Podcast Summary
The Power of LinkedIn for Hiring and Personal Branding: LinkedIn is a crucial platform for small businesses to find top talent and for individuals to build their personal brand, as demonstrated by Sandra's job discovery and Lydia Millen's online journey.
LinkedIn is a valuable resource for hiring professionals, as over 70% of its users don't visit other leading job sites. Sandra, a potential candidate, emphasizes this point as she shares how she wasn't found on other platforms but was discovered on LinkedIn, despite not actively looking for a new job. This underscores the importance of using LinkedIn for small businesses seeking to hire top talent. Furthermore, Lydia Millen, a successful influencer and blogger, shares her experiences of online controversies and staying quiet on the subject. She reflects on her past and the lessons she's learned, opening up about her journey and the development of her online persona. Her approach to handling criticism and her thoughts on the culture of reacting to issues on social media add depth to the conversation. Overall, this episode offers insights into the lives and careers of two remarkable women, highlighting the importance of embracing challenges and learning from experiences.
Growing up in two different worlds: Understanding childhood experiences shapes our aspirations. Embrace each stage and learn to make the best of it.
Our upbringing and the environments we grow up in significantly shape our understanding of the world and our aspirations. The speaker shares her experience of growing up in two very different worlds after her parents' divorce, which left her feeling confused and constantly navigating new situations. She learned to romanticize each stage of her life and make the best of it, leading to a sense of contentment and aspiration for the next step. The speaker also mentions moving in with her grandmother after finishing university and having a strained relationship with her mother, but eventually coming to terms with it. Overall, the discussion highlights the importance of acknowledging and understanding the impact of our childhood experiences on our present selves and goals.
Formative experiences and personal growth: Living with a supportive grandma and working in Ibiza shaped the speaker's perspective on independence, hard work, and financial stability, leading to a strong sense of self-reliance and focus.
Formative experiences, such as living with a supportive grandma and working in Ibiza, can significantly shape a person's perspective on life, particularly in regards to independence, hard work, and financial stability. The speaker's grandma provided structure and support during a critical period in her life, leading her to focus on her career and personal growth. Meanwhile, her experiences in Ibiza taught her the value of hard work, financial independence, and enjoying life. These lessons stayed with her throughout her university years and beyond, shaping her work ethic and desire for self-sufficiency. Ultimately, these experiences helped her develop a strong sense of self-reliance and focus, which continue to influence her to this day.
Starting a blog from frustration leads to success: Frustration can fuel a blog, hard work and dedication lead to success, unique perspective and quality tools are essential, and staying updated on content creation can attract attention from brands
The beginning of an online presence can stem from frustration and a desire to pursue a passion, even if it seems unattainable through traditional means. For instance, the speaker's inability to get into a fashion buying course led her to create a fashion blog and eventually build a successful career in the industry. Hard work, dedication, and a unique perspective were key factors in her success. Additionally, investing in quality tools and staying at the forefront of content creation helped her catch the attention of brands and businesses. Ultimately, luxury was a natural progression for her content as she shared her appreciation for the beautiful things in her life.
Finding Purpose in Content Creation: Stay true to yourself while evolving and appreciating your past to connect with your audience and grow in the luxury and lifestyle industry.
Creating content, especially in the realm of luxury and lifestyle, is about highlighting the joy in everyday experiences and evolving with your audience. The speaker started by focusing on luxury items like handbags and shoes but later realized there was more to life. She found purpose in her work and discovered that her happiness came from other aspects. Her content strategy was organic, focusing on what she enjoyed, and her audience appreciated it. However, her audience's preferences and her own evolution led to changes in her content, which sometimes frustrated her fans. She acknowledges the importance of staying true to herself while appreciating her past and evolving for the future. The passionate audience in this industry makes it unique, and the speaker is grateful for their support throughout her evolution.
Embracing Discomfort and Authenticity for Growth: Success and growth involve pushing past uncomfortable boundaries and embracing mistakes and failures as part of the human experience. Be authentic and share vulnerabilities, but be mindful of the line between sharing and maintaining a polished image.
