning curve and brand building + bills on the same trajectory (emphasis on the BILLS)! Lol

Don’t get me started on the jungle it is out there, to have a voice amongst all the other voices and things constantly vying for everyone’s attention and patronage.

…but diligence has its paydays.

I keep telling my story, documenting my journey, marketing my small wins, and creating the hype.

Slowly, friends and family believe in me because I believe in myself.

Slowly, this external audience has opened up for me through likes, shares, followers … and actual clients.

It’s a small win for some but a HUGE WIN for me!

My story is still being written, and every share, like, view, follower, and referral/recommendation is what gets me one step closer to the ultimate dream.

I really don’t take any of it for granted!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

Managing Reputations is fun, complex, challenging and has the most rewarding learning curve/knowledge building capacity than I had ever imagined.

If i was a movie director/producer, i can’t truly produce a relatable movie until i understand every character in the script and can deliver those individual performances in ways that the audience can appreciate and love/love to hate, with all the bells and whistles required to Amplify actors impact.

Same with my job ….

I can’t truly tell a brand story and connect with the audience, until i understand the technical aspects of products, and can effectively communicate their capabilities, benefits, and how they address specific business needs.

Then, My next role is as a communicator,

 Typically focusing on translating the technical aspects into compelling brand messaging, positioning, and communication strategies.

….. and how to use that value-chain to tap firmly (and sustainably) into the businesses profitability.

When i say, “It’s my job to strategically shape and manage how people, businesses or brands are perceived by their target audience” ….

It includes everything from:

1) Product design, marketing & Management,

2) UX/UI – User Interface and Experience,

3) and even Business Analysis to ensure operational matters are inline with and giving due consideration to the end consumer as well as company objectives.

This means I work with people (and companies) to develop effective brand strategies, marketing campaigns, market research, and creative direction that align with corporate goals, values and help deliver a consistent value chain/expectation to the target audience.

What are your plans for the future?

Does having extra zeros in my bank statement count as a future plan? Lol.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what it is just yet…

My future plan definitely includes AI and being able to use it (and perhaps create something new with it)  to solve problems business owners like small businesses and startups face. It’s something I’ve come across quite a few times and indeed have struggled with too…

But I hope that by our next conversation, I will have notable updates to share.