Why A Personal Brand Is Essential For Doing Business In The Future | Work Like A Mother Podcast, Episode 34

Marina Tolentino dives into the transformative power of building a personal brand. Fresh from her insightful trip to Nashville, Marina shares her experiences with the Brand Builders Group and emphasizes the critical importance of developing a personal brand for entrepreneurs. She demystifies the concept, explaining that a personal brand goes beyond logos and colors—it's about the unique essence of who you are and what people think of you. Marina offers practical tips and personal anecdotes on how to enhance your brand, leveraging your unique traits and perspectives to stand out in a crowded marketplace. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to elevate their personal brand and create a lasting impact.

Marina Tolentino
https://www.marinatolentino.com/
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Transcript

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It's been a stretch of me, of my mindset, of my capabilities, of my network, and I don't regret any of it. I don't regret the investment that I made into it. And actually, I'm more excited than ever to continue on with this organization because I just believe so passionately in the importance of what they're doing and the impact they're having in other people's lives. First of all, I don't have the capacity to, like, listen to all of this, but the fact that they unlock it all, all of a sudden is like worth your money right there. You're like, wow, this is a lot of resources and help emphasize who we are through our personal brand, through our messaging, our personality, our opinions, all of that kind of stuff, right? It's not what I do, it's who I am. Alrighty, it's time for another shorty episode. Your girl is back from Nashville, hot off the press. We just landed last night at the time of recording this, and I have so many good ideas that I cannot possibly fit it into one episode. So today's is going to be a short one. But just really to reference and refresh on the importance of having a personal brand, what is it? Why every single entrepreneur needs one, and it's not every business, but every person needs a air quote, personal brand. That is the emphasis here. And I'm going to walk you through why it matters so importantly and then what I'm doing personally for myself to improve my personal brand and what it looks like for the future. So if you do not know what a personal brand is or you think you do because you've heard of other people talk about it, this is a good one. It's going to be a refresh and just go through a mental checklist. As I'm talking to say, am I doing all of these things? And maybe there's some areas I can improve. So check this out. So for context, the reason I went to Nashville, Tennessee is for an organization called the Brand Builders Group. And I've been a member of theirs for over two years now, which is hard to see, to like realize it's been that long already. It's been a stretch of me, of my mindset, of my capabilities, of my network, and I don't regret any of it. I don't regret the investment that I made into it. And actually, I'm more excited than ever to continue on with this organization because I just believe so passionately in the importance of what they're doing and the impact they're having in other people's lives that I feel like everyone and their mom needs to know about them. But they are still a smaller startup. So if you have not heard of the brand builders group, we're going to link them below. Check out their instagram, check out their website, check out the founders, Rory and AJ Vaden, and some of their career accolades, like what they've achieved so far to get them to where they are today. They also have a podcast called the Personal Branding podcast. I believe we'll also link that below for you. But the reason that I joined them was if we backtrack 2022. So I was mid growth on my real estate career. I was in year two after getting my real estate license. And I understood from hearing from other professionals like Jenna Kutcher and Brendan Bouchard and Lori Harder how important it is to have a personal brand. But I think it's really easy to say that you need one and think that you have one. And just in the beginning, if you don't know what you don't know, you think your personal brand is what you do. You think it's the services that you offer and the customer service element, and you probably think it's the colors and the logos and the brand and like, the graphic elements, and that's actually false. And so what I did is I realized, well, these are the coaches that are behind some of the biggest authors and podcasters and keynote speakers that I'm coming, seeing come up in this space that I want to be in and grow in on the long term. And so I decided to sign up with them and with the professional membership that I had, you are assigned a personal brand coach, someone that you meet with one on one every single month to help you move the needle, kind of break through any walls that you have and just help you progress slowly but surely. And when you get into the program, it feels overwhelming because you automatically unlock all of the curriculum. It's not like other programs and courses where you have to finish one to get access to the second one and whatever, you get access to all of it. So anywhere from, like, your very, very first one to determine who you are and what you do and like, who's your avatar all the way up to million dollar and billion dollar sales revenue and like, the systems to do that. And so I was like, ooh, this is amazing. First of all, I don't have the capacity to, like, listen to all of this, but the fact that they unlock it all of a sudden is like, worth your money right there. Like, you're just your one time payment. You're like, wow, this is a lot of resources. Hey, ladies, real quick. If you are looking for a mentor, I just wanted to remind you that. I offer mentorship to entrepreneurs. So if you're someone who has a never ending to do list and you're. Smiling out of control and feel like. Your business doesn't have a track plan, I want to work with you every single week for a month at a time. It's super simple, but I come from over ten years of experience doing this myself, and now I'm willing to give. That information back to people. So I've mentored real estate agents, I've mentored wedding photographers, I've mentored other business owners, and they've come from a place of overwhelm, mostly. And they really just needed clarity and a couple of action steps to move the needle. And we've seen gigantom leaps and bounds in their business. Like, I can't