Growth-Minded Marketing


How Carolyn Michael-Banks turned a tourism vision into a mission-driven company that educates and inspires.

In this episode, you'll learn:
  • How Carolyn Michael-Banks founded A Tour of Possibilities to educate and empower through African-American history
  • Why resilience and innovation helped her business survive and evolve through COVID-19
  • The bold decisions she made to stay mission-focused—even when it meant challenging norms
  • How she shifted from individual tours to scaling with larger group experiences
  • The importance of boundaries, journaling, and staying aligned with your “why”
  • How to turn obstacles into meaningful opportunities for growth
Whether you're a CEO, entrepreneur, or just someone passionate about purpose-driven business, Carolyn’s journey will challenge and inspire you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction and Welcome
01:10 – Meet Carolyn Michael-Banks
05:10 – Carolyn's Journey in Tourism
07:45 – Starting A Tour of Possibilities
12:39 – Challenges and Resilience
13:55 – Adapting During COVID-19
17:32 – Shifting Focus and Scaling Up
19:24 – Lessons Learned and Advice
27:22 – Conclusion and Takeaways

Guest Bio:

Carolyn Michael-Banks is the founder and cultural curator of A Tour of Possibilities, an African-American heritage tour company in Memphis, Tennessee. With a background in psychology and decades of experience in the tourism industry, Carolyn is known for her leadership, resilience, and dedication to telling the untold stories of Black history. A native of the Bronx, her career spans from Washington, D.C., to Savannah, Philadelphia, and now Memphis, where she continues to educate, inspire, and challenge perspectives through powerful storytelling.

Visit A Tour of Possibilities
Connect with Carolyn on LinkedIn

Quotes & Resources:

"You should have a business with like a family atmosphere... but the reality is, some families are dysfunctional. You gotta set those limits."

“I built it... but they didn’t come. I had to do the work to get it seen, known, and trusted.”

“Journaling helps you remember the good stuff when you're overwhelmed by the hard.”

Resources from Wayfind Marketing:

Grab the Free AI Marketing Guide:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/ai-marketing-guide/

Take the Free B2B Marketing Assessment:
https://wayfindmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-assessment/

Connect with the Hosts on LinkedIn:
Steve Phipps
AnnieLaurie Walters


What is Growth-Minded Marketing?

Hosted by Steve Phipps of Wayfind Marketing, The Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast simplifies marketing for B2B CEOs ready to grow with confidence. Each episode offers real-world strategies, step-by-step coaching, and inspiring CEO interviews—all designed to help you align your marketing with your business goals, stop wasting time and money, and scale without the stress. If you’re a growth-minded leader tired of vague advice and underperforming tactics, this is your next step.

Carolyn: I checked one month and it
wasn't 1, 2, 3 times 37 different

incidents for atop business.

37 lesson is you just really
have to keep your eyes open.

You should have a business with like
a family atmosphere, you know, make

everybody like family, but the reality is.

Some families are dysfunctional.

You gotta set those limits.

There's still things you have
to have those boundaries.

Welcome to the Growth-Minded
Marketing podcast.

I'm Steve Phipps, joined by my
co-host Annie Laurie Walters.

This is the podcast for B2B
CEOs and their marketing teams

who want to grow their company.

Their team and themselves.

And if, if you've ever felt overwhelmed
trying to figure out marketing or

frustrated by results that don't match
your efforts, you are in the right place.

We are here to help simplify your
marketing strategy so that you

can scale with confidence today.

AnnieLaurie : Today's
episode is a special one.

We're joined by Carolyn, Michael Banks,
the founder of a Tour of Possibilities,

which is an African American heritage
tour company based here in Memphis.

Steve: Now, I've had the privilege
of knowing Carolyn for, for several

years, and her story is powerful.

Uh, what began as a career in tourism.

Has grown into a purpose-driven business.

One that is committed to educating,
inspiring, and bringing visibility

to stories that too often go untold.

AnnieLaurie : She's a business owner, a
cultural curator, and a community leader.

