August 21, 2025 • 22 mins
Welcome to Spark & Ignite Your Marketing, the podcast where real conversations meet real strategies. I'm your host, Beverly Cornell, founder and fairy godmother of brand clarity at Wickedly Branded. With over 25 years of experience, I’ve helped hundreds of entrepreneurs awaken their brand magic, attract the right people, and build businesses that light them up.
In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Leslie Taylor shares the behind-the-scenes truth of navigating entrepreneurship while managing motherhood, caregiving, breast cancer recovery, and her desire to build something meaningful. She and Beverly explore what it really looks like to redefine success, niche with purpose, and show up with quiet courage, even when things are messy. From faith and imposter syndrome to marketing burnout and the power of aligned decisions, this episode is a masterclass in building a business that fits your life, not the other way around.
Three Key Marketing Topics Discussed:
- Building Confidence to Show Up on LinkedIn: Leslie shares how she overcame fear and imposter syndrome to fully show up on LinkedIn and embrace marketing as a business owner, not just a numbers person.
- Niching for Messaging and Marketing Power: She discusses how narrowing her niche to serve real estate investors and potentially engineering/construction firms is a strategic marketing move for better connection and clarity.
- Marketing Systems and Social Media Tools: From her use of Loomly to her struggles with social media content creation, Leslie opens up about the importance of systems and tools in managing marketing without burnout. Check out these Five Essential Marketing Tools!
Follow Leslie:
Leslie Taylor | LinkedIn
Leslie Taylor | Instagram
Leslie Taylor | Website
P.S. Take the first step (will only take you 3 minutes) to awaken your brand magic with our personalized Brand Clarity Quiz
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello.
(00:00):
Before we dive into part two ofthis episode, I gotta ask, did
you catch part one?
If not, hit pause real quick.
You'll wanna start from thebeginning to get the full
effect.
The link to part one is rightdown in the description below.
Go ahead, catch up, and we'll beright here waiting for you.
Ready to dive into part two whenyou're all set.
It's worth it, I promise.
Beverly (00:23):
Doing what you can, when you can, how you can.
It is like survival mode of justwhat can I do to make sure
everybody's still happy.
That's the messy middle.
Leslie (00:32):
I love that term, because when I started my
business, I don't know that Ifully understood the messy
middle.
I'll go back to a lot of folksthat have gained success.
I'm 54.
A lot of those folks areyounger.
So I think it looks different.
Had I started this journey in mytwenties, my business would've
gone quickly because I had thetime.
(00:53):
The messiness was not there.
The messiness wouldn't comeuntil later.
Beverly (00:57):
Agreed.
As you get older, there is morecomplications.
And even my son that I adoptedfrom foster.
He requires a lot more care thanthe average child.
And if I had a nine to five job,there's no way I could take him
to his therapy appointments.
There's no way I could do thethings I need to do to advocate
for him as a mom, to make surehe has the best life.
So this career this job Icreated for myself that has
(01:19):
become a full on fledgedbusiness.
Yeah.
Is a gift.
It's an incredible gift.
And it's redefining what itmeans to be a mom and also have
work that matters.
Leslie (01:30):
Exactly.
That second part.
That actually what you just saidright there.
I wanna be successful, I wannatake care of my family, and I
wanna do work that matters.
Actually, that was one of thethings that I prayed.
I wanna do something ofsignificance.
Yeah.
I wanna do something, Lord, helpme do something that is
significant.
Beverly (01:48):
Make an impact in the world.
And I know I'm smart.
I have something to give.
I have a lot to give.
Leslie (01:53):
Yeah.
Beverly (01:53):
So, what's the biggest way I can do that?
It's not gonna cause me tosacrifice the other parts of my
world, that are just asimportant aspects of who I am as
a woman.
Leslie (02:02):
Yeah.
Beverly (02:03):
And so many women that I've talked to don't realize
that you can create the exactbusiness that works for you.
Society has all these pressuresthey put on us to you should do
this.
I call the should suitcase.
Give you all these shoulds andit weighs you down to what you
think you should be doingwithout doing the thing that
actually feels the right to you.
Leslie (02:19):
And that's another thing that you said there too, is just
defining success for yourselfand not letting anybody else
define it for you.
Yes.
In terms of your business, butalso in terms of your life.
It's easy to get caught up inwhat other people have or what
other people are doing.
But is that really what youwanna do?
Beverly (02:39):
Along the same lines, the season's topic is all about
confidence.
And it's all about like, whatdoes confidence look like as an
entrepreneur?
Because when you're confident inwhat you're doing and what you
believe and all things, you'renot defining yourself by others.
What does confidence look likefor an entrepreneur?
And when was there a moment?
Leslie (02:54):
That's a good question.
I'm gonna answer this in twoways.
I discovered a few years agothat I didn't have confidence.
And the reason is I went to aconference it was a conference
of other, like bookkeepers andaccountants.
And through that process Irealized that I was holding
myself back and my concern, waswe had talked about the fact
(03:18):
that I'm a chemical engineerworked as a chemical engineer,
master's in food science.
And I was afraid of what peoplewould think if they thought
she's a bookkeeper now.
And I was concerned, I wasafraid to go on LinkedIn because
most of my contacts are from thecorporate world, people that
I've met corporate.
(03:38):
Because most of my career hasbeen in corporate.
Yeah.
And so that was keeping me fromdoing certain things.
But once I went to thatconference there was like a
switch that flipped for me andmy mindset became different.
It was like, okay, if I'm reallygonna do this, I need to do it
all out.
I'm on LinkedIn, I'm doing thethings.
Like, I have to be out there.
