January 14, 2025 • 36 mins
Unlock the secrets to effective brand building with Mallika Malhotra, the Brand CEO, as she shares her transformative journey from a corporate advertising career to becoming a leading brand strategist. Discover the power of focusing on a niche, creating the Bullseye branding formula, and the courage it takes to make strategic business decisions that align with personal values. Malika’s insights are invaluable not just for female entrepreneurs but for anyone eager to learn how to set boundaries and make intentional business choices that lead to both passion and profit.
Join us as Mallika recounts her transition from brand photographer to strategist, a shift marked by clear communication and transparency, especially during the chaotic times of the pandemic. Learn how to harness the human side of business evolution, the significance of mentorship, and the mindset shift necessary to view oneself as a CEO. Whether you're a midlife entrepreneur or someone just starting, Malika's story is a testament to the importance of community support and expert guidance in navigating the complexities of business growth and making informed decisions.
Connect with Mallika
Website: www.thebrandceo.com
Instagram: @thebrandceo
LinkedIn: @thebrandceo
Discover your niche with her Free Tool
Thanks for listening! To book a free consultation with Aideen visit https://www.confidenceinsinging.com/contact/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Aideen Ni Riada (00:02):
Welcome to the Resonate podcast with Aideen, my
guest today.
Mallika Malhotra is joining meand I'm excited to introduce you
to her.
She's known as the brand CEOand she's an award winning brand
strategist, niche expert andmastermind mentor.
Using her signature Bullseyebranding formula, she helps
(00:26):
female entrepreneurs get crystalclear on their message, carve
out their power niche and standout as the go-to expert in their
industry, without loweringprices, hustling for clients and
living on social media.
We spoke a little before westarted recording there, and I
want to let anyone who isn't afemale entrepreneur but is
(00:47):
interested in listening knowthat we will be covering things
like focus setting, boundaries,saying no, making decisions and
the process of choosing, whetherthat be within a business or
without, so you might still findthis content really of interest
.
So thank you so much, Maliki,for joining us today.
Mallika Malhotra (01:05):
Thank you for having me.
I'm so happy to be here.
Aideen Ni Riada (01:08):
So I'm curious and I'm kind of guessing that
you have had a journey yourselffinding your own niche, and
that's one of the reasons whyyou're so passionate about
helping people to hone in onwhat really makes them unique
and to really connect with theiraudience.
Tell us a little bit about thatjourney.
Mallika Malhotra (01:29):
Yes, thank you .
So you know, I used to work inadvertising corporate
advertising back in the day, andthen I sort of opted out of
that as many women do when theyhave children and become a
mother and just decided that Iwas going to go down this
entrepreneurial path, and I'vehad multiple businesses under my
belt trying to kind of figureout the way, but the one that
(01:50):
stuck for me was about feelslike almost two decades ago, I
started to do photography and Idid photography for children and
family, and then I addedphotography for business and
branding, and there was a seasonin my life where I call it the
junk drawer phase, where I wasstarting to do all the things,
(02:11):
all different types ofphotography from, you know,
christmas portraits to seniorportraits, to headshots for
business.
I was going into corporatesettings and helping them with
product launches and then on theside, I was doing strategy for
businesses, instagram workshops,vision boarding, workshops,
(02:32):
doing all of the things and Ireally felt like at that point
it was very, very messy and Iwas spinning kind of out of
control, which happens right insome points of our business
where we're trying to do a lotof things.
We're in reactive mode and Ihad to make some changes in
(02:53):
order for me to feel like anexpert, to feel like I was
communicating the value that Ioffered and getting paid what I
wanted to get paid, and yes.
Aideen Ni Riada (03:04):
So what I'm hearing is that there was a
point where your previousidentity as a photographer that
can do it all had to kind ofshift into something a little
bit more um, where you felt moreof your credibility.
I think this happens to a lotof women as well.
As we get a little older, likeI, like I can be quite girly in
(03:27):
my my own, my personal life, forinstance, but then when we move
into our professional lives, um, we have to find a way to
ground ourselves and presentourselves in a way that is, um,
that's really more true to theexperience that we have, the
knowledge that we have, the youknow, the kind of, even our
(03:51):
qualifications that we have,because people can look at us
and we you know, really, youknow fun, or we are very light
at heart, but that doesn'talways communicate what we
really need people to see, forthem to choose us.
Mallika Malhotra (04:06):
Right, I think what I've struggled with and
what a lot of women in mycommunity struggle with is they
become a Jane of all trades.
They do a lot of things andthey're not seen as a specialist
or as an expert as you'resaying right.
They're not leveraging theirskills and strengths in a way
where they can stand out fromthe competition and they can
(04:29):
focus their area of expertise,their zone of genius, so that
they do work that they actuallylove to do and they actually see
results.
And so when I was in that messyphase, I was spinning and doing
all the different things and itwasn't sustainable.
I was actually on my road toburnout and I had to make some
(04:51):
CEO decisions.
Right.
I had to look at my businessand really see where's the money
coming from, where's theopportunity, where is my passion
, where can I leverage my skillsand my strengths to the utmost
so that I can create an expertbrand?
And I had to go through theprocess of sort of cutting and
(05:14):
culling out the things thatweren't working for me and for
matching and in alignment withwhat my values were, what my
passions were, where my prowesswas.
And that's hard to do right.
It's hard to sort of step backand really kind of put yourself
in a lane, and some people mightsay you're putting yourself in
(05:35):
a box, but the way I saw it wasI was cutting out the things
that were not really working formy business and going all in
and putting a stake in theground with what I knew I could
grow into a healthy, sustainable, profitable business.
Aideen Ni Riada (05:51):
Well, that's just a very powerful statement,
what you've just made there,because it's that power of
deciding, and deciding meansalso letting go, and a lot of
the time we feel afraid ofletting go.
Mallika Malhotra (06:07):
Yes, and it does take courage.
It takes courage but it alsotakes, you know, really looking
at the data that you have athand.
And so you know, when peopleask me about niching, sometimes
they think that we're just goingto pick out of the sky some
niche for them, some area offocus for them, some
specialization, when in truth,we're looking at intel and data
(06:30):
that you already have at hand.
Where is the revenue comingfrom?
Where are the referrals comingfrom?
What is your reputation alreadybuilt upon?
And looking at that and thenmaking strategic decisions about
where you set the boundaries,what you say no to and what you
want to attract more.
Aideen Ni Riada (06:51):
Yeah, and it comes down to that what do you
want?
What is it you want to attract?
Mallika Malhotra (06:56):
Yes, and that's a question I think
sometimes we don't ask ourselvesbecause we are reacting.
We are just taking what peoplewant from us instead of really
thinking about is this inalignment with what my skills
and strengths are, the problemthat I can solve best, the
transformation that I candeliver at a level of excellence
(07:18):
, and is this something that Iwant to offer in the long game
Not the short game, but in thelong game?
I always advise my clients toreally look at all the offers.
Do you need so many offers?
Do you need multiple targetaudiences?
There is something to be said.
When you narrow and prioritizeand find your lane, it becomes
(07:42):
simpler, it becomes specific, itbecomes specialized.
Aideen Ni Riada (07:55):
And sometimes that helps you stand out even
more.
Yes, I can imagine, becauseit's as soon as you include five
different groups into thatsentence of I help you know
here's.