But more than that, Carolyn is
a living example of resilience.

You'll hear about how she responded
when COVID shut down her business.

How she kept going when her message
made people uncomfortable, and why

she never let go of her mission.

Steve: So if you're leading a
business and wondering how to stay

the course, especially when it's
hard, this conversation is for you.

So let's get to it.

Here's my conversation with Carolyn.

Michael Banks.

All right everybody.

Welcome back to Growth-Minded
Marketing podcast.

And if you've listened to previous
episodes, you know that one of my favorite

things to do is to have conversations
with business owners and hear.

The lessons that they've learned, battles
that they have fought, and the hard

won wisdom that they are so gracious
to share with us here on the podcast.

And today's guest is
Carolyn, Michael Banks.

I've known Carolyn since 2020, and back
in 2020 I launched a marketing mastermind

group for small business owners.

And Carolyn, I didn't know her,
but she, we got introduced and

she joined in with that group
and we met for about four years.

And so over these four years, I've had
the opportunity to walk alongside and with

Carolyn, and I've learned a ton from her,
and she has just this fantastic story.

Her businesses, and I'm not gonna steal
all her thunder, but, but her business

is not just a business, it's a mission,
and it's a vehicle for bringing change.

So Carolyn.

Thank you for being here.

Excited to hear your story.

If you would, just take a couple
of minutes and share Lloyd about

who you are and tell us about your
business, A tour of possibilities.

Well, thank you so much, Steve.

My name is Carolyn Michael Banks.

I am the founder and owner and
cultural curator of a company

called A Tour of Possibilities.

It's an African-American historical tour
of Memphis, Tennessee, and as I always

like to share, it's not for tourist only.

As Steve mentioned, it is a mission
I'm on to sharing information

with people who probably.

May know a little bit, may not
know anything, but I'm just really

concerned about how much we don't
know about the history of this country

that's never been taught to us.

And the other thing I wanna say right
up front, sometimes I'm finding out that

when I talk about, or even say the word
history, what comes to mind for people?

Oh, do I have to hear
about all this hard stuff?

Yeah, you gotta hear some hard stuff.

But to me it's the resilience from all
the hard stuff that makes a difference,

which is why the, the company is
called a tour of possibilities.

I love that.

And of course, you and I have had
numerous conversations and I, I love for

you that it's not just about history,
but it's history with a purpose, right?

It's, it's helping educate people and
introducing people to stories that many

of us have never heard, especially as
it relates to African American history.

So Carolyn, talk a little bit about how
did you even come to starting a tour

of possibilities in the first place?

I started my tourism career
in Washington DC when an

incredible place to get started.

And I had worked for a large sight scene
company, then had the opportunity to

work for another sight scene company.

But this one that I worked for was
national and I was very, very blessed

to have kind of rise through the ranks
relatively quickly, became the general

manager of that particular company and for
some reason, thought I had some authority.

You know how you think you
get a promotion, you think

you could do some stuff?

So I did, and one of the things
I chose to do was to add African

American history to our script.

Because we didn't have any.

So I did the research,
got everybody trained.

I'm thinking this is the best
thing since sliced bread.

And I get a call from my CEO, who
I just knew was going to pat me

on the back and say, well done.

And his question to me was,
what's all this black stuff?

Hmm.

And my first reaction was, oh my
gosh, was there grease on the seat?

Do I need to, you know,
send somebody a check?

I'm a good gm.

I can do this.

He simply said, I'm getting calls.

I'm getting letters that people are just
too uncomfortable with this information.

Now this is 1989, Steve, and here
we are in 2026 and we're still

having the same conversation.

Yeah, which speaks volumes.

But I had a chance to, even though I
was in DC and the, and the CEO didn't

like what I was doing, he gave me
an opportunity to go to Savannah,

Georgia to open up that operation,
which I found interesting since he

wasn't on the same page with me.

But he knew I knew what I was doing,
so I understood that to a point.

And I also felt that he
thought I was gonna say no.