(03:59):
I can't be afraid of what peoplethink, because most of my life,
I marched to the beat of my owndrum.
And it disturbed me that I wasallowing this to hold me back in
my business.
I was allowing it to hold backcertain things that I knew I
needed to do to move thebusiness forward.
So once I realized that, itreally changed a lot of things
(04:19):
for me in terms of where Ishowed up and how I showed up.
And, even in my own mind,reframing number one.
I don't care if people think I'ma bookkeeper.
Like I had to come to grips withthat.
Yeah, I need to stop caringabout that.
But number two, it's not aboutme being a bookkeeper for the
next 20 years.
That's not the goal.
The goal is was to build abookkeeping business.
(04:40):
I don't care what they think,this is what I'm doing.
And I know what I'm doing and itdoesn't matter if they know or
don't know.
Then that really shifted thingsfor me.
In terms of just confidence inhow I showed up.
Beverly (04:51):
And I would imagine the chemical engineer and the
masters and the cooking scienceit still informs your background
and how you approach things as abookkeeper.
Like that information is sopowerful for you.
Leslie (05:02):
It does.
And that was another reason whyI wanted to go this route,
because I felt like there is anapproach to this that is
different from your traditionalaccountant, bookkeeper, CPA, or
ea.
That actually bring me to theother reason why I took this
route.
In my second to last job incorporate I was involved in a
(05:24):
number of executive leadershipmeetings and there was a
gentleman, his name was Mike, hewas the CFO of the company.
And whenever Mike spoke, therewere always these rich gems that
just flowed out of his mouth.
And the reason is Mike didn'tjust understand his area, his
silo, finance, accounting, thenumbers part, he understood
(05:47):
manufacturing.
He understood the key players inmanufacturing and how they
functioned.
And he understood RD qc, heunderstood all the functions and
how they interacted and whatthey did.
So when he spoke, it wasn't justthe numbers and the financial
stuff, it was with a holisticapproach.
And so when I saw that in thosemeetings, I was like, oh, I love
(06:09):
that.
I wanna be that person.
That's really cool.
So when I looked at approachingthis business, I see myself as
approaching it that way.
Because I've worked inmanufacturing, I've been on the
manufacturing floor, I've workedwith sales and marketing, I've
been on sales calls.
I've done the r and d, I'veworked with Q like I've done all
the functions.
So I don't just come from theperspective of someone who sat
(06:31):
in a particular department theirwhole career.
I've worked cross-functionallyand I've done the things in the
different functions, and sothat's another part of.
What I like to bring to supportmy clients.
Beverly (06:44):
That's really good.
So let's talk about marketingfor a second.
Yeah.
Tell me about what's been thehardest thing for marketing for
you?
Leslie (06:50):
Oh, the hardest thing.
I think it's changed over theyears.
Sometimes networking.
For me being in communities hasbeen helpful.
I am an introvert, so it can bevery energy draining certain
activities especiallynetworking.
So being involved inorganizations for me creates
(07:11):
that like consistency becauseI'm there in the organization
and I'm involved.
Follow up.
Definitely.
That's been a challenge.
Networking, follow up.
I don't enjoy the follow up, butI know it's so important.
And then at one point,definitely the social media,
like when I was first gettinginto this, it was all like, what
is all this stuff?
Over the years I've learned, I'mby no means an expert, I
understand the differentplatforms to a certain degree
(07:33):
and have taken some courses andtraining and different things
like that.
But I would still say, Idefinitely respect what you do
because having done it myself.
Yeah.
It's doable.
Just like the bookkeeping.
Yeah.
It's doable.
If I learn it, I can do it, butoh my gosh, it took so much out
of me.
It almost killed me because ittakes so much time.
You think, oh, I'm just gonnawork on this one post for 30
(07:54):
minutes, and then three hourslater you're still working on
one post.
I don't have time for that
Beverly (07:59):
Let me just say this.
I'm just gonna throw it outthere.
We've helped a lot of people whofeel the same exact way to
understand, to have a system.
'cause once you have a systemand a process, it doesn't take
as much time.
And you have some right and leftlimits again, like you're really
clear on what you should do.
I if you feel like it'soverwhelming, if you're doing
all of the things, set up aclarity call with me.
I can help you get maybe aprocess or system in place.
Just go to wickedlybranded.com/call and I'll be
(08:21):
happy to uncover what's working,what's not, and maybe give you
something that feels morealigned going forward.
Because we don't have time tospend three hours on a social
post.
I don't have time to spend and Ido marketing.
I don't have time to spend threehours on a social post.
I know.
But that's how I felt aboutaccounting.
Exactly.
Like you, Leslie, Yeah.
I know.
It probably takes you 10 minutesto do something that would take
me three hours.
Because I just don't have thatskillset or that knowledge or
(08:43):
the muscle memory.
Leslie (08:45):
Once you've done it and I've got systems in place that
help streamline it on our side.
Beverly (08:50):
Exactly.
So I saw in your applicationthat you use loom ly.
How has that been a game changerfor you?
What do you love about it?
Tell me about it talk about it.
Leslie (08:58):
Yeah, I started using Loomly.
So I've had like off and onrelationships with different
social media managers, but, youtry something and, when you talk
about certain things that didn'twork, I've had some experiences,
investing in social mediaservices and then I don't see
like a return.
So it becomes impossible tojustify a continuing thing if I
(09:19):
didn't see a return.
So a lot of my networking now ismore from.
In-person face-to-face orreferral partners.
That's the other part that worksreally well with me.
Is tax accountant, referralpartners, people that just focus
on taxes, they don't wanna dothe books.
Oh, they're great partners.
I work with them.
