Category: Entrepreneur

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Some Notes on Branding

Do you have a brand?  According to Dorie Clark (Marketing and Strategy Consultant, Author) and Forbes.com, you already do; each of us has a brand.

The term branding has long been relegated to companies, but today almost every individual has a personal brand. Not many of us have consciously cultivated these brands, but they exist nonetheless. A digital footprint in the sands of time and space crowd sourced by friends, colleagues, and bosses.  (“7 Things You Can Do To Build An Awesome Personal Brand” by Shama Hyder, Forbes.com)

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an employee, you’ll benefit from improving your brand, standing out, and being visible.  Otherwise, you’re just one in a “sea of sameness,” per Raymond Aaron (Author).

While the conference and webinar featured below are unrelated, each offered insight on branding.

Create Your Own Economy 10 – Conference

I attended the Create Your Own Economy 10 conference September 29th to October 1st at the Hyatt Regency near LAX.

The 3-day event was hosted by Raymond Aaron (Author, Real Estate Investor, and “Success Coach”).  The first day started with Aaron explaining that there was no agenda for the event because transformation and “aha moments” don’t have a schedule.  That was inspiring, but my left brain was confused.  I had no choice but to put aside my expectation of an agenda.     Ice-T with Raymond Aaron

BRANDING

The first major topic was branding.  Aaron noted that an employee who promises a report at noon but doesn’t deliver, and does this consistently, is an example of an employee with a bad brand.  The employee may be telling the manager what the manager wants to hear at that moment, but in the long run, delivering the report late and making excuses for the delay harms the employee’s brand.  “Commit only to what you can really live up to; be prepared to say no,” Aaron advised.

As an entrepreneur, if you brand yourself correctly, “money comes to you and you can charge more.”  The example Aaron gave was Hershey’s vs. Godiva.  Hershey’s is branded as a treat and charges $4/lb while Godiva is branded as a gift and charges $40/lb.

    

Note:  Before publication, I checked their annual sales.  Godiva’s 2016 sales were close to $800M (SmartBrief).  Hershey’s 2016 sales were more than $7B (The Wall Street Journal).  So, yes, Godiva charges more per pound, but there’s nothing wrong with Hershey’s brand and business model.  The Hershey’s ”treat” has had $7B+ sales every year since 2013.

Aaron also discussed the brands of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk; their attention to detail, demand for elegance, and unwavering vision for their companies.  They were both focused, persistent, and, at times, unreasonable to get the results they wanted.  Neither visionary was/is trying to win any popularity contests.

Aaron has a program to help individuals with branding.  I have grouped the sales pitches together after the list of guest speakers below.

INTENTIONAL CONGRUENCE

If we do things that are not congruent, then time, effort and results would look like this: 1 hour of effort = 1 hour of results.

Intentional congruence is bringing your businesses together so that with the same amount of effort, you would get exponential results.

Aaron’s example was of a business owner who owned a bank, a furniture store, and a bakery, and he was on the board of directors at a university.  Furniture for the bank and university was purchased from the furniture store, the accounts for all businesses and the university were held at the bank, meetings at the bank, furniture store and university were catered by the bakery, etc.

Aaron advises to seek things that will be congruent so that a little bit of effort would go a long way.  Connecting your businesses this way would mutually benefit all your businesses.

 

GUEST SPEAKERS (in order of appearance)

Scott DeMoulin, Founder and CEO of Destiny Training Systems, talked about conscious capitalism and listed the 10 most common business mistakes. My favorite was mistake #4, “Vomiting on your prospects” (telling prospects everything you offer without trying to find out your customers’ needs and wants).  I see this all the time.

Ice-T, Actor, Rapper, Songwriter, Musician, etc., said, “You don’t guide life, you ride life,” using his own career as an example. As a rapper, he had the opportunity to become an actor and he took it.  I liked his description of the four phases in an actor’s life:  “(1) Who is Ice-T?  (2) Get me Ice-T.  (3) Get me a young Ice-T.  (4) Who is Ice-T?”  He was my favorite speaker because he was real; he was honest about his life and the lessons he learned.

Loral Langemeier, Financial Advisor and Author, was my second favorite speaker. I loved her quotes, “A man is not a plan” and “If you hold on to your gift and don’t share it, you’re ripping people off.”  She advises people to have a vision beyond themselves and helps people with their relationship with money and debt.