Here's an example that I'veused right Professionals,
creatives, business owners.
As soon as you've done threethere, the professionals have
gone.
Well, she's not for me, becauseshe also does this and this.
The creatives are going.
I'm not sure, because I'm also.
(08:15):
She just does this and this.
So there's a point in people'sminds and in the mind of our
audience where they tune out ifwe try to do too much.
Yes, so when you're speaking tosay, for instance, your own
target audience, what are theways that you find that you know
(08:37):
?
How do you communicate in a waythat helps people to see that
specialty, that you have thatuniqueness and that thing that
you can call it a niche, but youcould also call it just your
unique selling point?
Mallika Malhotra (08:52):
Yeah, I think it's specificity.
I think it's being verytangible and precise and
concrete.
Often when I'm networking andyou hear people do an elevator
pitch, like you said, they havethis kitchen sink where they're
throwing everything in there andthen sometimes it's so vague
and fluffy that you don't seethe value.
But when you can niche or focus, what you're doing is you're
(09:18):
giving context to your offer,your brand, your business, and
you're allowing people then toraise their hand to
self-identify that says she isactually talking to me or she is
actually speaking about afriend that I can you know had
that problem and just talk to meabout.
But it's about getting veryspecific on the problem.
It's about getting veryspecific on your area of
(09:40):
expertise, getting very specificon how you are differentiated
and also in your solution.
And when you can get specific onall those things, which is part
of that bullseye brandingformula that you talked about.
That is going to help youdifferentiate and that's what we
need in our competitivemarketplaces, right?
There's so many, so much noise,so much competition, and it'll
(10:05):
always be there.
That's just a fact, and so youkind of have to just let that be
and really think about what canI do in my communication, in my
business, that will allow me tostand out from everyone else?
Is it disrupting and creating anew solution?
Is it really talking to a veryspecific client instead of
(10:25):
everybody?
Is it tapping into yourstrengths and skills, your zone
of genius, instead of saying I'ma leadership coach, but getting
really, really specific in aspecific area of expertise
within that umbrella?
so that you are not, you know,blending in with everyone else.
That's really the idea behindniching.
Aideen Ni Riada (10:47):
Tell us a little bit about how you did
that, because now, I mean,you're obviously working as the
brand CEO and that came fromphotography.
Like that doesn't seem like a.
You know, in my mind I don'tsee the dots that are connecting
those things.
Tell us a little bit about howyou found this niche and this
focus from there.
Mallika Malhotra (11:08):
Well, and so that is kind of a illustration
of how your niche yes, you wantto commit to it, but it will
also evolve over time, and soyou know I mentioned that I was
a photographer at first doingall the things, but then I
niched down to brand photographybecause I saw that was an
opportunity.
Back in 2015, when social mediawas on the rise, and by cutting
(11:29):
out all those other things thatallowed me to focus and that
was great I became the go-tobrand photographer in the New
York and New Jersey area.
But as I did brand photographyin my methodology, I did a lot
of strategy.
I didn't just show up and shoot.
I actually asked some of thesedeeper questions about the brand
(11:49):
, the mission, the vision, thevalues, the personality.
And soon I found clients werecoming to me for both strategy
and photography, and so I hadthese two arms to my business
and then came a point where wehad a pandemic and photography
was no longer a priority and Ihad to kind of make another hard
(12:11):
decision in my business of howto pivot and I had to really
think hard of my skills, my areaof expertise, and because I had
this background in advertisingand strategy and marketing, I
really felt like I was a betterstrategist than I was a
photographer.
And I did go through anidentity crisis, to be honest.
(12:35):
But I had to do the work toreally look at myself, that
self-discovery, to see you knowwho I was, what I wanted out of
the work that I was doing, wherewere my skills and my passions,
what did I believe in?
And so then I shifted againinto brand strategy and so I've
(12:55):
been doing brand strategyprobably for the last six years
and then, within brand strategy,now niching to.
I want to be the go-to nicheexpert.
So it is a constant evolution,as branding is.
It's always organic, right.
It's always like a living,breathing thing.
It's very dynamic, but you canmake decisions.
(13:15):
It's not on your tombstone thatyou have to be a certain thing.
You can make some decisions tochange, but there is a
commitment you have to make.
You cannot change Every week,right?
And because it's about notconfusing your audience, so it
has to be a gradual thing, sothat you're preparing your
audience for where you're goingto go next.
Aideen Ni Riada (13:37):
That's an interesting concept.
So you said you're preparingyour audience for where you're
going next.
So is that relating to likechanging things more gradually,
like, say, if somebody is ismoving from one kind of, you
know, say, photography to brandstrategist?
There was obviously a phasewhere you spoke about the
(13:59):
strategies of the photos, or youknow the.
So I'm interested in that, um,that idea, because this is
something that I find quitetricky, because I'm an all or
nothing person generally, so Iusually just jump straight in
and I am reluctant to make bigchanges because I know that I
might surprise people.
But you're saying that we canactually prepare people for that
(14:22):
surprise.
Mallika Malhotra (14:23):
Yeah, I think it's clear communication right.
You don't wanna just show upwith a new brand and a new
target audience and a new focus.
You want to prepare youraudience and be transparent with
your audience with the changesthat you're making.
And, yes, you might have tofire or leave behind some of
those clients, but the equitythat you built with those
(14:45):
clients could open doors with anew niche or the new focus that
you want.
So I am a believer in doingthings gradually, so that you're
preparing and thatcommunication is clear and that
you have the time to warm peopleup to the place that you want
to take them.
And it's not like you'reburning bridges.
(15:06):
You're actually leveraging andusing the people that are
already in your world to helpyou go to the next step, the
newer version or the nextversion of you.
So even for me I was aphotographer for many, many
years and I had to let go ofthose clients.
I had to tell them of thechange, but I actually brought
them on the journey with me andI found that by being
(15:28):
transparent and doing itgradually, they stayed with me.
They referred people to me andI found that, by being
transparent and doing itgradually, they stayed with me,
they referred people to me, theyhelped share and promote me as
I went into this.
You know new direction, sothat's kind of what I'm speaking
about.
Aideen Ni Riada (15:41):
Yeah, I understand what you're saying,
because if you can, if youchange things very dramatically,
you can sometimes lose people'strust.
Mallika Malhotra (15:48):
Yes.
Aideen Ni Riada (15:49):
So what you did was you.
You were kind of bringingpeople with you in a way that
helped them understand what youwere doing.
They still trusted you.
They still know you as a personof integrity, a kind person,
someone who you know can deliver, you know advice, clearly,
whatever they knew about you asa photographer, and they could
(16:12):
see then that those skills aretransferable into what else
you're doing.
Mallika Malhotra (16:17):
But at the core of it, they like you Right,
it's the know, like and trust,and I think it's also the human
element.
We're all evolving, we're allworks in progress, right, and so
by making it not abrupt andmaking it not dramatic and just
kind of shifting black and whiteand kind of taking them on the
journey with you there'ssomething so powerful about that
(16:39):
and sharing the why behind thechange, right, I have found by
doing that, approaching it thatway, that I've had more success
once I've come to the other side.
So, letting go of thatphotography and I was a
photographer a long time, so itwas very hard but by gradually
(17:00):
moving into it and I'm nottalking five years, it was like
maybe a six-month process, right, right, you know, telling
people on my newsletter, sharingit on social media, having it
on my website, doing both things, maybe, and then taking one
down.