They don't wanna do what I do.
I don't wanna do what they do.
So that's where I discoveredLoomly.
(09:41):
I started working with someoneand they used Loomly.
And then at some point westopped the engagement actually,
I think they decided to takeanother, start, another
business.
But I liked Loomly.
I thought it was so easy to use.
And it was across multipleplatforms.
So for me that was a gamechanger.
Oh, I can post on threeplatforms from here.
Because at one point I was likeusing, there was another thing I
(10:02):
was using, but it didn't workwith LinkedIn, so I had to log
into that thing to do LinkedInand log into something else to
do Facebook and Instagram.
So it was great doing it fromone place and it was just easy
to use.
Beverly (10:15):
We recommend Metricool.
Which is very similar to Loomly.
Okay.
A lot of our clients use it.
We still will always say youshould probably, especially for
LinkedIn, post natively,LinkedIn likes it when you post
natively.
I learned that there were somethings that showed up
differently or didn't show up inthe way that I want.
Yeah.
And some things too, if you comefrom metricool into LinkedIn, it
doesn't show up as a carousel,like it should, there's just
(10:35):
some integrations with thealgorithm or with the API that
just don't always connect well.
When we work with ourentrepreneurs, we always say
focus on one.
You can have a presence onothers, but really focus on your
one that you can just kill iton.
And go and like really just goall in because most of our
clients who are professionalservice providers like yourself
or personal brands, really onlyon really one platform.
(10:55):
And I imagine for you it'sLinkedIn all day.
Leslie (10:57):
Yeah.
I started focusing more onLinkedIn and then occasionally I
would do a little on Instagram,but the focus became LinkedIn,
at least last year.
Beverly (11:06):
I have my magic hat round, where I have lots of
questions in my magic hat, acouple and see where we go.
These are more rapid fire.
Let's see here.
What's been your most humblinglesson as an entrepreneur?
Leslie (11:18):
There's been so many lessons.
I think sometimes that I'm thebottleneck and it's okay to slow
down.
I could grow faster, but if Ican't provide great service,
then it's not worth it.
So it's okay to bite off alittle bit at a time.
Beverly (11:34):
What's the worst advice you've ever received related to
your business?
Leslie (11:38):
This was before the pandemic, that I should not
start a virtual financialservices business because that
would never work.
But my mind was already set ondoing what I was gonna do, but
it was like a business coach orsomething that was like, no,
that's never gonna work.
You're gonna need to have, abrick and mortar, you're gonna
need to be able to look overpeople.
I didn't say anything to theperson, but I was just like,
yeah, I'm not gonna listen tothat.
Beverly (11:58):
This is a fun one.
If your brand had a theme song,what would it be and why?
Leslie (12:02):
The first song that comes to mind is, ain't No
Stopping Us Now.
Beverly (12:05):
I like that song.
Great song.
I love that.
If you could wave a magic wandand solve one current challenge
in your business, what would itbe?
Leslie (12:14):
Something I've been mulling around in my head around
further niching in my business.
I've given myself the summer tomull it around, but I started
last year working with realestate investment clients.
And I'm considering going evenfurther into engineering firms,
construction firms,architectural firms.
Beverly (12:35):
Oh, niche and niche hard.
Own your one little square inchand go deep.
As a marketer, you're speakingmy language.
Because when you go deep likethat, when you niche hard, your
messaging can speak exactly tothem.
It'll hit so much harder and itwill resonate and connect in a
different way than it's rightnow.
That is amazing.
Go in and go all in.
Leslie (12:54):
And that's what I've seen in folks that have done
that in my industry.
And that's advice that I'vereceived from probably the first
day I started my business.
Beverly (13:02):
Do it.
Do it, please.
Okay, so that is the end of themagic head round.
I'll say this niche is hardbecause you think it's limiting,
but it's actually liberating.
don't be afraid to niche and itdoesn't mean other people won't
come to you.
My brand is very girly andfeminine, and I mostly work with
women business owners, and I'mall about magic and unicorns and
sparkle and shine.
And all the things that are verygirly.
(13:24):
I have pink hair, like it's allabout my brand.
I have an NFL pro footballplayer as a client it doesn't
mean you can't get otherclients, it just means the right
people will resonate with yourmessaging.
I wanna work with bold brands,so clearly that matters to
somebody like that.
I also have a tech company who Iwork with that is fairly manly,
that likes the fact that we goin that way.
(13:46):
We're all about finding this theuniqueness, the sparkle, they
want more of that in theirbrand.
Your message will still speak tothe right people, so don't be
Leslie (13:54):
afraid.
I like the way you phrase itthat way because that's
something that I've realizedlater is just because I'm niche
doesn't mean that I can't takeon other clients it might then
sound like we specialize in Yes.
But then I can decide any otherclients that I wanna take on.
Like it's my business.
I can decide that.
Beverly (14:12):
You can just choose.
And that allows you to reallysit in your zone of genius and
have a system and process thatreally works for those clients.
I do have a magic wand, Leslie.
This is part of my brand.
I am the fairy godmother ofbrand clarity, but in this
particular instance, I'm goingto wave the wand to go into the
past and I want us to talk to18-year-old, just outta high
(14:32):
school before she became achemical engineer, and give her
one piece of advice that youwish you had been told then that
would've served you better inyour life, had you known.
Leslie (14:42):
I think something changed for me as I got really
comfortable in corporate.
So it would be something likedon't be afraid to jump.
Don't be afraid to take the leapand put the things in place to
start a business a littlesooner.
I think I stayed in corporate alittle longer.
I think God works all things,the way, but I think, getting
comfortable and being afraid atsome point.
