[The Personal Branding Journey] From 9-5 to Full-Time Consultant: a Non-Negotiable Vision

Meico Whitlock Mindful Techie

Meico Whitlock, a DC-based mindful productivity coach, answered the call of freedom.

He was a member of cohort II of our signature personal branding group training program – Package Your Genius Academy.

We caught up with Meico to discuss how he planned to take the leap from working his full-time job to working full-time in his business.

Since the academy, he quit his job and now speaks and coaches full-time. This past summer, he launched a line of online courses and bootcamps to help busy professionals reclaim their time.

We discussed his personal branding journey including:

  • the importance of accountability
  • practical planning to make a big career and financial leap
  • from ideas to implementation
  • starting from zero, nurturing a small audience and building over time
  • listening to the universe and why your vision is non-negotiable

Listen to Meico’s inspiring personal branding journey below!

Mentioned during the interview:

 

[The Personal Branding Journey] Hadiya Williams on building your brand as an artist

Hadiya Willams

Hadiya Williams, a DC-based artist and maker, answered the call of creativity and entrepreneurship.

The accomplished graphic designer and founder of Black Pepper Paperie was a member of cohort III of my signature personal branding group training program – Package Your Genius Academy.

Hadiya and I caught up to discuss how she’s made art her business – she’s a creative conjurer who makes visually exquisite creations – stationery, invitations, clay work, etc. She designed my AML logo (the one in the top left corner!) among a ton of other amazing things.

She recently turned her focus away from the graphic design work for which she received her BFA and advanced training to focus on clay pottery and hand made stationery.

Hadiya and I discussed her personal branding journey including:

  • the importance of building your brand as an artist
  • marketing’s role in the creative process
  • pivoting away from the career you received your degree in
  • responding to family members and what others think you should be doing with your talents
  • getting comfortable with self promotion, networking her way into the National Museum of Women in the Arts and more…

Listen to Hadiya’s inspiring personal branding journey or watch my interview with her below

Mentioned during the interview:

I’m sure her amazing creations will wow you – she is such a force.

[The Personal Branding Journey] How Joy Lacy narrowed her niche and overcame naysayers on the road to building her brand

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Just as you sometimes have a gut feeling that you should pick up a call even when you have no idea who is on the other end of the line, you have intuition that is guiding you away from things that aren’t for you and toward what you should be doing with your life and your career.

On a deep level, you recognize your purpose. You fully understand exactly what you should be doing and what you are called to do.

It could be the call of creative expression, or of your tribe. Maybe it's the call of freedom, or the call to give back. Or it could be the call of excellence where you know you're not giving your best effort.

Whatever it means for you, now may be the perfect time to answer the call.

Joy Lacy - aka The Restaurant Girl, answered the call.

The founder of Joy of Consulting was a member cohort III of my signature personal branding group training program - Package Your Genius Academy.

Joy and I caught up to discuss her business - she's an organizational development consultant and business operations strategist who helps small businesses put better back-end systems in place.

She also has a new venture called "The Restaurant Girl" where she focuses specifically on restaurant owners who are ready to grow their current stores or scale to additional locations.

Joy and I discussed her personal branding journey to:

  • creating a narrowly defined niche in the consulting industry
  • overcoming the discouraging feedback of a trusted mentor
  • paying attention to what was working already to find a focus area that energizes her days
  • the symptoms of a business that lacks systems

Listen to Joy's inspiring personal branding journey or watch my interview with her !

Mentioned during the interview:

Joy's Website - Joy of Consulting

Follow Joy on Twitter - @JoyofConsulting

Package Your Genius Academy  - Group Mastermind

I'm sure her infectious spirit will inspire you as much as it has inspired me!

When it's easy to write about others but hard to write about yourself

When it's easy to write about others but hard to write about yourself

One of the most frustrating things about having strong communications and marketing skills is knowing how to effectively market the ideas of others, while not being able to harness your marketing powers for yourself.

Package Your Genius Academy accepted into Forbes Coaches Council

Package Your Genius Academy accepted into Forbes Coaches Council

Package Your Genius Academy, a personal branding and leadership development institute based in the nation's capitol, has been accepted into the Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches.

Package Your Genius Academy joins other Forbes Coaches Council members, who are hand-selected, to become part of a curated network of successful peers and get access to a variety of exclusive benefits and resources, including the opportunity to submit thought leadership articles and short tips on industry-related topics for publishing on Forbes.com. 

Forbes Councils combines an innovative, high-touch approach to community management perfected by the team behind Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) with the extensive resources and global reach of Forbes. As a result, Forbes Council members get access to the people, benefits and expertise they need to grow their businesses — and a dedicated member concierge who acts as an extension of their own team, providing personalized one-on-one support.

"We are thrilled to join Forbes Coaches Council and look forward to working with Forbes to further our mission of closing the visibility gap for women and minorities," says Amanda Miller Littlejohn the founder of PYGA. "The community Forbes has brought together is an unparalleled resource, and we look forward to tapping the brainpower within the group to build up our members."

Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, says, “We are honored to welcome Amanda and Package Your Genius Academy into the community. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to curate successful professionals from every industry, creating a vetted, social capital-driven network that helps every member make an even greater impact on the business world.”

For more information about Forbes Coaches Council, visit https://forbescoachescouncil.com/.