It was a very intentional andmindful process and you know, I
(17:22):
think when you, when you plan itout that way, it just helps in
the transition, it helpsmaintain the trust and it helps
people to see that you're humanbehind the brand and we're all
growing all the time, right, andso I think people, it makes it
relatable.
Aideen Ni Riada (17:40):
When you get a new client, what are the fears
that you find that you have toovercome to help them to take
some of these steps?
Mallika Malhotra (17:48):
Yeah.
So it's a big mindset fear ofhow can I say no to people.
You know, if they're coming myway, how can I say no to like
money that they might bring tome?
And the way I look at it isthey might not be the right
clients, they might not be theright experience, right, you
might not be maximizing andoptimizing all of your expertise
(18:12):
, and so by saying no andsending them to someone else
who's a better match, you'rethen keeping the door open for
those better clients, right?
The second thing is, you know Idon't want to be put in a box.
I hear that a lot and I wouldsay why wouldn't you want to be
in your zone of genius?
Why wouldn't you want to workall the time in the thing that
(18:35):
you do best, that you love to do, instead of trying to do all
these different things andalmost feeling like an imposter
doing things that you might notbe should be doing, right?
I mean, I remember doingInstagram workshops.
I'm not a social media person.
Like I shouldn't have beendoing that and I did it because
(18:56):
someone asked me and there wasan interest, but it really
wasn't a good match and itdidn't feel good.
I felt a little bit of a fraud.
But you know, when you aredoing work you're meant to do,
you're in that sense of flow,you're in that you feel like you
are like producing good, goodwork and getting good results.
Why wouldn't you want to be inthat state of mind?
(19:18):
So I don't see it as a box, Isee it as mastery, I see it as
leadership, I see it as being anauthority.
And then another.
You know, misconception orchallenge people have is.
You know, I'm multi-passionate,I have so many different
interests and I understand that.
And so is there a way like youwere mentioning that you have a
(19:40):
lot of things is there a way toconnect that with an umbrella
brand, some way, so that youraudience isn't confused?
Because right now you mightlike to do all of these things,
but your audience is confusedand it's not about you, it's
about your audience and thetransformation that you can give
them.
And so one thing is how can wetie everything up so that it's
(20:05):
all connected?
Or maybe there's some passionsthat are side passions, right?
Maybe it is not meant to be inthe business realm and it should
be on the personal realm.
And you know your personalbrand is important and you can
touch on some of those things,but you don't need to do all of
(20:27):
the things because, again, itcomes to clarity, confidence and
minimizing the confusion sothat people your clients can say
yes.
Aideen Ni Riada (20:35):
What would you say the benefits are when
somebody does make those changesand they start to step into
that authority which youmentioned leadership.
How does that change theireveryday working life?
Mallika Malhotra (20:52):
Well, I think you're finally working in your
zone of genius.
So there's a confidence thatcomes with that right, that now
you actually know.
And then it's simpler.
Now I actually know what I haveto talk about every single day
and it's liberating.
I don't need to talk tomultiple audiences, I don't need
to talk about all the things.
There's one problem one person,one area of expertise it's the
(21:15):
power of one is amazing.
And then also as a specialist,as an expert, you can actually
then command higher prices right, because now people see you as
an expert and you have, you know, maybe a signature offer or
signature talk or signatureframework that supports that,
(21:36):
and then the value is muchclearer and you can demand or
command higher prices and that'sa game changer for a lot of
people with their brands.
Also, it helps differentiateyou so that you know I choose
you over somebody else.
You become the go-to expert inyour niche when you step into
(21:56):
that role right, and then,honestly, opportunities start
coming to you more easily.
You know, when people havepodcasts or speaking gigs, when
you are not so broad andmainstream, but you are in a
certain lane, people want that.
They want specificity andspecialization.
So you'll find that your inboxgets flooded now with new
(22:17):
visibility opportunities for youto share that expertise.
Aideen Ni Riada (22:20):
Oh, I love it.
So for someone who's verycreative, right, so like that
multi-passionate person, um formyself and I know others that
might be listening we have manyideas and it's easy to kind of
um to, to see an idea and andget behind it um very quickly
(22:42):
because we're passionate aboutit.
What would you ask, what wouldyou suggest?
I ask myself, or someonelistening ask themselves before
they decide to put their eggs inthis basket over here.
Mallika Malhotra (22:56):
Yeah.
So a couple of questions Iwould ask is this something that
your ideal client really wants?
Is this something and you mighthave to do some research, some
talking, customer conversations?
I call that right Proof ofconcept.
You know, as creative people,we have a million ideas, but we
have to know that this actuallyis it solving a real problem?
(23:18):
Is it solving an urgent problem?
Yeah, okay, is this new idea inalignment with the work that I
want to be doing and the visionof the business, of where I want
to be taking it?
This is why having a brandmission and a brand vision
statement is so important tokeep you on track.
Right, because you know I haveit too the, you know, shiny
(23:41):
object syndrome, all thedifferent things.
But if we want to act as a CEOof our business and stay on
track, we need to make sure thatwe go back to the big why,
behind our business.
Does this new idea fit withwhat I am trying to do, why this
matters?
Does this new idea fit withwhere I want to go?
And then I would just ask isthis in alignment with the way
(24:06):
I'm running my business rightnow, with the other offers that
I have?
Does it fit in that offer stack, because you know we want to
take our clients through acustomer journey.
Again, it's about minimizingthe confusion and making sure
that we're offering anexperience that will solve their
problem in a way that they sayyes, easily and readily.
Aideen Ni Riada (24:28):
I love what you said.
There Is it about where I wantto go.
So sometimes we can beentrenched in the moment.
We're like, oh my gosh, I haveto, you know, get a new client
today, because you know someonejust finished up or someone left
, and then we're not reallythinking about that big picture.
So do you think that a lot ofpeople have a difficulty kind of
(24:49):
visualizing where it is theywant to go?
Mallika Malhotra (24:52):
Yes, it's hard , you know it's.
You know it's that big picture,the visionary picture of who I
want to become.
Where do I want to take thebrand in one year, three years,
five years?
It's the giving myselfpermission to dream big.
Three years, five years it'sthe giving myself permission to
dream big.
You know, if and I use thisexercise if money or fear or
time were not an issue, whatwould I be doing in order for
(25:15):
you to start, like you know,flexing that muscle of dreaming
bigger than where you are,because it's easy to get bogged
down in the day today, right,but it is the idea of dreaming
big and seeing where you want totake the brand, the impact you
really want to be making, andthen reverse engineering what
you need to do now in order toget there.
(25:38):
So that will also help you kindof minimize this.
You know response like thetrigger, pulling the trigger
really quickly.
When you have a plan, when youyou know 2025 is around the
corner, do you know what you'regoing to be offering, when
you're going to be offering it,do you have a system in place so
(25:59):
that it is organized and it'snot confusing and you don't have
three offers at once, so thatyour audience is just bombarded
and exhausted and no one'sbuying.
So planning ahead of timereally looking to see where
those launches are, what are theoffers that you're going to be
spotlighting at each moment ofthe year is going to help you,
(26:22):
so that you're not always kindof looking for that quick fix.
Aideen Ni Riada (26:27):
Yeah, and I think a lot of solo
entrepreneurs and a lot of solowomen entrepreneurs just
undervalue what they do slightlyand they don't see it as a like
a big business.