even tell you. So if you're interested and you want to know what that looks like, I want you to go to marinatolentino.com and there's a calendly link there to do a 15 minutes discovery call with me. Just to see if we're a good. Vibe check to make sure we're on the same page. And I would love to work with you one on one to really boost your business to the next level. Let's dive back in. So anyways, I went through this. We created who I was for real estate and also who I wanted to be and what I wanted my reputation to be for these women that I'm really passionate about, which you guys know, this podcast is for working stay at home moms who feel like they're doing everything they can, but it isn't enough. And they're just feeling fried and frazzled and frustrated and just constantly overwhelmed. And so I have created, through working with this program, some pillars and some practical ways and systems for people to get their time back, which is the most important thing, right? So we can be present with our families, put our work on the side, and actually let our business work for us while we sleep. Like that is the golden dream for most of us women. So let's get into what is a personal brand, right? Why does it matter? And one of the really incredible things this company has done is they've conducted their own private research study with a third party research firm that did a whole personal brand study on, like, why is it so important? What do consumers think about it, etcetera? So the definition of a personal brand is it's the digitation. Digitization of who you are. It's what people think when they think of you, your relationships, and your reputation. So it's like, literally, if you come up to someone or ask an Instagram follower that you're not, like, a close friend with, and you say, what do you think of when you think of Marina Tolentino? Whatever they say, that is your personal brand. And so our job is to curate and help emphasize who we are through our personal brand, through our messaging, our personality, our opinions, all of that kind of stuff, right? I. The logos, the colors, the fonts, all of that is secondary, and it's not what you do. Your personal brand is not a real estate agent. Your personal brand is not a mom. It's what people say about you that is your brand. So, for instance, for me, when I think of the things I've heard from people, they say I'm a hard worker. They say I'm a great listener. They say I'm super creative. Like, these are kind of the things that I hear consistently. They say I have a calm presence about me, even when I can be really busy and there's a lot of stressful things going on, I have a very calm nature about myself that seems to calm the people around me. So when we were doing this brainstorming session, one of the days, the ladies kept saying, I, like, have this hawaiian relaxation vibe about me, which I was laughing about. But it's just part of my personality. I'm not one to get frazzled and to freak out very often. I'm going to be calm and quiet and controlled. You know, that's just like part of my personal brand. Okay, so why does a personal brand matter? Right? Again, it's not what you do. It's what people say about you. So it's the future of doing business. This is point number one. When you think about right now, if you need to hire someone, what do you do? Most of us go to social media platforms, and we stock that business before we book with them. Right? We want to see social proof of who they are. We want to see testimonials and reviews showing evidence that this is who they say they are and success. Right. It's also your unique filter and perspective that differentiates you from AI. This is a huge one. Okay? So right now, with the AI boom that's going on, anyone can create content out there. That's a generated right. But no one can replicate your thoughts and your opinions right now. So if you ask me what do I feel about the political landscape of the United States? I am going to tell you a very different answer than what chat GPT is going to spit out. Right? So I only I can tell you from my perspective and my stories and my experiences, how I view the world. And that is part of your personal brand. Okay? So it's really, really important as we build our business that we are doing this in a way that is uniquely you. So it's also your unique gifts and personality that separates you from competitors, just like I said. Are you witty? Are you hilarious? Are you thoughtful? Are you quiet? Like, what is your personality? How do you respond to different things that is part of your personal brand? Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt, and I hope you're enjoying this episode of the work like a mother podcast real quick. I just want to remind you guys, if you are worried about missing an episode, you don't have to worry anymore because we are creating a weekly email that's going to go out automatically every single time there's a brand new episode. And this email is going to have everything you need to know about this week's featured guests. It's going to have all of the links and the resources that we're going to talk about in this episode so you don't have to go around and fumble through the show notes. But it's going to be served in your inbox every single week. So if you guys want that access, be sure to click below one time in the show notes today, sign up for that email and then you'll never have to worry about it in the future. And bonus, if you really love this, we'd love it. If you share this with a friend, give us a review on whatever platform you're listening to, and we'll continue to bring new episodes and new information that's going to help you level up your. Life every single week. Your personal brand also matters because it's the fact that when they can buy it from anyone, why would they buy it from you? Right? So we know, like for real estate, for example, everyone and their mom is a real estate agent. It feels like, especially in Hawaii, I think we have over 11,000 agents here. But if they can buy it from anyone, why do they choose to buy it specifically for me? When someone watches my video on YouTube and they learn about real estate in Hawaii, why do they choose to call me instead of the 20 other top YouTube realtors? Right? They are aligning and connecting with what my personality and what I have to say matters more than other people. Okay, having a personal brand is highly profitable. So the research done by the brand builders group shows that 58% of Americans would pay more to get services from a professional who does not work at a large company. So really this demographic now, so this is, most consumers would rather work with