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Meet Reggie Alcos

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Reggie Alcos.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Reggie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I think I have a unique origin story. I grew up in the Midwest, about half and an hour south of Chicago and most of my aunts and uncles were/are doctors and when I had to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up at the age of 18, I had absolutely NO IDEA! Really…what 18 years old does? Anyway, I called my aunts and uncles and, surprise, surprise, they “guided” me towards the medical field. My original plan was to get a nursing degree and then go onto med school. About three years in, I finally dared to tell my parents that I no longer wanted to be in the medical field. The meeting we had with the Dean of the School of Nursing was one of the hardest meetings I’ve ever had. I ended up getting an Experimental Psychology Degree. I tell that part of my story because it was a sign of things to come (and go)!

After graduation in 2000, I moved to Huntington Beach, CA and it was, literally, everything a Midwest 22 year old guy could imagine! I moved in with a college buddy and we were two blocks from the beach and walking distance to all the bars and restaurants on Main Street. I took a job with a startup that ended up failing (surprise, surprise) and then a friend helped me get a job in the financial world. I am so thankful that I took that job because it was a place where I truly learned that if I put my mind to something, I can achieve it. If I set goals, I can get there! On my first day of training, I learned about a position within the company called an external wholesaler where I would get to travel, consult financial advisers, and help them build their businesses. From that point on, my main goal at the company was to become an external wholesaler. After 4 years of learning everything I could from anyone I could, I felt that it was time, time to start actively looking to get an external wholesaling role. After several attempts and a few different roles at different companies, I finally achieved that goal of becoming an external wholesaler who took me to Arizona.

This where my story takes a weird turn. By the time I finally achieved my goal, I was about to be a first-time father and the traveling several times a month started wearing me down and I wanted to be around more for my son. Don’t get me wrong, I loved helping financial advisers grow their business, but the role was no longer the right fit for me at this point in my life. I left the financial industry after about 10 years and took a few leaps into the software sales world and finally, the digital marketing world. During all this time climbing the corporate ladder, I was always interested in the digital world from building websites to social media. I spent a lot of my free time learning about all things digital. I just didn’t know how to get into that world until my girlfriend introduced me to a friend of hers who was in the industry. He “convinced” me that I would be great in the digital marketing world and that I should take the leap and start applying. With the help of my girlfriend, she made me look amazing on my resume and I was able to get my first job in the digital world and I’m loving every minute of it!

I’m no longer with that first digital company, but I learned so much from everyone there and I am thankful. Currently, I am more than a digital strategist that helps businesses achieve their goals or solves problems digitally. I do what I can to help the businesses I work within almost all aspects of their business from operations to sales training to overall marketing strategies. I LOVE what I do! It’s a passion of mine and I believe that the people I work with can sense that which makes it even better!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has DEFINITELY not been smooth. From the many rejections to completely changing industries, my journey to becoming a digital strategist has been a rough, but ultimately, worth it. It took some time, but I finally found something more than a “job” to me. I believe that I found something that I am truly passionate about. I love helping the businesses I work with grow and achieve their goals.

Tell us more about the business.
In general terms, I’m a digital strategist that brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to my clients whom I call my partners. I have over 15+ years of sales and marketing experience with the last eight years specifically in the digital marketing world. I’ve helped small “mom and pop” businesses, as well as large national corporations, utilize the latest in digital marketing strategies and platforms to grow their brand and increase their sales. From website development to Google Ads to Social Media Ads to Social Media Management, my team and I can help with the more “traditional” forms of digital marketing, but I can also help my partners determine what other digital platforms might work for them as well like getting their commercials in front of their target audience while they stream their favorite shows at any time on any device regardless of the network or program.

One of the things that set me apart from other agencies out there might be a couple of things:
1. I have tried many of the strategies I recommend to my partners myself. I’ve built eCommerce stores for myself, I’ve sold things on Amazon, I’ve run my digital ads for my projects just to see how things work and how a business owner might experience different strategies. I’ve invested my dollars into these strategies and platforms.
2. I have a lot of experience in different roles in different industries and I use those experiences to help my partners. One of the things that I’ve seen time and time again is that a business is so focused on getting leads but they forget to take a look at whether or not they are ready operationally to follow through on those leads…do they have the right follow up process? Do they have the right people in place to help bring those people in as customers? Do they have a strategy in place when a customer leaves their site or location? I bring my experience to my partners and do what I can to help them develop the right process and help them execute those strategies after they get these leads.
3. I want to brag to everyone I know about how I’m helping a business grow. I have a personal interest in helping my partners succeed because I get to tell everyone about that success and that I played a role in that.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m not sure if “luck” is the right word for it, but I can tell you that it’s more about seeing opportunities and saying “yes” to the right ones. The tough part is figuring out if the opportunity was the right one for you. I’ve said “yes” to many opportunities that didn’t pan out, but new ones always appeared. There are a few “opportunities” that stick out that have affected my life both personally and professionally.
1. Freshman year in college a week before classes, all the freshmen went to a camp to get to know one another. I didn’t know anyone from my high school and as we were sitting on the bus getting ready to head out to the camp, I decided to take the “opportunity” to say hello to the person sitting next to me. To my relief, he said hello back and it made me feel confident that I could go out and meet some new people. This was VERY hard for me to do because I was pretty shy when it came to meeting new people growing up. I grew up with the same friends since 1st grade all through high school. I didn’t need to meet new people, so taking that opportunity to introduce myself to that person changed my life. I felt a new confidence in me that I never really had before. I can tell you, without a doubt, that I would not be where I am today had it not been for that moment that opportunity.

2. Packing up and moving to California. A buddy I went to college with suggested that I make the move to Southern California because we could room together and it would just be awesome! I never thought about moving to Southern California ever, but when that opportunity arose, I really couldn’t say no. It was tough to think about leaving my comfort zone, my bubble for 22 years of my life, but I always believed that I didn’t want to grow old and think “what if…” I wanted to seize the opportunity and see if I could make things happen for me.

3. Moving to Arizona. This was an amazing opportunity to advance my career. I never thought that I would be living in Arizona, but this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Moving to Arizona has changed my life both professionally and personally. I met the most amazing woman who does her best to keep me and the family in-line. She challenges me professionally because she’s good like that and she makes me want to always do better. Professionally, I took a leap of faith and said yes to an opportunity in the digital marketing world about seven or eight years ago and my life has never been the same!

As far as luck goes, I guess I am lucky to have four amazing kids that push me to be the best person/dad I can be. They keep me on my toes and humble me when I need humbling. I want to make sure they see that hard work pays off and that there are opportunities for them everywhere and they can achieve anything they want. It’s not all about luck, it’s about opportunities.

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