You know it's I mean even usingthe word, the brand CEO and and
calling yourself a CEO.
That's like stepping into adifferent identity within your
(26:49):
business.
And do you have to work withpeople on that side of things
too?
Mallika Malhotra (26:53):
Yeah, it's a mindset thing, very much so.
Where it is, you know, lookingat your business as this
opportunity for growth and forwealth building and for impact
and for transforming people'slives, right, there's a lot of
fear.
You know there's a lot of fear.
You know why would they chooseme?
I hear a lot and I say whywouldn't they choose you?
(27:14):
You know, like, do I have toremind you of your professional
experience, your personalexperience, all the things that
you've done?
So a lot of my clients are inthat midlife phase right.
So a lot of my clients are inthat midlife phase right, and
when they come to me, I callthem invisible experts, because
they are really good at whatthey do, they have great
experience, but for some reasonthey're still underpaid,
(27:38):
undervalued and overlooked.
And it is because of thatconfidence, that mindset of
seeing themselves as an expert.
I challenge them.
I say tell me what the sentencewould be if you said I am the
go-to expert in, and they'relike, oh, they pause, and
they're like they almost whisperit I am the go-to expert.
(27:59):
Meanwhile they've had years ofexperience, right, and so
sometimes it takes somementorship or being in a
community where people can helpyou see and leverage what you
already have and package that ina way so that it's clear to
your audience with the value andthe transformation you can
(28:20):
bring.
Aideen Ni Riada (28:22):
I just feel like mic drop, here we go, We've
done it.
This is.
It's so amazing what you havegone through there today.
It really convinced me and Ibet there's a lot of people
listening that are starting toreally it's starting to make
sense, because part of theproblem is we get so we get
(28:42):
confused, because there's somany aspects to running your
business.
We've got so many day-to-daytasks and I think one of the
things that I would encouragethe listeners and that I realize
the value of a lot more myselfas time goes on is that we need
others.
We need an expert like you,maybe on the team.
We need someone who can take abird's eye view.
(29:03):
Your husband isn't not going tobe able to do that for you,
right?
Because they just know you toomuch.
You know and you know somebodywho's got that expertise that
can see the big picture andencourage you to dig deeper into
what it is you want where it isyou want to go.
That is priceless.
(29:25):
Want where it is, you want togo.
That is priceless because thenwhen you make those choices
later, you are making them froma very informed place, and that,
I think, is the is the issue,maybe with myself as well, and
maybe with some of the listeners, is that we're making decisions
but we're not fully informed,and I liked how you talked about
you know, looking at your, yourrevenue streams, looking at the
(29:48):
facts of your business, andthen you know pulling out what
is really working and what isn't.
Mallika Malhotra (29:55):
Yeah, I think it's.
You know, when you hire amentor or a coach and I've
always hired someone to help meso that and that teaches me to
be a better mentor and coachright.
So it just helps you see thingsthat you cannot see.
It helps you shortcut and haveproven strategies so that you
get to the results faster,because it's hard to do it on
(30:18):
your own.
You can get caught in the blackhole of it and second guess
yourself and just having someoneto bounce ideas off of, to tell
you you know, this is how I didit when I had the same problem,
that you had right.
Or this is someone I know in mynetwork who could use your
services, making connections,having the camaraderie of people
(30:39):
in a community.
It's so important not to do thiswork alone.
I really do believe that if youhave a mentor, or you have a
community, or you have both,it's going to accelerate your
path to results, because whenyou're surrounded and you have
that energy, you become more ofan action taker, because you
(31:01):
feel that there's evidence,there's support, there's a
system, there's a strategy,there's a formula that someone
is sharing with you.
And always, at the end of theday, this is what I tell my
clients.
This is your business.
I am here just to advise youand tell you what I think you
should do or what I would havedone or what I have done.
But you have to take thatinformation and apply it to your
(31:24):
business the way you see fit,because it's your business at
the end of the day.
But at least you have, you know, someone else who has their
eyes and their brain on yourbusiness to help you and guide
you along the way.
Aideen Ni Riada (31:40):
And it's like you're investing in your
business and then your mentor isinvesting in your business as
well.
It's like you're givingsomething that's going to have a
return, because sometimes,sometimes we think of you know,
okay, spending money on thebusiness, but when there's a
return for that money, it's aninvestment.
And I like to remind peoplethat you're investing in your
(32:04):
business when you get the helpthat you need, you get the coach
, when you get the advice, theconsulting, whatever it might be
, and and even listening to thispodcast is a form of investing
in your knowledge and yourunderstanding.
So, at all of you who arelistening, I'm very glad that
you decided to stay with ustoday.
(32:26):
Mallika has some amazing offers.
She has a mastermind coming upvery soon and the doors are open
for the brand breakthroughmastermind, so you can find out
more about that.
I'll be putting the detailsinto the show notes If you're
not ready to make a decision onjoining Malika's Mastermind.
(32:47):
She also has a fantastic offerof a way to help you find your
niche in 10 minutes.
Tell us a little bit about that.
Mallika Malhotra (32:57):
Yeah, so it's called Niche in 10.
And what I have found thestruggle with niching is like
how do I even start?
And so what I've done is I have10 questions that I ask you and
I ask you to do it in 10minutes so that you don't obsess
or just think too much.
It's kind of rapid fire.
You just kind of answer thequestions and then I actually
have you take all your answersand I give you a chat GPT prompt
(33:20):
that will take your answerswith the prompt and then it will
sort of spit out what yourniche could be, or at least give
you a little bit of afoundation for you to you know,
play with and think about.
You can go back and tweak youranswers if you need more time,
but it's really this idea ofgetting started and seeing what
could my area of expertise be ormy target audience could be.
(33:42):
So it's a kind of a fun way foryou to get started.
Aideen Ni Riada (33:46):
Yeah, generating those ideas is your
first step, isn't it?
It's like doing a mind map orbrainstorming yes, get it all
out of your head and down on apiece of paper or into a
document and go from there.
So do you want to tell people alittle bit about the
masterminds that you haveopening soon?
Mallika Malhotra (34:03):
Yeah, I'd love to.
So this is probably my fourthyear running Brand Breakthrough
Mastermind.
It is my love, my core offer.
It's four months and I keep itsmall.
I really don't have more than15 to 16 people in it because I
want people to feel seen andheard and I really treat your
business like it's my business.
So if you're strugglingstanding out in your industry,
(34:25):
if you feel like that invisibleexpert that we talked about,
you're going to get mentorshipover four months where you have
hot seat coaching, q&a,trainings all the things that
you need to start moving intobecoming more of the go-to
expert.
I help you with positioning andmessaging and strategy all the
things that you can do to youknow.
(34:45):
Leverage what you already have,but package it in a way that
people only see you as thechoice in your industry.
Aideen Ni Riada (34:54):
Yeah, and to get that response, that like
that immediate response frompeople that they can, they want
you, that's really awesome.
I'm excited for your mastermind.
Thank you, malika, for joiningus today.
Is there any last piece ofwisdom or anything that you'd
like to say to our listenersbefore we finish up?
Mallika Malhotra (35:13):
Yes, well, thank you for having me.