He made the offer and I just think
he thought I was gonna say no.

'cause I love dc.

But to his surprise, I
said, when do I move?

Moved to Savannah, Georgia, did the
research, got everybody trained,

added African American history
'cause that's what was needed.

I was then asked to relocate
to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Now I'm a boogie down Bronx
girl from the Northeast.

So moving from Savannah to
Philly was not an issue.

I didn't mind going back up Northeast.

And did the same thing.

Did the research, got everybody
trained, added African American history.

My goodness, that's
'cause it should be there.

And instead of relocating me again,
they just decided to downsize me.

Now I gotta tell you how
devastating that was.

But what I didn't realize,
it was an answer to a prayer.

And the prayer was, you know, if I had
some time, Lord, I'd start my own company.

And it was kind of as if, uh, God
said, well daughter, you have enough

time now 'cause you have no job.

And so I started a tour of possibilities
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Met the man in my dreams there
who lived in Memphis, and that's

how I got here to Memphis.

I wanna highlight this because even
a few minutes ago, your comment

about history is the resiliency.

Learning from the difficulties that those
who have gone before us have encountered.

AnnieLaurie : Mm-hmm.

And

Carolyn: that often if history is just
left as facts and figures and dates,

you know, that goes back to having to
memorize all that for high school tests.

And I think that's a lot of what
people think of when they think of

history, but when, when you correlate
it to stories and people and what

they faced and encountered, and so.

Your experience is also one of
resilience in that you faced this loss

of a job, something you loved doing.

Mm-hmm.

And as you said, all right, Lord, if I had
the time, and sometimes those answers come

in ways that we wouldn't choose ourselves.

So you meet your husband
and you move to Memphis.

Now what, what year was that,
that you came to Memphis?

2000.

2000.

So you've been in Memphis now 26 years?

One.

Yes.

Did you start it right away,
or what was the timeframe for

getting atop off the ground?

So I lived in Memphis for 14
years before I started atop.

Okay.

And what I really find fascinating
as I look back on that, was for 14

years I knew this much about the city.

I mean, that means zero for
those of you can't see me.

So a lot of what I'm doing now is
a result of learning myself about

this city, and I only knew that Dr.

King was assassinated here.

I knew that they really liked
barbecue, and I knew that

Elvis still walked the planet.

And then I started doing the research and
was blown away by the amount of history

around almost every corner here, which
is what really moved me to go forward.

Just before I started doing this business,
I was working for the Tennessee Lottery,

which is a whole nother conversation,
but one of the things that was happening

was my clients were retail people in in
convenience stores, and one day I came

home from work and I'm watching the news
and someone was shot at a store where I

had just left and I said, you know, Lord,
I talked to him a lot, just so you know.

I said, you know, Lord, if I gotta
go out, I really don't wanna go

out in the convenience store.

Help me figure out what it is I need to do
that gives me more than just a paycheck.

Yeah.

And doing tours was the only
thing I had done as an adult that

gave me that kind of, Ooh, I, I
can't wait to get up and do this

every day.

I think that's something is important
for us as, as entrepreneurs and those

of us who have founded a business or
even stepped into running a business

is, is when we can, it's not always
gonna line up this way, but having

something that we're passionate about.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, and.

More than just making profit in a good
paycheck, but having something that is

purpose driven and that, that statement's
so overused, but, but, but it's so true.

There's a lot of impact there.

So you get up and running.

Did you start out initially and primarily
doing tours that were focused on African

American history or did you add that in?

What was the dynamic there?

No, that was gonna be my niche.

And the reason why was that, and
it started as I mentioned in DC,

that I knew this was a missing.

I mean, in every city I went
to, I went and did all the tours

they had just to, you know, see.

And sure enough, each tour I
took had a missing, and I know

black folks were doing stuff.

But you know, the only thing they
kind of talked about was when we

were in music or, or in sports.

And I'm like, our history is so
much deeper than us being very

good in, in sports and in music.

So when I started doing the research,
it was intentional that this was

gonna be a tour that focused on
the African American experience.

