January 5, 2026 • 30 mins
You don’t need to be louder - you need to be clearer.
In this episode, I'm chatting with visibility strategist Ivana Ivanek about what it really takes to stand out in a saturated market without turning yourself into a content machine or sacrificing your integrity.
We also discuss:
- How to build a brand based on your values and story
- Why your message matters more than your expertise
- Where to start if you have no idea what your "personal brand" actually is
- How your personal brand allows you to pivot while maintaining customer loyalty
- How having a supportive community can help you find your voice and get over your fear of being seen
Links & References:
- If you're serious about growing your business in 2025, check out the new Powerful Women Rising Connection Network!
- Learn more about how Ivana helps coaches and educators make money and lasting impact here: https://ivanaivanek.com/
- Connect with Ivana on Instagram
- Listen to the Online Business by Design podcast
Connect with Your Host!
Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist and the founder of Powerful Women Rising - a business growth ecosystem for female entreprenuers who want to create real momentum through real relationships.
Inside the PWR Connect Network and the PWR Business Growth Mastermind, Melissa helps women in business get build relationships, increase visibility and get more referrals without pressure, perfection or performative networking.
She's on a mission to change the way women grow their businesses - proving that you can be authentic, values-driven and profitable at the same time.
Melissa lives in Colorado with two dogs (Peyton and Ally), three cats (Giorgio, Karma and Betty) and any number of foster kittens. She hates winter, seafood and feet. She loves iced coffee, Taylor Swift, and buying books she'll never read.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Hello, Ivana.
SPEAKER_02 (00:03):
Welcome to the Powerful Woman Rising podcast.
SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
Melissa, I'm so stoked to be here.
It has been a while since weconnected, and everybody who
doesn't know about podcasting,there's quite a brood behind the
scenes to get together, but wefinally made it.
And I just can't wait to havethis conversation with you
today.
SPEAKER_02 (00:20):
Yes, I'm so excited to talk to you too.
I know time zones, no matter howlong I've been doing this, are
still so confusing and stillnever cease to mess everything
up.
So I'm glad we both got here thesame time, same day, and I'm
excited to talk to you.
So before we dive into theconversation, tell everybody
just a little bit about you andabout what you do.
unknown (00:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:41):
So my name is Ivana Ivanik.
I'm the founder of FabulousFoundation, personal brand
strategist, mindset coach, andthe host of the online business
by design podcast.
I help female founders stand outin saturated markets through
personal branding so they canmake money and impact.
I love that.
And how long have you been doingthis work?
(01:02):
I've been doing businessstrategy in the digital space
since almost five years now, andI specialized on personal
branding three years ago.
SPEAKER_02 (01:10):
Okay, awesome.
Is your background in likemarketing and branding in
business?
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
It is in marketing, in sales mainly, but this has
just developed as I have foundeda very successful business in
during COVID, actually, and Ihave made money within a month.
And this has developed quitewell, which I'm still doing on
the side.
And then I thought, okay, thiswas uh something that I did from
the comfort of my own home withno proper pants on, while you
(01:38):
know the whole world didn't knowwhat to do.
And um, as uh we all develop andgrow, I grew into uh my
specifics, so to say, and tookthe skill set that I had from
the corporate world and justadjusted into the digital space.
SPEAKER_02 (01:53):
Yeah, that's great.
I'm excited for thisconversation.
I love talking to people whohave the kind of background and
experience and knowledge thatyou do because I think there's
so many of us who go intobusiness because we're so
excited to do the thing that wewant to do, right?
Like we're so excited to makeour cupcakes or be a life coach
or sell whatever our product is.
(02:14):
And we're not really excitedabout all of the business stuff,
but we don't even really realizelike how much there is that we
don't know, right?
We just think we're gonna showup with our cupcakes and
everyone's gonna buy them andit's gonna be great.
And so I love talking to peoplelike you who have that expertise
about some of the like behindthe scenes that those of us who
are maybe newer in business arestill kind of getting
(02:36):
established, like things that wedon't even know that we don't
know.
So I'm excited to talk to youtoday, especially about personal
branding, because I thinkthere's a lot of misconceptions
about what that means and whyit's important.
So let's start with whatpersonal branding is and maybe
what it isn't.
SPEAKER_00 (02:56):
I will start with what personal branding is for
me.
Like, first of all, what itisn't, it's not hiding behind
your logo.
Personal branding is you as apersona operating your business
as a real human being up front.
I have an incredible coolexample here.
And personal branding is nothingnew, it's just it's becoming
(03:18):
really fancy, and I know we alllike fancy nowadays, right?
Because the markets aresaturated, the people have lost
trust as we um proceeded overthe last years, and there are
just so many coaches out there,and the question is who to pick.
There are so many umpsychotherapists out there, and
the question is who to pick, whois the best, who do I trust, who
(03:40):
do I like?
And it's no longer about uhfinding a company, because if
you Google psychotherapists, itwill show you probably 20 in
your area, coaches, same,business strategist, or whatever
service you are looking for.
And for me, personal branding issomething that is so much more
sustainable than just operatingand having a business.
(04:02):
Personal branding for mepersonally should be something
that is you that you build,where you take the people on
your journey that creates aripple effect of impact.
You are a thought leader, notonly an expert.
And your personal brand shouldallow you to pivot at any given
time in your business.
(04:23):
So, as let's say Melissa, yousell cupcakes today.
By the way, I love this umexample.
And because people love Melissa,and Melissa has this, you have
this incredible fan club andcommunity of people that are
like, this is my woman, likewhat she does, the way she
thinks, the way she movesthrough life, the way she
handles obstacles, and the wayshe makes cupcakes is just my
(04:46):
kind of person.
So it might be that Melissawon't do you won't do cupcakes
anymore in two years, but you goto wedding cakes.
I'm sure one of those people inthis community or fan club will
either tell people that you'redoing um uh wedding cakes now,
or we'll get married at somepoint and be like, thank god I
know you.
Another cool example is Beyonce.
(05:08):
Like, I'm a forever fan ofBeyoncé.
She has made RB for years.
And what is she doing now?
Her brand new album is uhanything but RB.
And people still love her,people still go to the concerts
because it's Beyonce.
And a personal brand shouldallow you to do this over and
(05:29):
over again as you develop as ahuman being.
SPEAKER_02 (05:32):
Yeah, so it's really more about who you are than what
you do.
SPEAKER_00 (05:38):
Exactly.
And I think you had anincredible cool episode just uh
just recently aired thedifference between marketing and
sales and how to navigate that.
I just uh I tuned in recentlyinto that.
And the truth is personalbranding is marketing, is your
visibility and marketingstrategy.
And yes, of course, we speak ofour about our expertise on
(06:01):
podcasts, we speak about it inour content on social media, we
write about it in articles, andwe present webinars in front of
already curated audiences.
