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Marina Byezhanova, Co-Founder, Brand of a Leader

This interview is with Marina Byezhanova, Co-Founder at Brand of a Leader.

Marina Byezhanova, Co-Founder, Brand of a Leader

Marina, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming an expert in personal branding, particularly for women in entrepreneurship?

I was born in the Soviet Union, spending my early childhood behind the Iron Curtain and the rest of my childhood in post-Soviet Ukraine. My family gave me my mother's last name to conceal my dad's Jewish roots.

From a very young age, I learned what it's like to have no clear identity and no voice. When I was 16, my family immigrated to Canada. I rejoiced in coming to the land of democracy and freedom of speech. And yet, as an immigrant, my identity was unclear and my voice was of no interest to anyone, as I was so heavily accented and not easy to understand.

Figuring out who I really was at my core and finding my voice became almost an obsession. Years later, I became a public speaker globally and sought out on stages small and big. Suddenly, I realized how many fellow leaders chose to have no voice and to hide behind their titles or their companies.

I decided to start a personal-branding agency for Gen X leaders to inspire them to find their voices and scale the reach of their voices. We now work with leaders in 12 countries, and I continue to speak globally on the importance of figuring out who we are at our core and sharing it with the world.

What pivotal moments or experiences in your career solidified your passion for helping women build strong personal brands?

I remember reading the book Lean In and feeling a sense of shock that women did not feel empowered to have visibility, to use their voice, and to be heard. My obsession with finding my own voice made me oblivious to how much other women were self-silencing.

Over the years, I have spoken to groups of women at numerous events as a keynote speaker and often heard the same concerns: the impostor syndrome, the concern with being misunderstood, the fear of being judged. Today, when my agency helps women realize and express their greatness, I feel exceptionally proud of being able to make such a powerful impact.

You've successfully incorporated the color red as a unique element of your personal brand. What advice would you give to someone struggling to identify a distinctive element for their own brand?

A personal brand is an expression of who we are, not what we do. It's about the associations we evoke in other people's minds. These associations come from a unique angle or point of view, our core messaging, key topics, and often our visual identity as well. The number one advice I would give to someone struggling to identify a distinctive element for their own brand is to go on a journey of introspection.

One great exercise we have clients do is map out all of the most significant moments of their life and look for patterns—one of these patterns can be packaged into a distinctive angle. Another great exercise is uncovering our core values, as one of those values can serve as our unique point of view, giving us distinctiveness and memorability. Color is great, but it can be gimmicky, and should be used as an add-on to a strong brand identity rather than leading it.

Many entrepreneurs, especially women, face unique challenges when building their personal brands. What's one common mistake you see and how can it be avoided?

The number one mistake I see entrepreneurs make when building their personal brands is to begin executing before creating strategy. Before you begin to self-market and promote your brand, you need to first understand what your brand actually is.

Your brand is an expression of who you are, not what you do, and so you figure out your brand through a process of introspection rather than trying to cater to the interests of your target audience. So many people approach personal brand building as an exercise in marketing - at Brand of a Leader, we approach it as a process of self-discovery instead.

You mentioned the importance of public speaking for lead generation. What actionable steps can someone take to overcome the fear of public speaking and start leveraging it for their business?

When I first began my public-speaking journey, I was petrified beyond words. As much as I wanted to become a public speaker and have my voice heard, I would have panic attacks, anxiety, and immense fear before every single talk.

The steps I took were:

1. Studying the craft: I probably read every single book available on the topic at the time.

2. Hiring professionals to help me craft my talk: today my agency offers this service.

3. Practice, practice, practice. Despite my sometimes crippling fears, I took stage after a stage after a stage, no matter how small.

And the saying is true: practice does make perfect. I have since spoken to audiences in North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

How can women entrepreneurs effectively balance authenticity with the need to project a professional image in their personal brand?

There is so much misunderstanding around personal branding because we watch social media influencers and believe that brand-building means sharing every single detail of our lives, baring our souls, and crying in front of the camera.

In reality, building a personal brand as a business owner requires none of it. Step one is for you to figure out what your brand is all about, and step two is to share it with the world. We can be radically authentic and professional all at the same time.

You've traveled globally and connected with entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. What's the most valuable lesson you've learned from this global entrepreneurial community?

I've been blown away by how similar we can be, regardless of our very different cultures and upbringings. I remember giving a talk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2019 on the topic of core values. It resonated so much with two young women that they came up to me to express their gratitude for my talk.

They said that by sharing that I am an entrepreneur and also a heavily-involved mother of two children, I gave them hope that they could have and do the same. That moment brought tears to my eyes because it made me realize that, as women, we share the same hopes and ambitions, which are geographically and culturally ambitious.

As I have traveled to many countries to speak on the topic of personal branding, it continues to blow me away how resonant my content is despite the location where I present it.

In today's digital age, how important is an online presence for personal branding, and what are your top tips for cultivating a strong online presence?

An online presence is crucial for all of us because we all Google people we are looking to do business with. For entrepreneurs, this is important because studies show that 70% of people are more likely to purchase from a company whose CEO has a digital presence.

My top tip for business owners looking to build a strong online presence is to get help. You're busy building a business - hire someone who can be busy cultivating your strong online presence. The two strongest platforms for CEOs right now are LinkedIn and guesting on podcasts, so I would recommend that you start there.

Looking back on your journey, what advice would you give to your younger self just starting out in the world of entrepreneurship and personal branding?

I would give the same advice to my younger self that I now give to every single person who asks for my personal brand-building advice: Do not put the cart before the horse.

I began to self-promote before I had an understanding of what my brand was all about. When we do the opposite—when we figure out our brand identity before executing on it—the clarity drives faster results, more impact, and overall more cohesion.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you for reading! I hope I was able to give value to those reading my answers.

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