I mean, what I would say isdon't be afraid to go narrow and
to go small, to sort ofprioritize your skills and
strengths and specialize,because I think you might feel
like it puts you in a box, but Ido feel like it opens all of
these doors for you, because tobe seen as the expert and the
(35:34):
authority means you have moreimpact.
So, even though it might feelsmall, that you're being narrow,
you actually are creating thisdeeper connection and this
bigger impact with your audience, and that's undeniable and it's
very, very powerful.
Aideen Ni Riada (35:51):
Thank you so much for that, Mallika.
Thank you all for listening.
This has been the ResonatePodcast with Aideen.
I'm Aideen Ni Riada and I lookforward to inviting you to
listen to another episode verysoon.
Take care and goodbye.
Welcome to the Resonate podcast with Aideen, my
guest today.
Mallika Malhotra is joining meand I'm excited to introduce you
to her.
She's known as the brand CEOand she's an award winning brand
strategist, niche expert andmastermind mentor.
Using her signature Bullseyebranding formula, she helps
(00:26):
female entrepreneurs get crystalclear on their message, carve
out their power niche and standout as the go-to expert in their
industry, without loweringprices, hustling for clients and
living on social media.
We spoke a little before westarted recording there, and I
want to let anyone who isn't afemale entrepreneur but is
(00:47):
interested in listening knowthat we will be covering things
like focus setting, boundaries,saying no, making decisions and
the process of choosing, whetherthat be within a business or
without, so you might still findthis content really of interest
.
So thank you so much, Maliki,for joining us today.
Mallika Malhotra (01:05):
Thank you for having me.
I'm so happy to be here.
Aideen Ni Riada (01:08):
So I'm curious and I'm kind of guessing that
you have had a journey yourselffinding your own niche, and
that's one of the reasons whyyou're so passionate about
helping people to hone in onwhat really makes them unique
and to really connect with theiraudience.
Tell us a little bit about thatjourney.
Mallika Malhotra (01:29):
Yes, thank you .
So you know, I used to work inadvertising corporate
advertising back in the day, andthen I sort of opted out of
that as many women do when theyhave children and become a
mother and just decided that Iwas going to go down this
entrepreneurial path, and I'vehad multiple businesses under my
belt trying to kind of figureout the way, but the one that
(01:50):
stuck for me was about feelslike almost two decades ago, I
started to do photography and Idid photography for children and
family, and then I addedphotography for business and
branding, and there was a seasonin my life where I call it the
junk drawer phase, where I wasstarting to do all the things,
(02:11):
all different types ofphotography from, you know,
christmas portraits to seniorportraits, to headshots for
business.
I was going into corporatesettings and helping them with
product launches and then on theside, I was doing strategy for
businesses, instagram workshops,vision boarding, workshops,
(02:32):
doing all of the things and Ireally felt like at that point
it was very, very messy and Iwas spinning kind of out of
control, which happens right insome points of our business
where we're trying to do a lotof things.
We're in reactive mode and Ihad to make some changes in
(02:53):
order for me to feel like anexpert, to feel like I was
communicating the value that Ioffered and getting paid what I
wanted to get paid, and yes.
Aideen Ni Riada (03:04):
So what I'm hearing is that there was a
point where your previousidentity as a photographer that
can do it all had to kind ofshift into something a little
bit more um, where you felt moreof your credibility.
I think this happens to a lotof women as well.
As we get a little older, likeI, like I can be quite girly in
(03:27):
my my own, my personal life, forinstance, but then when we move
into our professional lives, um, we have to find a way to
ground ourselves and presentourselves in a way that is, um,
that's really more true to theexperience that we have, the
knowledge that we have, the youknow, the kind of, even our
(03:51):
qualifications that we have,because people can look at us
and we you know, really, youknow fun, or we are very light
at heart, but that doesn'talways communicate what we
really need people to see, forthem to choose us.
Mallika Malhotra (04:06):
Right, I think what I've struggled with and
what a lot of women in mycommunity struggle with is they
become a Jane of all trades.
They do a lot of things andthey're not seen as a specialist
or as an expert as you'resaying right.
They're not leveraging theirskills and strengths in a way
where they can stand out fromthe competition and they can
(04:29):
focus their area of expertise,their zone of genius, so that
they do work that they actuallylove to do and they actually see
results.
And so when I was in that messyphase, I was spinning and doing
all the different things and itwasn't sustainable.
I was actually on my road toburnout and I had to make some
(04:51):
CEO decisions.
Right.
I had to look at my businessand really see where's the money
coming from, where's theopportunity, where is my passion
, where can I leverage my skillsand my strengths to the utmost
so that I can create an expertbrand?
And I had to go through theprocess of sort of cutting and
(05:14):
culling out the things thatweren't working for me and for
matching and in alignment withwhat my values were, what my
passions were, where my prowesswas.
And that's hard to do right.
It's hard to sort of step backand really kind of put yourself
in a lane, and some people mightsay you're putting yourself in
(05:35):
a box, but the way I saw it wasI was cutting out the things
that were not really working formy business and going all in
and putting a stake in theground with what I knew I could
grow into a healthy, sustainable, profitable business.
Aideen Ni Riada (05:51):
Well, that's just a very powerful statement,
what you've just made there,because it's that power of
deciding, and deciding meansalso letting go, and a lot of
the time we feel afraid ofletting go.
Mallika Malhotra (06:07):
Yes, and it does take courage.
It takes courage but it alsotakes, you know, really looking
at the data that you have athand.
And so you know, when peopleask me about niching, sometimes
they think that we're just goingto pick out of the sky some
niche for them, some area offocus for them, some
specialization, when in truth,we're looking at intel and data
(06:30):
that you already have at hand.
Where is the revenue comingfrom?
Where are the referrals comingfrom?
What is your reputation alreadybuilt upon?
And looking at that and thenmaking strategic decisions about
where you set the boundaries,what you say no to and what you
want to attract more.
Aideen Ni Riada (06:51):
Yeah, and it comes down to that what do you
want?
What is it you want to attract?
Mallika Malhotra (06:56):
Yes, and that's a question I think
sometimes we don't ask ourselvesbecause we are reacting.
We are just taking what peoplewant from us instead of really
thinking about is this inalignment with what my skills
and strengths are, the problemthat I can solve best, the
transformation that I candeliver at a level of excellence
(07:18):
, and is this something that Iwant to offer in the long game
Not the short game, but in thelong game?
I always advise my clients toreally look at all the offers.
Do you need so many offers?
Do you need multiple targetaudiences?
There is something to be said.
When you narrow and prioritizeand find your lane, it becomes
(07:42):
simpler, it becomes specific, itbecomes specialized.
Aideen Ni Riada (07:55):
And sometimes that helps you stand out even
more.
Yes, I can imagine, becauseit's as soon as you include five
different groups into thatsentence of I help you know
here's.
Here's an example that I'veused right Professionals,
creatives, business owners.
As soon as you've done threethere, the professionals have
gone.
Well, she's not for me, becauseshe also does this and this.
The creatives are going.
I'm not sure, because I'm also.
(08:15):
She just does this and this.
So there's a point in people'sminds and in the mind of our
audience where they tune out ifwe try to do too much.
Yes, so when you're speaking tosay, for instance, your own
target audience, what are theways that you find that you know
(08:37):
?
How do you communicate in a waythat helps people to see that
specialty, that you have thatuniqueness and that thing that
you can call it a niche, but youcould also call it just your
unique selling point?