The “special surprise guest” was George Ross, Real Estate Attorney, Consultant to Donald Trump, and appeared as a consultant in The Apprentice. I never watched The Apprentice so I wasn’t familiar with Ross.  He had two memorable quotes: “Negotiation is something you’re doing in your entire life” and “The 80-20 Rule…80% of what you do is useless, 20% of what you do will get you 80% of your profits.”

 

I do not endorse any of Aaron’s programs, but I’m listing the big sales pitches here because they were a large part of the conference.

  1. 10-10-10 Program – A program that helps entrepreneurs write and publish how-to, non-fiction books. The program promises “10 Chapters, 10 Hours of Your Time, 10 Weeks Printed.”  There are three levels with the lowest tier priced at $787.  Aaron and company work with the participant to select the topic and title of their book, and ghost writers help write the book.  Aaron also holds the book launch and gives the author an award so that they are now “award-winning authors.”  With a published book, entrepreneurs become authorities in their fields, their branding improves, and their visibility increases.  Having a book, according to Aaron, sets you apart from others in the “sea of sameness.”  His example is that if a realtor says, “I’m a realtor,” they’re just one realtor in a sea of realtors.  But if they publish a book outlining 10 ways to find the perfect house, for example, the realtor is now an authority for having published a book.  There were 10-10-10 Program participants in attendance.  Many said they were asked to do radio or internet interviews and/or speaking engagements because of their books.
  2. Up-branding Program – People who have signed up for the 10-10-10 Program may audition for this program which includes a private meeting and in-person coaching sessions with Aaron. I believe there is also a “co-author” credit with Aaron included.
  3. 5th Annual Transformational Retreat in Costa Rica – Three levels of participation at $5K, $10K, and $15K that include luxury accommodations, group sessions for attendees led by Aaron.

 

MY TAKEAWAYS

I signed up for general admission which was free.  There were paid registrations available which included photos with guest speakers and admission to a cocktail party the second evening of the conference.  I didn’t sign up for any programs so overall it was an inexpensive conference for me…I just paid for coffee, lunch and parking.  Was it worth my time (8:30 am to 6:30pm for three days)?  I feel it was.  There were nuggets of inspiration and valuable information in between the sales pitches.

Per Aaron, people who struggle do whatever happens to come up.  People who are wealthy, however, have a “Power Hour” in the morning to decide what is the highest purpose of that day and what needs to be accomplished.

Aaron said that the average person watches 11 hours of television per week.  [Note:  I’m not sure where that number comes from…the 1960s?  Hah!  When I Googled the topic, I found that it’s much higher for Americans at 33 hours/week.]  Either way, what if that average person cuts viewing in half and spends the remaining time doing something they love or something that will transform their lives?  And if you add in all the time spent on social media (not for business or marketing purposes), there’s even more time in a week to get things done and accomplish a few goals.

 

Great reminders or new inspiration from the conference:

  1. Power Hour in the morning. Well, maybe not a whole hour to just think, but maybe some time after meditation to decide the best way to spend my time.  What’s important?  What will help me achieve my goals?
  2. Show up, be present, have a good attitude. “The most basic requirement to acquire wealth is showing up,” according to Aaron.
  3. WORK ON MY BRAND!
  4. Do things with intention; if I change my intention, that will change my physical universe.
  5. Aaron also touched on the physical universe vs. the spiritual universe, and postulates to bridge the two. I’m going to put more thought into these topics; I need to look at my notes to try to formulate some action items.
  6. Cut down my TV viewing…after I binge-watch season 2 of Stranger Things. ?

Oh, look at that.  I have my To-Do List written out.  Thank you, Blog!

One last quote from the conference:  “Those who see the glass as half empty or half full miss the point.  The glass is refillable.”

 

Personal Branding for Women Leaders – Webinar

On October 11th, I attended a free one-hour webinar, Personal Branding for Women Leaders, sponsored by American Management Association.  The speaker, Dorie Clark, has authored books about personal branding.  In the webinar, she said that we already have a brand; our brand is how others see us.  However, she also said that we can change that.

These are the steps she outlined in the webinar:

  1. Discover your brand.  Ask six co-workers to describe you using only three words. If they’re completely honest, this will give you an idea of how people see you.  Clark told a story about a recruiter for a company who asks candidates, “How are you reinventing yourself?” The recruiter wants to see if candidates can change with the needs of the organization.  Even if an employee still has the same title in two or three years, the role could change.  Would the candidates be willing and able to adapt?  So, how are you reinventing yourself?
  2. Create your narrative.  You can change the way others see you. How do you want to be seen and remembered?  Also, become indispensable by becoming the center of your network.
  3. Live your brand through your professionalism, communication, and appearance.

