How to Create a Celebrity-Level Personal Brand

Hi, everyone. Welcome to Ally and you'd the Business success and lifestyle show. I'm Alyson Maslin. My friends call me Ali. And today we're going to talk about how you show up in the world. Right? Everything that you're putting out there, it all starts with you and how you show up. And today I'm going to teach you, or I have the most amazing expert here today to teach you how to show up like the superstar that you are. Well, today's episode is going to be a ton of fun because this is one of my favorite topics. I love talking about brand and marketing, and I love fashion. I grew up in the fashion business, so. But your personal brand is much deeper than that. And we have the expert in as the personal brand strategist is Julianne Stittick.

Hello there.

I'm so excited that you're here.

I'm glad to be here.

Thank you. Yeah. Well, Julianne and I have had the pleasure of working together in this last year in our Pinnacle mastermind. But I've known Julianne for quite a long time.

And.

And I was thinking about it, actually. We met at a networking event several years ago, and I remember then seeing you going, wow, that woman's got it all put together. Right?

Yeah.

So you were obviously doing your personal brand. Right. So how did you become a personal brand strategist? How did you get into this industry?

Well, a roundabout way. And the cool thing about what I do is that I've taken three things that I'm really excited about and passionate about, and I have blended them into a very unique business. And so one of those is marketing and branding. And so years ago, before I started this business, I was working in executive commercial real estate, and I handled the marketing. So as a kid, I loved commercials. I loved advertisements. I was always fascinated with how are they going to attract attention, how are they going to bring people to them to make them want to act and buy? So that's always been fascinating. Then family life came into play, and I quit work for a while. And then when I decided I wanted to go back to work, I thought, oh, it'd be a lot of fun to go to work at Nordstrom. So I had absolutely no background in the fashion industry, took a job there, and very quickly I moved up the chain and became a personal stylist for the store. And what I knew at that point in time was that what I was doing was important in helping women to look and feel their best. But I knew that it was much more than that. And again, life Got into the picture and I needed to quit that job to take care of my family. And I remember Nordstrom had asked me to speak for a women's group. And I went and spoke at this women's group, even though I was no longer working for the store. And a woman came up to me after and she says, well, do you work with people one on one? And I said, well, yes, I do.

Starting now.

That's exactly what happened. And that is how the business has evolved. So the third piece, so we've got.

The marketing, that was the universe saying, hey, knock, knock, knock.

It was. And the funny thing is, you know, I quit my job to be with my family and then I started my own business. We know what that looks like. Right?

Exactly.

So there was the marketing and branding piece, and then there was the image piece, but then the other piece, that is a really crucial role in the work I do, which is personal development and really putting the stake in the ground for people to really believe in themselves to the extent that with their talents and unique sauce of who they are, that they are the best in the world at what they bring to the table.

Right. So you help them reflect that outward. Outwardly to the world.

Yes, I do.

Right, yes. And, boy, could that change somebody's life.

Well, it does.

So, I mean, explain to me a little bit more. I mean, we're kind of getting into the nuts and bolts of this, but when you think of a personal brand, you know, because we've. With all the social media, that's kind of a, you know, a hot word. Because before it was about the brand of the company. Exactly, right. Johnson and Johnson Craft, all that. You knew the brand, but it was like wizard of Oz, the guy behind the curtain. You never really knew who these people were.

Right.

So now it's all about that connection. Reality tv, and it's. We want to feel a connection to people.

Yes.

So how does what you do play into that?

Well, I think one of the first things to distinguish is the difference between a brand and a personal brand, because they do run a very fine line. But the way that I view it is a brand is a business. A brand is for a company like Nike or Lexus or one of those, the big names. And then a personal brand comes into play a little bit more when the interaction of the individual solopreneur, leader, speaker, coach, or even like a direct sales leader, when it's the individual and the personality of the individual is the touch point between them and the customer.

Right, right. But I think it even goes beyond that, because you're seeing some of these major corporations and the people behind them coming out now, right. I mean, there was a guy, and I can't remember his name right now, but he was the CEO of Pepsi, was on Facebook talking to people and asking about their opinions. I mean, you just never saw that before.

Right? So I love that because the personal brand industry has drawn that out because they are recognizing the power of the individual and that personal attention. And one of the things, you know, and I have to use you as an example, is that. Okay, sure, like, as long as it's a good example, right?