But the truth is that asustainable brand is built on
value, not only expertise.
It's built on the message thatmatters to the world in the
(06:22):
current state.
SPEAKER_02 (06:25):
So if I'm listening to this and I think, okay, that
sounds like a great idea.
I understand what you're sayingin theory, but I don't know what
my personal brand is.
Like I know what my logo is, Iknow what my colors are, I know
my website is really pretty.
Where do I start when it comesto figuring out my own personal
brand?
SPEAKER_00 (06:44):
I love this question.
This is something really umcool.
And I dare to say that everybodyis or has a personal brand
because the work we do, andespecially in the transformation
industry, and when we arerunning our passionate,
intentional businesses, as wecan do this right now, and to
(07:05):
really the work we want to bedoing, this is not coming from
the idea of I woke up as anexpert, I'm gonna make a bank.
This idea usually comes to usfrom knowledge, experiences, and
things we have already livedthrough, tackled, and now are
ready to bring it to the world.
(07:25):
So let's say, Melissa, you arebuilding communities.
Why is it so important to you toput women into communities?
Why can't we sit in our corner?
Like, what has moved you tobring us together?
SPEAKER_02 (07:40):
I mean, I think there's a lot of different
things.
One of them is my ownexperience, like in middle
school in particular, being thegirl that had to eat lunch in
the bathroom every day because Ididn't have friends and I didn't
have anybody to sit with.
And that was a terrible feeling.
And so I've always really wantedto make sure that everyone feels
(08:02):
like they have friends that theycan sit with.
And then that really translatedinto the business world where
um, you know, we're spending somuch money and so much time on
all of these things that wethink that we need, and we're
trying to do all of these thingsby ourselves, and none of that
is sustainable without havingsupport and community.
SPEAKER_00 (08:24):
How does how does community sprinkle in your
everyday life outside ofbusiness?
Have you a community gatherer?
SPEAKER_02 (08:33):
Yeah, I mean, I think that's where that's where
all of my support system and youknow people who started out as
people I met at networkingevents or referral partners or
just like online acquaintancesthat have become like some of my
best friends.
SPEAKER_00 (08:49):
Tea over cupcakes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So what I hear here is that youare creating belonging through
community and create supportsystems for success.
And this is your personal brand.
Whether it is business strategy,it doesn't matter, can be
anything.
Can be if you put yourself outas the brand who creates
(09:11):
belonging and wants everyone tohave friends and succeed in
their doing, then today youteach strategy and tomorrow you
can support moms going throughperimenopause.
SPEAKER_02 (09:24):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (09:25):
Right.
So this is the message you'rebringing to the world that we
all belong, that we all needsomebody that's no matter who
and what we are doing, thatnobody nobody has done it alone.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So is your personal brand moreabout your like mission and your
values than it is like yourpersonality and the things that
you like and your hobbies?
Like, is it is it more aboutlike for me, for the example
we're talking about, is it moreabout this like inclusivity and
(09:56):
community and wanting a spacefor everyone and wanting, you
know, to support femaleentrepreneurs than it is about,
you know, how much I love TaylorSwift and Starbucks?
Or is all of that part of thepersonal brand?
SPEAKER_00 (10:12):
It is all part of it.
We uh the most important thingare the values and the
foundational values and thechange we want to create in the
world.
SPEAKER_02 (10:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:21):
Then the second part is of course, let the people in
in your life.
And this is something wherepeople are very, very scared of
because they say, Oh my god, doI now need to share everything
on social media?
Do I need to tell everyone whatI eat when I walk?
When I had an argument with myhusband, do I need to tell that
my kids didn't behave?
No, none of that.
(10:42):
Because there is also, if wethen think further, and let's
say you are creating communityand you create belonging, true
community, then there are partsin your life that are doing
exactly the same thing in yourprivate life, and it's easy to
recreate because it's a valueyou are living up to every day
(11:05):
in and out.
I can give you an example frommy life.
I travel, like I'm not a digitalnomad, but I do move countries
frequently, let's say two tofive years sequencing.
So I moved from Greece toSoutheast Asia, from Southeast
Asia to the Caribbean, from theCaribbean to Barcelona, back to
Europe now.
And I'm taking the people alongon this journey.
(11:27):
What I do, I mean, I'm not on anairplane every day, but what I
do, I immerse myself in culture.
In every city, there issomething exciting I do.
And what I do most of the timeis eating and enjoying a glass
of wine.
What I also do is I go to thegym and I run.
So I take the people along onthis journey, and I teach people
that they need to, you know,teach themselves to do hard
(11:49):
things no matter what, if theywant to have a personal,
successful brand, because yourbrain doesn't know the
difference between going to thegym at 9 p.m.
when you're tired or showing upon social media.
Resilience is resilience.
So these are the tiny bits thatI take people along in my life
where first of all I can sustainit.
I do it almost every other day.
(12:10):
So there's enough content toshow what I do.
SPEAKER_02 (12:13):
I love that.
So when it comes to standing outin a saturated market, I think
this is what I really want totalk about.
And I know personal branding isa huge part of this, but how do
the two tie together?
Because I know I have a lot ofconversations, and I'm sure you
do too, with entrepreneurs andpeople who are newer in business
that think like everyone doeswhat I do.
(12:36):
There are a hundred millionpeople who are doing this,
right?
Everybody's a coach, everybody'sa realtor, everybody's a
photographer.
And so how does personalbranding help people stand out
in those markets, especiallywhen they are not like the
loudest, right?
Or they're not like the mostoutrageous.
(12:58):
How does like a normal personuse personal branding to stand
out?
SPEAKER_00 (13:04):
There is two things I need to mention here.
It's so personal branding is notnew, as I already said.
Like personal brands existthroughout like hundreds of
years.
It's just like now that it'sgetting more and more important,
as there are, as you say,everybody thinks that everyone
is a coach.
The reason why we think, as anexample, the reason why we think
(13:26):
as such is because if you are acoach, then all you do is watch
coaches doing business everysingle day.
Before I started in thisindustry five years ago, I
didn't know how many they are.
And if we break it down into innumbers, then it's probably a
0.0001 something of the wholepopulation who are actually
(13:49):
coaches and who are visibleonline.
So just because you see iteverywhere, it doesn't mean
everyone is a coach.
Secondly, um we have thisopportunity now to reach buyers
beyond borders through socialmedia, through diverse
platforms.
And what is so great about thisera, especially right now, is
(14:13):
that you don't have to be theloudest, as you say, but we
cannot play small anymore.
It can't just be that you say,okay, I want to be a little bit
visible and I want to do alittle bit, because then I
highly recommend staying in yourlocal area and not bother being
with being visible online andtrying to sprinkle around a
little bit, because it's eitherall or nothing.
(14:34):
This is what saturated marketsrequire.