Your brand and reputation change over time.  It’s good to re-evaluate yourself regularly to see if you’re living your brand.

Clark was an excellent speaker and my sparse notes are not doing her justice.  If you’re interested in this webinar, please go to the American Management Association website to see if the replay is available.  You will need to create a free online account to access content and sign up for future events.  (Thank you, Cynthia F., for telling me about this educational website!)

    

More books to add to my reading list.  ?

 

Two final notes on branding.

  1. When I was laid off, the career transition company mentioned branding oneself to potential employers in LinkedIn. This step coincides with creating an elevator speech (a clear, brief message about you and how you can solve an employer’s or a client’s problems or needs).
  2. In last month’s featured interview, professional makeup artist, Cynthia Angelina, reminds us, “…you’re your own brand…represent yourself the way that you want brands, companies or potential employers to see you.”

I welcome your comments, questions, and ideas.  Thank you for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day!

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Cynthia Angelina, Makeup Artist & Hairstylist

When I decided to include interviews on my blog, the first person I thought of was Cynthia Angelina. She left her corporate job to become a successful makeup artist and hairstylist. Her most recent assignment was the Emmy Awards Red Carpet on Sunday (we’ll get to her comments on the event later). She traded in a structured occupation and steady income for entrepreneurship and creativity. She is truly an inspiration.

Cynthia was born and raised in Los Angeles. Her love of makeup began when she was a child. She would open up her mom’s brand new eye shadow palette and she just had to touch each and every color. Her creativity was nurtured by her mom through makeup, hairstyling, and arts and crafts.

Fast forward to adulthood: After a few years at her corporate job, her employer started downsizing. As she wondered about her own job security, she knew she wanted something more. She debated whether to take classes to get certification in makeup and hairstyling. It was her boyfriend (now husband), Aldo, who encouraged her, “How many people get to say that they do what they love? You just need to go ahead and do it.” Cynthia’s decision was made. “Not that I needed someone’s approval,” she says, “but it was like that extra validation which was so amazing. He’s awesome!”

Cynthia worked at her job by day while her nights and weekends were busy with makeup and hair classes. When training was complete, nights and weekends were then filled with freelancing to build her portfolio. This hectic schedule went on for about three years. “It was insane,” she confirms. “People said, ‘I don’t know how you do it,’ and I thought, ‘Me neither.’ I just don’t think about it. You have to keep your head in the game and don’t even stop to think about it.”

She started to see more opportunities from her freelance work. “The longer I stayed, the more jobs I had to turn down doing makeup…really good jobs, good paying jobs,” she explains. She gave herself a target date to leave, but stayed longer to help them find a replacement. She booked a lot of makeup jobs ahead of time and she notified her contacts that she would soon be available full-time. “I also saved up before I left and gave myself a good cushion for a few months just to be okay,” she adds.

Then, in 2014, after eight years at the job, she left to become a full-time makeup artist and hairstylist. She remembers her initial feelings about branching out on her own: “It’s scary. You know, I’ve got everything in order, but who knows what’s going to happen next month? That uncertainty can be scary. But I did it and I haven’t looked back.”

Even with your preparation, did you ever question your decision, like “Did I do the right thing?”

Oh, yeah, I did. With my work, I could be busy for two months straight, no days off, and then, all of a sudden, I’ll be off for two weeks. And so, for me, if I’m not doing something, I feel like I’m wasting time. Definitely for the first year, I wondered, “What did I do?” It was never, “I should go back.” That was never an option. I decided that when I left, I was gone. In my mind, I destroyed that safety net on purpose. Not burning my bridges, but there was never an option to turn back. I worked this hard and made a lot of sacrifices…and Aldo’s made a lot of sacrifices, my family too. There were times when they never saw me. I thought I’ll just get a job as a bartender, or walk dogs, whatever it took, but I would keep going. And eventually I started trusting myself more.

Did your family support your decision?

My parents are both entrepreneurs so it was easy for them to support me. We also know how hard it is to go through that. But they said, “We know you’re a hard worker. Whatever it is you want to do, you’re going to succeed.” My whole family has been really supportive.

Did you face negativity? Did anyone make any comments?