Mallika Malhotra (08:52):
Yeah, I think it's specificity.
I think it's being verytangible and precise and
concrete.
Often when I'm networking andyou hear people do an elevator
pitch, like you said, they havethis kitchen sink where they're
throwing everything in there andthen sometimes it's so vague
and fluffy that you don't seethe value.
But when you can niche or focus, what you're doing is you're
(09:18):
giving context to your offer,your brand, your business, and
you're allowing people then toraise their hand to
self-identify that says she isactually talking to me or she is
actually speaking about afriend that I can you know had
that problem and just talk to meabout.
But it's about getting veryspecific on the problem.
It's about getting veryspecific on your area of
(09:40):
expertise, getting very specificon how you are differentiated
and also in your solution.
And when you can get specific onall those things, which is part
of that bullseye brandingformula that you talked about.
That is going to help youdifferentiate and that's what we
need in our competitivemarketplaces, right?
There's so many, so much noise,so much competition, and it'll
(10:05):
always be there.
That's just a fact, and so youkind of have to just let that be
and really think about what canI do in my communication, in my
business, that will allow me tostand out from everyone else?
Is it disrupting and creating anew solution?
Is it really talking to a veryspecific client instead of
(10:25):
everybody?
Is it tapping into yourstrengths and skills, your zone
of genius, instead of saying I'ma leadership coach, but getting
really, really specific in aspecific area of expertise
within that umbrella?
so that you are not, you know,blending in with everyone else.
That's really the idea behindniching.
Aideen Ni Riada (10:47):
Tell us a little bit about how you did
that, because now, I mean,you're obviously working as the
brand CEO and that came fromphotography.
Like that doesn't seem like a.
You know, in my mind I don'tsee the dots that are connecting
those things.
Tell us a little bit about howyou found this niche and this
focus from there.
Mallika Malhotra (11:08):
Well, and so that is kind of a illustration
of how your niche yes, you wantto commit to it, but it will
also evolve over time, and soyou know I mentioned that I was
a photographer at first doingall the things, but then I
niched down to brand photographybecause I saw that was an
opportunity.
Back in 2015, when social mediawas on the rise, and by cutting
(11:29):
out all those other things thatallowed me to focus and that
was great I became the go-tobrand photographer in the New
York and New Jersey area.
But as I did brand photographyin my methodology, I did a lot
of strategy.
I didn't just show up and shoot.
I actually asked some of thesedeeper questions about the brand
(11:49):
, the mission, the vision, thevalues, the personality.
And soon I found clients werecoming to me for both strategy
and photography, and so I hadthese two arms to my business
and then came a point where wehad a pandemic and photography
was no longer a priority and Ihad to kind of make another hard
(12:11):
decision in my business of howto pivot and I had to really
think hard of my skills, my areaof expertise, and because I had
this background in advertisingand strategy and marketing, I
really felt like I was a betterstrategist than I was a
photographer.
And I did go through anidentity crisis, to be honest.
(12:35):
But I had to do the work toreally look at myself, that
self-discovery, to see you knowwho I was, what I wanted out of
the work that I was doing, wherewere my skills and my passions,
what did I believe in?
And so then I shifted againinto brand strategy and so I've
(12:55):
been doing brand strategyprobably for the last six years
and then, within brand strategy,now niching to.
I want to be the go-to nicheexpert.
So it is a constant evolution,as branding is.
It's always organic, right.
It's always like a living,breathing thing.
It's very dynamic, but you canmake decisions.
(13:15):
It's not on your tombstone thatyou have to be a certain thing.
You can make some decisions tochange, but there is a
commitment you have to make.
You cannot change Every week,right?
And because it's about notconfusing your audience, so it
has to be a gradual thing, sothat you're preparing your
audience for where you're goingto go next.
Aideen Ni Riada (13:37):
That's an interesting concept.
So you said you're preparingyour audience for where you're
going next.
So is that relating to likechanging things more gradually,
like, say, if somebody is ismoving from one kind of, you
know, say, photography to brandstrategist?
There was obviously a phasewhere you spoke about the
(13:59):
strategies of the photos, or youknow the.
So I'm interested in that, um,that idea, because this is
something that I find quitetricky, because I'm an all or
nothing person generally, so Iusually just jump straight in
and I am reluctant to make bigchanges because I know that I
might surprise people.
But you're saying that we canactually prepare people for that
(14:22):
surprise.
Mallika Malhotra (14:23):
Yeah, I think it's clear communication right.
You don't wanna just show upwith a new brand and a new
target audience and a new focus.
You want to prepare youraudience and be transparent with
your audience with the changesthat you're making.
And, yes, you might have tofire or leave behind some of
those clients, but the equitythat you built with those
(14:45):
clients could open doors with anew niche or the new focus that
you want.
So I am a believer in doingthings gradually, so that you're
preparing and thatcommunication is clear and that
you have the time to warm peopleup to the place that you want
to take them.
And it's not like you'reburning bridges.
(15:06):
You're actually leveraging andusing the people that are
already in your world to helpyou go to the next step, the
newer version or the nextversion of you.
So even for me I was aphotographer for many, many
years and I had to let go ofthose clients.
I had to tell them of thechange, but I actually brought
them on the journey with me andI found that by being
(15:28):
transparent and doing itgradually, they stayed with me.
They referred people to me andI found that, by being
transparent and doing itgradually, they stayed with me,
they referred people to me, theyhelped share and promote me as
I went into this.
You know new direction, sothat's kind of what I'm speaking
about.
Aideen Ni Riada (15:41):
Yeah, I understand what you're saying,
because if you can, if youchange things very dramatically,
you can sometimes lose people'strust.
Mallika Malhotra (15:48):
Yes.
Aideen Ni Riada (15:49):
So what you did was you.
You were kind of bringingpeople with you in a way that
helped them understand what youwere doing.
They still trusted you.
They still know you as a personof integrity, a kind person,
someone who you know can deliver, you know advice, clearly,
whatever they knew about you asa photographer, and they could
(16:12):
see then that those skills aretransferable into what else
you're doing.
Mallika Malhotra (16:17):
But at the core of it, they like you Right,
it's the know, like and trust,and I think it's also the human
element.
We're all evolving, we're allworks in progress, right, and so
by making it not abrupt andmaking it not dramatic and just
kind of shifting black and whiteand kind of taking them on the
journey with you there'ssomething so powerful about that
(16:39):
and sharing the why behind thechange, right, I have found by
doing that, approaching it thatway, that I've had more success
once I've come to the other side.
So, letting go of thatphotography and I was a
photographer a long time, so itwas very hard but by gradually
(17:00):
moving into it and I'm nottalking five years, it was like
maybe a six-month process, right, right, you know, telling
people on my newsletter, sharingit on social media, having it
on my website, doing both things, maybe, and then taking one
down.
It was a very intentional andmindful process and you know, I
(17:22):
think when you, when you plan itout that way, it just helps in
the transition, it helpsmaintain the trust and it helps
people to see that you're humanbehind the brand and we're all
growing all the time, right, andso I think people, it makes it
relatable.
Aideen Ni Riada (17:40):
When you get a new client, what are the fears
that you find that you have toovercome to help them to take
some of these steps?
Mallika Malhotra (17:48):
Yeah.
So it's a big mindset fear ofhow can I say no to people.
You know, if they're coming myway, how can I say no to like
money that they might bring tome?
