Finding Your Voice & Building Your Brand with Brandi Milloy

Brandi Milloy is no stranger to the public eye. From the red carpet and Today Show to the Food Network and Cooking Channel series, Brandi knows a little something about building a brand with personality! 

KNOW YOUR VOICE.

Struggling to find your voice is something everyone can resonate with. WHAT to say? HOW to say it? WHEN to say it and WHERE? We aren't short on options which can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. So what does the discovery process look like?

• (05:49) Know who you are and be confident in your unique perspective and point of view. Stay true to yourself and surround yourself with likeminded people who will push you to become the best version of yourself.
• (06:45) Set strategic goals for yourself both short term and long term. Be the queen of, "No". Know exactly who you are and what stands in line with what you stand. Feel confident in your convictions and your ability to say no to opportunities that may seem great, but aren't in line with your goals. Determine what your priorities are and what's not worth your time because time truly is our most precious commodity.

Get clear on who you are and what your values are in order to ensure that every decision you make aligns within those boundaries.

• (09:09) When building your brand and your voice it's imperative that you know your target audience. As soon as we lock into WHO we're talking to, the HOW to talk to them becomes much easier.

Get clear on WHO you're talking to. If you try to speak to everybody, you'll end up speaking to nobody.

As we are given opportunities to grow, there may be times where we feel like an "imposter". And if you don't think mindset matters in scenarios like this, allow me to be your wake up call..

IT MATTERS!

• (11:12) It's all about having that passion and that desire in your heart. You can learn all the other skills and tools and protocols, but if you have that desire in your heart and that passion and drive, nothing can stand in your way.

Let's talk VIDEO!

Can I tell you a secret? I hate video. I hate it! I used to avoid it like the plague. As trends have continually shifted towards video I had to make a choice. Stay in my comfort zone, or get a little uncomfortable and grow my dream!

I don't like the way I look. I don't like the way sound I don't like.. whatever! 

I really had to come to terms with myself and reconstruct what confidence looks like for me. I had to embrace my imperfections. And you know what? Those things always needed to be done. Video just forced me to address the problem I kept avoiding. #personalgrowth

• (13:40) If you turn the mirror and you look at the people that you enjoy watching on camera, they're just being themselves. Most of the time the people that we look up to, online or otherwise, especially in a lifestyle host space, they're just being themselves. 
• (14:34) Preparation is huge. Even the biggest pros still prepare. Prepare talking points days, even weeks in advance until you're comfortable. Do mock interviews with yourself and see how you look on camera. A lot of times we think that we are smiling and we think that we sound pleasant or confident and then we look and realize, oh goodness, that is not how I want to look.
• (15:25) The first thing is feeling comfortable looking at yourself on camera and doing it by yourself. It eventually will become muscle memory. Practice makes perfect.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

• (17:48) There is something that happens physically when you're connecting emotionally with other people. The energy in the room.. their response. If you feed off the energy of others it can be easier to speak to a huge crowd of people over a smaller one.

STAR STRUCK

• (18:22) If you know who you're going to be around, do as much research as you can about them. What projects are they working on? What are their goals?
• (19:13) Stay professional no matter what. Have humility, grace and gratitude. To break the ice, it's, it's totally okay to say, you know, I'm a huge fan of yours. I really love your work. Or state that it's an honor to be there. It sets the tone for the relationship you're going to have.

WHEN THINGS GO BADLY 

• (22:24) A common mistake that a lot of people make is when they stop active listening. You stop being in the moment of where you are and lose focus. Before you it you've "blacked out" and have no clue what's just happened. Clear your mind and focus on where you are. Social media can be a huge distractor. Don't be afraid of a "Later-Graham". Capture your content then put your phone away so you can mentally get into the zone of your here and now.

CONTENT THAT COUNTS

Consistency is key. What are you doing to serve your audience? What makes you better, special or different from everyone else? That's your "secret sauce" and all decisions should be made within those bounds.

• (24:47) Find out what speaks to you and your audience. For me, I like the behind the scenes, real rawness. And so that's what I like to put out there. What you will see is my personal life mixed in with my work life. Especially on stories people get to know the real me and who I am. 
• (27:04) Decide what's important to you, what relationships you want to establish. There are so many opportunities that will come your way. If something's authentic to you then it makes sense. It's important to stay consistent and authentic no matter what vulnerability you're sharing.

When considering sponsorships and collaborations, stay true to who you are and what you're creating. Those boundaries that you set up are meant to guide you as you gauge a dollar worth making or a dollar that will not serve you long term.

BATTLING DISCOURAGEMENT

• (28:58) It is so hard when you feel stagnant and you feel like you are just burning the wicks on both sides of the candle. It's really important to have a focus group with some people you trust and admire. To glean perspective from others. The power of brainstorming is so awesome and it can be very isolating when you are just in one lane focused on a dream. Invite people to give you critique and write things down.
• (29:32) Have a calendar of what you want to work on and a priority list. Write it down and check your progress to ensure you're on track. A three or five year plan is great, but do you really understand the daily tasks to get there? Get granular on your plan!
• (29:56) As a working mom, one of the most powerful things is having a quiet time to myself and my husband in the morning. We connect with ourselves and put the cell phones away. No work. Waking up before my daughter and giving myself time for me is powerful.
• (31:24) Get a personal mentor and business mentor. The power of having someone that is one, three, five, ten steps ahead of you, is so crucial. 
  (33:06) Connect with nature. Turn off the technology and find time in solitude to think and refresh. Get outside to do your brainstorming. Get out from behind that desk!

Turn off the extra curricular noises from TV and radio. In order to foster new ideas we have to tune out the noises that keep us from having those great and monumental thoughts. Disconnect to reconnect.

PRESSURES TO CHANGE

• (34:31) Just because you might see your analytics perk up or you see this new found interest or a new audience showing interest in something, if it's not something that you naturally enjoy and is authentic to you, there really is no point in doing it. "You'll never work a day in your life if you're doing something you love." You have to really stay zoned in on what your goals are. Your personal and professional goals.
• (36:11) It takes 10 years for an overnight success. Give yourself grace and time to build towards something and to remember not to compare yourself to other people in your field. It's really easy to think everything should happen instantly because it did maybe for someone else or because you are doing all the things, but it's when opportunity meets hard work.

Ready to get started? Let's break it down!

1. Write a business plan for yourself. Not just the store, not just the product or the book, write a business plan for who you are. So if you were selling yourself, what are the characteristics that you embody? Who are you? 
2. Know your voice. After you write that business plan, knowing your voice and what you stand for, what is your point of view? What is your perspective?
3. Research your target audience and research your competitors. Get clear on what makes you better, special or different. 
4. Find a mentor. Someone that you personally connect with. Their job might have nothing to do with what you're doing, but it's something you want to build towards.
5. Know your WHY. What is the reason why you're doing this? Reach down into your heart because you might have to take out business loans, you're going to probably skip drinks every Friday night with your friends. There is a lot of sacrifice when you're trying to start something and you have to hold onto that one thing that you're doing this for. Connect with it every day. Do a vision board every start of the year or start of the season. Write a mission statement for who you are.