The Influential Personal Brand Podcast

This is the second time we’re welcoming charismatic New York Times best-selling author and speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones onto the show. Today we speak with Luvvie about the key message of her new book; that to truly, meaningfully change our lives, we have to become professional troublemakers. Early in our conversation, we discuss the importance that boldness can have when building your personal brand. Luvvie then shares how she developed her boldness. As she explains, being a person of impact means that you’ll both repel and attract people no matter what your intentions are. We explore why being judged shouldn’t be seen as a worst-case scenario, with Luvvie adding insight into how she uses her boldness to empower people. We ask Luvvie about her courage to post online about her beliefs. In her answer, she highlights the strict criteria that inform each of her posts and the role of thinking about a topic before posting. Later, she reflects on the responsibility that comes with being a public figure, how she overcomes her fear of success, why she wrote her book for the person she once was, and why the risk of offending people shouldn’t prevent you from doing your work. Luvvie’s mission is to give people permission to be themselves. Tune in to learn about the benefits of conquering fear, being yourself, and living audaciously.

Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean that your inspired idea won’t work. Jamie Kern Lima’s life is proof that you can build a successful business from your unique idea. Today we recap our conversation with Jamie and share our top takeaways from her story. We open by discussing why you shouldn’t look to your competitors for insights into your value proposition. We then dive into the power of listening to your gut. Using Jamie’s example, she was told that no one would buy products from someone who looked like her. She’s since sold her company for $1.2 billion. Later, we dive into the vital role that authenticity plays when building your brand before looking into why inauthenticity guarantees failure. We wrap up our overview by unpacking the importance of tying your passion to hard work. Tune in as we highlight the key lessons from our discussion with the incredible Jamie Kern Lima.  

No one believed in Jamie Kern Lima’s vision. At the end of one meeting, an investor even told her that no one would buy cosmetics from someone who looked like she did. In 2016, and after building one of the biggest cosmetics brands in America, Jamie sold it to L'Oréal for $1.2 billion. Today we’re joined by Jamie to talk about how she overcame the limiting beliefs of an entire industry to achieve her wildest dreams. We open our conversation by discussing how Jamie founded It Cosmetics, a journey captured in her new book, Believe It. A key theme in this episode, Jamie shares her mission to create a cosmetics company that represents all women and not just the airbrushed models that are typically used to market products. Jamie then highlights how this mission motivated her to keep fighting for her company, despite a lack of interest from investors. Later, she reveals how she got her big break before unpacking the value of authenticity and following your intuition. We wrap up our discussion by chatting about Jamie’s book and the giveaways she’s releasing alongside it. Jamie’s story is an inspiring example of how you can challenge the status quo while building a strong brand that serves your community. Tune in to discover why staying authentic and believing in your vision can put you on the path to success. 

From crafting newsletters to creating a perfect Instagram caption, it’s nearly impossible to build a personal brand without having mastery over the written word. Today we recap our insightful episode with Robert Glazer which explored how he uses writing to build his personal brand. Early in the episode, we chat about how writing can boost your Google rankings and trustworthiness while also generating free traffic. After sharing how writing articles and books can lead to speaking engagements, we unpack one of Robert’s top lessons: your content should aim to deliver the most value to your audience. We then reflect on why it’s a dead end to create a self-centered brand instead of aiming to provide value. Following this, we highlight how writing strengthens your brand in the long-term. For our final takeaway, we discuss why sensationalism isn’t click-bait before diving into Robert’s tips on writing compelling and attention-grabbing articles. Tune in to hear more on how you can use writing to take your brand to the next level.

Writing articles is an effective means of establishing yourself as a thought leader while adding long-term value to your brand. Today we speak with Acceleration Partners CEO Robert Glazer about how he built his personal brand through writing. We open our conversation by exploring how he kick-started his brand by writing his famed Friday Forward newsletter, a newsletter that now reaches hundreds of thousands of people. We then dive into his approach to content, touching on his goal to add value and why writing is a long-term strategy that rewards consistency and patience. He then shares what he did to get published by big names like Forbes and Inc. After talking about his biggest writing mistake, Robert unpacks how you can syndicate your articles and use editors to streamline your workflow. Later, we hear his insights on using data to guide your process and how you can leverage your articles to write a book. We wrap up our discussion by hearing Robert’s take on why there’s nothing wrong with writing a sensational title. Tune in to hear more you can grow your personal brand by writing articles.