Oh, yeah, comments for sure. It wasn’t from my family, but people I know. At first when they found out I was going back to school, they asked, “So is this a new hobby of yours?” It wasn’t until they started seeing me doing work on the Red Carpet or on TV shows that they got it, “Ohhh…so you weren’t kidding about this not being a hobby.” People don’t know. You get a good job which, by most people’s standards, is what I had, and then that’s it, you stick with it. You stay there until you retire and that’s it. I’m not very conventional, apparently.

Knowing now what you didn’t know then, is there anything you would’ve done differently as far as leaving the corporate job and starting your own business?

I would’ve still been there through the early years because I was able to buy my house; I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I didn’t have the steady income. I knew nothing about saving—for a home or for life—so I did learn a lot. But I would’ve done it sooner and I would’ve just believed in myself a little bit more. You have to be a trailblazer for yourself.

The fashion and entertainment industries are often depicted as cut-throat. Did you experience this when you started working professionally as a makeup artist/hair stylist?

I did and I didn’t. I’ve been really lucky and have been surrounded by really good people. I have seen it and it really is cut-throat as far as there’s no room for errors. There’s always someone better, faster, etc., so you just have to be on it consistently. But I feel like that has shifted. I work with a lot of really amazing artists that have been doing this for a lot longer, some of them longer than I’ve been alive. I’ve had them as mentors and they’ve told me that the industry isn’t the way it was back then. People were a lot nastier and it’s shifted to where you don’t have to be so aggressive or mean to move up. It’s almost like if you’re that way, you’re considered difficult now. And unless you’re some big-time makeup artist, people aren’t going to put up with that.

I’ve been really lucky; I feel you surround yourself with what you want to be perceived as so I’ve been very fortunate to work with really great artists and not just makeup artists and hair stylists, but also the production companies, the talent, and everything. The feeling is always like we’re here together, we’re here to support each other and boost us up versus bringing people down. That’s always been my mindset because when I started, people weren’t always the nicest or they were treating you like crap because you’re a newbie. I thought when I go through this journey, I’m not going to be that way. I firmly believe that you can be a good person and still succeed. So that’s what I’ve surrounded myself with.

What are some of the pros and cons of working with other creative people?

Some of the pros, obviously, are you get to see such amazing things come out of people and the art is just insane…from creative directors, photographers, etc. The downside is sometimes this job is like being a mind reader. You sometimes have certain artists who can’t communicate what they want and you have to figure out what they’re saying.

From working in corporate America, I was used to having everything planned, so I’ve had to learn to let go a little. At 10:00 tonight, I could get an e-mail saying, “Hey, Cynthia, we need you for this 12-hour shoot tomorrow.” And I have to be ready to go. That’s part of working with creative people. You never know your schedule until the day before. Being able to just go with the flow and let it go sometimes, that’s kind of the hard part.

My previous job was to organize people’s lives and then now I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow. For me to make plans with someone is so hard. It’s not that I’m trying to be a flake or that I don’t care about them, but things happen. If I got called for Vogue today, I’d have to turn down plans with friends. That part kinda sucks but it’s part of the life I’ve chosen. You have to take the good with the bad.

What are some important qualities of a successful makeup artist?

Being diligent, following through with work, not being flakey. And, if you’re 10 minutes early, you’re already late. Being on time, being organized, and remember you’re your own brand. In this life of social media, you’re always in the public eye. Just remember that those potential clients are always watching and you never know what they’ll find browsing through the internet looking for your name. So just make sure that you’re aware of that and represent yourself the way that you want brands, companies or potential employers to see you.

I read that you’re involved with an organization, Beauty Bus Foundation.

Beauty Bus is a foundation that works with men, women and children who are either fighting cancer or are terminally ill. What we do as volunteers is we go to their homes and provide services like makeup and hair, manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, things that you and I might take for granted, but it’s something to make them feel better.

If I’m doing makeup for someone or a haircut, there’s also a buddy that comes with me who talks with the client. We call them clients, not patients. They deserve to be treated and spoiled so that’s what we do. We also do pop-up salons and we do a lot of work with City of Hope, Children’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald Home. Some of those kids can’t leave the hospital so we go to them. And we also take care of the caregivers, the moms, the dads, the wife, the husband. They do so much and their focus is the person who is going through this, but they’re also going through it so we come and offer our services.

Sometimes I feel the beauty industry can be considered shallow, and I understand it, but there’s something to be said for having a hard day and saying, “I’m just going to throw this red lipstick on and that’s going to make me feel better inside and, in turn, I’ll be able to transmit that to everybody else.”

