Meet Tarsha Polk: Author, Speaker, Personal Brand Coach

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

Hi Tarsha, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor in my success is Consistency. In my early 30’s I realized that my life’s purpose is to inspire others to live their dreams through entrepreneurship. Since then, I am consistently faithful to God’s purpose for my life. To the success of my brand, The Marketing Lady, I contribute that to consistently networking, heavily, with influencers. I attend chamber meetings, events hosted by the entrepreneurial groups, and many other professional organizations. Branding is about consistency—a consistent look, message, and experience. I worked hard to maintain that consistency via my social presence, coaching programs, relationships, and events. I have been blessed with opportunities to build my marketing company and my brand in a way that inspires others to succeed. I truly believe that when you are consistently walking in your purpose, you are destined to succeed. Being consistent in believing in myself and my faith keeps me from giving up, even when things get tough. While it is harder to remain consistent amid a global pandemic and racial injustice, I remind myself of my purpose and daily show up for my passion and my business as my authentic self. I try to remain consistent. Over time, I have pushed through many challenging times and maintained consistency throughout, which allowed me to pivot when I needed to without losing too much momentum. I strive to help my clients succeed consistently as well; whether that be by coaching them to have the confidence to build a brand that impacts or moving them out of their comfort zone, I consistently help them see the big picture. I believe people resonate most with me consistently being myself, no matter what. I was consistent with my brand, and it allowed me to become the go-to person in the Dallas/Ft. Worth business community when it came to personal brand marketing. My consistent, strategic effort towards the pursuit of happiness, achieving goals, and stretching my abilities has contributed towards the success of my business and many others.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Marketing Lady, LLC is a personal branding coaching firm that turns people into brands. I started my marketing firm in 2003 after being denied an internal transfer within a fortune 500 company. I decided to take my corporate marketing experience and help small business owners leverage the power of the internet to build their brands. You rarely find a marketing professional with 20 years of combined marketing, sales, training, and entrepreneurial expertise. This combination, however, allows me to provide clients with a holistic approach to building their brand. Over the last 17 years, I’ve coached, trained, and/or consulted thousands of small business owners and nonprofits on marketing strategies. This is what separates me from others. I am most proud of my first published book, Making an Impact: How to Build a Powerful Personal Brand. The book teaches readers to define their personal brand, create a strategy for the greatest impact, and how to market oneself with influence and authority. In my book, I share how I created the brand called The Marketing Lady and my entrepreneurial journey. Being in business for 17 years has not been easy. From slow-paying clients, no paying clients, to surviving a recession and divorce, I’ve managed to overcome challenges. Through it all, I have learned to pivot during challenging times and remain consistent. I’ve learned that you cannot succeed alone. Surround yourself with people who will support you and hire a coach. Lastly, my passion to inspire people to live their dreams through entrepreneurship is what keeps me motivated. If you build your business and your brand around your passion, you’ll succeed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I’d say start at Legacy West for dinner at Legacy Hall while listening to live music at the Box Garden. Then I’d say visit the STAR at Frisco because, of course, their friend should be a Dallas Cowboys fan (LOL)! Next, would be shopping, so I’d probably suggest spending the day at the Allen Outlet Mall to find some good deals. They could also check out a few live music spots like Sandaga 813 and Memphis in Addison. The next day, they could relax at Spa Castle for the entire day. Then wrap up the visit at the theater, either Dallas Black Dance Theater or Dallas Theater Center. There are so many options for entertainment in Dallas.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout out the SiSTARS Mastermind group for pushing me to not give up, for being a sounding board and for giving me advice. I’d like to shout out to all my friends who have supported me along my entrepreneurial journey. They know who they are. Thank you!