Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Cortez.
Hi Heidi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a lifelong entrepreneur residing in Los Angeles for almost 20 years.
I started my journey as a child selling door-to-door at the age of 12, and by 13 I was lying about my age to get hired in retail jobs. I knew from a young age if I wanted something really bad, I was going to have to work hard for it.
As I got older in my late teens and early 20’s, I owned a few different businesses, particularly a tanning salon. However, I didn’t have money to pay for marketing. I knew there had to be a better way to get my name out for free. Using the internet wasn’t much of a thing yet, but what little information and resources there were, I utilized them. AOL, emailing, and MySpace.
I taught myself traditional and non-traditional marketing methods to gain exposure. Everything I could think of to stay in business. This also included writing a hand-written letter to the biggest radio show in the world in New York City.
Soon I was standing out from the competition and gaining publicity for my work ethic and original ideas. I became one of the first “influencers” on MySpace, signed a radio deal with SIRIUS, a book publishing contract with Simon & Schuster, modeling contracts and publications with many, and even landed a role on Sunset Tan on E!
I didn’t have an agent, manager, or fancy connections back then. I did it all as a solopreneur because I refused to give up.
Soon I was teaching others how I did it. I founded my first marketing agency in 2013 and even became a talent manager to those that needed my extra personal help. I was used to branding, marketing, contracts, and gaining exposure, so it seemed like a “no-brainer” addition to my career.
I was quickly referred to client after client, helping celebrities, entrepreneurs and business owners gain popularity and traffic to their businesses.
Currently, I offer private 1-on-1 coaching sessions for entrepreneurs and businesses. I teach them how to gain more exposure and become an authority in their niche through the power of marketing, branding, and PR that they can implement into their businesses.
I still own my original marketing & branding agency – You Need IG, in addition to my online clothing boutique for female entrepreneurs – Posh Boss LA, and online business training like The $3 Marketing Club.
Full bio here: https://www.heidicortez.com/about-me
Coaching program here: https://www.heidicortez.com/1-1-coaching
Clothing boutique: www.PoshBossLA.com
Online Marketing Training: www.3dollarmarketingclub.com
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh no. There was lots of trial & error.
One of my biggest struggles was getting people in authoritative positions to take me seriously when I was in my teens and early 20s. I couldn’t WAIT to be older because I thought if I was older, maybe they would hear me out. It took me proving myself with results over-and-over again before some people started to pay attention.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Thank you!
I’m a life-long entrepreneur specializing in marketing, branding, and PR for over 20 years.
I have written four books and working on my 5th.
I’m most proud of my wonderful family, especially my mother for giving me the encouragement to live my dreams and always telling me my ideas were “genius”, even if she was the only one who may have thought that, haha. She always kept me going!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Yes!
A great way to find a mentor or expand your network is to utilize social media!
I found my first mentor on Facebook after posting a business question on my feed. They were one of the few people that responded to me.
Don’t have a sloppy/unprofessional social media if you want others to be interested in helping you. Your social media needs to be professional, have great content, and have your message as clear as possible to gain the attention of a mentor that may be able to help. Once you have this in place, don’t be scared to reach out to others and share what you do, ask if they’d be interested in collaborating with you, or ask what services they offer that might help you.
If you’re an entrepreneur or business owner looking to gain more authority in your niche, maybe I can help. Some of the areas I help with are publications, building social media presence, brand development & growth, podcast interviews, working with influencers, YouTube, Wikipedia pages, and so much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heidicortez.com/1-1-coaching
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/heidicortez
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/heidicortezlikes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortezheidi
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/heidicortez
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@HeidiCortez_
- Other: www.PoshBossLA.com
Image Credits
Photographer Credit: Brett Erikson (feature photo and last 3 attached photos of me)
