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Cherie Aimée is a #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author, Speaker, and Near-Death Survivor. She was dead for 90-minutes and now represents the future of medical science and technology. She is a Brand Ambassador for various companies and organizations and contributing writer for the fast-growing media outlet, Influencive. Cherie is Advisor to entrepreneurs and CEO/Founders of small to medium size businesses in strategic branding.
City where you’re from: New York City
Hobbies: Yoga
Favorite quote: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” ― Marianne Williamson
Hey Cherie, why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
Honestly, I was born to be an entrepreneur. I just wouldn’t discover it until after my experience working in my first tech startup company after college. I saw the tech bubble explode and then burst within a little over a year. It was the hardest thing to witness seeing my friends being laid off in batches every day. We were a family. We took care of each other. And I’ll never forget the guilt of seeing my friends delivered their pink slips and yet there I was—still left as one of the remaining employees. It was at this point that I begin to contemplate taking more of a control over my life. I wanted to explore opportunities in which I could create my future and wasn’t reliant on someone else’s company for me to take care of myself.
Who were your biggest influences? Was there a defining moment in your life?
My biggest role model is Oprah Winfrey. When I was younger, I didn’t realize that the impact that she would have on my life in adulthood. I saw her as a representation of something I could never achieve but loved seeing her in the spotlight sharing wisdom. Then my life drastically shifted.
Seven years ago, I had a near-death tragedy. It was at the height of my success. I was CEO of a digital tech firm. I lost it all overnight. One morning my husband rushed me to the emergency room and ten minutes later I flatlined in his arms. Doctors were unable to resuscitate me for over ninety minutes. I spent three months in a coma on life-support. When I woke up, I found myself in the scariest environment imaginable. It took another four and a half years of living implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device or bionic heart until I eventually received a heart transplant to save my life.
The blessing—I’m finally healthy, rebuilding my life and business.
Now
What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?
Currently, I am consulting businesses, CEOs, and entrepreneurs on high-level strategies for online personal branding and effective storytelling. I am also a Brand Ambassador to a few companies and organizations—including being a part of a team of world renowned cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, and medical engineers for the bionic heart device which kept me alive.
I run two organizations that I’m looking to take to the next level. One is a startup specifically for heart disease and heart failure patients. The other is an inspirational community—inspired by my near-death experience. It’s about living a life of no regrets. I’m doing what I love.
How is your product/service different and unique? What’s the vision?
My programs and services are different because I I don’t follow the typical rules that new branding experts teach online. I utilize my experience from over sixteen years in branding and marketing with tech startups as well as for Fortune 500 company products. I combine this expertise with my heightened level of self-awareness, strategy, and natural abilities to rise above the noise on social media. Everything I teach or execute is all based on transparency, authenticity, and being a genuine and relatable person.
Who are your customers? How do you find them?
Most of my clients have discovered me through live video streaming—using platforms such as Periscope, Twitter, and Facebook. Others come in through referrals. That is the power of personal branding. It makes getting leads and sales so much easier.
Did you experience failure along the way? What did you learn from it?
About a year and a half ago I had somebody approached me about my story. It was a few months after my heart transplant when I first began developing my personal brand. This entrepreneur seemed like the perfect solution to my challenges, as I was recovering from my near-death tragedy and had physical limitations. There are a lot of smooth-talkers online, and this person wanted me to pay six figures to take my brand to a much bigger level. I was convinced. It was my dream laid out right before my eyes in detail.
It was all a scam. The money was taken and this business person delivered nothing promised to me. It was just another entrepreneur looking out for themselves—taking advantage of my story for their financial benefits. The experience set me back six months in my business. The worst part of the whole experience is that this same person was so upset that they would never reap any financial rewards from my story, that they made the extra effort to attempt to diminish my brand and expertise in anyway they could.
I learned a huge lesson that year in business. I learned how to look out for signs of who you can and cannot trust in business. It was painful and devastating, but I am so much stronger because of it. I am recovered now from my tragedy so I can look out for myself. Now, I keep my inner circle tight, and I have a group of team advisors I trust with my business.
You learn as you go. You’ll make mistakes. You’ll trust the wrong person. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you get back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving.
Value-add questions
Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.
The biggest advice I could give an entrepreneur is to pick a target and go after it at full speed. You must know where you are going. It is easy to get distracted or come off-track. There is a lot of noise surrounding you on a daily basis whether that be from friends, family, peers, or general information overload from social media. When you know your target, it is impossible to fail.
Teach us something about {internet marketing, social media ads, fundraising, sales funnels or another topic} Can you recommend any favorite websites to learn that topic?
The best way to start building a powerful personal brand is executing these key three areas.
- Identify your brand identity. Who are you and what do you stand for in the world?
- Build your community. Who is your market? Who are you serving? Who can you provide solutions?
- Accelerate your authority. How can you build influence? What can you create to show you are a leader in your field or area of expertise?
If you can implement these three with speed, power, and momentum, you will take your brand to the next level very quickly and position yourself where you want to be in business—all while creating more opportunities.
What should an entrepreneur focus on?
As an entrepreneur, you should focus on your strengths, or area of genius. Once you identify this core skill, you must delegate the rest to those who have expert skills your weaknesses. You do not need to hire help if you can convince others to see your long-term vision and be a part of your team. There is power in an effective team, where everyone is highly skilled in their area of expertise.
What are some of your favorite books?
Some of my favorite books are A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone.
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
I see myself continuing to be a prominent Brand Ambassador for the future of medical science and technology. I also see myself hosting a TV show interviewing some of the biggest influencers, visionaries, and thought leaders of our time. To follow my journey or to learn more about me, please visit http://www.cherieaimee.com.
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