And this is maybe what we wouldsay is the loud, right?
You don't have to scream loud,but you have to be in places.
If this is not someone's cup oftea and you don't want to make
your millions, then really chillin your local area because this
is the best thing you can do.
However, if someone wants to gobig and seize today's
(14:55):
opportunities, we need to levelup and get onto platforms that
most of the people will fearbecause podcasting, writing
articles, speaking on stages,this is all the things that we
women were not taught.
Although we have the rights todo it, we were not taught how to
seize them and not to feel likeless off when we want it.
(15:18):
So it's all or nothing.
And um the truth is traditionalPR, people on podcasts are
looking for people like youlistening right now.
The celebrity era is over.
And be like fresh up, like freshperspectives, new thinking, um,
(15:42):
new faces, and new names.
And not seizing that is actuallya huge, huge loss.
And um, you know, just not nottaking this opportunity and
getting over yourself and belike, okay, I'm gonna do it, I'm
gonna learn the skill, I'm gonnaput myself out there, is a
shame.
And I see so much potentialgoing to waste here.
SPEAKER_02 (16:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
Why do you think?
I mean, we don't have to divetoo far down the rabbit hole
into like the patriarchy and allthe things, but why do you
think, especially with women inparticular, they have this fear
of putting themselves out thereand this fear of being seen?
And it's so hard for them to bethat visible.
SPEAKER_00 (16:23):
Well, it hasn't been too long ago.
That just I think this year ithas been 50 years since in the
UK women are allowed to open uptheir own bank account without
their husband or even their sonhaving to sign for them.
So that's 50 years only.
That's not a long time.
And the truth is having thatright like on white on paper is
(16:47):
a good thing because a lot ofwomen and a lot of men have been
fighting for these rights.
What we always miss out in oursociety, or what we delay with,
is teaching uh the currentpeople who are in this era how
to seize those rights.
You have them, but and of coursewe come with all our limiting
(17:11):
beliefs and what we all like totalk so much in the in the in
the digital space, but the truthis you're not alone with your
limiting beliefs, because thenwe sit, we work on our limiting
beliefs, and if none of thesebeliefs touches cultural
thinking or upbringing, you willstart outgrowing every single
(17:32):
person surrounding you, and youwill go down the spiral even
more because then what we speakof speaking about belonging, you
suddenly belong to nobody.
Because your family doesn'tunderstand, your friends no
longer understand, your partnermight not understand, has never
been on your side.
(17:52):
So if we don't look on this sideof where is this actually coming
from, and it comes from yes, youput the rights upon us, but you
don't teach us what to do aboutit.
Yeah, yeah, and then you youblame us for doing so because
then we are too loud, too big,too extraordinary.
I don't know, wanting too much,like high maintenance is a is a
(18:17):
thing.
Like I I heard this recently,like someone literally told me
that I am high maintenance, andI said, like, you know what, I'm
happy to be it because I'm gonnamaintain it myself.
SPEAKER_01 (18:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (18:28):
And we don't uh nowadays we miss uh the
misconcept, the bigmisconception is that we often
um still think in our societythat women need help, let's say,
especially from men or theirpartners, in carrying mineral
water up the staircase.
Yes, it's a thing.
I mean it's cute, but I can doit.
If I drink my wine, I carry itmyself.
(18:49):
If I drink my water, I carry itmyself.
But what or I make my own money,so there is no longer that need
of um being codependent withsomeone, or marriage is no
longer about what we are whatwe're gonna buy together.
People have separate uh bankaccounts nowadays.
But what hasn't changed is thatwe still need the emotional
support, and this is rising.
(19:11):
And the emotional support is uhliterally faith and belief in
someone, and um we don't likejust as women are not raised to
seize opportunities and to beloud and to speak their voice,
men are haven't been raised tosupport this type of woman who
(19:31):
is successful, and then there isthis clinch, and I see this all
the time in relationships thatwhen the woman starts going out,
building a a business, there isfights discussions, like my
relationship amongst um otherthings, also like we broke up
because of it.
SPEAKER_02 (19:52):
Yeah, and I feel like so much of what you're
talking about goes back to whatI was talking about in the
beginning about why I thinkcommunity is so important.
Right.
And especially having acommunity of people who are
going through the same thing asyou, right?
If like I don't have anyentrepreneurs in my family, my
parents weren't entrepreneurs,my sister's not an entrepreneur,
(20:13):
my husband's not anentrepreneur.
And they can try their hardestto understand, but nobody
understands the same way thatsomebody else who has gone
through the same thingunderstands, right?
Like something, you know, hugethat feels huge to me, even like
in the beginning of businesswhen you get like a new client.
And that's like like peoplecannot understand how huge that
(20:36):
is, right?
And to have a community ofpeople who do understand and
people that you can go to tosupport you when it's hard, to
tell you that you're not alone,to celebrate with you to the
degree that you want them tocelebrate with you.
I think that is it's reallyhelpful in continuing to move
forward in your business, but Ithink it's also really helpful
(20:58):
with this fear of being seenbecause you are able to put
yourself out there knowing thatyou've got these other women
behind you.
You've got these people who haveyour back, and it makes it so
much less scary, I think.
SPEAKER_00 (21:11):
It is, I mean, society teaches us, for example,
to stick with that one dear oldfriend we grew up with, right?
And I'm not saying it's wrongbecause nobody will ever
understand you better thansomebody who is accommodated you
throughout your teenage years.
Like this basty, good to haveher.
But if we choose to fail ourpath forward, to build something
(21:33):
on our own, to get better everysingle day, to be of service of
humanity and making this place abetter world, we will outgrow
people.
And then it seems like it'sblack or white.
It seems like I need to choosebetween my friend or my
business.
But the truth is that you canhave different conversations
with your friend, and you needto be okay with that and not
(21:54):
seeking that validation.
And if you need validation to goplaces, as you say, to
communities where you're notonly understood but not
questioned.
I sometimes honestly don'tunderstand every single move
every entrepreneur makes.
And I'm sometimes in like, youknow, just with a big wow, okay,
cool.
Like that's risky.
(22:15):
We always judge, right?
We always have an opinion aboutthings, and I mean judging not
in a bad way, but I do notquestion them.
I will sit down and say, tell memore, because I might even learn
something from it.
And you deserve to standgrounded with two feet on the
ground and be faithful.
(22:36):
And no one has the right to takethis away from you because our
success is built on delusions.
Yeah.
Only if we believe that we cango somewhere where nobody else
can see us, only then can weactually go there because this
is how we can pave the pathforward.
And how I'm dealing with familyspecifically is just something
that I just don't speak withthem about business.
(22:56):
It's good enough for them toknow that I'm doing fine and I'm
leading with action.
I'm not even saying it anymore.
They just they just see she'sgood.
You see her laughing on socialmedia?