Whatever. Good, bad, I can handle it.

So here's the deal is it's what's unique and special about you? What are your strengths? What do you value as a human being? What philanthropic organizations are important to you, what touches your heart and with you. One of the things that I love about your brand is that couple things, you value health, you value fitness, you value moving your body. Another thing that you value is success. Okay, so here you are doing your trapeze. Okay. Right. So you are very open about that in the social platform. What that means is that you are reflecting who you are in fitness, in caring for your body, and you're reflecting that you take risk. And so when people are looking to you to say, she is a leader, because she's reflecting those things, she is somebody that takes risk. And here's why this is important, that people that will look to you, that would be your potential client would say, I'm going to take the risk and I'm going to hire Alison.

Right. Oh, that is real. That's interesting. I need to do more trapeze.

There you go.

Yeah. Well, I like how you're standing, stating that, because what you're saying is that you're projecting outwardly how you live your life. Right. And that helps to be a catalyst for others to take those steps as well.

Right. Because people buy you, they don't buy your widget.

Right? Right. Yeah, I totally get that. And I think it's so important that when you make an investment, small or large, and especially if you're working with a person, individual, that you feel a connection, that you feel a rapport. Right. And we know it's all about that know, like, and trust. So if you're helping people to create a personal brand, then they're going to be more likable. Which really leads me into my next question is that why is this important to business owners? I know you've worked with a lot of the Big companies like Disney and LAPD and Lexus and Nordstrom and so forth. But you know, the small business owner, how is this going to help them impact their bottom line? Because some of them might be thinking, yeah, that's all great, but why should I really invest in that?

I love that question. Okay, that question gets me really excited. So here's the answer. When you are reflecting a brand that is true to who you are, it shortens the sales cycle. Okay. When people see you in a digital space and then they meet you in person and they say you're exactly like I thought you would be, that builds trust, it builds credibility, it builds consistency. Here's the other thing. So that shortens the sales cycle. The other thing that I love about it is be yourself. Don't be afraid to be yourself. And here's why. When you are reflecting who you are in just a day to day setting, in a business setting, if you're not afraid to say, I want to work with people that like challenges, okay, now some people, that's going to turn off.

Right. And that's okay.

And that's okay.

Yes.

Because then you're generating not just leads, you're generating right. Fit clients.

Right? Right. Yeah. Because nothing's worse than working with the wrong clients. It's painful for you and it's painful for them. It's really like that, you know, square peg, round hole kind of thing. Right. And let them go find somebody else, that's a good fit for them.

That's right. Because then you end up the clients that call you, you look at the phone and you say, yes versus.

Oh, oh my God.

You know.

Right. Yeah. So that's like, you know that feeling when you think of someone and then they call and you're like, cancel, cancel, cancel. So anyway, when I, when I knew you were going to come on the show, I was kind of looking for some quotes that really struck me. And I looked up, you know, Audrey Hepburn because I absolutely love her. And I think that she was perfect example of someone that had an amazing personal brand. Yes, right.

Yes.

And she's a beautiful woman externally, but also internally she had some really lovely ideas and a couple of her quotes. The beauty of a woman is not in her facial mode, but the true beauty is reflected in her soul.

I love that. And you know what I love about that? That is the opening of the second chapter of my book.

Really?

That exact quote.

Oh, you're kidding. Well, see, I knew that we were just in sync. So tell me, because I know that when you're Working with clients, you're not just helping them on how they look externally. You're dealing with a lot of the things on the inside.

Absolutely.

We all have insecurities and different things, and, you know, having to present yourself in a new way or wear new things or, you know, address confidence issues and so forth, it brings up a lot of stuff. It does. Right. So let's talk a little bit about that inner soul and how you work with people on that.

Wow. Well, without a doubt, I have struggled with a lot of these same issues. I mean, that's why I do what I do. Right. Is getting clear on what is unique and special, what's my identity like, who am I? Because at some level, I remember a few years back, I spoke at a conference in. In Toronto, and there was a thousand women in the audience. And I talked about the fact. I raised my hand and I said, you know, how many of you feel like a fraud sometimes, that if people really knew you, that they would know, you know, that they would. They would say, well, you know, And I said, I feel that way sometimes. I have to fight that at times. And I said, how many of you feel the same way? And almost the whole room raised their hand.

Right. Isn't that amazing?