(15:04):
That happened.
In my twenties I was tellingpeople that on job interviews
I'll do this job, I'll do it fora while, but I plan to own my
own business one day.
And at some point, that left andit took a while for me to come
back around to it.
So I think that would be thething don't get distracted.
Beverly (15:21):
If she could see you now?
What would she say to you?
Leslie (15:24):
I think she would say, I'm proud of you.
We did it like you did it.
This was something that.
We were supposed to do and nowyou've actually done it.
Beverly (15:33):
She'd be proud.
Okay.
I'm gonna wave my wine and we'regonna go decades and decades
into the future, like super far.
Okay.
And we are at the end of yourlife, and someone's saying your
eulogy and they're talking aboutyour most significant legacy and
impact in the world.
What does that look like?
Leslie (15:48):
There's a phraseology that I've heard our pastor use
and he talks about, what breaksyour heart.
And so for me, the themethroughout my life has been
causes around women, children,those that can't really help
themselves, the elderly.
And I would just say, that Icared and supported those groups
(16:10):
from a philanthropic standpoint,from a volunteering standpoint
of my time.
And also hopefully that mybusiness really impacted and
helped a lot of other smallbusinesses because small
businesses are the backbone ofthe economy still.
It's a lot of hard work.
And if, I can help smallbusiness owners realize their
(16:30):
dreams and hire people and, beable to take their family to
Disney World or whatever thething is that they wanna do.
Then to me that's significantand that's impactful.
Beverly (16:41):
Yeah.
Oh, that's the same thing that Iwant too.
I love that so much.
It's such an honor to be on thepath with them and to see them
grow and to see them reach thesedifferent milestones and be able
to do the things that are ontheir vision board or things
that really matter to them.
To see them step into theirmagic.
It's so incredibly rewarding.
And, we, women need each other.
We need more people to supportus and to be there and cheer us
(17:05):
on.
Seeing women really step intotheir magic has been like, the
highlight of my life in so manyways.
So it's just an honor.
Just to walk beside them andhelp them and cheer them on.
I love that.
Our last question, I'm gonnawave us back into the present.
For the listeners today.
What is one piece of advice thatyou would have to help them, or
one strategy that you've used tohelp them help you be more
(17:28):
confident?
What is one thing that you wouldimpart with them to help them
assuage some fears or doubt,imposter syndrome,
Leslie (17:36):
for me, there's two things.
So I've shared that I'm aChristian, a believer I pray I
talk to God a lot about,everything.
One other piece to that, or justa realization.
Years ago I read the book leanIn by Cheryl Sandberg, I
believe.
And there's a piece in therewhere she talks about, even at
the height of her, careersuccess what she called imposter
(17:59):
syndrome.
And there was something that Iguess you could say another
switch that flipped.
And that is that so many peoplehave these same thoughts.
So to me it was if at her levelshe's still questioning, then
this is normal.
It's okay for you to feel thisway, but so don't let it get in
your way of what it is you'retrying to do.
'cause that's just a normalthought.
Like whatever you're thinking,don't let it overtake you and
(18:23):
paralyze you.
Just realize that sometimesfolks are gonna have doubts.
Even people who are at like thepinnacle of what we would,
identify or think of as success.
That's normal.
So keep moving forward.
In that book she talks aboutjust faking it to make it, but I
think it's just, put on a strongface and just make a decision
to, show up and still do thething.
Show up, just still show up anddo the thing.
(18:44):
Don't let it like stop you.
So I think that would beprobably the biggest thing.
Beverly (18:48):
If you wanted to show up more, or if you know another
entrepreneur who needs to hearthis message of showing up and
taking that next best step,doing the thing despite the fear
or has a little bit of impostersyndrome.
I would love for you to sharethis episode with them.
All of us are on this journey.
All of us are figuring it out.
And I swear you're not alone.
(19:08):
Like this is all part of it.
And the more you can do thiswork, the more you can listen to
people like Leslie talk abouthow we've all overcome these
particular things.
I still have moments, like evenafter 30 years in the industry
almost.
I still have moments like, howcan I not belong here?
I've been doing this for 30years, but I still have moments
of ooh, there's somebody so muchsmarter.
(19:29):
I get a little bit distracted bythe competition trap.
I just have to make sure I leanmore into my expertise where I
know what to do, or I need tojust take that class or whatever
it is to make myself feel like Iam more confident in that area.
But.
If this is stirred something inyou, please share it and leave
us a review and let us know whathit home, because we do this
because of you, we're doing thisfor the listeners so you don't
feel alone.
Sometimes, as entrepreneurs andsolopreneurs, we feel like we're
(19:52):
doing this all by ourselves.
And there are people that areexisting right next to you that
you don't know that have thesame thoughts, the same fears,
the same successes, the samedreams.
And sometimes it's just nice forus to know that you're feeling
it, you hear it, it's connectingwith you.
So Leslie, this has been a sucha great conversation.
Let our listeners know wherethey can learn more about you
more about your business-
Leslie (20:12):
So I focus mainly on LinkedIn.
Leslie Taylor on LinkedIn.
And then on Instagram I am theLeslie T and then my website is
l taylor associates.com.
Wonderful.
And that's where you can findout about me.
Beverly (20:27):
Thank you so much for sharing your story, your wisdom,
your journey, and your magicwith us.
I know our listeners are on awalkaway feeling hopefully a
little bit inspired today andmaybe ready to take some action
with their finances.
So I am so grateful for yourtime and the impact you're
making on the world.
It does matter every single timewe can raise up somebody for
success.
It's a amazing thing that you'redoing.
So thank you.
Leslie (20:48):
Thank you.