But I'll tell you something else, Steve,
that was very interesting in going

to all these and I went to as many.

I don't know, resources that I could get
my hands on, especially the free ones.

And I went to one and the person
who sat across the desk from me

said, you know what you're missing.

And I'm like, oh, please tell me.

'cause you know I wanna be successful.

He said, first of all, the literature
that you have, you don't have one

picture of Elvis Presley on here.

And I said, yeah, that's correct.

And that's because that's not my focus.

You know, we have several other tours
in this city that that's their focus.

And I said, I don't wanna be
misleading by someone looking at some

of my literature and go, oh yeah,
we're gonna talk a lot about Elvis.

No, I do mention him 'cause
he is a part of the history

here, but it was not my focus.

So I started with that
intention and continue to,

so you get started and you
start offering these tours.

What were the first few years
of the business like for you?

One of the lessons I learned, and
I'm sure you've heard the phrase,

build it and they will come.

Field of dreams, like in
1989, something like that.

And it's very motivational, you
know, build it and they will come.

But what I learned very quickly
was just because you built it

doesn't mean they're coming.

I had to really get a grip of the
amount of work it was going to take to

really get what I do out in the public.

To really get what I do, to the most
part, to be accepted even by, you know,

the group like Memphis Tourism, which is
like the head cheerleader for Memphis.

And because they were used to
selling Memphis a certain way and

what I was offering was not really
part of what they talked about.

And so that was one of my, uh, my
biggest challenges, number one.

Number two, I'm not from Memphis,
so there were a number of people in

Memphis, but like, how could you tell
our story and you're not from here?

And I had to share with them that
sometimes being an outsider, if

you will, gives me the opportunity
to see things that people who

grew up in and live in don't see.

'cause it's just too obvious sometimes.

So I was able to uncover some of the
hidden history that is in plain sight,

so that that was challenge and still is.

So fast forward to the
last couple of years.

Obviously COVID was a big disruption.

How did COVID impact your business
and what were some of the things

that you did to shift and adapt?

March 13th, 2020, sitting in the office
where I sit now and the tears fell

from my face 'cause the word was out.

Tourism is done.

It's not gonna happen.

You can't be close to people.

People aren't traveling.

Just, you know, forget it.

And I'm like, I'm already into it now.

Several years I, I'm
not ready to forget it.

And again, I, you know, my mother's
no longer with me and you'll

hear me reference her a lot.

And she just simply said, so daughter,
what's the name of your company?

And I'm like, oh, here she goes.

And she said, I want
you to say it out loud.

Okay.

I said, it's a tour of possibilities.

And she said, I'll say no more.

Figure it out.

So what I ended up doing was doing
something we called the caravan tour,

which allowed my guests to be in their
own vehicles, connect via Bluetooth,

follow the van through the city, and
they could hear and experience the tour

almost as if they were with me in the van.

They could ask questions
and, and that really kept

us afloat during COV.

I love that.

Now, was that an idea
that just came to you?

Did you see somebody else doing this?

How did you come up with that idea?

So let me tell you how my God works.

I just wanna share a little bit with you.

So two years prior to that, Toyota had
chosen to do something called steeped in

history, where they would do one city a
year and they would invite influencers

from that city to do an African-American
history tour of their city.

I happen to be the one
selected to do that.

And when I'm talking to them and
trying to figure it out, I said, you

know, I only have a 10 passenger van.

And they go, oh, no, no,
you won't be in a van.

You'll be in a Toyota car.

You will have eight cars following
you and we'll get a hookup.

And I can't remember what device
we used to hook up, but that's

what happened two years prior.

Who would've known something two years
prior, would've given the seed that I

needed to do what I did during COVID.

I only got, I'm telling you.

I love that from the standpoint of, of
resilience and facing challenges and,

and some of these challenges are just
the natural flow of running a business.

And then we have COVID, which is something
that disrupted everybody and how.

