Community Highlights: Meet Tracie Hitz of Hitz & Branding

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracie Hitz. 

Hi Tracie, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started writing for the sports section of the local newspaper when I was in college, and after graduation, I got a job in an athletic department where I did marketing for the sports teams. I quickly realized that marketing was just telling the stories of the student-athletes and coaches so people will feel invested in their lives that they would come out to the games to support them. 

I worked there for 13 years before moving to an agency because I wanted to help more athletic departments and pro sports organizations generate revenue, which I did for over 100 clients around the country. From there I went to the NCAA where I helped over 350 college athletic departments while also overseeing the marketing and fan events for the Women’s Final Four. My first Women’s Final Four was in Nashville, so I did site visits in Music City every month and I fell in love with the city. After five years at the NCAA, I made the move to Nashville to start my own business. 

My first clients were the NCAA and UNICEF, so as I settled into Nashville, I was interested in working with people in the music industry. I mean, it’s Nashville! So, I worked with WSM Radio, home of the Grand Ole Opry, where I met country artist, Chancie Neal. The more time I spent with her, the more I knew that I could help her with the next step in her career even though I didn’t have direct experience in the music industry. She believed in me as much as I believed in her, and we’ve been together ever since. Even though she is much younger than me, she continues to teach me the way around the industry. I credit our partnership for the growth of the music side of my business. 

I wouldn’t be where I am without her for many reasons, and most recently, because she’s always up for anything. I had the idea to create a traveling show where we bring a weekend in Nashville into any city in the country, so she’s been testing out everything as we go. From private events, Airbnb shows, weddings, football games, Live Music Trivia, Live Music BINGO, pop-up shows at boutiques, and more. We know how much people love to come to Nashville, so it’s been fun to bring the experience to them in their own hometowns. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Even though I’ve been in male-dominated industries my entire career, it’s been a pretty smooth road because I see every challenge as an opportunity to be better and do it better. It’s very motivating to be told you can’t do something! I had some amazing mentors who helped me be prepared in every meeting, event or presentation, which helped quiet the doubters. They actually made sure I was overprepared. They put me in uncomfortable situations whenever they could so that I would feel comfortable. I used to be extremely shy… no one ever believes that!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I began thinking about starting a business when I kept hearing from my readers of my dating blog, Hitz & Mrs, through the Tribune Publishing Company. They were afraid to go after love. They kept asking me why I wasn’t jaded after decades of being single. They wanted to know how I stayed positive through it all. I became a professional matchmaker in addition to the job coaching I was already doing. There are so many similarities between finding an amazing job and finding an amazing person. From there, people began reaching out to me as a business coach and a life coach, which is when I realized that people were not only afraid to fail, but they were also afraid to succeed. That blew my mind. Afraid to succeed! Everything is less scary when you have a team behind you, so that’s when I decided to start my business. I wanted to be that support so people want to go after their dreams. Really go for them. The biggest dreams you’ve ever had. That is at the core of everything I do now, and I’m very proud of the people I’ve helped live their dreams. 

It all starts with a story. We take that dream and work backwards to define his/her brand to then create the plan that will keep them moving forward. We hold them accountable, as well as evaluate and adjust the plan in real-time. We handle just about anything and everything, including marketing, social media, strategic planning, professional development, graphic design, website development, video capture and production, booking, sponsorship, public relations, etc. By keeping everything within our team, we have strong communication, which allows us to stay true to the vision and stay on track to get it done on time and done well. We also care about our clients. Truly care. We are invested in them because we want them to succeed. We pride ourselves on being affordable for people in any phase of their careers. We don’t do this for the money, but it is our mission to help our clients make money!

What do you think about luck?
“Hop”e and “Luck” aren’t strategies, but they can play a part if we put the work in around them. I’ve been lucky to have amazing mentors in my life. From my parents to my first boss at the newspaper to bosses at my first full-time job to my husband and on and on. The people who have come into my life have been my biggest gifts. When I find myself with an opportunity that is lucky or just plain amazing, the first thing I ask myself is, who can I share this luck with? Whether I earned the opportunity or someone shared their luck with me, I want to bring people along any time I can. One of my former bosses always says, “Lift While You Rise”, and that’s one of the best ways to create luck for others.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.hitzandbranding.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracie.hitz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HitzAndBranding
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/traciehitz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/traciehitz
• Other: https://www.nashvilleroadshow.com/

Image Credits
Chad Willmore Photography
NCAA Tracie Hitz