Beverly (20:50):
This is an incredible conversation.
Listeners, I hope this episodeis a little bit of a fire in
you, gave you some new ideas andmost of all inspired, you take
some bit of action, one step toimprove one area of your
business.
Hopefully it's finances today.
Because here's the thing, yourbusiness, your message, that all
matters.
Your work matters in this world,and God has given you a gift.
(21:10):
Leslie's talked about it.
It's your job to bring it tolife.
So the world needs more of youand what you have to say.
And marketing isn't just aboutvisibility.
It's about your impact.
It's about connecting with theright people in a way that feels
true to you.
Keep sharing your brilliance andkeep making magic in the world.
And hey, if you ever feel stuck,know that you don't have to do
this alone.
We're here to help you turn yourspark into a wildfire.
(21:32):
So until next time, keepsparking and igniting
Hello.
(00:00):
Before we dive into part two ofthis episode, I gotta ask, did
you catch part one?
If not, hit pause real quick.
You'll wanna start from thebeginning to get the full
effect.
The link to part one is rightdown in the description below.
Go ahead, catch up, and we'll beright here waiting for you.
Ready to dive into part two whenyou're all set.
It's worth it, I promise.
Beverly (00:23):
Doing what you can, when you can, how you can.
It is like survival mode of justwhat can I do to make sure
everybody's still happy.
That's the messy middle.
Leslie (00:32):
I love that term, because when I started my
business, I don't know that Ifully understood the messy
middle.
I'll go back to a lot of folksthat have gained success.
I'm 54.
A lot of those folks areyounger.
So I think it looks different.
Had I started this journey in mytwenties, my business would've
gone quickly because I had thetime.
(00:53):
The messiness was not there.
The messiness wouldn't comeuntil later.
Beverly (00:57):
Agreed.
As you get older, there is morecomplications.
And even my son that I adoptedfrom foster.
He requires a lot more care thanthe average child.
And if I had a nine to five job,there's no way I could take him
to his therapy appointments.
There's no way I could do thethings I need to do to advocate
for him as a mom, to make surehe has the best life.
So this career this job Icreated for myself that has
(01:19):
become a full on fledgedbusiness.
Yeah.
Is a gift.
It's an incredible gift.
And it's redefining what itmeans to be a mom and also have
work that matters.
Leslie (01:30):
Exactly.
That second part.
That actually what you just saidright there.
I wanna be successful, I wannatake care of my family, and I
wanna do work that matters.
Actually, that was one of thethings that I prayed.
I wanna do something ofsignificance.
Yeah.
I wanna do something, Lord, helpme do something that is
significant.
Beverly (01:48):
Make an impact in the world.
And I know I'm smart.
I have something to give.
I have a lot to give.
Leslie (01:53):
Yeah.
Beverly (01:53):
So, what's the biggest way I can do that?
It's not gonna cause me tosacrifice the other parts of my
world, that are just asimportant aspects of who I am as
a woman.
Leslie (02:02):
Yeah.
Beverly (02:03):
And so many women that I've talked to don't realize
that you can create the exactbusiness that works for you.
Society has all these pressuresthey put on us to you should do
this.
I call the should suitcase.
Give you all these shoulds andit weighs you down to what you
think you should be doingwithout doing the thing that
actually feels the right to you.
Leslie (02:19):
And that's another thing that you said there too, is just
defining success for yourselfand not letting anybody else
define it for you.
Yes.
In terms of your business, butalso in terms of your life.
It's easy to get caught up inwhat other people have or what
other people are doing.
But is that really what youwanna do?
Beverly (02:39):
Along the same lines, the season's topic is all about
confidence.
And it's all about like, whatdoes confidence look like as an
entrepreneur?
Because when you're confident inwhat you're doing and what you
believe and all things, you'renot defining yourself by others.
What does confidence look likefor an entrepreneur?
And when was there a moment?
Leslie (02:54):
That's a good question.
I'm gonna answer this in twoways.
I discovered a few years agothat I didn't have confidence.
And the reason is I went to aconference it was a conference
of other, like bookkeepers andaccountants.
And through that process Irealized that I was holding
myself back and my concern, waswe had talked about the fact
(03:18):
that I'm a chemical engineerworked as a chemical engineer,
master's in food science.
And I was afraid of what peoplewould think if they thought
she's a bookkeeper now.
And I was concerned, I wasafraid to go on LinkedIn because
most of my contacts are from thecorporate world, people that
I've met corporate.
(03:38):
Because most of my career hasbeen in corporate.
Yeah.
And so that was keeping me fromdoing certain things.
But once I went to thatconference there was like a
switch that flipped for me andmy mindset became different.
It was like, okay, if I'm reallygonna do this, I need to do it
all out.
I'm on LinkedIn, I'm doing thethings.
Like, I have to be out there.
(03:59):
I can't be afraid of what peoplethink, because most of my life,
I marched to the beat of my owndrum.
And it disturbed me that I wasallowing this to hold me back in
my business.
I was allowing it to hold backcertain things that I knew I
needed to do to move thebusiness forward.
So once I realized that, itreally changed a lot of things
(04:19):
for me in terms of where Ishowed up and how I showed up.
And, even in my own mind,reframing number one.
I don't care if people think I'ma bookkeeper.
Like I had to come to grips withthat.
Yeah, I need to stop caringabout that.
But number two, it's not aboutme being a bookkeeper for the
next 20 years.
That's not the goal.
The goal is was to build abookkeeping business.
(04:40):
I don't care what they think,this is what I'm doing.
And I know what I'm doing and itdoesn't matter if they know or
don't know.
Then that really shifted thingsfor me.