people who are small entrepreneurs than the big brands. So they care about you as the professional more than the company you work at. And I've seen this time and time again, it doesn't matter. Like, again, for the real estate example, if you're with Keller Williams or real or exp, it does not matter to the consumer. They want to book you the person. Okay? So that's a big part of it. Two more points on this of why personal brand matters. People won't do business with people they don't know. And like, this is like a redundant fact. We just talked about this. You're not going to spend your hard earned dollars on a stranger, but you will spend more money to work with someone who you trust, who you know and who you like. Right? Which leads me to my last point. It's a trust accelerator. When your personal brand is so evident and so radiating you and your uniqueness, it definitely accelerates the trust factor. So I love this quote by Gary Vee. And he says, sales is for people who can't build a brand. So you think about it. So you have two choices. One, you can sell your ass off if you want, which there are some people who love this. They are cold callers, they are online ad spenders, you name it. Like, they just put so much energy behind getting one deal done versus there are people in this other side of the Internet who have created a magnetic personal brand, who you are. You're focusing on your uniqueness. What do you do outside of work? What are your hobbies? What's your personality like? Right? What are the things you like to do? Like, do you have a vibe? And those people have such magnetic presences on the Internet that they don't sell a thing, they're just them. And business flows to them. And that's exactly what I've experienced by just being uniquely me and sharing the things that I like. The book that I'm reading, the coffee shop that I went to, oh, by the way, here's this product. Every now and then, if you have this problem, I have this solution. We're not selling, we're just educating and being a resource and an advisor. And just naturally people will go to your bio and be like, what does she do? How do I work with this person? I really like this person, how can she help me? And right there, they go through your own online lead funnel of like, I have this resource for you. I have this calendly link for a free call. Da da da da da da da. And you're just naturally gonna have people go through there while you sleep. Like, that is the difference between having a personal brand and not having a personal brand. Without the personal brand, you are reaching out cold to someone who has no idea who you are and they can't find very much about you on the Internet, or you just are ego, ego, ego on the Internet. And they don't really get how you help change people's lives versus the personal brand. You are you, and people just want to work with you. They almost don't even really care what you do. They just want to work with you. It's like, you are my people. How can we hang out together like that is the vibe. Okay. So knowing that once you discern and decide what really is the essence of your personal brand, then and only then, can you really get clear on your brand positioning statement, which this is something that you'll work through with the brand builders educational courses and coaching. But this becomes the filter, that which you run everything and every opportunity through to make sure that it's in alignment with what you actually want to do and how it really, really aligns with you and your life and your mission. Okay? And so this is something that it's hard to do on your own because there's a lot of ideas that need to be bounced around and concepts that need to decide, does this align with me? Does it not align with me? Is this who I want to serve? Or is this too vague? And so that's where the coaching has been so, so pivotal in my business. And so I'm going to wrap this up because I promised to shorty. But like I said, there is so much information. I'm going to have more mini podcast episodes of just some of the notes that I took over the two days. But if this is you, and this is resonating of like, oh, I thought I had a personal brand, but now maybe I realize I don't. I just had some colors and a logo. And I actually want to get clear on my messaging. I want to encourage you guys to book a free consultation call with brand builders group. And if that's you, I just want you to. We'll leave my email in the show notes, send me an email or even a DM on Instagram and just say, hey, I listened to your branding podcast and I want to set up a coaching consult. It's totally free for you. And you're going to walk away from this consult call with tactical mini wins that you can actually apply to your business today and then just get clear. Does this work for you? Is this not in alignment with you? But for me, I'm two years in. I'm not stopping anytime soon. Like, I think I'm going to be a member for life if I think about this because it just takes my brand across. Everything that I do, my personal brand is the through line, through any business that I open or sell or platform that I start on, it's me. And that's what's so cool. It's not what I do, it's who I am. And so if that's you and you're like, yeah, I don't have that, I should probably have that. As I grow in my career, this is going to be the thing that's going to change your life. And again, I just can't talk more about the community and the network that they have built. We're over 600 members strong so far and rapidly growing. And so it's been so exciting to watch them grow. And again, the impact that they have on people's lives. Like just at this event, there were so many positive, encouraging stories about how this support and this curriculum has really just made people's lives so much better that it's exciting. It's so exciting to be on the ride with them. So if you guys want that, we'll set up that consultation call and hopefully just get some clarity for you. So I think it's really necessary for every single business just determines if it's the right time and place for you right now. So with that, I will see you guys on the next episode. If you guys have specific requests of topics you want me to touch on or questions I can answer, my DM's are always open. So please, please, please don't ever hesitate to reach out and ask questions. And then one final note. If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode of the show so far, I would love it if you just share it with one friend, one girlfriend, one sister, one mom that you can think of that this would make her day a little bit better and that would mean the world to me. Thanks so much, guys.