And the way I look at it isthey might not be the right
clients, they might not be theright experience, right, you
might not be maximizing andoptimizing all of your expertise
(18:12):
, and so by saying no andsending them to someone else
who's a better match, you'rethen keeping the door open for
those better clients, right?
The second thing is, you know Idon't want to be put in a box.
I hear that a lot and I wouldsay why wouldn't you want to be
in your zone of genius?
Why wouldn't you want to workall the time in the thing that
(18:35):
you do best, that you love to do, instead of trying to do all
these different things andalmost feeling like an imposter
doing things that you might notbe should be doing, right?
I mean, I remember doingInstagram workshops.
I'm not a social media person.
Like I shouldn't have beendoing that and I did it because
(18:56):
someone asked me and there wasan interest, but it really
wasn't a good match and itdidn't feel good.
I felt a little bit of a fraud.
But you know, when you aredoing work you're meant to do,
you're in that sense of flow,you're in that you feel like you
are like producing good, goodwork and getting good results.
Why wouldn't you want to be inthat state of mind?
(19:18):
So I don't see it as a box, Isee it as mastery, I see it as
leadership, I see it as being anauthority.
And then another.
You know, misconception orchallenge people have is.
You know, I'm multi-passionate,I have so many different
interests and I understand that.
And so is there a way like youwere mentioning that you have a
(19:40):
lot of things is there a way toconnect that with an umbrella
brand, some way, so that youraudience isn't confused?
Because right now you mightlike to do all of these things,
but your audience is confusedand it's not about you, it's
about your audience and thetransformation that you can give
them.
And so one thing is how can wetie everything up so that it's
(20:05):
all connected?
Or maybe there's some passionsthat are side passions, right?
Maybe it is not meant to be inthe business realm and it should
be on the personal realm.
And you know your personalbrand is important and you can
touch on some of those things,but you don't need to do all of
(20:27):
the things because, again, itcomes to clarity, confidence and
minimizing the confusion sothat people your clients can say
yes.
Aideen Ni Riada (20:35):
What would you say the benefits are when
somebody does make those changesand they start to step into
that authority which youmentioned leadership.
How does that change theireveryday working life?
Mallika Malhotra (20:52):
Well, I think you're finally working in your
zone of genius.
So there's a confidence thatcomes with that right, that now
you actually know.
And then it's simpler.
Now I actually know what I haveto talk about every single day
and it's liberating.
I don't need to talk tomultiple audiences, I don't need
to talk about all the things.
There's one problem one person,one area of expertise it's the
(21:15):
power of one is amazing.
And then also as a specialist,as an expert, you can actually
then command higher prices right, because now people see you as
an expert and you have, you know, maybe a signature offer or
signature talk or signatureframework that supports that,
(21:36):
and then the value is muchclearer and you can demand or
command higher prices and that'sa game changer for a lot of
people with their brands.
Also, it helps differentiateyou so that you know I choose
you over somebody else.
You become the go-to expert inyour niche when you step into
(21:56):
that role right, and then,honestly, opportunities start
coming to you more easily.
You know, when people havepodcasts or speaking gigs, when
you are not so broad andmainstream, but you are in a
certain lane, people want that.
They want specificity andspecialization.
So you'll find that your inboxgets flooded now with new
(22:17):
visibility opportunities for youto share that expertise.
Aideen Ni Riada (22:20):
Oh, I love it.
So for someone who's verycreative, right, so like that
multi-passionate person, um formyself and I know others that
might be listening we have manyideas and it's easy to kind of
um to, to see an idea and andget behind it um very quickly
(22:42):
because we're passionate aboutit.
What would you ask, what wouldyou suggest?
I ask myself, or someonelistening ask themselves before
they decide to put their eggs inthis basket over here.
Mallika Malhotra (22:56):
Yeah.
So a couple of questions Iwould ask is this something that
your ideal client really wants?
Is this something and you mighthave to do some research, some
talking, customer conversations?
I call that right Proof ofconcept.
You know, as creative people,we have a million ideas, but we
have to know that this actuallyis it solving a real problem?
(23:18):
Is it solving an urgent problem?
Yeah, okay, is this new idea inalignment with the work that I
want to be doing and the visionof the business, of where I want
to be taking it?
This is why having a brandmission and a brand vision
statement is so important tokeep you on track.
Right, because you know I haveit too the, you know, shiny
(23:41):
object syndrome, all thedifferent things.
But if we want to act as a CEOof our business and stay on
track, we need to make sure thatwe go back to the big why,
behind our business.
Does this new idea fit withwhat I am trying to do, why this
matters?
Does this new idea fit withwhere I want to go?
And then I would just ask isthis in alignment with the way
(24:06):
I'm running my business rightnow, with the other offers that
I have?
Does it fit in that offer stack, because you know we want to
take our clients through acustomer journey.
Again, it's about minimizingthe confusion and making sure
that we're offering anexperience that will solve their
problem in a way that they sayyes, easily and readily.
Aideen Ni Riada (24:28):
I love what you said.
There Is it about where I wantto go.
So sometimes we can beentrenched in the moment.
We're like, oh my gosh, I haveto, you know, get a new client
today, because you know someonejust finished up or someone left
, and then we're not reallythinking about that big picture.
So do you think that a lot ofpeople have a difficulty kind of
(24:49):
visualizing where it is theywant to go?
Mallika Malhotra (24:52):
Yes, it's hard , you know it's.
You know it's that big picture,the visionary picture of who I
want to become.
Where do I want to take thebrand in one year, three years,
five years?
It's the giving myselfpermission to dream big.
Three years, five years it'sthe giving myself permission to
dream big.
You know, if and I use thisexercise if money or fear or
time were not an issue, whatwould I be doing in order for
(25:15):
you to start, like you know,flexing that muscle of dreaming
bigger than where you are,because it's easy to get bogged
down in the day today, right,but it is the idea of dreaming
big and seeing where you want totake the brand, the impact you
really want to be making, andthen reverse engineering what
you need to do now in order toget there.
(25:38):
So that will also help you kindof minimize this.
You know response like thetrigger, pulling the trigger
really quickly.
When you have a plan, when youyou know 2025 is around the
corner, do you know what you'regoing to be offering, when
you're going to be offering it,do you have a system in place so
(25:59):
that it is organized and it'snot confusing and you don't have
three offers at once, so thatyour audience is just bombarded
and exhausted and no one'sbuying.
So planning ahead of timereally looking to see where
those launches are, what are theoffers that you're going to be
spotlighting at each moment ofthe year is going to help you,
(26:22):
so that you're not always kindof looking for that quick fix.
Aideen Ni Riada (26:27):
Yeah, and I think a lot of solo
entrepreneurs and a lot of solowomen entrepreneurs just
undervalue what they do slightlyand they don't see it as a like
a big business.
You know it's I mean even usingthe word, the brand CEO and and
calling yourself a CEO.
That's like stepping into adifferent identity within your
(26:49):
business.
And do you have to work withpeople on that side of things
too?
Mallika Malhotra (26:53):
Yeah, it's a mindset thing, very much so.
Where it is, you know, lookingat your business as this
opportunity for growth and forwealth building and for impact
and for transforming people'slives, right, there's a lot of
fear.
You know there's a lot of fear.
You know why would they chooseme?
I hear a lot and I say whywouldn't they choose you?