Paying attention to the things that
we've learned in other contexts or

in other situations, and being open
to, well, how can I use what I've

learned and experienced somewhere else?

And, and I think it's important
too, I don't talk about this on the

podcast, but I'm also, I'm a certified
health coach and so my wife and I do

some things with that on the side.

And, and you know, one of the
things we talk to people about

as it relates to health is.

Taking time to acknowledge
the hard, acknowledging the

emotion that comes with that.

Like you said, there were
tears and rightfully so.

Mm-hmm.

But I love the fact that
you didn't stay there.

Like you said, it was that
reminder your mom's voice of,

what's the name of the company?

Ah, dang it.

You know, it's that place where
sometimes it's easier to sit and wallow.

I don't think you were wallowing, but
sometimes it's easy to stay in that

place and it turns into wallowing.

Mm-hmm.

Rather than having to get up and do
something different and do something hard.

Yeah.

So I love that story.

Uh, and like you said, I mean,
that's what helped carry you through.

So talk a little bit about what, what's
the state of the business right now?

What are you seeing?

What, what are some of the
things that you've experienced

over the last year or so?

One of the things that has happened
is I'm choosing to change my focus.

You know how sometimes you get an
idea, you have a plan, you need all

this good stuff, and all of a sudden
like, we need to really rethink this.

And so my focus for the PA for the
first 10 years has been the individual

traveler, and I absolutely loved that.

I mean, it is great.

However, huh?

Light bulb came on and said, do you
realize that the two to three hours

you spend with two people, you can do
that with groups And let's not forget

we're in business to make money,
and I needed something that would

hit my bottom line with more impact.

Yeah.

And 56 people as opposed to
two or four or 10 people.

Immediately can have a change.

So that's been the shift that's happening.

We're now looking at working with
businesses here in Memphis as part of

their orientation and onboarding process.

So those who come to work for
organizations in Memphis will

have more of a sense of the city.

We're looking at, uh, higher
educational institutions so that when

they get here to start their, you
know, their college years, they have

a better understanding of the city.

Things like that has
been the shift in focus.

I mean, I kind of thought about
it when I started, but you

know, you gotta start somewhere.

And then it was kind of, I'm telling
you, it was like this epiphany,

like why is it taking you so long?

Because I was really hooked on
what I thought I wanted to do.

And what I wanted to do was fine,
but it just wasn't enough, you know?

And as business owners that I said
I go to every possible meeting there

is, you know, and we're always talking
about scaling and dah, dah, dah.

And the individual traveler was
not going to allow me to do that.

And I love that you're over
a decade into the business.

Yeah.

And you're continuing to look
for ways to innovate and try new

things, and you're open to that.

Is there any part of your story
that you haven't shared yet that

you think would be really impactful
or meaningful for our listeners?

One of the things, and it happened
relatively recently, and it was.

I had to let somebody go who had been
with me for, um, over five years.

And it was kind of the relationship
where, I mean, I was really connected,

you know, I knew her family issues.

I mean every transportation
issues, health issues, you name it.

And trusted her with everything I had.

Again, my spirit really, I, I asked my
spirit not to whisper, to yell 'cause

I'm getting hard of hearing now, and
it was just check on some things.

And what I found was as much trust as
I had, it skewed, not skewed me, but

it took me away from really looking at
things the way I needed to look at it.

Here's an example.

Back in, I think it was 2019, I
decided to put a GPS system in my van.

Initially it was like, I'm not gonna
even tell anybody that it's there.

I just, no, no.

I wanna be transparent.

I want them to know that God forbid
anything happens, I could get to them

if I don't hear from all of that.

And then more recently,
my spirit was like.

Just check because I wasn't checking.

I mean, I trusted this person
with my vehicle, right?

And Steve, I checked one month worth of
van usage and it wasn't 1, 2, 3 times

37 different incidents that the vehicle
was used not for atop business 37.

Lesson is you just really
have to keep your eyes open.

You should have a business with
like a family atmosphere, you

know, make everybody like family.

But the reality is some
families are dysfunctional.

