Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebbi Nicole.
Hi Ebbi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in East. Louis, IL. Growing up as an only child in a single parent home, surrounded by Black women, I learned three lessons. 1. Through Christ all things are possible. 2. You don’t have to be a product of your environment. 3. Grow a thick skin NOW because a thin skin will hurt you later.
My mother was liberal at heart but was strict when it came to behavior and school work. As a result, I excelled in school and more times than not, I was the teacher’s pet. Each year I received good remarks from my teachers but they all ended in “But Ebbi, has to learn when to let the other kids ask questions.” lol I guess you can say that I was a bit of a “know it all”.
Instead of punishing me for speaking up, my mother told me, “If you’re going to talk. Say something worth listening to and make us some money doing it.” From that point on, I participated wherever there was a stage. From Theatre, to the Speech and Debate team to every Black History and Mother’s Day Program, my passion for speaking and writing grew. I was usually chosen for every academic opportunity and asked to lead almost every speech from elementary to high school. On that side of things, life was good.
Growing up in the hood, while being smart, chubby, wearing glasses and being dark skinned in the 90s was a recipe for bullying and constant ridicule. I grew up lonely and with extremely low self-esteem. I struggled with body image and I didn’t believe that I was pretty, talented or smart. Here I was the child of the neighborhood’s favorite mom and I couldn’t even keep a friend.
Mizzou was culture shock personified. I had never been around so many different types of people in one setting. Still struggling with my identity but knowing that I was a naturally curious person, I enrolled as a Journalism major. I figured at least I could be inquisitive without the teachers correcting me. Surrounded by so many new differences, I was genuinely interested in the backstories that tied us all together. Among all the boring history classes, I found an interest in women’s and gender studies and storytelling.
I combined my new loves and founded the first event on campus to elevate and celebrate the experiences of plus women. That event grew into an entire organization and it lived well after I graduated. I turned Fluffy GRL Movement into a business in 2016. It was the first time since my mom died that I felt a true purpose. We partnered with influencers, national corporations, and community partners to host plus positive events in St. Louis including the region’s second largest body positive pool party, Curves N’ Waves.
During this time, I worked full time in the non-profit sector. When the Pandemic hit in 2020, everything came to a crashing halt. Fluffy GRL was paused due to the nature of in person events and budget cuts forced me out of work. I took some time to regroup and that’s when I noticed a huge gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Fellow entrepreneurs were losing their businesses, support and hope thanks to the quick shift to digital during the Pandemic. I knew that the key to bridge the gap was storytelling and that the fastest growing medium was video.
I started E.T. Digital Consulting as a resource and begin working with CEOs and their teams to build out video strategies to show up authentically on video and share their brand stories through what I call, snackable content and short form videos like Reels and IGTVs. I saw them as ways to help businesses cultivate community across the globe, establish authority in their industries and reenergize the mission of so many companies who started to lose hope due to loses from the Pandemic.
Serving as a Video Strategist has been a full circle experience for me. Who would have known that the kid with low self-esteem and a hidden story would end up being a voice for a marginalized community and leveraging storytelling to help brands unlock online engagement and opportunities beyond their wildest dreams? I tell you would not have guessed it. ME! Yet here I am working with clients to disrupt traditional business with new school thought and action. Business truly is personal and it proves that lesson #1 from my family is indeed true. Through Christ, all things are possible.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I teach CEOs and their marketing teams how to leverage their brand stories to create engaging video content that will cultivate community and communicate confidence across their online platforms to exceed company financial goals.
I offer services for entrepreneurs with different capacities. However, my signature offer is the Video Blah to Video BOOM VIP Day. In 7 hours, I train CEOs and their teams to identify company storylines, map out 3 months of video content, learn editing on the go, practice planning and execution.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Remember: Never underestimate the power of a good story. Business is PERSONAL. Lead with what makes your business, service and/or experiences DIFFERENT. People connect to people first and services second so add value upfront.
Contact Info:
- Email: ebbi@ebbitalksdigital.com
- Website: ebbitalksdigital.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebbitalksdigital/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/ebbitalksdigital/
Image Credits
Aziza Binti Photography