So in. In working through this idea that I've already mentioned about, like, each of us with what we bring to the table is unique and special. And my tagline is be known for your worth. And so it's not only being known for the worth of what you offer your clients, but to be known for the worth of who you are and what you bring to the world.

Right. Why you're here on this earth. I mean, that is so powerful. It is.

And, Allison, people should not be working in jobs that they don't feel excited every day to get up in the morning and do. And I have a perfect client example. I was working with a woman in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and she is. She's a celebrity chef. And she hired me about a year ago. And she said, well, I want to work on this brand. And I'm like, okay. So we started, we dug into the brand identity work, and as we were talking about it, I said, you know, you don't seem very excited about what you're doing. And she said, well, I'm not really. And I said, well, let's talk about this a little bit. And so I said, what do you love doing? She goes, well, it has to be around food. And I said, okay, great. And then I said, what else do you love doing? And she was real timid, and she says, well, I've always wanted to be a photographer. And I'm like, okay. She goes, what if I took pictures of food? And I said, okay, but I don't know anything about photography. I said, so what? You can learn. Okay.

You can learn.

Take a class.

Yeah.

So I remember very vividly the day that I was coaching with her on the phone. And she's like, well, if I put this out on social media, that I'm going to start doing this. People are going to judge me. They're going to think this, they're going to think that. And I'm like, I don't care. Put it out there if that's what you're passionate about. I said, hit the post button. I helped her write the Post and everything. I said, hit the post button. She hit the post button. She got such amazing feedback. And just this last weekend, she was published in USA Today, one of her photographs.

Wow.

So this is one year and it's.

And that's keeping that inside all of that time. Right. You know, think of how. I mean, how many mountains you could move if you think of those thousand women in the audience. I mean, what power if everybody just threw off those shackles of who they felt like they were supposed to be and really showed up in the world with all the greatness that they had.

I just got chills.

Yeah.

I just got chills.

Yeah. I mean, just that. That can. I mean, that's how we make that global impact. That's how entrepreneurs are so powerful.

That's right.

So, I mean. Yeah, that's how you bring it to the bottom line. You feel amazing, you show up, and, you know, you don't stop yourself from doing the things that you really need to do.

Right, exactly.

So you work with people on all those levels.

Well, so the thing is, is that, you know, you've probably heard that saying, you can't see the label from inside the wine bottle. And we all need people to be looking at us from the outside and saying, this is how I see you.

Right.

And you know what? I have to hire somebody as a personal brand expert to brand me, because I can't see either. I get in my own way, just like everybody else does. And it's important that we have someone that's going to reflect us from a space of love, from a stake. I put the stake in the ground for my clients, and I'm like, you know what? You're going to believe in yourself by the time we're done with this, and they Do.

Yeah. Well, and I think it's so great that you have someone that you lean on too. I mean, I have a business coach, I have a fitness coach and that I've worked with for 20 years. And you know, it's not that I don't know these things, but this is someone that's going to pull the best out of me, that's going to stretch me.

That's right.

Right. So. Well, obviously your coach is doing a great job. You look absolutely beautiful. Thank you. Yeah. So what, what have you been most surprised about in doing this work? I mean, what kind of, what did you, what, what's happened over the years or through the experiences that you didn't think was going to happen or that the experience has been different than you thought?

Well, you know, I was born an entrepreneur. I'm a fifth generation entrepreneur. I have always known that I couldn't work, I could work for someone else. I have successfully, I've done it. But I like calling my own shots. I like making my own mistakes. And I think the thing that I have learned, and I want to share this from a personal place, as a woman in business, I know that it takes grit and it takes hard work and it takes getting out of bed in the morning and saying I'm doing my life's work. And so I'm going to push through it and to be able to realize that there are no problems. There's always the shifting and the pruning. And literally on my way here, I was talking with my business coach and, and I said, I am being pruned right now in my business. And she said, you absolutely are. And I said, okay, the rose is going to bloom, right? And it's okay. And that's what I think that what I've learned is the fierceness that I believe so strongly that people need to see themselves with worth. And that's why I get out of bed in the morning.

Everything comes down to self esteem.

It does.

How you show up, whatever you do, it's really how you feel about yourself at the deepest level. So can you just share. Will you share the story about the woman with the photographer?

Yes.

Any other stories that just kind of come to mind?

