Last night I attended Cocktails & Couture, a bi-annual event that coincides with New York Fashion Week.
The first part of the night featured an all-star panel of beauty industry veterans, brand managers and influential bloggers who all provided smart lessons on the night’s personal branding theme.
The panel, moderated by beauty expert Lianne Farbes (@LianneFarbes), featured celebrity manicurist Tracylee Percival (@LuxebyTracylee), beauty pioneer Jennifer Walsh (@BehindtheBrand), Avon/Mark brand manager Jessica Goon (@JessGoon), entertainment journalist JasFly (@JasFly), Fashion Bomb Daily founder Claire Sulmers (@TheFashionBomb) and Charlene Dance (@CharleneDance) the global marketing director for Strength of Nature.
All of the ladies provided amazing advice, but there were a few takeaways that really stood out:
Bloom Where You’re Planted
When the topic of brands working with bloggers and influencers came up, Charlene Dance shared that brands sometimes make the mistake of overlooking bloggers with small audiences. However, she believes that you never really know how big someone’s brand or audience will grow so brand managers should always keep an open mind and start working with people where they are.
It’s important for people who are working on building their brand to hear this type of advice because it’s easy to give up when you feel like you’re constantly being overlooked for opportunities that bigger personalities are scooping up. The lesson here is to work hard and bloom where you’re planted.
Honor Your Commitments
All you have in life is your word, especially when it comes to working with brands and/or building your business. Avon’s Jessica Goon talked about the importance of honoring your commitments whether it’s attending and covering an event, doing a product review or simply just following up and through with your communication.
Stay True To Yourself
All of the ladies touched on this one. No matter what you’re doing you should always be true to who you are. It’s easy to look to the right and left of you and envy what other people are doing or what they have, but don’t compromise your situation by trying to emulate them if it has nothing to do with your personal brand.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.