In terms of just confidence inhow I showed up.
Beverly (04:51):
And I would imagine the chemical engineer and the
masters and the cooking scienceit still informs your background
and how you approach things as abookkeeper.
Like that information is sopowerful for you.
Leslie (05:02):
It does.
And that was another reason whyI wanted to go this route,
because I felt like there is anapproach to this that is
different from your traditionalaccountant, bookkeeper, CPA, or
ea.
That actually bring me to theother reason why I took this
route.
In my second to last job incorporate I was involved in a
(05:24):
number of executive leadershipmeetings and there was a
gentleman, his name was Mike, hewas the CFO of the company.
And whenever Mike spoke, therewere always these rich gems that
just flowed out of his mouth.
And the reason is Mike didn'tjust understand his area, his
silo, finance, accounting, thenumbers part, he understood
(05:47):
manufacturing.
He understood the key players inmanufacturing and how they
functioned.
And he understood RD qc, heunderstood all the functions and
how they interacted and whatthey did.
So when he spoke, it wasn't justthe numbers and the financial
stuff, it was with a holisticapproach.
And so when I saw that in thosemeetings, I was like, oh, I love
(06:09):
that.
I wanna be that person.
That's really cool.
So when I looked at approachingthis business, I see myself as
approaching it that way.
Because I've worked inmanufacturing, I've been on the
manufacturing floor, I've workedwith sales and marketing, I've
been on sales calls.
I've done the r and d, I'veworked with Q like I've done all
the functions.
So I don't just come from theperspective of someone who sat
(06:31):
in a particular department theirwhole career.
I've worked cross-functionallyand I've done the things in the
different functions, and sothat's another part of.
What I like to bring to supportmy clients.
Beverly (06:44):
That's really good.
So let's talk about marketingfor a second.
Yeah.
Tell me about what's been thehardest thing for marketing for
you?
Leslie (06:50):
Oh, the hardest thing.
I think it's changed over theyears.
Sometimes networking.
For me being in communities hasbeen helpful.
I am an introvert, so it can bevery energy draining certain
activities especiallynetworking.
So being involved inorganizations for me creates
(07:11):
that like consistency becauseI'm there in the organization
and I'm involved.
Follow up.
Definitely.
That's been a challenge.
Networking, follow up.
I don't enjoy the follow up, butI know it's so important.
And then at one point,definitely the social media,
like when I was first gettinginto this, it was all like, what
is all this stuff?
Over the years I've learned, I'mby no means an expert, I
understand the differentplatforms to a certain degree
(07:33):
and have taken some courses andtraining and different things
like that.
But I would still say, Idefinitely respect what you do
because having done it myself.
Yeah.
It's doable.
Just like the bookkeeping.
Yeah.
It's doable.
If I learn it, I can do it, butoh my gosh, it took so much out
of me.
It almost killed me because ittakes so much time.
You think, oh, I'm just gonnawork on this one post for 30
(07:54):
minutes, and then three hourslater you're still working on
one post.
I don't have time for that
Beverly (07:59):
Let me just say this.
I'm just gonna throw it outthere.
We've helped a lot of people whofeel the same exact way to
understand, to have a system.
'cause once you have a systemand a process, it doesn't take
as much time.
And you have some right and leftlimits again, like you're really
clear on what you should do.
I if you feel like it'soverwhelming, if you're doing
all of the things, set up aclarity call with me.
I can help you get maybe aprocess or system in place.
Just go to wickedlybranded.com/call and I'll be
(08:21):
happy to uncover what's working,what's not, and maybe give you
something that feels morealigned going forward.
Because we don't have time tospend three hours on a social
post.
I don't have time to spend and Ido marketing.
I don't have time to spend threehours on a social post.
I know.
But that's how I felt aboutaccounting.
Exactly.
Like you, Leslie, Yeah.
I know.
It probably takes you 10 minutesto do something that would take
me three hours.
Because I just don't have thatskillset or that knowledge or
(08:43):
the muscle memory.
Leslie (08:45):
Once you've done it and I've got systems in place that
help streamline it on our side.
Beverly (08:50):
Exactly.
So I saw in your applicationthat you use loom ly.
How has that been a game changerfor you?
What do you love about it?
Tell me about it talk about it.
Leslie (08:58):
Yeah, I started using Loomly.
So I've had like off and onrelationships with different
social media managers, but, youtry something and, when you talk
about certain things that didn'twork, I've had some experiences,
investing in social mediaservices and then I don't see
like a return.
So it becomes impossible tojustify a continuing thing if I
(09:19):
didn't see a return.
So a lot of my networking now ismore from.
In-person face-to-face orreferral partners.
That's the other part that worksreally well with me.
Is tax accountant, referralpartners, people that just focus
on taxes, they don't wanna dothe books.
Oh, they're great partners.
I work with them.
They don't wanna do what I do.
I don't wanna do what they do.
So that's where I discoveredLoomly.
(09:41):
I started working with someoneand they used Loomly.
And then at some point westopped the engagement actually,
I think they decided to takeanother, start, another
business.
But I liked Loomly.
I thought it was so easy to use.
And it was across multipleplatforms.
So for me that was a gamechanger.
Oh, I can post on threeplatforms from here.
Because at one point I was likeusing, there was another thing I
(10:02):
was using, but it didn't workwith LinkedIn, so I had to log
into that thing to do LinkedInand log into something else to
do Facebook and Instagram.
So it was great doing it fromone place and it was just easy
to use.
Beverly (10:15):
We recommend Metricool.
Which is very similar to Loomly.
Okay.
A lot of our clients use it.