Sales is a vital part of business that most brands get wrong. Today we share our top takeaways from our enlightening conversation with sales expert Phil M Jones, touching on what you need to know to sell more and with greater confidence. For our first highlight, we unpack why indecision is the enemy of sales. We then dive into why selling is about helping people find a solution to their problems. While exploring this concept, we talk about the differences between ethical and unethical sales, as well as why sales are about being a good listener and not a smooth talker. Later, we discuss the mindset shift that will make you a better salesperson while also fostering long-term success. We wrap up the conversation by sharing Phil’s insights on selling yourself as a speaker and thought leader. As Phil explains, selling is about figuring out how you can make your customer’s life better. Tune in for more as we recap our greatest sales lessons from Phil M Jones.  

As you build your personal brand, it can feel uncomfortable to push your products. But you don’t have to be the stereotypical slimy salesperson. Today we speak with global sales expert Phil M Jones about what you can do to become a persuasive and ethical salesperson that lands high dollar offers. Early in the episode, Phil discusses his approach to sales and why selling is about providing solutions to your customers. After highlighting the importance of listening to your clients, Phil offers insight into being a sales professional. As he explains, a key step is to shift your perspectives on success. He then unpacks how the best salespeople aim to achieve different levels of success and that sales isn’t about winning or losing. Later, we talk about why sales is a teachable skill. Following this, we ask Phil about how he sells himself as a keynote speaker. His answers focus on the marketing tools that you can use to grow your brand. Phil’s sales methods ensure that both you and your clients will feel good about each sale. Tune in to learn what to land valuable sales with confidence.

By tapping into the appeal of word-of-mouth selling, influencer marketing has exploded onto the advertising scene. Today we recap our highlights from our interview with influencer marketing expert Eric Dahan, unpacking the key lessons that will help you land lucrative brand deals. Early in the episode, we explore how the emerging influencer marketing industry follows tried and tested formulas that companies use to get their brands in front of viewers. After talking about the impact that micro-influencers can have, we discuss the importance of patiently growing your audience instead of faking your follower count. We then dive into how you need to consider the laws of supply and demand when monetizing your brand. We touch on the pros and cons of niching down, how valuable your market is to companies, how data can help you approach brands, and why you should weigh up the strengths of competing influencers. Later, we look at why forging trust and delivering results is so crucial to building your brand partnerships. Influencer marketing is dominating social media advertising. Tune in for insights on signing big brand deals. 

Most big brands have developed a strategy to harness the power of influencer marketing. Today we speak with Open Influence CEO Eric Dahan about what you can do to land massive brand deals. After introducing Eric’s work we dive into his role in sourcing influencers. Key insights include the importance of audience metrics like impression rates when attracting brands. We then ask Eric about how high influencer follower counts should be. His answer highlights the fact that advertisers care more about your impressions, click-through rates, and how you can drive their product than they do about your follower count. We also touch on Eric’s process when reaching out to influencers, what content deals look like, and breakdowns on how influencers are paid. Later, we explore top mistakes that limit influencer success before Eric discusses the collaborative nature of influencer-advertiser relationships. Big brands need influencers to get their message in front of audiences. Tune in to hear how you can get in on the action.  

Sseko Designs CEO Liz Forkin Bohannon knows the marketing secret that’s used by billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos; your personal brand is a tool to drive the profits of your business. Today we recap our incredible conversation with Liz, touching on this insight among many others. We open by reflecting on Liz’s journey in becoming an entrepreneur as a way to help people. After talking about why many of the world’s problems can be solved through job creation, we dive into how Liz has leveraged her personal brand to promote her company. As she explains, personal brands are given access to relationships, events, and resources that companies don’t get. Later, we explore Liz’s concept of pluck, the idea that beginners have advantages over established experts. We wrap up our discussion by highlighting the importance of overcoming your limiting beliefs. Tune in for more of our top takeaways from our interview with Liz Bohannon.