Meet Anniedi Essien | Chief Swagger Officer | B2B Sales Strategist for Corporate Consultants

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anniedi Essien and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anniedi, what do you attribute your success to?
Swagger is the most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand. I consider myself an accidental entrepreneur who overcame burnout and built a thriving biz after a layoff from a corporate executive job. I discovered that who we are is way more important than what we do. After decades of chasing fancy job titles, promotions and success on paper I named myself a Chief Swagger Officer when I became my own boss. It was a personal invitation to reimagine the path ahead, reinvent my career and redefine success on my own terms.

I went from behind the scenes of consulting the largest global brands to advising other powerhouse business leaders on building their own independent consulting practices to secure corporate contracts at Swagger School®. I believe we all have the power to create multiple streams of income, health and joy when we are equipped with the tools to set the stage for our success. To become a savvy dealmaker you must be able to communicate your value in an increasingly complex business environment and rapidly changing competitive landscape.

I define swagger as demonstrating evidence based confidence in packaging your expertise, experience and essence for winning at work, wealth & well-being. Having a strong personal brand is a non-negotiable if you want to succeed by fully monetizing your skills, showcasing your talents and elevating your business acumen to secure bigger contracts and stay relevant in the high level gig economy.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The old ways of working are no longer serving us. I hit massive burnout at the height of my career as a busy high powered corporate healthcare executive working behind the scenes of the largest global brands. We’re talking heart palpitations, hair falling out in clumps and having no hobbies to speak of! It took getting laid off from that dream job and one day walking past my reflection in the mirror to realize I had lost the sparkle in my eyes. I no longer even recognized myself. It was an invitation to redefine success on my own terms. That wake up call led to a journey of reclaiming my swagger as I began figuring out how to flourish at work while building prosperous businesses that talented superstars don’t want to escape from.

From there my company Idem Spark was born as a boutique strategy consulting practice to create a supportive community where C-Suite executives, business owners and women in leadership could win in the workplace without having to sacrifice their wellness.

When I launched my biz in January 2020, I had no idea a global pandemic would soon shut the world down and make my originally conceived live events business model a total bust. I was not eligible for PPP, had already exhausted unemployment funds and did not qualify for small business grants because my business was too new. I saw small businesses shutting down all around us. To quickly generate revenue I took to the online streets with an immediate pivot and began delivering executive coaching services to business leaders in both corporate and entrepreneurial roles.

My total revenue from coaching individuals in year one of my biz was a whopping 13k USD. The math was not mathing and it certainly wasn’t enough to replace my former executive level salary! When a global legal services firm saw a YouTube video I’d created to share my entrepreneurial journey and reached out wanting to create a culture of wellness at their company, , I ended up partnering with my BFF since second grade, Christina Farinacci-Roberts, and returned back to my corporate consulting roots when won the grand prize in a pitch competition and closed several corporate training, consulting and licensing deals. I know with 100 percent certainty that my business would not have survived past that year without securing higher paying corporate contracts to supplement my coaching income.

At first, as more people began showing up for my career consultation services, I assumed their goals would be to cultivate greater job satisfaction and get promoted at work. However, I soon realized the majority of my clients wanted to build disruptive businesses, galvanized by global events including: business, school, and childcare center closures; rising unemployment; geopolitical crises; an economic downturn; supply chain disruptions; rising costs; the proliferation of AI; and shifting consumer demand.

And as demoralized employees quit their jobs, the same hustle culture glorified in large corporations started being replicated amongst entrepreneurs. Nobody was talking about the toll that financial stressors, lockdown, increasing caregiver responsibilities, collective grief and ongoing illness would take on people in a belt-tightening economy—while business owners, C-Suite executives, and entrepreneurs suffered.

I could see the writing on the wall, because I’d already lived through it. I quickly realized my expertise in corporate deal-making offered independent consultants an unparalleled opportunity to improve their access to capital, create sustainable businesses, and become better positioned than ever before to navigate economic uncertainty.

With less than 2 percent of VC funding going to women identifying entrepreneurs, I knew that corporate contracts could help small business owners capture a bigger piece of the revenue pie if they had the B2B sales skills to go after bigger deals. The market was rapidly shifting, a high level gig economy was emerging and short-staffed corporations began outsourcing to specialized experts more than ever before. Yet many entrepreneurs lacked the tools to effectively position their expertise to pursue corporate contracts.

Acutely aware of the lack of innovative, forward-looking solutions in the marketplace, I expanded Idem Spark’s mission to create Swagger School®—a real-world learning lab that equips executives, emerging leaders, and entrepreneurs with the confidence, capacity, and courage to create their dream lives.

Many of our clients didn’t know it was possible to build multiple streams of wealth and joy while maximizing their impact. Most didn’t know how to tap into new markets and improve access to much needed capital without learning the unwritten rules of corporate contracts. Some didn’t have traditional corporate backgrounds but already had companies inviting them to speak, train and consult their teams. They started gravitating to Swagger School for our leadership solutions and B2B business model innovation, like corporate consulting and licensing deals, that allow entrepreneurs to make a huge impact without sacrificing their health for their ambition.

I love advising independent consultants, industry experts and thought leaders on how to secure their next 5, 6, or 7 figure corporate contracts so they can hit their revenue goals with just a handful of clients without working more hours each week. I’m so grateful that sharing my journey could inspire others to dream bigger, make bolder moves and monetize their expertise at the highest levels even without having a big audience or tons of corporate contacts.

In our pop-up events, powerhouse masterminds, corporate consulting and B2B sales strategy training, business leaders learn how to communicate their value, polish their pitch, amplify their brand, negotiate better, close bigger deals, and grow their business or career. Our Swagger School® superstars are successfully transforming the workplace, rocking the global stage and creating generational wealth to change the lives of their families, their communities and the world around them. They’ve got our playbook for winning at work, wealth & well-being.

We’re elevating the entire playing field and building a whole new boardroom where you never have to wait for a seat…especially after you’ve already built your own table.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A perfect week would include spa by day, karaoke by night, and spontaneous global adventures. Have passport, will travel!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I call my business a love song in honor of my mother Elizabeth Essien’s memory. She was the first entrepreneur I ever met and after losing her to cancer I am living out her wildest dreams every single day by building the future of work and well-being. As a tribute to her lasting legacy, my company mission is to elevate women’s voices, empower them to make informed choices and inspire them to lead healthy, joyful lives.

Website: https://idemsparklife.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniediessien/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O6JPke1kgc&list=PLCX30C9FJpP75sxCc8sOmz2rGoJ5Vgg3d&index=16

Image Credits
Jodie Brim Photography, Vine & Branch Photography, Rae Images, Peak Point Productions