Excellent.
When she calls on a Sunday noon,great, she's not upset, she's
not crying.
It seems like she has enough toeat.
That's enough to know for myfamily.
SPEAKER_02 (23:18):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
So the last thing I want to askyou about is the idea of
building trust with people.
Um, because this is something,you know, we talk about this a
lot in networking, that know,like, and trust factor, right?
People buy from people that theyknow, that they like, and that
they trust.
And we talked about personalbranding.
And I think personal brandingdoes a lot for the know and like
(23:40):
part, right?
I mean, there's plenty ofpeople.
I feel like my personal brandhas become very clear,
especially just in the last yearor so.
And there's a lot of people whoare really drawn to it.
And there are a lot of peoplethat are like, I don't like her,
and that's great.
Um, but when it comes to trust,like I feel like trust is the
thing that takes people fromlike I like her and I want to be
(24:01):
around her and be in her space,to I want to give her my money.
So how does personal brandingrelate to trust?
Like, how do we build trust withpeople in a way that um feels
true to us and to our personalbrand?
SPEAKER_00 (24:24):
As a personal brand, to be visible, you need to be in
plot on platforms and spaceswhere other people don't go,
first of all.
And if somebody is listening toa podcast episode of 30 minutes,
an hour, and somebody has beensitting with you and listens to
your words, to your story, toyour experiences, this is a huge
stress factor.
Another thing is as a personalbrand, you will only be lit if
(24:44):
you are there and if you'rethere consistently.
So, and it's also not aboutreally what we say so much, but
what we do.
If you say you're going to doXYZ, you can be sure that people
really remember, uh, and youbetter show that you have done
it.
(25:05):
I mean, life uh comes always inbetween.
There's always um, you know, uhparameters that don't allow us
to follow up on the things wewould say, right?
We would do.
But in general, I never suggestuh sharing anything online or in
any space where you are not justthrough it and it hasn't
(25:26):
happened yet.
Personal branding happens with aslightly delay, with a slight
delay, everything that ispublic.
I share in Instagram stories orFacebook stories if something is
really relevant right now, butthat disappears in 24 hours, and
I like to if I want to oversharesomething and let people more
into you know into take theminto depth in the story, but
(25:48):
everything that you sharepublicly has already happened,
you have learned your lessonfrom it, and now you're teaching
somebody else.
So you have already set thedirection, you have walked a
path, and you have followed upon it.
And this is so crucial.
Like I just announced recentlythat I'm gonna run a half
marathon.
My community voted for yes, gofor it.
(26:09):
So if I don't run this halfmarathon, I also need to have
the you know the confidence tosay why I didn't run it.
It's not just not doing it andhope that nobody will find out
to find out.
And I think this is something webuild and we often don't dare to
say things that we didn'tsucceed in.
(26:31):
And this is what makes itwobbly.
Because then we don't suddenlydon't speak about it anymore.
Yeah, suddenly, you know, theone topic disappears completely,
and people are like, but youknow, yeah, yeah, I think it's
very tricky.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (26:47):
The consistency I think is huge, especially in
online business because there'sso many online businesses that
are here today and gone nextweek, or you know, people that
you see that today she sellsessential oils and in two weeks
she wants to sell your house.
And two weeks later she has aclothing boutique or something,
(27:07):
you know.
And so I think that consistencyis a huge thing that builds
trust with audiences for sure.
And the follow-through, I think,is very, I feel like it's very
underrated.
And I try to tell people a lot,like when it comes to
networking, it's not just howyou're showing up when you're
meeting someone at a networkingevent, right?
(27:29):
They want to see, are you thesame person on LinkedIn as you
were when I met you at thisevent, right?
That consistency matters.
And they also want to see like,are you gonna follow through on
what you say you're gonna do?
So if I meet you and I say, Ohmy gosh, you've got to meet
Susie, she does X, Y, and Z.
And I think you guys would loveeach other.
I will introduce you, right?
(27:50):
It's going to we all give eachother grace and we're all human.
And you know, if if you'reanything like me, you've got
emails and DMs and texts andthings coming from like 90
different directions.
So things get lost, and I getthat.
But if I'm consistently notfollowing through on what I've
said I'm gonna do for you, thatyou're gonna remember that,
(28:11):
right?
And that's not gonna make youwant to hire me, it's not gonna
make you want to refer people tome, it's not gonna make you want
to collaborate with me on aproject.
And so I think the consistencyand also like the dependability,
the follow-through, I think arehuge when it comes to trust.
SPEAKER_00 (28:28):
Absolutely.
And I'm always at ease when Isend an email with a question
and I get an email back in atimely manner.
And I know, and I just know,okay, this is going smooth,
great.
And you double down on that.
And where else, if I have towait for someone for a response
for three weeks, I'll be like,you know what?
Uh, we might not come togetherbecause I may be collaborations
(28:50):
or um clients or whoever isreaching out to you who seeks
help or correction.
I agree on that as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah.
We forget that we are so we arestill human beings, the
conversation needs to happen.
And if you are building a brand,or what I say right now, a
social media presence and yourdigital business card, it seems
(29:14):
the conversation is one way, butit's not because you have more
consumers on the other side asproducers, it's just that they
not always tell us that they'reconsuming our content, but it's
never a one-way street.
SPEAKER_02 (29:29):
Yeah, absolutely.
That's such a good reminder.
Okay, so before we wrap up, ifpeople want to learn more about
personal branding, if they areinterested in finding other ways
for them to stand out in, youknow, I think we all think we're
in a crowded market.
So no matter what market you'rein, um, or they just want to
(29:49):
connect with you and know moreabout what you do, what are the
best ways for them to find you?
SPEAKER_00 (29:54):
So you find me on Instagram, Ivana Ivanek
underscore, or on LinkedIn underIvana Ivanek.
This is where I uh shale sharedaily stuff.
You can also go on my website,ivanaivanec.com, where you can
learn directly about my work.
And if you found me at thisshow, there is a direct button
where you can hop on a call withme if you desire to wish more
(30:15):
about the modules and the workI'm doing.
And tune into my podcast, OnlineBusiness by Design Podcast.
It's a marketing and mindsetpodcast where you definitely get
to learn about me, but I alsohave incredibly cool guests who
are all about um intentionalbusinesses, cool businesses,
like all the fancy, what peoplecall fancy, crazy stuff, but
(30:38):
what is so possible for youright now, and I desire for
everyone to get this chance toat least try and to see what's
out there for them.
SPEAKER_02 (30:48):
Yeah, I love that.
I will put the links for all ofthat in the show notes.
And do you know when the halfmarathon is going to be?
SPEAKER_00 (30:55):
I didn't sign up yet because I couldn't decide which
one.
unknown (30:58):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (30:59):
And I need like at least five months training.
Like the Barcelona half marathonis too early.