You gotta set those limits.

I mean, I know it, it, it leads to, you
know, people staying longer and all this

loyalty and stuff, but there's still
things you have to have those boundaries.

Because you can miss things and I
miss some stuff and I, and I take

some responsibility for that as well.

'cause I checked on occasion,
but I wasn't checking nighttime.

I didn't think it would
be 2, 3, 4 in the morning.

These runs were being made.

Oh wow.

So I, after I sat back,
'cause I try and do a lot of

reflection on stuff that happens.

'cause I think things happen for
Rea, I know things happen for

reasons, but I sat back and I said,
what do I need to learn from this?

And that was my lesson, to
really keep my eyes open, to

be careful the relationships.

'cause I'm one of those huggy,
I'm a, I'm a touchy-feely huggy.

I'm just that kind of person.

With all that though, you have to keep
your lines of engagement to a certain

level so that you can be aware of what.

It was really obvious, but I just
didn't see it until much later.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I know how much you care for people.

Mm-hmm.

And how much you love people.

And, and I think for any business owner
that has that desire to create a family

type environment, that sometimes it,
it, it is easy to overtrust, maybe not

that we don't trust people 'cause we do.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

But it's also recognizing that there
needs to be accountability in place

and structure and checks and balances.

Because sometimes even good
people, people that we trust.

Have circumstances that
they make poor choices.

Yes.

And so being human has
its, you know, drawbacks.

It does, it does.

Now, Carolyn, as we start to
wrap up, what's, wow, that went

fast.

What's one piece of advice that you
would share with the business owners?

'cause again, you're bringing in.

A variety of experience.

And so what's a piece of advice
that you give, especially you think

about people growing and scaling and
trying to do those kinds of things.

What, what's a piece of advice that
you would give to business owners?

Something that I don't hear in
a lot of the classes that I take

for, for entrepreneurs, and that is
considering journaling your experiences.

Because journaling for me
does a couple of things.

One, it allows me to
get things off my chest.

It gets me to see it on paper.

It gives me a chance to perhaps see things
clearly, 'cause things that stay in your

head, go in circles, and sometimes putting
it on paper allows you to see it clearly.

Number two, what it has allowed for me,
afforded me was the ability to go back

and look at how I got through certain
things, especially when things got tough.

And not only did it show me
how I got through it, but the

fact that I got through it.

And those are the things
that keep me going.

'cause those hills and mountains
and everything that we hit,

they will continue just because
life can life itself, you know?

But for me, the journaling experience
has given me that opportunity, especially

now that I've been on the planet over
six, it'll be 69 years this year.

There are things that we don't remember.

That we possibly should.

And some of them is, includes
even accomplishments.

And one other thing I appreciated so much
about our time in our mastermind was we

would start off with, you know, our wins.

And there were many times I didn't
think about the wins I had 'cause

I'm so busy into all the other stuff.

The other part of it that I have
found out is those times that were

really difficult, that felt like
I wasn't getting through them.

Knowing that I got through them now gives
me the strength to know I'll get through

them again no matter how bad it looked.

And as I said, in many of the meetings
I go to, I kind of wish someone

else had kind of brought it up.

I've been journaling not as often
as I should, but again, my mother's

like, you need to write down 'cause
you're gonna forget the good stuff and

remember the bad stuff, but you really
have more good stuff going for you.

But if you don't write it
down, you won't remember.

And, uh, just give yourself some
grace by, by being able to look back

and see what you have accomplished,
good, bad, or indifferent.

At least you can see it.

And then go from there.

That's great advice.

As, as someone who, who does journal.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, you know, I know sometimes
I, I love your point about it.

It gives you a record to go back to.

And I know another benefit for me
is, as you said, sometimes we get

all these thoughts and these ideas
swirling around and our brains,

and as, as entrepreneurs, our brain
doesn't click off at five o'clock.

Our brain may click on at 5:00 AM or
uh, 2:00 AM whatever, whenever it is.

And that being a great way to get some
clarity by getting those thoughts out.

