As a social media influencer and the founder of the online business, Kindness for Success, Dark Joseph Ravine has made it his life mission to promote positivity and kindness worldwide. His passion is focusing on self-improvement and how to eliminate negativity by encouraging others to create more positivity to be able to live much happier and more successful lives.
Ravine achieved a Guinness World Record in 2017 for the longest line of arcade tickets. Since then, he began doing giveaways as a means of giving back to all his supporters. His number one rule in life is to put kindness first.
What is Kindness for Success all about?
Kindness for Success is an online business offering creative branded items pertaining to kindness and positive motivation. These products serve to encourage others to spread kindness and positivity. There is also an option of creating one’s own branded items, which is offered only by communication via email. I enjoy hosting contests as this allows me to give back to my customers. Prizes for giveaways are provided by the company. The primary goal is for every customer to have a pleasant experience.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I enjoyed the connection I had with my online supporters noting their kindness. This prompted me to think of the trademark, Kindness for Success. Researching this led me to realize that kindness did, in fact, lead to success. The company originally started selling all black branded items eventually adding colored branded items. The next move consisted of helping customers create their own brands. There were incentives offered as the business grew. Today, I am not only succeeding in promoting kindness and positivity as an influencer but also through my business.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- To find out who you are, what you believe in and to connect yourself to it in the world around you because as an entrepreneur, authenticity is everything.
- Remembering that kindness and understanding of customers is a top priority when it comes to the number one rule in business.
- Although we cannot please everyone, continuing to do what we do best will always win out in the end.
What are your plans for the future, and how do you plan to grow this company?
My plan for the future to grow Kindness for Success is to collab with other media outlets and like-minded people who believe that kindness is key to success. I believe that for businesses to grow, the public should naturally like you and what you are offering. I focus more on public relations than advertising to allow people to naturally promote my business. Without people liking you and what you’re doing, no business will ever be successful. Likability is a must in business.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
My business only started in 2021 which was after the onset of the pandemic. When the pandemic began, I personally felt it was a message for the way people treat or mistreat each other. When bad things happen, I feel there is always a hidden message. The pandemic destroyed the economy and instilled fear. However, despite the damage of the pandemic, I believe it taught us to be kinder people and appreciate one another. We often take things for granted when they are easily accessible. When we lost our ability to get together and have a good time, we began to realize that we must practice gratitude for our positive experiences because they may just be fleeting. I felt that the pandemic played a role in Kindness for Success because this movement seeks to encourage others to show respect to one another.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
I separate myself from my competitors by trying to sell unique items. I market my brand using phrases of kindness that have not been heard before. I believe that to be successful in business you should do something that is unique to you and has never been done before.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
The top three mistakes I made were:
- Starting with ads instead of public relations and building connections. To succeed in business, people should value the work you are doing. When this is achieved, success will be forthcoming.
- Thinking that providing incentives such as a rewards program or giveaways would motivate people to purchase branded offerings. This was also a mistake because people are highly selective about who they trust online.
- Not considering the importance of the quality of the items, but rather trying to make them as inexpensive as possible. In business, people only spend their money on items that can add value to their lives.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
As mentioned earlier, initially I began using ads and sponsored content which was unsuccessful. The reason I believe it was unsuccessful was because people knew that having my store featured was paid for. In order to build trust, public relations and testimonial marketing where people review your business organically leads to increased success. Without an ongoing fan base, success in business is very slim.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Two of the biggest challenges I faced were figuring out which items to sell and how to market them. I thought that offering incentives would ensure success, but I was wrong. Business is not just about incentives; it’s about providing items that enhance the lives of others. I overcame these challenges by working with a publicist who helped me earn media opportunities with people who would value what Kindness for Success has to offer. In exchange, these media personalities give my business a good name. To this day, I focus on organic traffic rather than paid traffic.
What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first business idea was to sell very small items and keep my items at a super low cost for everyone worldwide to be able to afford them. As previously mentioned, the attempt was unsuccessful. I am certain it is because the items in my store were non-essential despite the many incentives I was temporarily offering, which I removed soon after.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Today, I am learning about ways to obtain earned media opportunities to promote my business and grow my following organically. To this day, I still continue to seek media opportunities. It is important that I advertise my business through the media rather than ads because many people are more likely to buy something they know a lot of people enjoy and recommend rather than a product which is constantly being advertised that people know nothing about.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
If I started my business again, I would make sure that I get feedback about my business model from experts in the field prior to starting. After gathering important information, I would research to find out what the preferences my intended audience demographic has and to offer items that most appeal to them to ensure success. I would also promote my items in a creative manner, showing why they are important as opposed to just using ads to sell them.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- Article features: Article features provide your business with third-party validation as opposed to relying on self-promotion. This increases and builds more trust among your clientele.
- TV interviews: TV interviews occur when you are selected to speak about what you believe in and that establishes more credibility among your audience, as well as brand recognition.
- Podcasts promoting content about me and my business ideas. Podcasts are another way of the promoting content and ideas of a business. Telling the world your story creates a strong connection between you and your fan base.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Productivity results when we let the work process flow naturally as opposed to forcing things to happen.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs?
One book, podcast, and course I would recommend that combines all 3 topics would be: Callum Laing.
Callum Laing inspires me because he discusses the challenges entrepreneurs face in their journey to success and how they overcame those struggles. I think that his wise advice sheds light on the areas for improvement in business.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
If I had $1000 dollars to start a new business, I would hire a publicist and marketers to find earned media opportunities to promote the business. These opportunities would allow for media personalities to give the new business a good name. After a year, I would then proceed with ads for the earned media features to promote my business. I believe these methods would bring about great success.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
The good thing about my business is that I do not need to worry about operating costs, and I can simply focus on marketing. As mentioned earlier, I would only focus on earned media opportunities to further the success of my business.
What is your favorite quote?
“No human ever became interesting by not failing. The more you fail and recover and improve, the better you are as a person”
– Chris Hardwick
This is my favorite quote because it relates a lot to my kindness mission. I want to communicate that it is okay to fail because that is how to learn, get better, and bounce back from setbacks. This quote not only relates to my business but to my life, as well.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
The best advice that I would give to any new entrepreneurs starting out is to focus on connections and public relations because you need people to value your business to be successful. Success cannot be gained by simply promoting via ads, you need others giving your business a good name. Earned media builds trust. Paid media does not. Without trust, a business has nothing.
What is your definition of success?
My definition of success is being satisfied with your work and seeing how many people are willing to support you along your journey. Money does not necessarily have to be the largest indicator of success. Making money takes time, but to build a fan base and cultivate supporters for your business is the biggest success any entrepreneur can have. Focusing purely on making money in business does not guarantee you will make any. You have to focus on the business because you are passionate about it and find people to support it with you. I believe that with a strong support network, money will surely follow.
How do you personally overcome fear?
I personally overcome fear by keeping operating costs of my business low. It is because of my supporters and connections that I feel I have been successful with building the business and I’m optimistic that it will get better in time. I am confident about the future of my business.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can visit my website kindnessforsuccessbydjr.com
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