I won't make that just becauseof the training time.
So it's gonna be somewhereApril, May.
I might even go to my home city,Vienna.
But no promises here.
There's something's gonnahappen, and it's I I need to
make this decision somewherenow.
But I just moved to a new city,so I am all about, as you say,
(31:22):
networking in here for businessopportunities, speaking
opportunities, uh navigatingthings like finding a
supermarket.
Yeah, priorities, you know.
SPEAKER_02 (31:32):
All right, well, we're all gonna be on Instagram
waiting to see this halfmarathon and cheering you on.
Thank you so much, Melissa.
Yeah, thank you so much forcoming on the podcast.
It was a great conversation.
SPEAKER_00 (31:43):
Thank you so much.
It has been my privilege.
Hello, Ivana.
SPEAKER_02 (00:03):
Welcome to the Powerful Woman Rising podcast.
SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
Melissa, I'm so stoked to be here.
It has been a while since weconnected, and everybody who
doesn't know about podcasting,there's quite a brood behind the
scenes to get together, but wefinally made it.
And I just can't wait to havethis conversation with you
today.
SPEAKER_02 (00:20):
Yes, I'm so excited to talk to you too.
I know time zones, no matter howlong I've been doing this, are
still so confusing and stillnever cease to mess everything
up.
So I'm glad we both got here thesame time, same day, and I'm
excited to talk to you.
So before we dive into theconversation, tell everybody
just a little bit about you andabout what you do.
unknown (00:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:41):
So my name is Ivana Ivanik.
I'm the founder of FabulousFoundation, personal brand
strategist, mindset coach, andthe host of the online business
by design podcast.
I help female founders stand outin saturated markets through
personal branding so they canmake money and impact.
I love that.
And how long have you been doingthis work?
(01:02):
I've been doing businessstrategy in the digital space
since almost five years now, andI specialized on personal
branding three years ago.
SPEAKER_02 (01:10):
Okay, awesome.
Is your background in likemarketing and branding in
business?
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
It is in marketing, in sales mainly, but this has
just developed as I have foundeda very successful business in
during COVID, actually, and Ihave made money within a month.
And this has developed quitewell, which I'm still doing on
the side.
And then I thought, okay, thiswas uh something that I did from
the comfort of my own home withno proper pants on, while you
(01:38):
know the whole world didn't knowwhat to do.
And um, as uh we all develop andgrow, I grew into uh my
specifics, so to say, and tookthe skill set that I had from
the corporate world and justadjusted into the digital space.
SPEAKER_02 (01:53):
Yeah, that's great.
I'm excited for thisconversation.
I love talking to people whohave the kind of background and
experience and knowledge thatyou do because I think there's
so many of us who go intobusiness because we're so
excited to do the thing that wewant to do, right?
Like we're so excited to makeour cupcakes or be a life coach
or sell whatever our product is.
(02:14):
And we're not really excitedabout all of the business stuff,
but we don't even really realizelike how much there is that we
don't know, right?
We just think we're gonna showup with our cupcakes and
everyone's gonna buy them andit's gonna be great.
And so I love talking to peoplelike you who have that expertise
about some of the like behindthe scenes that those of us who
are maybe newer in business arestill kind of getting
(02:36):
established, like things that wedon't even know that we don't
know.
So I'm excited to talk to youtoday, especially about personal
branding, because I thinkthere's a lot of misconceptions
about what that means and whyit's important.
So let's start with whatpersonal branding is and maybe
what it isn't.
SPEAKER_00 (02:56):
I will start with what personal branding is for
me.
Like, first of all, what itisn't, it's not hiding behind
your logo.
Personal branding is you as apersona operating your business
as a real human being up front.
I have an incredible coolexample here.
And personal branding is nothingnew, it's just it's becoming
(03:18):
really fancy, and I know we alllike fancy nowadays, right?
Because the markets aresaturated, the people have lost
trust as we um proceeded overthe last years, and there are
just so many coaches out there,and the question is who to pick.
There are so many umpsychotherapists out there, and
the question is who to pick, whois the best, who do I trust, who
(03:40):
do I like?
And it's no longer about uhfinding a company, because if
you Google psychotherapists, itwill show you probably 20 in
your area, coaches, same,business strategist, or whatever
service you are looking for.
And for me, personal branding issomething that is so much more
sustainable than just operatingand having a business.
(04:02):
Personal branding for mepersonally should be something
that is you that you build,where you take the people on
your journey that creates aripple effect of impact.
You are a thought leader, notonly an expert.
And your personal brand shouldallow you to pivot at any given
time in your business.
(04:23):
So, as let's say Melissa, yousell cupcakes today.
By the way, I love this umexample.
And because people love Melissa,and Melissa has this, you have
this incredible fan club andcommunity of people that are
like, this is my woman, likewhat she does, the way she
thinks, the way she movesthrough life, the way she
handles obstacles, and the wayshe makes cupcakes is just my
(04:46):
kind of person.
So it might be that Melissawon't do you won't do cupcakes
anymore in two years, but you goto wedding cakes.
I'm sure one of those people inthis community or fan club will
either tell people that you'redoing um uh wedding cakes now,
or we'll get married at somepoint and be like, thank god I
know you.
Another cool example is Beyonce.
(05:08):
Like, I'm a forever fan ofBeyoncé.
She has made RB for years.
And what is she doing now?
Her brand new album is uhanything but RB.
And people still love her,people still go to the concerts
because it's Beyonce.
And a personal brand shouldallow you to do this over and
(05:29):
over again as you develop as ahuman being.
SPEAKER_02 (05:32):
Yeah, so it's really more about who you are than what
you do.
SPEAKER_00 (05:38):
Exactly.
And I think you had anincredible cool episode just uh
just recently aired thedifference between marketing and
sales and how to navigate that.
I just uh I tuned in recentlyinto that.
And the truth is personalbranding is marketing, is your
visibility and marketingstrategy.
And yes, of course, we speak ofour about our expertise on
(06:01):
podcasts, we speak about it inour content on social media, we
write about it in articles, andwe present webinars in front of
already curated audiences.
But the truth is that asustainable brand is built on
value, not only expertise.
It's built on the message thatmatters to the world in the
(06:22):
current state.
SPEAKER_02 (06:25):
So if I'm listening to this and I think, okay, that
sounds like a great idea.
I understand what you're sayingin theory, but I don't know what
my personal brand is.
Like I know what my logo is, Iknow what my colors are, I know
my website is really pretty.
Where do I start when it comesto figuring out my own personal
brand?
SPEAKER_00 (06:44):
I love this question.
This is something really umcool.
And I dare to say that everybodyis or has a personal brand
because the work we do, andespecially in the transformation
industry, and when we arerunning our passionate,
intentional businesses, as wecan do this right now, and to
(07:05):
really the work we want to bedoing, this is not coming from
the idea of I woke up as anexpert, I'm gonna make a bank.