We still will always say youshould probably, especially for
LinkedIn, post natively,LinkedIn likes it when you post
natively.
I learned that there were somethings that showed up
differently or didn't show up inthe way that I want.
Yeah.
And some things too, if you comefrom metricool into LinkedIn, it
doesn't show up as a carousel,like it should, there's just
(10:35):
some integrations with thealgorithm or with the API that
just don't always connect well.
When we work with ourentrepreneurs, we always say
focus on one.
You can have a presence onothers, but really focus on your
one that you can just kill iton.
And go and like really just goall in because most of our
clients who are professionalservice providers like yourself
or personal brands, really onlyon really one platform.
(10:55):
And I imagine for you it'sLinkedIn all day.
Leslie (10:57):
Yeah.
I started focusing more onLinkedIn and then occasionally I
would do a little on Instagram,but the focus became LinkedIn,
at least last year.
Beverly (11:06):
I have my magic hat round, where I have lots of
questions in my magic hat, acouple and see where we go.
These are more rapid fire.
Let's see here.
What's been your most humblinglesson as an entrepreneur?
Leslie (11:18):
There's been so many lessons.
I think sometimes that I'm thebottleneck and it's okay to slow
down.
I could grow faster, but if Ican't provide great service,
then it's not worth it.
So it's okay to bite off alittle bit at a time.
Beverly (11:34):
What's the worst advice you've ever received related to
your business?
Leslie (11:38):
This was before the pandemic, that I should not
start a virtual financialservices business because that
would never work.
But my mind was already set ondoing what I was gonna do, but
it was like a business coach orsomething that was like, no,
that's never gonna work.
You're gonna need to have, abrick and mortar, you're gonna
need to be able to look overpeople.
I didn't say anything to theperson, but I was just like,
yeah, I'm not gonna listen tothat.
Beverly (11:58):
This is a fun one.
If your brand had a theme song,what would it be and why?
Leslie (12:02):
The first song that comes to mind is, ain't No
Stopping Us Now.
Beverly (12:05):
I like that song.
Great song.
I love that.
If you could wave a magic wandand solve one current challenge
in your business, what would itbe?
Leslie (12:14):
Something I've been mulling around in my head around
further niching in my business.
I've given myself the summer tomull it around, but I started
last year working with realestate investment clients.
And I'm considering going evenfurther into engineering firms,
construction firms,architectural firms.
Beverly (12:35):
Oh, niche and niche hard.
Own your one little square inchand go deep.
As a marketer, you're speakingmy language.
Because when you go deep likethat, when you niche hard, your
messaging can speak exactly tothem.
It'll hit so much harder and itwill resonate and connect in a
different way than it's rightnow.
That is amazing.
Go in and go all in.
Leslie (12:54):
And that's what I've seen in folks that have done
that in my industry.
And that's advice that I'vereceived from probably the first
day I started my business.
Beverly (13:02):
Do it.
Do it, please.
Okay, so that is the end of themagic head round.
I'll say this niche is hardbecause you think it's limiting,
but it's actually liberating.
don't be afraid to niche and itdoesn't mean other people won't
come to you.
My brand is very girly andfeminine, and I mostly work with
women business owners, and I'mall about magic and unicorns and
sparkle and shine.
And all the things that are verygirly.
(13:24):
I have pink hair, like it's allabout my brand.
I have an NFL pro footballplayer as a client it doesn't
mean you can't get otherclients, it just means the right
people will resonate with yourmessaging.
I wanna work with bold brands,so clearly that matters to
somebody like that.
I also have a tech company who Iwork with that is fairly manly,
that likes the fact that we goin that way.
(13:46):
We're all about finding this theuniqueness, the sparkle, they
want more of that in theirbrand.
Your message will still speak tothe right people, so don't be
Leslie (13:54):
afraid.
I like the way you phrase itthat way because that's
something that I've realizedlater is just because I'm niche
doesn't mean that I can't takeon other clients it might then
sound like we specialize in Yes.
But then I can decide any otherclients that I wanna take on.
Like it's my business.
I can decide that.
Beverly (14:12):
You can just choose.
And that allows you to reallysit in your zone of genius and
have a system and process thatreally works for those clients.
I do have a magic wand, Leslie.
This is part of my brand.
I am the fairy godmother ofbrand clarity, but in this
particular instance, I'm goingto wave the wand to go into the
past and I want us to talk to18-year-old, just outta high
(14:32):
school before she became achemical engineer, and give her
one piece of advice that youwish you had been told then that
would've served you better inyour life, had you known.
Leslie (14:42):
I think something changed for me as I got really
comfortable in corporate.
So it would be something likedon't be afraid to jump.
Don't be afraid to take the leapand put the things in place to
start a business a littlesooner.
I think I stayed in corporate alittle longer.
I think God works all things,the way, but I think, getting
comfortable and being afraid atsome point.
(15:04):
That happened.
In my twenties I was tellingpeople that on job interviews
I'll do this job, I'll do it fora while, but I plan to own my
own business one day.
And at some point, that left andit took a while for me to come
back around to it.
So I think that would be thething don't get distracted.
Beverly (15:21):
If she could see you now?
What would she say to you?
Leslie (15:24):
I think she would say, I'm proud of you.
We did it like you did it.
This was something that.
We were supposed to do and nowyou've actually done it.
Beverly (15:33):
She'd be proud.
Okay.
I'm gonna wave my wine and we'regonna go decades and decades
into the future, like super far.
Okay.
And we are at the end of yourlife, and someone's saying your
eulogy and they're talking aboutyour most significant legacy and
impact in the world.
What does that look like?
Leslie (15:48):
There's a phraseology that I've heard our pastor use
and he talks about, what breaksyour heart.
