Talking Digital with Billy J. Stevenson III

Who is Billy outside of your bio?
I am fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, and excited. Sometimes to a benefit and sometimes to a detriment, I haven’t quite figured out how to be anything other than myself. On a scale of one to ten, I am more often on ten than I am on one in any given situation. I am a believer in Jesus, which is the basis of my decision making and life view. I do my best to bring kindness and light to every room and every situation because there is seldom enough of it, and it is tough to have to have too much of it. I am a classically trained musician, but my Spotify library could be playing at any given time Vivaldi, Beyonce, Diplo, Elevation Worship, Jill Scott, Evanescence, or Lenny Kravitz just to name a few. I am a son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, and a friend. I have fun cooking, and even more fun eating, but I do not like doing the dishes after. I have an addiction to white cake and cupcakes with buttercream icing because it tastes like happiness and celebration. I am a true technophile, in love with all types of technology especially new things. I enjoy I believe in glass half full not half empty, tea over coffee, cold weather is better than hot weather, the opposite of fire is no fire (not water), and that water isn’t wet. I am always up for scintillating conversation and stimulating debate on just about any topic. I believe there is beauty in everything and purpose in everything.

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People need to know that entrepreneurship isn’t easy. What is something you learned along the way that would help an upcoming entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship is definitely not easy, though it can be simple. Something I learned on the way is the power of a team. Because of culture, media, and storytelling, there is a myth that being a entrepreneurship is all on the entrepreneur. There is this idea that if anything is going to happen you, as the entrepreneur, have to make it happen. This is not the case and, more often than not, the opposite is true. The real key to successful entrepreneurship at any level is a team and systems. I’d seen it over and over again in my over-a-decade experience in Corporate America in these titans of industry, there was no business solution that didn’t have a team or a system built around it. The adrenaline and emotion of starting a business and the passion around what you do can make an entrepreneur feel like they can do it all, which is true for a while. But when this happens you don’t have a business, a business has you. The real magic happens when you learn to curate and cultivate a team and develop systems that produce outcomes consistently. This allows you to do more without jeopardizing production, whether that is more work or more play. The freedom of entrepreneurship comes with a team and systems, even for the things that you are capable of doing. One of my favorite scriptures says “Above all else, get an understanding,” because there is nothing more valuable than a full and true understanding of anything. If you cannot define, map, and teach someone else how you do everything in your business, then you probably don’t understand your process and your formula well enough. That means that you may not have enough of an understanding of the what and why of your business to maximize and scale successfully. So map your processes, learn to collaborate and hire for those things that you cannot do (and the things that are preventing you from doing the things you do well), and continue to optimize. If you don’t have a consistent stream of revenue that makes hiring permanent help possible, consider hiring project-based assistance on the likes of Upwork and Fivrr or leveraging technology in the form of automation and artificial intelligence. You must have a team and a system to reach the heights of your potential.

What makes your business difference from your competitors?
Our competitive edge would be our one-stop, 360-degree offerings, the wide spectrum of digital aspects we provide services in, and our personality and delivery style. Most in this particular industry, which is relatively small as is, either digitize what you bring them, or they assist you in maximizing your product or project and then send you to a digital specialist to get it in digital spaces. We, however, can help make your plans, products, and projects the best that they can be while simultaneously building in the digital infrastructure and change management plans necessary for the best possible outcome and return on investment. In addition, our training and public speaking uses technology like audience response software to provide real-time feedback in the form of word clouds and bar graphs to add an additional level of engagement. To drive excitement and adoption during training and public speaking engagements, we incorporate a high-energy presentation style and utilize metaphors, storytelling, and analogies to assist with understanding complex technical information. Another aspect of our competitive edge is the broad industry experience we have which include healthcare, education, religious, retail, consumer packaged goods, corporate, federal government, coaching, and more. Because user facing technology, change management, and innovation education spans many industries so do we and our services. Most importantly, we do everything with love. I know that can be somewhat of a “bad word” in business, especially in anything technology related, but it really does make a difference in the boardroom, classroom, and auditorium. People respond to love, even when they don’t recognize it. They call it customer service, great energy, kindness, or the “it” factor, but it always makes a difference.

What do you do to take care of you?
I believe that I am my best resource because no matter where I go or what I do, I have to be with me. So I take care of self early and often. That starts with sleeping in on the weekends, when I can. Few things are more restorative than some good sleep in a great bed. I also make it a habit to attend church weekly, pray regularly, and engage in worship often. Something that really helps me reset, especially when dealing with high emotion or stress, is a really great movie. I also love immersing myself in my favorite tv shows and books. There is nothing like a mouth-watering meal at a beautiful restaurant for some self-care. When I can I like to travel somewhere I haven’t been, whether that is another country or a new neighborhood I’ve never seen in my area, there is something refreshing in being in a new place. I have found the key to self-care is to ensure that you take time before you need time, it is more about frequency than even quality sometimes. The best and healthiest self-care is preventative self-care.

What’s next for Billy?
I am focusing deeply on course creation and public speaking, specifically around Web3 Technology like Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and the Metaverse. I think helping people understand these topics at a fundamental level is important and opens the door to the future with all the opportunities and possibilities behind it. I take these complex topics and make them accessible by breaking them down so that anyone can understand the basics. My goal is to also continue to train and speak on Web 3 as well as change management and adoption, organizational development training for team building like DISC and StrengthFinder assessments, social media marketing and branding, and modern work technologies like Microsoft and Zoom. I will also continue to offer digital class creation services to businesses and individuals that would like to monetize their knowledge and consulting for maximize and optimize their projects and people. My goal is to help people with their projects and passions by educating and enhancing their human and technological capabilities. I will continue to sharpen my skills and expand my offerings to do just that.