This idea usually comes to usfrom knowledge, experiences, and
things we have already livedthrough, tackled, and now are
ready to bring it to the world.
(07:25):
So let's say, Melissa, you arebuilding communities.
Why is it so important to you toput women into communities?
Why can't we sit in our corner?
Like, what has moved you tobring us together?
SPEAKER_02 (07:40):
I mean, I think there's a lot of different
things.
One of them is my ownexperience, like in middle
school in particular, being thegirl that had to eat lunch in
the bathroom every day because Ididn't have friends and I didn't
have anybody to sit with.
And that was a terrible feeling.
And so I've always really wantedto make sure that everyone feels
(08:02):
like they have friends that theycan sit with.
And then that really translatedinto the business world where
um, you know, we're spending somuch money and so much time on
all of these things that wethink that we need, and we're
trying to do all of these thingsby ourselves, and none of that
is sustainable without havingsupport and community.
SPEAKER_00 (08:24):
How does how does community sprinkle in your
everyday life outside ofbusiness?
Have you a community gatherer?
SPEAKER_02 (08:33):
Yeah, I mean, I think that's where that's where
all of my support system and youknow people who started out as
people I met at networkingevents or referral partners or
just like online acquaintancesthat have become like some of my
best friends.
SPEAKER_00 (08:49):
Tea over cupcakes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So what I hear here is that youare creating belonging through
community and create supportsystems for success.
And this is your personal brand.
Whether it is business strategy,it doesn't matter, can be
anything.
Can be if you put yourself outas the brand who creates
(09:11):
belonging and wants everyone tohave friends and succeed in
their doing, then today youteach strategy and tomorrow you
can support moms going throughperimenopause.
SPEAKER_02 (09:24):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (09:25):
Right.
So this is the message you'rebringing to the world that we
all belong, that we all needsomebody that's no matter who
and what we are doing, thatnobody nobody has done it alone.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So is your personal brand moreabout your like mission and your
values than it is like yourpersonality and the things that
you like and your hobbies?
Like, is it is it more aboutlike for me, for the example
we're talking about, is it moreabout this like inclusivity and
(09:56):
community and wanting a spacefor everyone and wanting, you
know, to support femaleentrepreneurs than it is about,
you know, how much I love TaylorSwift and Starbucks?
Or is all of that part of thepersonal brand?
SPEAKER_00 (10:12):
It is all part of it.
We uh the most important thingare the values and the
foundational values and thechange we want to create in the
world.
SPEAKER_02 (10:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:21):
Then the second part is of course, let the people in
in your life.
And this is something wherepeople are very, very scared of
because they say, Oh my god, doI now need to share everything
on social media?
Do I need to tell everyone whatI eat when I walk?
When I had an argument with myhusband, do I need to tell that
my kids didn't behave?
No, none of that.
(10:42):
Because there is also, if wethen think further, and let's
say you are creating communityand you create belonging, true
community, then there are partsin your life that are doing
exactly the same thing in yourprivate life, and it's easy to
recreate because it's a valueyou are living up to every day
(11:05):
in and out.
I can give you an example frommy life.
I travel, like I'm not a digitalnomad, but I do move countries
frequently, let's say two tofive years sequencing.
So I moved from Greece toSoutheast Asia, from Southeast
Asia to the Caribbean, from theCaribbean to Barcelona, back to
Europe now.
And I'm taking the people alongon this journey.
(11:27):
What I do, I mean, I'm not on anairplane every day, but what I
do, I immerse myself in culture.
In every city, there issomething exciting I do.
And what I do most of the timeis eating and enjoying a glass
of wine.
What I also do is I go to thegym and I run.
So I take the people along onthis journey, and I teach people
that they need to, you know,teach themselves to do hard
(11:49):
things no matter what, if theywant to have a personal,
successful brand, because yourbrain doesn't know the
difference between going to thegym at 9 p.m.
when you're tired or showing upon social media.
Resilience is resilience.
So these are the tiny bits thatI take people along in my life
where first of all I can sustainit.
I do it almost every other day.
(12:10):
So there's enough content toshow what I do.
SPEAKER_02 (12:13):
I love that.
So when it comes to standing outin a saturated market, I think
this is what I really want totalk about.
And I know personal branding isa huge part of this, but how do
the two tie together?
Because I know I have a lot ofconversations, and I'm sure you
do too, with entrepreneurs andpeople who are newer in business
that think like everyone doeswhat I do.
(12:36):
There are a hundred millionpeople who are doing this,
right?
Everybody's a coach, everybody'sa realtor, everybody's a
photographer.
And so how does personalbranding help people stand out
in those markets, especiallywhen they are not like the
loudest, right?
Or they're not like the mostoutrageous.
(12:58):
How does like a normal personuse personal branding to stand
out?
SPEAKER_00 (13:04):
There is two things I need to mention here.
It's so personal branding is notnew, as I already said.
Like personal brands existthroughout like hundreds of
years.
It's just like now that it'sgetting more and more important,
as there are, as you say,everybody thinks that everyone
is a coach.
The reason why we think, as anexample, the reason why we think
(13:26):
as such is because if you are acoach, then all you do is watch
coaches doing business everysingle day.
Before I started in thisindustry five years ago, I
didn't know how many they are.
And if we break it down into innumbers, then it's probably a
0.0001 something of the wholepopulation who are actually
(13:49):
coaches and who are visibleonline.
So just because you see iteverywhere, it doesn't mean
everyone is a coach.
Secondly, um we have thisopportunity now to reach buyers
beyond borders through socialmedia, through diverse
platforms.
And what is so great about thisera, especially right now, is
(14:13):
that you don't have to be theloudest, as you say, but we
cannot play small anymore.
It can't just be that you say,okay, I want to be a little bit
visible and I want to do alittle bit, because then I
highly recommend staying in yourlocal area and not bother being
with being visible online andtrying to sprinkle around a
little bit, because it's eitherall or nothing.
(14:34):
This is what saturated marketsrequire.
And this is maybe what we wouldsay is the loud, right?
You don't have to scream loud,but you have to be in places.
If this is not someone's cup oftea and you don't want to make
your millions, then really chillin your local area because this
is the best thing you can do.
However, if someone wants to gobig and seize today's
(14:55):
opportunities, we need to levelup and get onto platforms that
most of the people will fearbecause podcasting, writing
articles, speaking on stages,this is all the things that we
women were not taught.
Although we have the rights todo it, we were not taught how to
seize them and not to feel likeless off when we want it.
(15:18):
So it's all or nothing.
And um the truth is traditionalPR, people on podcasts are
looking for people like youlistening right now.
The celebrity era is over.
And be like fresh up, like freshperspectives, new thinking, um,
(15:42):
new faces, and new names.
