Today we’d like to introduce you to Alycia Darby Zimnoch.
Alycia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2014, I won Miss California. I was a long way away from my small hometown in Pennsylvania. I’d always had a wanderlust for the west coast and finally made it to the sunshine state at age 26. I’d competed in pageants across the country for over 10 years and learned valuable life skills in networking, communication, and speaking. I knew how pageantry can catapult career success, however, the access to high-level coaching was limited in rural areas around the world, including where I grew up.
So, when I relinquished my title in 2015 to the new Miss California, I started a coaching business with the purpose of providing online access to high-level training to help them win in pageantry and in life. WinAPageant.com grew as a media company with the #1 pageant podcast on iTunes, a fast-growing YouTube channel, and an Amazon bestselling book.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in pageantries like fashion designer Johnathan Kayne, Miss USA Kristen Dalton, and Miss Universe Runway Coach Lu Sierra. Over the last 3 years, I’ve fully automated my coaching business with online products and courses.
Now, I have the privilege of emceeing live and televised events while consulting fellow entrepreneurs and coaches on how they can develop their own personal brand and produce media to attract a steady stream of clients that know them, love them, and trust them. Plus, I’ll soon be launching a new show to teach others the strategy behind using media for branding online at AlyciaDarby.com.
Has it been a smooth road?
The first coaching course I launched was a total flop. I’d spent months preparing, filming, editing, and formatting hundreds of videos for a membership site with the hope of recurring revenue. However, I didn’t have an audience yet and I was really just guessing what my target market would like. I sold a few months of the membership to my network, but it was short-lived. I believe that failures are a part of the process to success.
That failure taught me the important lesson of building a list and an audience. I turned those videos into the first few episodes of my show on iTunes and YouTube and started to build my audience and list. It was my first big hit!
So, I continued improving my content until I had a large enough audience size to survey. I asked them what they wanted most and their answers helped me write my sales page, marketing emails, and content for a new course called the Pageant Interview Game Plan. This time I had the confidence that what I’d packaged was the solution to their biggest problem. It was another slam-dunk and still attracts pageant contestants today.
By clarifying my message, developing a signature process, and magnifying with media, my brand has quickly become the most sought-after resource for women in the pageant industry. I’m consistently invited to host events, speak to groups of women and interview celebrities like Miss USA and Miss Universe because of the brand I’ve built and my experience with media.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Alycia Darby Media & Consulting – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Like many entrepreneurs, I have a central passion that is expressed in many areas of my work. Media is what fuels me; it’s how I built success, and how I love to communicate.
Media is simply ‘mass communication,’ and it works in any industry, for any niche, with any personality. As a Pageant Coach, I own WinAPageant.com and provided pageant interview coaching to women around the world through free media channels and paid online programs. As an Emcee, I host live events and speak to groups about leaving a legacy through personal branding and media development. As a Media Strategist, I consult entrepreneurs on their vision and help them create a media show on Facebook, YouTube, and iTunes to attract clients exponentially.
My signature process includes three important steps to make sure your brand communicates exactly what you want it to. First, I train my clients to Clarify Your Message, so you are able to easily explain what you do and your audience is able to repeat it to their friends when they share your media episodes. This includes your brand’s core values so you always stay tethered to your truth. Second, I Identify Your Brand, so you have a cohesive look across all social channels and the right images to send when other media stations call. This includes on-camera colors and styling to make sure your look is just right.
Finally, I help you to Magnify Your Media! We find royalty-free music, write captivating intros and outros, format your show for consistency and ease, brainstorm topics, write clickable headlines, and use my Repurposing Strategy so you can be on all the major social channels without a lot of drain on your time.
The major difference that makes my pageant and media clients stand out, have massive confidence, and never run out of content is that I start with your core belief. Out of your core belief flows all of your awesomeness and truly leaves a lasting legacy. Without your core belief, the media feels superficial. A lot of brands stop posting content after a few months because they get burnt out on all the superficial media. My work ensures that you are truly posting content that resonates with your deep ‘why’ and your core belief. When your media matches your message, you’ll have content for years and never get burned out.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the innovative fitness studios, chef-owned restaurants, and start-ups that get going in our incredible city. I love the sunshine in the sky and also in people’s hearts. It’s easy to be happy in San Diego and it shows with the smiles on people’s faces. It’s fun to be able to say “hello” to neighbors while I’m walking the bay or wandering the Farmer’s Market and get a friendly and bright “hello” back. Growing up in Pennsylvania ensures that I have deep gratitude for San Diego’s fair weather year-round, beach days in January and fresh food in all seasons.
Pricing:
- Pageant Interview Game Plan (online pageant coaching course) – $500
- Personalized Media Coaching (one-on-one or group) – starts at $3,000
Contact Info:
- Website: AlyciaDarby.com
- Phone: 213-761-7448
- Email: Alycia@AlyciaDarby.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyciadarby/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlyciaDarbyZimnoch/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alyciadarby
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyciadarby/
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
