This year’s CommBank Young Hero Awards shines the spotlight on 10 outstanding business leaders from across Australia. These young entrepreneurs, aged 35 and under, are making a positive impact on Australia’s business market while pushing the boundaries of their respective industries. Let’s take a closer look at these trailblazing businesses and the remarkable founders that run them. Trang Ho, Founder of Dream Accelerator share insights into their business’s success and why they were awarded CommBank Young Hero Awards 2023: Excellence in Marketing.
What motivated you to start your business?
I was born in one of the poorest towns in Vietnam, and I was born with a cleft lip. For thirty years of my life, I felt like I didn’t belong, feeling faulty. I spent years running in circles trying to figure out what my life purpose and passion were and my place in the world. Then I discovered marketing while working as a bookkeeper at a blind manufacturing company.
I love marketing. To me, marketing is kind, and marketing is the best way for me to help people. I was an in-house marketer for four years, but deep down, I think there has always been a call for me to help not just one business but many.
Then I saw a gap in the market. There aren’t enough marketing agencies that fully understand what coaches and business owners need to do as a whole to get clients and grow their businesses.
How did you come up with the marketing strategies that won you the Excellence in Marketing Award?
I’ve been fortunate from my very early days of entering the marketing world to start with organic marketing: social media and email marketing. So, I never believed that paid Facebook and Google advertising is the only way businesses can get new leads and clients.
Through my years of experience in organic marketing, I’ve dedicated my time and effort to finding out how small businesses can get the same, if not more, results from social media.
Branding with authenticity is very important. We craft social media content that reflects our clients’ unique voices, helping them genuinely connect with their audience. We spend time and effort to truly get to know each of our clients and their stories. And it has proven to work. And lastly, we want to make sure our clients’ content is in front of the right people at the right time. So, we’ve studied the algorithm as we build our clients’ social media networks.
What do you think sets your marketing strategies apart from your competitors?
The average marketing agency churn rate is 30 per cent. Meanwhile, 100 per cent of our clients have stayed with us in the last six months. A lot of our clients came to us, having been burnt in the past, having invested thousands and thousands of dollars into marketing and not getting anything in return.
It doesn’t mean that other agencies haven’t done a good job. Most agencies focus on acquiring new customers, due to the high turnover. We focus on results and the bigger picture with our clients.
How did you overcome the challenges of starting your own business?
I put myself out there and told literally everyone I spoke with that I was starting a new business. It’s incredible how simply asking for help can put your business at the forefront of people’s minds. I got four new clients on retainer in my first month from referrals.
I also invested in a high-quality mentor. I don’t believe in doing everything alone. Having a mentor allowed me to take the exact steps I needed to succeed…but faster. Also, I surrounded myself with successful business owners for community support.
Finally, taking breaks is important. I hired my first virtual assistant and booked a three-month trip to Europe. I put myself in a position where I had no other choice but to make my dream of travelling and running a business at the same time a reality. I forced myself to find ways to systemise, hire and train teams, minimise bottlenecks and work things out quickly, so I can have it all.
By: Alyssa Herr, Editor