And not seizing that is actuallya huge, huge loss.
And um, you know, just not nottaking this opportunity and
getting over yourself and belike, okay, I'm gonna do it, I'm
gonna learn the skill, I'm gonnaput myself out there, is a
shame.
And I see so much potentialgoing to waste here.
SPEAKER_02 (16:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
Why do you think?
I mean, we don't have to divetoo far down the rabbit hole
into like the patriarchy and allthe things, but why do you
think, especially with women inparticular, they have this fear
of putting themselves out thereand this fear of being seen?
And it's so hard for them to bethat visible.
SPEAKER_00 (16:23):
Well, it hasn't been too long ago.
That just I think this year ithas been 50 years since in the
UK women are allowed to open uptheir own bank account without
their husband or even their sonhaving to sign for them.
So that's 50 years only.
That's not a long time.
And the truth is having thatright like on white on paper is
(16:47):
a good thing because a lot ofwomen and a lot of men have been
fighting for these rights.
What we always miss out in oursociety, or what we delay with,
is teaching uh the currentpeople who are in this era how
to seize those rights.
You have them, but and of coursewe come with all our limiting
(17:11):
beliefs and what we all like totalk so much in the in the in
the digital space, but the truthis you're not alone with your
limiting beliefs, because thenwe sit, we work on our limiting
beliefs, and if none of thesebeliefs touches cultural
thinking or upbringing, you willstart outgrowing every single
(17:32):
person surrounding you, and youwill go down the spiral even
more because then what we speakof speaking about belonging, you
suddenly belong to nobody.
Because your family doesn'tunderstand, your friends no
longer understand, your partnermight not understand, has never
been on your side.
(17:52):
So if we don't look on this sideof where is this actually coming
from, and it comes from yes, youput the rights upon us, but you
don't teach us what to do aboutit.
Yeah, yeah, and then you youblame us for doing so because
then we are too loud, too big,too extraordinary.
I don't know, wanting too much,like high maintenance is a is a
(18:17):
thing.
Like I I heard this recently,like someone literally told me
that I am high maintenance, andI said, like, you know what, I'm
happy to be it because I'm gonnamaintain it myself.
SPEAKER_01 (18:27):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (18:28):
And we don't uh nowadays we miss uh the
misconcept, the bigmisconception is that we often
um still think in our societythat women need help, let's say,
especially from men or theirpartners, in carrying mineral
water up the staircase.
Yes, it's a thing.
I mean it's cute, but I can doit.
If I drink my wine, I carry itmyself.
(18:49):
If I drink my water, I carry itmyself.
But what or I make my own money,so there is no longer that need
of um being codependent withsomeone, or marriage is no
longer about what we are whatwe're gonna buy together.
People have separate uh bankaccounts nowadays.
But what hasn't changed is thatwe still need the emotional
support, and this is rising.
(19:11):
And the emotional support is uhliterally faith and belief in
someone, and um we don't likejust as women are not raised to
seize opportunities and to beloud and to speak their voice,
men are haven't been raised tosupport this type of woman who
(19:31):
is successful, and then there isthis clinch, and I see this all
the time in relationships thatwhen the woman starts going out,
building a a business, there isfights discussions, like my
relationship amongst um otherthings, also like we broke up
because of it.
SPEAKER_02 (19:52):
Yeah, and I feel like so much of what you're
talking about goes back to whatI was talking about in the
beginning about why I thinkcommunity is so important.
Right.
And especially having acommunity of people who are
going through the same thing asyou, right?
If like I don't have anyentrepreneurs in my family, my
parents weren't entrepreneurs,my sister's not an entrepreneur,
(20:13):
my husband's not anentrepreneur.
And they can try their hardestto understand, but nobody
understands the same way thatsomebody else who has gone
through the same thingunderstands, right?
Like something, you know, hugethat feels huge to me, even like
in the beginning of businesswhen you get like a new client.
And that's like like peoplecannot understand how huge that
(20:36):
is, right?
And to have a community ofpeople who do understand and
people that you can go to tosupport you when it's hard, to
tell you that you're not alone,to celebrate with you to the
degree that you want them tocelebrate with you.
I think that is it's reallyhelpful in continuing to move
forward in your business, but Ithink it's also really helpful
(20:58):
with this fear of being seenbecause you are able to put
yourself out there knowing thatyou've got these other women
behind you.
You've got these people who haveyour back, and it makes it so
much less scary, I think.
SPEAKER_00 (21:11):
It is, I mean, society teaches us, for example,
to stick with that one dear oldfriend we grew up with, right?
And I'm not saying it's wrongbecause nobody will ever
understand you better thansomebody who is accommodated you
throughout your teenage years.
Like this basty, good to haveher.
But if we choose to fail ourpath forward, to build something
(21:33):
on our own, to get better everysingle day, to be of service of
humanity and making this place abetter world, we will outgrow
people.
And then it seems like it'sblack or white.
It seems like I need to choosebetween my friend or my
business.
But the truth is that you canhave different conversations
with your friend, and you needto be okay with that and not
(21:54):
seeking that validation.
And if you need validation to goplaces, as you say, to
communities where you're notonly understood but not
questioned.
I sometimes honestly don'tunderstand every single move
every entrepreneur makes.
And I'm sometimes in like, youknow, just with a big wow, okay,
cool.
Like that's risky.
(22:15):
We always judge, right?
We always have an opinion aboutthings, and I mean judging not
in a bad way, but I do notquestion them.
I will sit down and say, tell memore, because I might even learn
something from it.
And you deserve to standgrounded with two feet on the
ground and be faithful.
(22:36):
And no one has the right to takethis away from you because our
success is built on delusions.
Yeah.
Only if we believe that we cango somewhere where nobody else
can see us, only then can weactually go there because this
is how we can pave the pathforward.
And how I'm dealing with familyspecifically is just something
that I just don't speak withthem about business.
(22:56):
It's good enough for them toknow that I'm doing fine and I'm
leading with action.
I'm not even saying it anymore.
They just they just see she'sgood.
You see her laughing on socialmedia?
Excellent.
When she calls on a Sunday noon,great, she's not upset, she's
not crying.
It seems like she has enough toeat.
That's enough to know for myfamily.
SPEAKER_02 (23:18):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
So the last thing I want to askyou about is the idea of
building trust with people.
Um, because this is something,you know, we talk about this a
lot in networking, that know,like, and trust factor, right?
People buy from people that theyknow, that they like, and that
they trust.
And we talked about personalbranding.
And I think personal brandingdoes a lot for the know and like
(23:40):
part, right?
I mean, there's plenty ofpeople.
I feel like my personal brandhas become very clear,
especially just in the last yearor so.
And there's a lot of people whoare really drawn to it.
And there are a lot of peoplethat are like, I don't like her,
and that's great.
