Here at RTT, we tend to see the world differently. Run & Tell That is built on the basis that every entrepreneur and small business, especially those headed by POC, has a unique and fascinating story to tell. And even more profound, you have a unique fingerprint, cadence, or “YASS FACTOR” that connects you to your community and your ideal client.
It hadn’t dawned on me, until a prestigious news source (OK OK…it was a Refinery29 IG story) that I realized I was guilty of the cultural norm that is called “code-switching”.
Code-switching “is the alternating or mixed use of two or more languages within the same discourse” or “to modify one’s behavior, appearance, or speech to adapt to a socio-acceptable norm.”
Hmm…that’s what they call it. Well, would you look — at — that. All this time I called that surviving. All that annunciating, high-pitched, non-threatening undulation of my voice was used in order to lull a customer service rep into a trance to get my cable bill reduced or in response to my color-less boss’s request of unrealistic grandeur.
But it wasn’t until I took a good look at the market and the “innanets” (Amanda Seales for the internet) that not only were the powers that be (or the man, or wo-man, or not-my-president) trying to tell me my cultural brilliance and Brooklyn, Rican, 90’s baby idioms are unprofessional, but that they then turn around, and run to hire ad agencies (in which there are little to no representation) to fabricate campaigns embedded with our very own swag and style to market to us.
Oh hell the f*ck no!?! Well, enough is enough.
Sisters and Brothers, Queens and Kings, Reyes y Reinas, it’s time we take back our multifaceted, unicorn, brown (queer, yellow, purple, idgaf) magic and start telling ‘n’ selling our damn selves. If we’re going to thrive and ditch survive, change the world, and make some real bands around here — we’re going to have to bring ALL of us to the marketplace.
How do we do such a thing? Well, first off we start with our ideas. Then we make dope products or services. Which you’ve already, so majorly, done. (remember? you’re a brilliant, uni-cardi-corn, queen or king). Then you flash it up with some ‘real-deal-holy-feels’ words. And in marketing and advertising, the words that sell those ideas or products are called copy.
Everything is copy and the copy is everything. Your website content is copy. Your IG and FB posts are copy. Your product descriptions are copy. Your sign-up and buy now buttons are copy. Your weekly newsletter or blog post is copy. You get the point.
But the world doesn’t need anymore “picture perfect” copy, it needs YOU.
There is more than enough painfully perfect content (or copy, I use those interchangibly) out there. Organic, perfectly imperfect, human-to-human, connection is what sells.
“They” know that. The advertising world knows that. And that’s why, now more than ever, there is a space and demand for soul-preneurs, wellness advocates, sustainable businesses, and dope af non-for-profits to rise up and spread their message.
RTT’s mission is to pass the mic (and the tools) to you. The up and coming game changer, the move maker, the spiritual gangsta, so that you triple your subscriber list, finally increase your rates, or top last years fundraising efforts and do so affordably. In turn you inspire buyers to buy, a community of dopeness, and more hustlers like YOU to take center stage.
Best part: You don’t have to do it all on your lonesome. Somehow we got into this biz thang and thought entrepreneurship meant doing it all by yourself. Nah, f*ck that!
Together, through collaboration, technique, and maybe a little hand-holding (hope you hand-sanitize and moisturize) we can put a middle finger in the air to all the haters and naysayers and make some real coin (and change) out here. Here’s to living your best biz life!
p.s. Ready to leave dry, impersonal content behind and sell like you speak? Sign up for our mailing list for all things copy, content, cardi and culture.