Michael K. Reynolds, President, Global Studio
Michael is an entrepreneur whisperer, marketing enabler, agency founder, historical novelist, photographer, songwriter and producer of Emmy award-winning documentary campaigns.
With 30 years of marketing experience, and almost 25 years of owning his consulting agency, Global Studio, Michael has been blessed to work with more than a thousand entrepreneurs through the years.
With expertise in most aspects of sales, advertising and marketing and with his pulse on the latest technologies, he loves assisting business owners in developing innovative strategies so they can reach their beautiful islands of success.
Michael is also the host and producer of the Global Studio Marketing Podcast. He provides listeners with deep insights into the single most important success factor in business: the Marketing Mindset.
He also co-hosts and produces the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast. In addition, Michael serves as a Virtual Chief Marketing Officer to clients and offers an Entrepreneur Accelerator program as well. He also provides virtual mentorship to business owners through his Global Studio Marketing Academy, and the Two Are Gathered Leadership Academy.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Are you asking me to choose my favourite child? My Marketing Cafe Club on Clubhouse has been a phenomenal success and has provided incredible growth in meaningful relationships worldwide. It will be my top choice if it can survive the rough waters of social media infancy. However, I have a long romance with Twitter, where I'm enamoured with its brevity and ability to share ideas and pulse with the world.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I make things up for a living. I THRIVE on assisting entrepreneurs in clarifying their perfect goals and enjoying telling their stories to the world desperate to hear them. I also am currently working on my next trilogy of historical novels, am writing songs for my talented singing daughter, and the recent launch of my photo gallery is a dream realized for my "travel for life" plan.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
Creativity. Relationships. Playing with crayons. Seeing people reach their dreams. What's not to like?
What is the best advice you have ever received?
It's all about relationships. That's it. It's all about relationships.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Waking up in the morning. Light bending through the blinds. A day of adventure awaits. That's all that's required when you love what you do.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Success is overrated. It comes and goes like a breeze. It's my many failures that are with me to the end. Not that they happened, but there was always a better road awaiting me if I kept tracking. Overcoming is the greatest prize and a powerful gift we can share with others. Oh... and I love my family. I'm so proud of my daughters.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
The clubhouse has been a revelation to me. It's all of the value of an international conference in generating relationships... without the airfare, hotel costs, slow elevators and time away from home. I'm hooked.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
My insecurities as a child allowed me to be an extraordinary listener. As a result, I hear the world around me at a greater volume than most, which drives my strategy, creativity, and obsession with encouraging others.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
It will take way longer. It will be way harder. And, it will be way worth it.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I'm an Elon Musk fan. This is partly because I like crazy entrepreneurs and because he's making extraordinary things happen.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I founded an old guy's soccer (football) club in my city. We have nearly a hundred lads, 48-72 years of age, who compete in tournaments throughout our country in Europe. It's important because we're alive... and still kicking... which is a good thing for the heart, mind and soul.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic has been overwhelmingly negative to our world, which grieves me. But, for me professionally, I had prepared my clients for a digital, remote world, and they... as well as I am... are thriving.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Yes! And yes! I was blessed as a young entrepreneur to have several experienced business owners breathing wisdom into my life. Now, many years later, I mentor hundreds virtually and in person. It's my life's chief pursuit.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Start out by interning at one, two, or three of the best agencies you can. You'll learn many, many years of best practices within just a few months. Of course, it's like stealing... but it's legal and ethical, and many of my best employees started off as interns.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
As an author, I can tell you that the book doesn't end until the last chapter. You get to choose whether that chapter is 30, 45 or 70. Never give up. Keep writing until the ending is one you'll be comfortable reading for the rest of your life.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"Argue for your limitations, and they are yours." - Richard Bach, Illusions.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I'm a massive fan of Adobe. What they've done for the creative industry is breathtaking, and they have been consistently pursuing greatness in their products since the beginning. So much magic has come out of the canvas of their software.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Quality of life is not measured by the things we own, but by the positive impact we have on those around us.