Um, but when it comes to trust,like I feel like trust is the
thing that takes people fromlike I like her and I want to be
(24:01):
around her and be in her space,to I want to give her my money.
So how does personal brandingrelate to trust?
Like, how do we build trust withpeople in a way that um feels
true to us and to our personalbrand?
SPEAKER_00 (24:24):
As a personal brand, to be visible, you need to be in
plot on platforms and spaceswhere other people don't go,
first of all.
And if somebody is listening toa podcast episode of 30 minutes,
an hour, and somebody has beensitting with you and listens to
your words, to your story, toyour experiences, this is a huge
stress factor.
Another thing is as a personalbrand, you will only be lit if
(24:44):
you are there and if you'rethere consistently.
So, and it's also not aboutreally what we say so much, but
what we do.
If you say you're going to doXYZ, you can be sure that people
really remember, uh, and youbetter show that you have done
it.
(25:05):
I mean, life uh comes always inbetween.
There's always um, you know, uhparameters that don't allow us
to follow up on the things wewould say, right?
We would do.
But in general, I never suggestuh sharing anything online or in
any space where you are not justthrough it and it hasn't
(25:26):
happened yet.
Personal branding happens with aslightly delay, with a slight
delay, everything that ispublic.
I share in Instagram stories orFacebook stories if something is
really relevant right now, butthat disappears in 24 hours, and
I like to if I want to oversharesomething and let people more
into you know into take theminto depth in the story, but
(25:48):
everything that you sharepublicly has already happened,
you have learned your lessonfrom it, and now you're teaching
somebody else.
So you have already set thedirection, you have walked a
path, and you have followed upon it.
And this is so crucial.
Like I just announced recentlythat I'm gonna run a half
marathon.
My community voted for yes, gofor it.
(26:09):
So if I don't run this halfmarathon, I also need to have
the you know the confidence tosay why I didn't run it.
It's not just not doing it andhope that nobody will find out
to find out.
And I think this is something webuild and we often don't dare to
say things that we didn'tsucceed in.
(26:31):
And this is what makes itwobbly.
Because then we don't suddenlydon't speak about it anymore.
Yeah, suddenly, you know, theone topic disappears completely,
and people are like, but youknow, yeah, yeah, I think it's
very tricky.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (26:47):
The consistency I think is huge, especially in
online business because there'sso many online businesses that
are here today and gone nextweek, or you know, people that
you see that today she sellsessential oils and in two weeks
she wants to sell your house.
And two weeks later she has aclothing boutique or something,
(27:07):
you know.
And so I think that consistencyis a huge thing that builds
trust with audiences for sure.
And the follow-through, I think,is very, I feel like it's very
underrated.
And I try to tell people a lot,like when it comes to
networking, it's not just howyou're showing up when you're
meeting someone at a networkingevent, right?
(27:29):
They want to see, are you thesame person on LinkedIn as you
were when I met you at thisevent, right?
That consistency matters.
And they also want to see like,are you gonna follow through on
what you say you're gonna do?
So if I meet you and I say, Ohmy gosh, you've got to meet
Susie, she does X, Y, and Z.
And I think you guys would loveeach other.
I will introduce you, right?
(27:50):
It's going to we all give eachother grace and we're all human.
And you know, if if you'reanything like me, you've got
emails and DMs and texts andthings coming from like 90
different directions.
So things get lost, and I getthat.
But if I'm consistently notfollowing through on what I've
said I'm gonna do for you, thatyou're gonna remember that,
(28:11):
right?
And that's not gonna make youwant to hire me, it's not gonna
make you want to refer people tome, it's not gonna make you want
to collaborate with me on aproject.
And so I think the consistencyand also like the dependability,
the follow-through, I think arehuge when it comes to trust.
SPEAKER_00 (28:28):
Absolutely.
And I'm always at ease when Isend an email with a question
and I get an email back in atimely manner.
And I know, and I just know,okay, this is going smooth,
great.
And you double down on that.
And where else, if I have towait for someone for a response
for three weeks, I'll be like,you know what?
Uh, we might not come togetherbecause I may be collaborations
(28:50):
or um clients or whoever isreaching out to you who seeks
help or correction.
I agree on that as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, yeah.
We forget that we are so we arestill human beings, the
conversation needs to happen.
And if you are building a brand,or what I say right now, a
social media presence and yourdigital business card, it seems
(29:14):
the conversation is one way, butit's not because you have more
consumers on the other side asproducers, it's just that they
not always tell us that they'reconsuming our content, but it's
never a one-way street.
SPEAKER_02 (29:29):
Yeah, absolutely.
That's such a good reminder.
Okay, so before we wrap up, ifpeople want to learn more about
personal branding, if they areinterested in finding other ways
for them to stand out in, youknow, I think we all think we're
in a crowded market.
So no matter what market you'rein, um, or they just want to
(29:49):
connect with you and know moreabout what you do, what are the
best ways for them to find you?
SPEAKER_00 (29:54):
So you find me on Instagram, Ivana Ivanek
underscore, or on LinkedIn underIvana Ivanek.
This is where I uh shale sharedaily stuff.
You can also go on my website,ivanaivanec.com, where you can
learn directly about my work.
And if you found me at thisshow, there is a direct button
where you can hop on a call withme if you desire to wish more
(30:15):
about the modules and the workI'm doing.
And tune into my podcast, OnlineBusiness by Design Podcast.
It's a marketing and mindsetpodcast where you definitely get
to learn about me, but I alsohave incredibly cool guests who
are all about um intentionalbusinesses, cool businesses,
like all the fancy, what peoplecall fancy, crazy stuff, but
(30:38):
what is so possible for youright now, and I desire for
everyone to get this chance toat least try and to see what's
out there for them.
SPEAKER_02 (30:48):
Yeah, I love that.
I will put the links for all ofthat in the show notes.
And do you know when the halfmarathon is going to be?
SPEAKER_00 (30:55):
I didn't sign up yet because I couldn't decide which
one.
unknown (30:58):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (30:59):
And I need like at least five months training.
Like the Barcelona half marathonis too early.
I won't make that just becauseof the training time.
So it's gonna be somewhereApril, May.
I might even go to my home city,Vienna.
But no promises here.
There's something's gonnahappen, and it's I I need to
make this decision somewherenow.
But I just moved to a new city,so I am all about, as you say,
(31:22):
networking in here for businessopportunities, speaking
opportunities, uh navigatingthings like finding a
supermarket.
Yeah, priorities, you know.
SPEAKER_02 (31:32):
All right, well, we're all gonna be on Instagram
waiting to see this halfmarathon and cheering you on.
Thank you so much, Melissa.
Yeah, thank you so much forcoming on the podcast.
It was a great conversation.
SPEAKER_00 (31:43):
Thank you so much.
It has been my privilege.
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