Mm-hmm.

And having that record to go
back to, to see, oh wait, I did.

Now that I can look back
and even sometimes, well,

how did I go through that?

What did I learn?

Because we, we do, we, we forget quickly.

Carolyn, this has been fantastic.

And one other thing I wanted to point out.

You just commented, you are 69
and number one, I knew kind of the

thereabouts about your age range
based on previous conversations.

And I think if anybody ever met you,
they would not, they would go, no,

no, but I love the fact that you're
like, you're, you're not slowing down.

Let me put it this way.

Maybe in some capacities
you're like, okay, I'm, I'm,

I'm slowing down a little bit.

Yeah.

But as it, as it relates to your, your
business one, again, you see it as a

mission to educate people, to help improve
relationships among people groups, but

you're continuing to find new ways,
like you just mentioned, you're taking

classes on entrepreneurialism and I,
I know you and I know that you are.

Always learning, you're always,
you're asking good questions because

you're wanting to learn more.

How can I do this better?

So I think just another takeaway that I
have of this conversation and, and others,

is keep learning, keep asking questions.

And you know, I, I'm excited to see what
happens in your next decade of, of life

and the impact that you're gonna have.

Now, I'm also working on my exit strategy,
which I think is also important for

entrepreneurs to start to look at.

Yes, because I, I have
a lot of work to do.

I mean, I now have a, a, a list
of things I need to have in place.

So, so with that, with those years
has come a little wisdom as to know

when it's time, you know, to, to sit
it down and, and be prepared for that.

Well, thank you so much for sharing that
with us and for our listeners, thank

you for joining us and as Carolyn said.

One of the ways that I work with
folks is through coaching, and in

the past that's been masterminds.

And so if you or someone in your business
needs help with marketing, uh, I would

love to have a conversation with you
and you can get in touch with me through

our website, wayfind marketing.com.

Again, Carolyn, thank you so
much for joining us today.

My absolute

pleasure.

AnnieLaurie : Carolyn's story is
such a powerful reminder that your

business can be more than a paycheck.

It can be a platform,
a vehicle for change.

And she didn't wait
for perfect conditions.

She moved forward with passion,
purpose, and a whole lot of grit,

Steve: a whole lot of grit.

And when you are clear on your why
as Carolyn is, it's a whole lot

easier to get through the what now?

Carolyn didn't just build a tour business.

She has built a mission that people
could rally around and even when

the road has gotten bumpy, global
pandemic, she didn't stop driving.

She found a new lane with the
caravan tours and kept going.

AnnieLaurie : I love that.

She turned obstacles into opportunities,
and that's what resilience.

Looks like, and it's something
every business owner can learn from,

Steve: and I love that she was vulnerable
in sharing her story because she shared.

You know the difficulties that
she didn't let the emotion of

that keep her from moving forward.

So for you, our listeners,
here's your takeaway.

Polarity doesn't come from waiting.

It comes from moving, from
taking the next step, even if

it's small, even if it's scrap.

And if your next step is figuring
out your marketing strategy,

we've got a simple way to help.

Take five minutes.

Head over to way find marketing.com.

And click the button to take
our marketing assessment.

This is a free B2B marketing
assessment that gives you a clear

snapshot of what's working, what's
missing, and where to focus next.

There's no fluff.

There's no filler.

This is straightforward insight based
on what actually drives growth, and

whether you are DIY in your marketing,
whether you're leading a small marketing

team or maybe working with an agency.

This tool will help you spot
the gaps, begin aligning your

strategy and make smarter decisions
with your time and your budget.

AnnieLaurie : And if Carolyn's story
encouraged you, send this episode to

another business owner who would love to
hear it or maybe share it with your team

as a reminder of why you do what you do.

Steve: Hey, don't forget to
subscribe so that you never

miss an episode of our podcast.

We've got more practical strategies
and powerful stories coming

your way to help you grow your
business, your team, and yourself.

AnnieLaurie : We'll see you next time
on the Growth Minded Marketing Podcast.