"There's riches in the niches. Do what you're best at and known for."
Greg Atkinson is the Founder of Worship Impressions and the First Impressions Conference and Co-Founder of the Social Media Church Conference. Greg is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, speaker, leadership coach, consultant, and member of the Forbes Coaching Council.
Greg has worked with churches of all stages and sizes, including some of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the country, as well as with businesses, non-profits, and organizations such as Josh McDowell Ministries. Greg started and ran his own social media marketing company.
Greg has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, and on CBS, FOX, and NBC. Greg is an Alliance Partner with the Rukes Search Group and serves on the Advisory Board of Full Strength Network. Greg has been in ministry for nearly three decades.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Greg Atkinson: My name is Greg Atkinson. I’m the Founder and CEO of the First Impressions Conference (a global leadership conference), the Founder and CEO of Worship Impressions (a consulting firm for large organizations), and a bestselling author.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Greg Atkinson: I learned to pivot. We were going to have our leadership conference in-person and had to pivot to only online/virtual. We are now able to reach more people around the world.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Greg Atkinson: There’s riches in the niches. Do what you’re best at and known for. Be your brand. Go all in on what you’re good at. Stand out in your field.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Greg Atkinson: As I mentioned earlier, most conferences had to pivot from in-person to online and we were already leaders in the online space and create amazing virtual experiences, so we led the pack.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Greg Atkinson: I wish I knew in 2020 how long this would last. My son’s college roommate had Covid last week. My brother-in-law has Covid currently. It’s still going strong.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Greg Atkinson: More of the same. I live my life throughout the week in Zoom meetings.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Greg Atkinson: 4 to 5.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Greg Atkinson: We always share testimonies from conference attendees with our team and our audience. It boosts morale and fuels momentum.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Greg Atkinson: Focus and guts to risk.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Greg Atkinson: I’ve been dabbling in Crypto and NFTs for a couple of years. I’m always doing online marketing. I’m currently trying a new Crypto investing strategy with a financial advisor. I’ll let you know how it works out.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Greg Atkinson: Bosses need to stop requiring their employees to come into the office every day and allow for virtual work. I saw Adam Grant post about this today on social media.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Greg Atkinson: The ability to know exactly how to scale every opportunity without trial and error – to just be able to do it.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Greg Atkinson: Finishing my 5th book and having an amazing Fall First Impressions Conference.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Greg Atkinson for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Greg Atkinson or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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