That’s one of the things I do; I get to do makeup and hair, but I also give back to the community and brighten up someone’s day a little.

I heard about them through the school I was at. It’s such a beautiful thing that they do, I just continued on. I’ve been with them for a long time, I guess almost as long as I’ve been doing makeup and hair. I love it.

What advice would you give someone who is trying to find their own path?

I feel like everyone has their own way of doing it and it’s never wrong. Like I said, I wish I would’ve done it sooner, but that was what was right for me at the time and no one could push me or pull me back because ultimately, it’s my choice. I think that you really have to stop and think of what you want to do with your life and know that it’s never too late. When I decided to do makeup, I was already 27 or 28; I was still older than when some people start their careers. But it’s never too late and trust yourself. If it’s something you really want to do, you’re going to do it and you’re going to work through the blood, sweat, and tears. That would be my advice. I’m still growing so I’ll let you know in a few years.

What are your other passions?

Aside from doing volunteer work, I like to do a lot of arts and crafts. For my wedding, I basically made everything like the centerpieces, our invitations, all that stuff, and it was so much fun. It was a lot of work, but I had help. My sisters are amazing so they came in and did the set up and everyone had one job. I also love to bake, but I haven’t done it in a while.

What projects have you worked on recently?

I did a shoot for the Glamour España July issue; it was so much fun. I also worked on an ad for Murad which is on Sephora’s website.

And…what was it like to work the Emmy Awards on Sunday?

I‘ve done the event directly with the Television Academy for about three to four years now.  I worked on private clients for the event before that. It’s an amazing event; behind the scenes is so fast-paced and beautiful.

I get a chance to work on the actual Red Carpet, along with my fellow Beauty Bus volunteers.  The Television Academy is a sponsor of Beauty Bus and we artists volunteer our time in order to contribute to the efforts to help spread the Beauty Bus word.

We did touch-ups for Mandy Patinkin, Carrie Con, Rosie Abernethy and so many more. I also worked on one of the amazing executives for the Television Academy, Barrie Nedler, who brings Beauty Bus on every year, before and after the event. And I got to glam up DJ Smiles Davis (http://instagram.com/djsmilesdavis) for Fox’s Emmys After-Party. It was a lot of fun!

 

Didn’t I tell you? Cynthia is an inspiration. She knew what she wanted and she went after it like a boss…to become her own boss! Thank you, Cynthia, for sharing your story!

The photos included here are just a few examples of Cynthia’s talent and skill. Please check out her website for more of her beautiful and creative work.

Cynthia Angelina Website:  www.CynthiaAngelina.com

Cynthia’s Social Media: Instagram & Facebook:  CynthiaAngelinaMUA

Beauty Bus Foundation Website:  www.beautybus.org

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Local Business Expo

One of the things I decided to do during my career transition was to attend local events that might be helpful…to give me ideas or to just get me out of the house.

On September 12th, I went to the 7th Orange County Asian Business Expo at Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove. I don’t live in Orange County, but I’m near the border so this event wasn’t far from me.

The expo began seven years ago as a collaboration between the Korean American and the Vietnamese Chambers of Commerce of OC and has grown to include nearly every Asian American business organization as well as the local chambers of commerce in Orange County. Every year, the expo promotes businesses and economic growth, and features international and local business owners. Best of all, the event was open to the public and admission was FREE.

It was difficult to hear the opening ceremony speakers because the event was held in one large room. The stage was against one wall with a small space for the audience in front of it. The surrounding area was filled with exhibitors and attendees. Speakers, even with a microphone, were competing with the noise level of the room.

Many exhibitors were there to promote their own products or services which, for most part, were not interesting to me. However, the event, overall, had good intention by bringing businesses together.

It was a great reminder that there are resources out there for entrepreneurs and small business owners in every community. Cities, counties and local chambers of commerce can point you in the right direction for assistance and guidance. For example, the Orange County Small Business Development Center and the Small Business Association (SBA) were there to answer questions and to invite attendees to their Small Business Jump-Start workshop. The workshop gives small business owners information on getting started, how much capital is needed, and creating a business plan.

In addition, the SBA has a complete (and I mean COMPLETE) Resource Guide for Small Business with information on learning centers, franchising, loans, government contracts, taxes, other assistance, and so much more. I picked up the Santa Ana edition.  The PDF of the national edition is available on their website, www.sba.gov.  Your local SBA office might have an edition that covers your area.

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