Personal branding for employees or entrepreneurs

Yvonne Phillip, Personal Brand Stylist and Success Coach

EOL: How did you make the journey to being a Personal Brand Stylist?
YP:  I became a Personal Brand Stylist in 2016 after I retrained a Personal Stylist and decided to merge my 25 year career in developing people in the world of work and career coaching together. I had wanted to be an Image Consultant in my twenties so it was a lifelong passion of mine and time for me to take the leap.

EOL: What is personal branding? Are there different forms of it?
YP:Your personal brand is all about you and the way your present yourself and your business to the world. It includes your online and offline presence as well as your strategy for business / work growth and development. It’s about marketing yourself properly and in a way that is a relatable and as personable as possible.

EOL: Why personal branding important, especially to business success?
YP: In my 25 plus year career history of developing people in the world of work never has it been more important to have a strong personal brand. Whether you are looking for work or trying to grow a business cutting through the noise and getting visible can be an ever increasing uphill battle in a crowded market. Having a personal brand that sets you apart from the competition can assist you to:

• Establish your credibility in your niche – With a strong personal brand you can become a thought leader and authority in your area of expertise. They say the riches are in the niches and once you have built a strong personal brand in a particular area people will start coming to you and inviting you to the right places.
• Find a better job with more prospects – Once you are known as an expert in you industry you will find it easier to secure jobs. In addition to this you will be scouted for opportunities within the hidden job search market. Sectors are very small and people you network is your net worth. Once you have a good reputation it will take you to all the places you want it to.
• Win more clients – People with strong personal brands have clients talking about them, recommending them and providing testimony of the results you achieve. This social proof makes the decisions of whether to work with you rather than any other business offering a similar product or service easier to make.
• Work fewer hours and stop trading time for money – With a strong personal brand and more clients knocking on your door you have more choices. One of these is to start diversifying your revenue streams and building an online business as well as offline business. This passive income means you can work less hours or be more flexible with your location.
• Increase your earning potential – With a diversification of income streams you not only can develop more time put a higher income as you charge more for your face to face services and online client potential is limitless.

EOL: Tell us about yourself and the clients you’ve worked with?
YP: Throughout my work history as a Career Coach and Personal Stylist I have worked with companies such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Mace Consultration, Hachette Publishing, Universal Music, Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust as well a foundered and run my own social enterprise.

The individual clients I work with are employees or entrepreneurs who want to progress but feel stuck in their career. So feel the need to kick start their career as they enter or return the job market or look for a promotion.

Entrepreneurs are usually start ups in the earlier stages so need help to lay the foundations or have plateaued and need a boost injection to ensure they grow.

EOL: What new products do you have in the pipeline?
YP: I currently provide a 1:1 styling and career development service and online courses. This year I am looking forward to launching my 1:1 signature coaching service and online group coaching programme.

EOL: Finally, what personal branding advice would you give to upcoming brands or businesses?
YP: My service is all about giving advice but I will limit this to just three points:

• Make sure your brand authentically represents you. Your purpose, passions, values and your mission.
• Remember your brand is your online as well as your offline presence so standing out in both arenas is vitally important.
• Building a brand or business can be lonely and overwhelming so get support. This could be through networking, building a team, having a mentor or coach.

I am looking forward to joining you all in February where I will share my top 10 tips for building a successful and sustainable personal brand.

Ciao for now.

You can follow Yvonne on your social media platform of choice:

● Join her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StyledForSuccess
● Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yvonnephillipsuccessstylist
● Like her Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/YvonnePhillipSuccessStylist
● Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnephillip/
● Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/YvonnePhillip
● Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM1lJYfbJ1ASGzNAviZrwLw

Yvonne Phillip will be at BNGL, 20 Feb, (6-9pm), We Work, 2 Leman St, E1 8FA For limited free tickets or stalls info visit: www.ebonyonline.net/tickets