Oh, yeah. I mean, I've got all kinds of stories, but I got one client that I worked with who is a vegan health coach coach. And when we started working together, she was afraid to step up, to really step up and claim her spot. And after working with her, she's this gorgeous, gorgeous woman. And so after we did her brand Identity built that all out. We worked on her image, we did a great branding photo shoot, designed the website, got the whole thing done. She took me out to dinner and said, I want you. I'm 57 years old and she's gorgeous, Alison. And she said, for the first time in my life, I feel beautiful. Because now I see that it's okay to be out in the public, to be visible and visibility. I'm telling you, I'm going to write a million blog posts about this. Well, maybe not a million, but I'm going to write a bunch of blog posts about this because visibility is an issue. It's where people get stuck. What are people going to think? They're going to think that I think that I'm all that. And the truth is when we get visible and we're doing it from a space of service, I'm getting, I'm visible. I put myself together. Yes, I do it for me. But I will tell you, I put myself together because I want to attract people to me. This is why. Because I know that I can love them into a place of self, love and success.

Wow.

That's why I do it. Not because I want everybody to look at me. And when I'm able to couch it for people that way, you're not doing this for you. You're doing this for a bigger purpose.

You're a mirror. You are really for them to see. Best self. I love that. Yeah, I love it. Well, I mean, can you imagine going 57 years and then and not feeling that way? I think you get, people get used to feeling that way and then see that massive change.

Right.

I mean, you got to go out and get a personal brand strategist like Julianne. Right. So, but also, I mean, think about it this way. You know, if you're going to a networking event, if you, you know, people feel uncomfortable, that's all about visibility, right? But so many opportunities to grow your business like you're a speaker. So if you're going to be standing on stage, if you're going to be going up after these more high end clients, or if you're B2B and you're going after corporate clients, things like that, I mean, it really does make a difference. I mean, they say that people do make a judgment within those first seven seconds. Now you have to back it up.

It's a blink of an eye that they make that judgment.

Right.

That visual first impression happens in an.

Instant and we do it even though we know that, you know, it's much deeper than that. But just instinctively, we're visual people, and so it does makes a difference whether someone feels comfortable moving forward or not.

Yes, absolutely.

So what are some tips that you can share?

Okay, so I think one of the things that I think is really powerful is planning and ritual. Really big. And when I'm talking about planning, let's talk a little bit about image for just a second.

Okay.

When it comes to planning, one of the tips that I share right away and my audiences love this is once a week, make your bed all nice on a Saturday or a Sunday maybe, when you have a little bit of time, turn on some nice music, get yourself a cup of tea or a glass of wine, whatever you're going to enjoy, and kind of get into a little bit of a creative state and pull your calendar out and choose all of your outfits for the week. This is where I'm going. I'm going to put the whole thing together piece by piece so that I know it's polished and wrinkle free, and nothing has a stain on it because life gets in the way in the morning.

Yeah. Nothing worse than getting ready, about to run out the door, and you notice a big stain.

Exactly. And then you can take that and you can translate that even further into prepping for a conference. And the things that you can do very strategically to prep for a conference, to have you showing up, looking and feeling your best and ready to do business.

Right. That's such a great idea to do the week ahead. I've never done that. I'm usually scrambling the night before. I'm going, okay, all right, I'm gonna send you. And then I'm running to my husband. What do you think? This one or this one? Do you like the shoes with this? And then, of course, you got to find the jewelry and the whole deal. So. But I think that's to really take the time and strategize about it and think it through. It actually takes a lot of pressure off. And then you can have fun with it and be creative because you will.

Be creative with it. And my motto is, if you have something in your closet that you put on and you're like, it looks okay, get rid of it. Because, I mean, how many people want to wake up in the morning, go, oh, I only care about looking. Okay, today.

Right.

If you are really strategic about building out a wardrobe where you are excited, like, when you get that new dress, you're like, I can't wait. Wait to wear that new dress. You want all of those things in your wardrobe to feel like that for you, because it sets the tone for the day when you get up and you eat a healthy breakfast. It sets the tone for the day if you open up to a closet full of clothes and you've got. You can't even see and you've got your old typewriter in there and all that kind of stuff.

Right.

I mean, it's like chaos. But if you can walk into a space that's organized and you know that everything in that wardrobe fits you and you feel good in, it kind of goes from what am I going to wear? To what am I going to wear today?

