Female Disruptors: Sunny Dublick On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

It’s OK to fail. I think we can all fall into perfectionist tendencies at times and it’s exhausting. There are going to be times when things just don’t go the way you wanted them, those are the best learning lessons for how to prevent that failure from happening again in the future.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sunny Dublick.

Sunny Dublick is an award-winning marketing specialist and founder of Sunny Dublick Marketing. Originally from New Jersey, Sunny has spent over 15 years in the marketing and advertising industry, working with high profile clients such as the Philadelphia 76ers and HanesBrands, as well as small and medium-sized businesses spanning the sustainability, retail and finance industries. Passionate about helping companies reimagine their marketing strategy to find higher levels of success, she’s a pink starburst of marketers for her point-of-view on intentional marketing that outlasts the fads. Find out more at sunnydublick.com.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I call myself an ‘accidental entrepreneur,’ I was part of a round of layoffs at my last full-time job and I decided to start freelancing while I figured out my next move. Turns out, I loved it and managed to build a business from it. I was always very passionate about marketing, I consider myself a creative & analytical person, and to me the work could be so fun — but it always wound up feeling stifled and stressful in the full-time positions I had. One of the reasons I started my business was to make marketing fun. Because it should be! Talking to your customers about your business should be an enjoyable experience.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

So much of marketing today I think is BS. 99% of marketers will sell you the same, repetitive tactics. You need X social media platform. You need to run $X in Google ads. It’s quite literally what everyone else is doing. The entire point of marketing is to reach consumers with an impactful message. How can you expect to make an impact when you are doing the same thing everyone else is doing? I feel like the industry has gotten so deeply entrenched within digital advertising tactics, that it misses what is really important: the intentionality behind what we are saying, why and to who.

I have a framework I use called the 3 pillars of marketing success which is the lens I look at all marketing initiatives through. It starts with really knowing and understanding your customer, and making sure that your marketing efforts are designed for them, not for you. I can’t tell you how often I get questions around ‘Should I start a TikTok,’ Do I need a BeReal?’ My response always asks if this is where our customers are. If we don’t know, we find out. Marketing decisions shouldn’t be based on guesswork, we have so much information at our disposal and the ability to gather information from our clients simply by asking them.

We then align that answer with our business- is this authentic to who we are and where we want to be? And then we examine the greater economic and competitive environment to decide if this is a good decision for us. We do not make decisions based on ‘this is what everyone else is doing,’ or just hopping on the latest trends. It’s a recipe for disaster.

I’m dating myself here, but when I was in college we learned nothing about digital ads, social media strategy, or influencers. We learned about billboards and print ads. The industry changes fast and there will always be new tactics to explore. What is important is to have a solid foundational strategy that allows you to make the right decisions for your business based on what you know to be true. That’s what allows you to cut through the BS of marketing and find truly effective solutions that lead to long-term success.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first began my business I wanted to be all things to all people. I had the mentality, if I don’t know the answer, I will figure it out… I can’t tell you how many rabbit holes I feel down trying to learn organic SEO, program courses in Evergreen, shoot brand photography.. I could go on and on. I think the biggest thing I learned is to operate in my area of genius. I am really freakin’ good at brand strategy and marketing planning. The more time I have spent nurturing that the more refined my process has gotten. I honestly feel like I am the best I have ever been in those areas of specialization because I leaned into them as something I know and love to do, instead of trying to be an expert in every facet of marketing.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

I have been SUPER lucky in the mentor department. A few years back I joined a female entrepreneur mastermind group called HatchTribe led by Hilary Johnson and it was a game changer for me. A) Just being surrounded by other women facing similar issues and seeing how they navigated them- it made me feel less alone on the journey and B) I just got so much support, direction and encouragement. It helped me grow my business, learn how to delegate and gave me the focus I needed to position myself as the businesses I always wanted to be. It gave me so much confidence. I also have gotten so much support from old colleagues and bosses (shoutout to Jenn, Darlene and Ali). Even 10 years later they refer me work and write to tell me how proud of me they are. It’s the absolute best to have that community.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

If you look at some of the world’s most successful brands, their product or service started out as industry disruptors (Apple, Amazon) that then became household names. They’ve become brands that have withstood the test of time because of their strategies- they know who they are, who their customers are, and they understand the greater environment. So in marketing, I would say disruption is a constant, and in many ways a good thing, as it goes hand in hand with innovation- but in order to find that long term success, you need a strategy that evolves with the needs of your customers.

I think it’s also important to note that there are always going to be some consumers that want the tried and true- I am sure you know of people who still like to go into a bank lobby and talk to the teller instead of using online banking. People who like grocery shopping instead of InstaCart. When it comes to marketing, the disruption question lies in the eye of the beholder and their wants and needs.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

1. It’s OK to fail. I think we can all fall into perfectionist tendencies at times and it’s exhausting. There are going to be times when things just don’t go the way you wanted them, those are the best learning lessons for how to prevent that failure from happening again in the future.
2. Just do the best you can. Whenever things go wrong, the first question I ask myself is ‘Did you do your best?’. If the answer is yes, I can be at peace with the result. If the answer is no, I need to figure out why.
3. Enjoy your damn life. I personally, work to live. I do love what I do, but life is more important than marketing to me. So I make sure to reward myself so I can enjoy my success. Because no matter what your business goal is, when you reach it, it still won’t be enough if you are not fulfilled internally.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I really want to expand my business internationally- particularly in the UK this year. I have so much I want to learn about other cultures and communities, and I think I have a lot of value to add.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

For me I think just the confidence to speak up. I used to be so shy! I was so afraid about looking stupid with some of my crazy ideas that I would keep them to myself. I think some of that was just trying to fit into the mold of the “good girl” who wasn’t too loud, who people liked. It took a while to break out of that, but when I did it was so freeing to be able to share the things I was excited about and not be worried about the outcome.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

Ahh- there are so many! Book/Email/Podcast-wise no one beats Marie Forleo. My fellow Jersey girl, I adore her. Everything is Figure-ouable has become a motto of mine, that book was amazing. Other than that, Simon Sinek’s TEDTalk “How great leaders inspire action” is incredible, it really reinforced the meaning of having a purpose-driven business for me. I am also a big fan of the podcast How I Built This.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Oooh good question. I think it would be helping others understand the opportunities and resources available to them to live the lives they dream of. I remember starting my business and having so many limitations in my head. ‘No one is going to pay me,’ ‘I am not going to be taken seriously.’ So much of life is the mental game of believing in ourselves and having the fortitude to not give up when we hit those walls. It’s such a beautiful thing when people show up in their passion and purpose in life, I want to be able to encourage and support those dreams.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Fake it ’til you make it. I remember I once asked a colleague how he always seemed like he had everything together and he told me that. I think when I started out I was so timid because I thought I had to know it all before I could be an asset. In truth, the people that are the most valuable are those that stay open and curious to learning, and embrace every challenge with the mindset of doing the best work they can do.

How can our readers follow you online?

I’m on LinkedIn (Sunny Dublick- connect with me!) and you can subscribe to my newsletter at sunnydublick.com

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!