Cohen Brand Management
When Candice Cohen, Founder and CEO, of Cohen Brand Management, launched her business in the Summer of 2016, she would have never envisioned that in 2021 she would be selected as the recipient of the Better Business Bureau Business (BBB) Torch Award, the most prestigious BBB award presented to exceptional organizations for their dedication to integrity and ethical business practices. And, she most certainly would never have imagined working alongside some of the most recognizable celebrities and VIP's around the world.
Corporately based in Charleston, SC, Cohen Brand Management is a full-service, international digital agency & marketing consultancy that supports small to mid-market enterprises. Candice's firm offers and delivers marketing, sales, and customer service strategy solutions. Specific services Cohen Brand Management provides include SEO, pay-per-click advertising, sales funnel automations, web development, logo design, social media management, systems management, digital products development, and brand development. Candice's services also support onsite brand production projects where she serves as the creative director and brand manager. She's directed projects in several states across the US and virtually.
Candice explains how Cohen Brand Management is unique, "We lead with artificial intelligence, online digital marketing products for memberships, and provide exclusive online marketing tools through our CBM Business Center at no cost to small businesses. We go to great lengths to ensure our clients dominate their local markets within 1-year of services with us. We help pros, coaches, and industry experts unlock brand authority through digital automation, brand development, growth hacking techniques, and premium SEO services. Our approach is comprehensive."
"With an increased interest in social media marketing, let's not forget to build genuine business relationships offline and through online directories too. Joining top-tier organizations like SCORE, BBB, your local chamber, and others is what keeps my account list healthy & full. Marketing your business doesn't have to be cumbersome. Find where your audience hangs out and place yourself there."
Candice decided to launch her own agency after several years of working for major traditional & digital marketing agencies. Candice found herself discouraged because she was unable to offer clients a total marketing solution. Candice explains, "I became increasingly frustrated because I couldn't solve my clients' entire problem. I could only offer them a select few services such as a marketing list or just a cookie-cutter website. Because of my business development experience, I was confident about acquiring clients quickly so all I needed was to assemble a team more talented than myself for production to start my own agency. In fact, my very first client is still a great client today!"
While already successfully leading her established business, Candice contacted SCORE Charleston in April 2021 seeking assistance to expand her business in South Carolina as she had done in other regions of the country. SCORE provides free mentoring services and educational services to aspiring entrepreneurs, new business start-ups, and businesses that have been operating for any length of time.
"Barry Blake is my Certified SCORE Mentor and he helped me recognize my competitive edge and point of distinction. Barry is the reason 2021 is the year of extreme leveling up. Barry has been exceptional to work with and I look forward to his ongoing support."
At least 80% of Candice's clientele are essential workers or in the field of beauty/med spa/home services and were greatly impacted by the pandemic. Candice explains, "We had to really think outside the box on how to create additional revenue streams for some of our clients. In one case, we helped with the launch of a newly created beauty line which generated $18,000 of sales in the first month of her retail store being closed down. We also helped other clients create memberships and online services generating an additional $10k - $50k per month." Candice continues, " With new COVID guidelines weighing heavily on many of our clients, we put additional emphasis on clear messaging to support the new normal so that it made doing business easier for our clients."
Candice was aligned with Certified SCORE Mentor Barry Blake who has served as a volunteer for more than 12 years. Barry's professional experience includes launching, marketing, and growing a start-up beverage company into a multi-million-dollar national brand. Barry's marketing and promotion expertise was a natural alignment for Candice who explains more, "Barry is a realist. He reminds me that the finest details make the biggest difference. As a result, I continue to identify ways to further expand my skills and advance my business forward. From a networking perspective, I have become more actively involved in several local Chambers of Commerce and other business associations. I've already begun building more opportunities in South Carolina. I've also kept my Hubspot and Google Certifications up to date while regularly offering team and public training to further demonstrate my legitimacy."
Sharing her future growth plans and reflecting on her years as a business owner, Candice shared, "We've been fortunate to experience incredible growth. We plan to open three new offices in the next two years. We are strategically looking closely at LA, NYC, and TX. My goal is to also become one of the larger employers in South Carolina". Candice continues, "While it's worked out, if I could do it all over again, I would have built my idea backward. In hindsight, I believe you should first get your company to a specific revenue point before building a large team. Proof of concept and having a well-oiled machine in place is important. Much of this can be done through systems and automation. This allows you to stand tall and confident as the company leader, so when you bring in your team, the culture and foundation have been set for them to flourish properly."
"As a business owner, I take great pride in knowing that our efforts help in the process of creating revenue in our clients' businesses. This allows them to live a fruitful life to care for their families and make bigger impacts in the world," Candice elaborates. "I've also been fortunate to work with some of the best and most savvy business owners in the country. I've produced projects in the Penn Club in New York with the owner of one of the largest US Investment firms. I've worked closely with clients at nationally syndicated music and sports awards events and have networked with a large list of celebrities and business moguls. Being in this industry has allowed me to meet the coolest celebrities, the coolest being Whoopi Goldburg, Cicely Tyson, Beyonce, P.Diddy, Vanessa Williams, Chris Tucker, Roland Martin, Lamman Rucker, and Lyriq Bent, just to name a few."