And so for me, the themethroughout my life has been
causes around women, children,those that can't really help
themselves, the elderly.
And I would just say, that Icared and supported those groups
(16:10):
from a philanthropic standpoint,from a volunteering standpoint
of my time.
And also hopefully that mybusiness really impacted and
helped a lot of other smallbusinesses because small
businesses are the backbone ofthe economy still.
It's a lot of hard work.
And if, I can help smallbusiness owners realize their
(16:30):
dreams and hire people and, beable to take their family to
Disney World or whatever thething is that they wanna do.
Then to me that's significantand that's impactful.
Beverly (16:41):
Yeah.
Oh, that's the same thing that Iwant too.
I love that so much.
It's such an honor to be on thepath with them and to see them
grow and to see them reach thesedifferent milestones and be able
to do the things that are ontheir vision board or things
that really matter to them.
To see them step into theirmagic.
It's so incredibly rewarding.
And, we, women need each other.
We need more people to supportus and to be there and cheer us
(17:05):
on.
Seeing women really step intotheir magic has been like, the
highlight of my life in so manyways.
So it's just an honor.
Just to walk beside them andhelp them and cheer them on.
I love that.
Our last question, I'm gonnawave us back into the present.
For the listeners today.
What is one piece of advice thatyou would have to help them, or
one strategy that you've used tohelp them help you be more
(17:28):
confident?
What is one thing that you wouldimpart with them to help them
assuage some fears or doubt,imposter syndrome,
Leslie (17:36):
for me, there's two things.
So I've shared that I'm aChristian, a believer I pray I
talk to God a lot about,everything.
One other piece to that, or justa realization.
Years ago I read the book leanIn by Cheryl Sandberg, I
believe.
And there's a piece in therewhere she talks about, even at
the height of her, careersuccess what she called imposter
(17:59):
syndrome.
And there was something that Iguess you could say another
switch that flipped.
And that is that so many peoplehave these same thoughts.
So to me it was if at her levelshe's still questioning, then
this is normal.
It's okay for you to feel thisway, but so don't let it get in
your way of what it is you'retrying to do.
'cause that's just a normalthought.
Like whatever you're thinking,don't let it overtake you and
(18:23):
paralyze you.
Just realize that sometimesfolks are gonna have doubts.
Even people who are at like thepinnacle of what we would,
identify or think of as success.
That's normal.
So keep moving forward.
In that book she talks aboutjust faking it to make it, but I
think it's just, put on a strongface and just make a decision
to, show up and still do thething.
Show up, just still show up anddo the thing.
(18:44):
Don't let it like stop you.
So I think that would beprobably the biggest thing.
Beverly (18:48):
If you wanted to show up more, or if you know another
entrepreneur who needs to hearthis message of showing up and
taking that next best step,doing the thing despite the fear
or has a little bit of impostersyndrome.
I would love for you to sharethis episode with them.
All of us are on this journey.
All of us are figuring it out.
And I swear you're not alone.
(19:08):
Like this is all part of it.
And the more you can do thiswork, the more you can listen to
people like Leslie talk abouthow we've all overcome these
particular things.
I still have moments, like evenafter 30 years in the industry
almost.
I still have moments like, howcan I not belong here?
I've been doing this for 30years, but I still have moments
of ooh, there's somebody so muchsmarter.
(19:29):
I get a little bit distracted bythe competition trap.
I just have to make sure I leanmore into my expertise where I
know what to do, or I need tojust take that class or whatever
it is to make myself feel like Iam more confident in that area.
But.
If this is stirred something inyou, please share it and leave
us a review and let us know whathit home, because we do this
because of you, we're doing thisfor the listeners so you don't
feel alone.
Sometimes, as entrepreneurs andsolopreneurs, we feel like we're
(19:52):
doing this all by ourselves.
And there are people that areexisting right next to you that
you don't know that have thesame thoughts, the same fears,
the same successes, the samedreams.
And sometimes it's just nice forus to know that you're feeling
it, you hear it, it's connectingwith you.
So Leslie, this has been a sucha great conversation.
Let our listeners know wherethey can learn more about you
more about your business-
Leslie (20:12):
So I focus mainly on LinkedIn.
Leslie Taylor on LinkedIn.
And then on Instagram I am theLeslie T and then my website is
l taylor associates.com.
Wonderful.
And that's where you can findout about me.
Beverly (20:27):
Thank you so much for sharing your story, your wisdom,
your journey, and your magicwith us.
I know our listeners are on awalkaway feeling hopefully a
little bit inspired today andmaybe ready to take some action
with their finances.
So I am so grateful for yourtime and the impact you're
making on the world.
It does matter every single timewe can raise up somebody for
success.
It's a amazing thing that you'redoing.
So thank you.
Leslie (20:48):
Thank you.
Beverly (20:50):
This is an incredible conversation.
Listeners, I hope this episodeis a little bit of a fire in
you, gave you some new ideas andmost of all inspired, you take
some bit of action, one step toimprove one area of your
business.
Hopefully it's finances today.
Because here's the thing, yourbusiness, your message, that all
matters.
Your work matters in this world,and God has given you a gift.
(21:10):
Leslie's talked about it.
It's your job to bring it tolife.
So the world needs more of youand what you have to say.
And marketing isn't just aboutvisibility.
It's about your impact.
It's about connecting with theright people in a way that feels
true to you.
Keep sharing your brilliance andkeep making magic in the world.
And hey, if you ever feel stuck,know that you don't have to do
this alone.
We're here to help you turn yourspark into a wildfire.
(21:32):
So until next time, keepsparking and igniting
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