Growth and success come with discomfort and the need to push past uncomfortable boundaries. The speaker acknowledges the importance of sharing successes, even the monetary ones, to create a space for women to feel comfortable discussing their achievements. She also emphasizes the importance of embracing mistakes and failures as part of the human experience. The rise of social media has allowed for more human connection, but there's a fine line between sharing vulnerabilities and mistakes, and wanting to maintain a polished image. Ultimately, the speaker encourages being authentic and embracing the messiness of growth and success.
Leveraging LinkedIn for Hiring and Building Authentic Online Personas: Be proactive on LinkedIn for hiring top talent and establish an authentic online persona. Struggling to translate vulnerability across platforms? Consider routines for productivity and explore resources like Rebag for buying/selling high-end items.
Being proactive and stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to great opportunities, especially when it comes to hiring for your small business on LinkedIn. With over 70% of LinkedIn users not visiting other job sites, it's the go-to place to find top professionals who aren't even actively looking for new jobs. Additionally, having an authentic online persona is essential, but it can be challenging to translate that across different platforms. The interviewee shares that they've become more candid and vulnerable on their YouTube channel, but struggle to do so on other platforms. They also emphasize the importance of having a routine to maintain productivity, despite their job's unpredictable nature. Lastly, the luxury resale platform Rebag is a valuable resource for those looking to buy or sell high-end items, ensuring quality and authenticity through expert inspections.
Consistent routine for productivity and growth: Maintaining a structured timetable and physically writing down tasks can boost productivity and effectiveness for some individuals. Constructive communication and reflection foster growth and understanding, even in challenging environments.
Having a consistent routine is crucial for productivity and effectiveness for some individuals. This person shared their personal experience of needing a structured timetable and physical writing down of tasks to operate at their best. They also emphasized the importance of conversation and reflection, rather than destructive online reactions, for addressing misunderstandings and mistakes. This approach, they believe, can foster growth and understanding, much like in parenting or counseling situations. Despite the challenges of maintaining a routine in today's flexible work environments and the prevalence of online confrontations, they remain hopeful for a shift towards more constructive communication and understanding.
Learning from mistakes and setbacks: Online content creation comes with risks, but mistakes and setbacks provide valuable learning experiences. Always strive to create content with positive intentions and learn from failures to improve.
Creating content online, especially in a vulnerable and personal way, comes with the risk of failure and backlash. However, it's important to remember that everyone makes mistakes and experiences setbacks, and these moments can serve as valuable learning experiences. The speaker emphasizes that she never sets out to offend or harm anyone and that her content is vanilla and intended to bring joy and relaxation to viewers. She also shares that she's had to learn how to cope with failure and the importance of understanding and processing mistakes before addressing them publicly. Despite the challenges, the speaker views each experience as an opportunity for growth and self-improvement.
Acknowledging past mistakes and learning from experiences: Embrace failures and learn valuable lessons from them, surround yourself with good people and a supportive team, and cherish early experiences for personal and professional growth.
Failure and learning from experiences are essential for personal growth. The speaker shares her journey as an influencer, acknowledging her past mistakes and the lessons she's learned. She emphasizes the importance of working with good people and being surrounded by a supportive team. Despite the industry's challenges and growing pains, she cherishes the early days of influencer culture and the connections she made during that time. Ultimately, she wouldn't change her experience because it taught her valuable lessons and allowed her to grow both personally and professionally.
Embracing vulnerability leads to growth: Being open and vulnerable can lead to remarkable opportunities and experiences, contributing to personal and professional growth.
Being open and vulnerable can lead to remarkable opportunities and experiences. Lydia shared her journey of trying different paths, facing challenges, and ultimately achieving success by working with major brands. She emphasized the importance of embracing both the highs and lows in life, as they contribute to our growth. Despite her initial struggles, Lydia's determination and resilience paid off. Her honesty and openness during the interview were appreciated, as they allowed for a deeper, more meaningful conversation. This conversation underscores the value of vulnerability and authenticity, and the potential rewards that come from being true to oneself. By embracing these qualities, we can create opportunities for personal and professional growth, and perhaps even inspire others along the way.