Yeah, I love that. I love that. Because, you know, there's so many things you look at and you're like. I mean, you just. You're so used to them being there that you can't get rid of them. But it's just taking up space.

And that's a whole other show.

Yeah. Well, that will be the next one. Well, this has been so much fun. This is so much fun. Now there's going to be people, many of you watching, going, gosh, I really need to work on my brand. And I think this is something that you need to actually do consistently. Because we're evolving and changing all the time. Our businesses are evolving and changing. I think these are important things to look at. So you've got something special for everybody.

I do. I do. And what I put together really speaks to what I think is one of the biggest problems that people come to me with is that they brand themselves in the wrong sequence.

Okay.

They create a logo, they build out a web banner, they build out a website. And then they say, well, now I'm going to work on myself. Well, the truth is, that comes first. It lays the foundation for everything that you do. Your products, your services, all of those things. So the thing that I get the most crazy about is when people have spent all this money and then they come and they work with me and they say, oh, now I'm gonna go. I wanna go back and do things differently. Cause I see myself differently. So I published a book in January. It's called the Total Package. How to own your profitable personal Brand. And I'm gonna give the book away in a digital format. And then I'm also gonna offer up any great book.

Thank you. Thank you.

And then for people that know that they need to take action, for people that like to be challenged, for people that want a straightforward, sophisticated brand that's reflecting them at their best, I would invite them to schedule an appointment, because I'm going To offer also a free strategy session.

Oh, wow. That is such value to be able to get advice from Julieann. So how do people get this?

So they'll go to Julianne Stittick. Go to Julianne Stittick.com and Allison, and it'll be right there.

Great. And we'll put that up there for you as well. So, Ron, go ahead and connect with Julianne. Set up a strategy session with her, and you're gonna learn a lot of things. And, hey, it's time to step up. I always say that it's kind of like my tagline at the end of the show. Step up and step out because you're worth it. Elevate yourself. I love that. So, yeah, well, so this is the end of our show. We do have a. Where we kind of dig deep. We have a special mastermind that's private for our community members. And so if you want to learn more about that, you can just go right to the link there and check that out. But until next time, thanks for spending time with us on Allie and you. And step up and step out, because you are worth it. Bye, everybody. Thank you.

My dreams seemed like they were big when I got here, and they're even bigger now. If you're serious about making change, if.

You'Re serious about taking yourself from one level to the next. For the last two to three years, I was looking for this, something that was a structure that really is a tangible and really an actionable road to success. Alison offers a lot of templates and.

Practical applications and different techniques to empower.

You to actually make the changes and.

Take the action that you need to.

Take in order to succeed.

I have gotten so much out of.

This event, it's hard even to put into words.

Most of all, I think opportunity is the first thing that comes to mind.

What I realized is that there are.

So many different opportunities for revenue streams that I never even knew were out there that I'm just so excited because now I think just the potential for what I already have going and where I can go is so much more. I'm creating more possibilities of taking one of my brands to a national level.

And that's really why I'm here today.

To try to grab that takeaway or.

That breakthrough, if you will.

And I'm seeing that I'm going to get that through this network.

This is my second time attending the Business Breakthrough Blast off event, and this is really such a great event. If you're wanting to gain clarity and direction in your business and gain the tools and strategies you need to turn your dream into reality. Thank you so much, Alison, for your guidance and inspiration. And also, if you're really thinking about this event, I strongly encourage you to join Alison and her team. You'll be so glad you did, and you'll be able to really grow your business as big as you want to grow it.

I've been in business for 17 years as a CEO, so I know a lot about business. And I'm really, really impressed with how.

She delivers, how easy she makes it in breaking it down. And I love, love, love the blueprint. I could see so much potential. I mean, we're already doing so well as a company, and I just want to keep going on that train. And I feel like as for me.

In particular, I have so many goals.

And so much that I'm working on that having someone to help me focus and really drill down on the things that are going to help me now and six months from now and a year from now is really vitally important.

I came here this weekend wanting structure and inspiration, and I got those things. So with her worksheets and a lot of the information that she provides, I mean, it was just jam packed with all kinds of great content that I can now apply to my business and take it to a whole other level.

Not only am I inspired by Alison, I'm learning from the people that I meet at this event and networking with. So I just feel like I'm part of this family, part of this community who's really out to make their business make a difference in the world.

Sam.