Sharvette Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Productions, is THE PLATFORM BUILDER® in addition to being a company executive and marketing advisor. Her position as an expert in the marketing field has been cemented by her vision, creativity, and vast 25-year career in corporate America at Capital One Bank, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Sharvette’s distinctive strategy, defined in her patented framework, THE PLATFORM BUILDER®, has emerged as a guide for small companies looking to boost their brand recognition. She has helped several businesses boost their exposure, marketing, and branding efforts in order to enhance sales, accomplish growth, and build stronger brand awareness.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between Fortunes Time and Sharvette Mitchell:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
Outside of my business, I am a daughter, sister, and friend! I consider myself a laidback person and an ambivert (i.e., a mix of introvert and extrovert). I look at the bright side of life and love to laugh, hence my little nightly TikTok entertainment obsession. I am an active member and volunteer at my local church, New Jerusalem ICM, and faith plays a strong role in my life. Although I was born in Georgia, I was raised and reside in Virginia. I still like to give Georgia recognition!
Inside my business, I pride myself on providing great customer service and an awesome customer experience for clients. Professionalism, responsiveness, and expertise are core competencies that I rank high on the list.
Describe your background and what did you do before you started Mitchell Productions?
Prior to and while initially building Mitchel Productions, I spent 25 years in corporate America at Capital One Bank. Over the course of that tenure, I worked with a lot of amazing people in various roles, including managing the critical company-wide anti-money laundering, privacy, and fair lending regulatory computer-based training programs that impacted 20,000+ associates. I also assessed training needs and managed the quarterly content review process for all required Compliance Consumer Lending Training courses. This included effectively responding to internal audit inquiries and external federal regulatory agencies to demonstrate that compliance training requirements were met. I designed courses that reduced the amount of time associates spent on training and supported various acquisition projects.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
“WAIT! We can’t print this stuff without putting a website address on it! Those were the words I said in early 2006 while sitting at the kitchen table of my friend, Edwinette Moses. For the past few hours, we had worked on marketing materials such as business cards, brochures, and magnets for her new and budding business. As we pulled up VistaPrint.com on the computer to see printing options for the materials we created, I had enough foresight to push pause and stop us because I realized that Edwinette needed to put a website address on these marketing materials. We had just one problem: she did not have a website. “I can go figure that out!”
After I created Edwinette’s pink and green website, I turned to helping my church with their web presence. People then started asking me to help them build a website. I did two or three more free websites, and then I stopped and thought, “Don’t people pay for this? At this point, I realized I had a valid business. I was providing a solution to a problem that people would pay for. This was the birth of Mitchell Productions.
We have since moved away from web design services and now focus more broadly on the overall marketing plan and strategy consulting and training.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
Success is attributed to consistency. I just keep going. I highly value the types of clients that I work with. Many of them are therapists, financial experts, authors, consultants, and the like who are changing the world, one person at a time. I have an indirect impact on that.
Which are the major services of the company and how does the company get ahead of the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
We provide consulting services in the areas of marketing, branding, and visibility strategies. This includes our 12-month group coaching program called The Platform Builder® which is based on my trademarked six-part framework. The value-added services within the Platform Builder® Program include brand photoshoots and the publication of book collaborations. We also provide one-on-one consulting aimed at creating marketing plans and content marketing strategies.
We stay on the cutting edge by constantly learning new tools and techniques, such as artificial intelligence, and learning to work with them in our business.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
Our company’s core values and culture are centered around providing an excellent customer experience, maintaining professionalism, and earning the trust of our clients.
Customer Experience: We are dedicated to understanding our customers’ needs and delivering personalized and exceptional service that exceeds their expectations.
Professionalism: We take pride in our work and strive to maintain the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism in everything we do.
Trust: Building and maintaining trust is at the core of Mitchell Productions. We believe in transparent communication and delivering on our promises to maintain the trust of our clients and partners.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Innovative ideas are the lifeline of business. Whether that is related to new content, new tools, or new processes, innovation leads the way.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
From the perspective of a startup company, individual drive and ambition are the initial catalysts for the success of an emerging business. Once the organization is off the ground, building teams, support systems, and partners takes over.
What are your responsibilities as the founder of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
As the founder of Mitchell Productions, I develop the business model and participate in all facets of business development, finance, customer experience, coaching, and operations. I communicate and consult with clients to identify their needs and offer appropriate marketing strategies, marketing services, or training and coaching solutions. In addition, I produce and host business and leadership conferences and retreats and an internet talk radio show.
The happiest part of my daily routine is the time in the morning with my planner (actual pen and paper!) and the time in the evening with my digital journal. These tools keep me focused and in a place of gratitude!
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Give yourself grace, lean into your strengths, and be ready to learn things about yourself that you did not know.
