Marketing for entrepreneurs often gets reduced to just posting on social media, but successful business marketing requires so much more. In this episode of DO GOOD X, hosts Stephen Lewis and Kimberly Daniel break down the essential elements every social entrepreneur needs to master. They explore brand storytelling, reaching the right target audience, and driving real customer conversion. Whether you're building a purpose-driven business or scaling an existing venture, this conversation offers practical marketing strategies for social entrepreneurs that go beyond vanity metrics. Learn how to choose the proper marketing channels, measure meaningful conversions, and craft brand messaging that resonates with your customers and supporters.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The four foundational elements of effective marketing strategy: brand identity, storytelling, audience, and call to action

✅ How to move beyond social media and diversify your marketing communications across multiple marketing tools and platforms

✅ Why understanding your customer engagement metrics matters more than chasing likes and followers in content marketing

✅ Practical steps to define your brand, identify your ideal target audience, and select the proper marketing channels for your business growth

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to marketing for entrepreneurs and why it extends far beyond social media marketing

02:32 The four essential elements of marketing: brand, storytelling, target audience, and call to action

05:43 Choosing the proper marketing channels and avoiding the trap of chasing trendy platforms without a strategy

11:07 Real-world examples: How Apple and Charity Water excel at brand messaging and customer conversion

17:44 Four practical marketing strategy steps for social entrepreneurs to implement immediately

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Marketing for entrepreneurs requires four foundational elements: clear brand identity, compelling brand storytelling, defined audience segmentation, and strategic call to action

💎 Don't put all your eggs in one basket—diversify your digital marketing efforts across multiple marketing channels like email, podcasts, webinars, and social media rather than relying solely on one platform

💎 Focus on meaningful marketing metrics that track customer conversion and actual impact, not just vanity numbers like likes and followers

💎 Start with practical steps: define your brand and the problem you solve, identify your target audience, determine where they spend time, and commit to showing up consistently on one to two channels

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

Connect with Hosts:

Kimberly Daniel LinkedIn

Stephen Lewis LinkedIn

QUOTES:

"You might be trying to build a business that serves young adults, but it is their parents who are doing the purchasing. Are the primary and secondary audiences close? The point is paying attention to your audience." Stephen Lewis

"Start with one to two channels. Commit to showing up and pay attention to what's working and adjust as you go." Kimberly Daniel

“While some social...

AI is transforming how social entrepreneurs and small businesses work. In this DO GOOD X podcast episode, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis explore practical ways underrepresented founders can leverage artificial intelligence applications and business automation tools without feeling overwhelmed. They discuss real opportunities for efficiency across customer relationship management and financial management, while addressing critical concerns about bias, environmental impact, and accessibility. Learn how to use AI in a small business ethically by starting small, identifying one or two repetitive tasks that technology can streamline. Remember, AI for small businesses should enhance, not replace, human connection and community building that drive social impact ventures forward.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How AI for small businesses creates opportunities through efficiency, business scalability, and enhanced customer experience while freeing up time for meaningful community engagement

✅ The real challenges of ethical AI use, including concerns about AI bias, environmental impact, data analytics accuracy, and accessibility for underrepresented founders

✅ Practical strategies for digital transformation by starting small with marketing automation, financial management software, or business operations management tools that fit your budget

✅ Why human connectedness and face-to-face interaction remain irreplaceable in social entrepreneurship, even as task automation handles repetitive work

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to AI for small businesses and business automation tools for social entrepreneurs and underrepresented founders

04:22 Understanding AI and automation: opportunities for efficiency, business scalability, enhanced decision making, and improved customer experience

07:50 Real-world artificial intelligence applications in healthcare, speech pathology, and social impact technology examples like cardio.ai

11:00 Addressing challenges: AI bias concerns, environmental impact, accessibility issues, data privacy, and the importance of ethical AI use

15:50 Business operations management tips: starting small with marketing automation, financial management software, customer relationship management, and task automation

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 Start small with AI for small business by identifying one or two areas where business automation tools can reduce repetitive tasks in marketing automation, financial management software, or customer relationship management systems

💎 Underrepresented founders and communities must actively engage with AI to teach it and reduce AI bias. Technology will only become inclusive when diverse voices shape its development

💎 Ethical AI use requires awareness of environmental impacts, data privacy concerns, and accessibility issues while making intentional decisions that support your social entrepreneurship mission to do good

💎 Task automation and artificial intelligence applications should enhance human connection, not replace it. Prioritize face-to-face touchpoints and community building as irreplaceable elements of your business

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X Start Up Accelerator

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

AI for entrepreneurs is transforming how businesses solve problems and scale impact. In this episode of the DO GOOD X podcast, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis are joined by Keyona Meeks, an AI strategy expert who helps organizations navigate intelligent automation. Keyona shares her problem-first, tool-second approach to AI implementation strategies for social entrepreneurs, emphasizing that successful early-stage startups must focus on solving real market problems before adopting technology. She addresses common misconceptions about AI accessibility and environmental sustainability, offering practical guidance on using smaller models and advocating for better data center regulation.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to apply a problem-first approach to AI for entrepreneurs, ensuring your business model development solves real market needs before adopting technology solutions.

✅ Why entrepreneurship education gaps prevent founders from succeeding, and how AI strategy can help early-stage startups build sustainable revenue generation systems.

✅ Practical ways to use AI ethically while addressing environmental sustainability concerns, including utilizing smaller models and knowledge management systems for your operations.

✅ How to overcome the misconception that AI implementation is beyond you, and why project-based learning with intelligent automation beats perfectionism in building impactful businesses.

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro: Keyona’s journey from venture capital to AI strategy consulting for early-stage startups

05:51 The entrepreneurship education gap is preventing minority founders from raising capital and building revenue-generating models

11:19 Problem first approach: Defining business as solving problems for qualified customers in exchange for money

16:30 Misconceptions about AI for entrepreneurs, including the belief that AI implementation is beyond reach

20:58 Why consumer technology creates false barriers to understanding AI strategy and intelligent automation

23:22 Environmental sustainability concerns with data centers and practical ways entrepreneurs can reduce AI impact

28:15 How AI enables climate solutions and benefits low-income families navigating complex decisions

33:20 Practical AI tools: voice recording for stream of consciousness and knowledge management systems like Notion

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

💎 AI for entrepreneurs requires a problem-first approach: Your business must solve a real market problem for qualified customers in exchange for money before adopting any technology solution.

💎 Momentum beats perfection in AI implementation—stop trying to master every technical detail before getting started. Use project-based learning, embrace messy experimentation, and focus on business operations improvements rather than coding from scratch.

💎 Address environmental sustainability through smart choices: Use smaller AI models that achieve 80% of results and consider your individual climate impact rather than abandoning AI strategy tools.

💎 Build an AI-first organization by establishing a strong documentation culture first. Use knowledge management systems like Notion and voice recording tools to overcome formal tech accessibility barriers and enable stream-of-consciousness prompting.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Keyona Meeks is an AI strategy and systems expert who helps organizations navigate intelligent automation and workforce transformation as the consulting Lead of AI Strategy at Prismm, founder of ReRev, and General Partner at BlackTech Capital. She...