(27:14):
You know, like, do I have toremind you of your professional
experience, your personalexperience, all the things that
you've done?
So a lot of my clients are inthat midlife phase right.
So a lot of my clients are inthat midlife phase right, and
when they come to me, I callthem invisible experts, because
they are really good at whatthey do, they have great
experience, but for some reasonthey're still underpaid,
(27:38):
undervalued and overlooked.
And it is because of thatconfidence, that mindset of
seeing themselves as an expert.
I challenge them.
I say tell me what the sentencewould be if you said I am the
go-to expert in, and they'relike, oh, they pause, and
they're like they almost whisperit I am the go-to expert.
(27:59):
Meanwhile they've had years ofexperience, right, and so
sometimes it takes somementorship or being in a
community where people can helpyou see and leverage what you
already have and package that ina way so that it's clear to
your audience with the value andthe transformation you can
(28:20):
bring.
Aideen Ni Riada (28:22):
I just feel like mic drop, here we go, We've
done it.
This is.
It's so amazing what you havegone through there today.
It really convinced me and Ibet there's a lot of people
listening that are starting toreally it's starting to make
sense, because part of theproblem is we get so we get
(28:42):
confused, because there's somany aspects to running your
business.
We've got so many day-to-daytasks and I think one of the
things that I would encouragethe listeners and that I realize
the value of a lot more myselfas time goes on is that we need
others.
We need an expert like you,maybe on the team.
We need someone who can take abird's eye view.
(29:03):
Your husband isn't not going tobe able to do that for you,
right?
Because they just know you toomuch.
You know and you know somebodywho's got that expertise that
can see the big picture andencourage you to dig deeper into
what it is you want where it isyou want to go.
That is priceless.
(29:25):
Want where it is, you want togo.
That is priceless because thenwhen you make those choices
later, you are making them froma very informed place, and that,
I think, is the is the issue,maybe with myself as well, and
maybe with some of the listeners, is that we're making decisions
but we're not fully informed,and I liked how you talked about
you know, looking at your, yourrevenue streams, looking at the
(29:48):
facts of your business, andthen you know pulling out what
is really working and what isn't.
Mallika Malhotra (29:55):
Yeah, I think it's.
You know, when you hire amentor or a coach and I've
always hired someone to help meso that and that teaches me to
be a better mentor and coachright.
So it just helps you see thingsthat you cannot see.
It helps you shortcut and haveproven strategies so that you
get to the results faster,because it's hard to do it on
(30:18):
your own.
You can get caught in the blackhole of it and second guess
yourself and just having someoneto bounce ideas off of, to tell
you you know, this is how I didit when I had the same problem,
that you had right.
Or this is someone I know in mynetwork who could use your
services, making connections,having the camaraderie of people
(30:39):
in a community.
It's so important not to do thiswork alone.
I really do believe that if youhave a mentor, or you have a
community, or you have both,it's going to accelerate your
path to results, because whenyou're surrounded and you have
that energy, you become more ofan action taker, because you
(31:01):
feel that there's evidence,there's support, there's a
system, there's a strategy,there's a formula that someone
is sharing with you.
And always, at the end of theday, this is what I tell my
clients.
This is your business.
I am here just to advise youand tell you what I think you
should do or what I would havedone or what I have done.
But you have to take thatinformation and apply it to your
(31:24):
business the way you see fit,because it's your business at
the end of the day.
But at least you have, you know, someone else who has their
eyes and their brain on yourbusiness to help you and guide
you along the way.
Aideen Ni Riada (31:40):
And it's like you're investing in your
business and then your mentor isinvesting in your business as
well.
It's like you're givingsomething that's going to have a
return, because sometimes,sometimes we think of you know,
okay, spending money on thebusiness, but when there's a
return for that money, it's aninvestment.
And I like to remind peoplethat you're investing in your
(32:04):
business when you get the helpthat you need, you get the coach
, when you get the advice, theconsulting, whatever it might be
, and and even listening to thispodcast is a form of investing
in your knowledge and yourunderstanding.
So, at all of you who arelistening, I'm very glad that
you decided to stay with ustoday.
(32:26):
Mallika has some amazing offers.
She has a mastermind coming upvery soon and the doors are open
for the brand breakthroughmastermind, so you can find out
more about that.
I'll be putting the detailsinto the show notes If you're
not ready to make a decision onjoining Malika's Mastermind.
(32:47):
She also has a fantastic offerof a way to help you find your
niche in 10 minutes.
Tell us a little bit about that.
Mallika Malhotra (32:57):
Yeah, so it's called Niche in 10.
And what I have found thestruggle with niching is like
how do I even start?
And so what I've done is I have10 questions that I ask you and
I ask you to do it in 10minutes so that you don't obsess
or just think too much.
It's kind of rapid fire.
You just kind of answer thequestions and then I actually
have you take all your answersand I give you a chat GPT prompt
(33:20):
that will take your answerswith the prompt and then it will
sort of spit out what yourniche could be, or at least give
you a little bit of afoundation for you to you know,
play with and think about.
You can go back and tweak youranswers if you need more time,
but it's really this idea ofgetting started and seeing what
could my area of expertise be ormy target audience could be.
(33:42):
So it's a kind of a fun way foryou to get started.
Aideen Ni Riada (33:46):
Yeah, generating those ideas is your
first step, isn't it?
It's like doing a mind map orbrainstorming yes, get it all
out of your head and down on apiece of paper or into a
document and go from there.
So do you want to tell people alittle bit about the
masterminds that you haveopening soon?
Mallika Malhotra (34:03):
Yeah, I'd love to.
So this is probably my fourthyear running Brand Breakthrough
Mastermind.
It is my love, my core offer.
It's four months and I keep itsmall.
I really don't have more than15 to 16 people in it because I
want people to feel seen andheard and I really treat your
business like it's my business.
So if you're strugglingstanding out in your industry,
(34:25):
if you feel like that invisibleexpert that we talked about,
you're going to get mentorshipover four months where you have
hot seat coaching, q&a,trainings all the things that
you need to start moving intobecoming more of the go-to
expert.
I help you with positioning andmessaging and strategy all the
things that you can do to youknow.
(34:45):
Leverage what you already have,but package it in a way that
people only see you as thechoice in your industry.
Aideen Ni Riada (34:54):
Yeah, and to get that response, that like
that immediate response frompeople that they can, they want
you, that's really awesome.
I'm excited for your mastermind.
Thank you, malika, for joiningus today.
Is there any last piece ofwisdom or anything that you'd
like to say to our listenersbefore we finish up?
Mallika Malhotra (35:13):
Yes, well, thank you for having me.
I mean, what I would say isdon't be afraid to go narrow and
to go small, to sort ofprioritize your skills and
strengths and specialize,because I think you might feel
like it puts you in a box, but Ido feel like it opens all of
these doors for you, because tobe seen as the expert and the
(35:34):
authority means you have moreimpact.
So, even though it might feelsmall, that you're being narrow,
you actually are creating thisdeeper connection and this
bigger impact with your audience, and that's undeniable and it's
very, very powerful.
Aideen Ni Riada (35:51):
Thank you so much for that, Mallika.
Thank you all for listening.
This has been the ResonatePodcast with Aideen.
I'm Aideen Ni Riada and I lookforward to inviting you to
listen to another episode verysoon.
Take care and goodbye.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.