Mistakes and Success in Personal Branding

I built my personal brand by accident. I was 16 and trying to grow a business in the male-dominated property sector. I had no life experience, so I had to manufacture my own credibility and trust.

What I didn’t realise at the time was that in building my personal brand, this would be the strategy that would enable me to build a £1m home staging business by age 19. 

I had no idea then that in prioritising building my personal brand, there would be the ‘knock on’ effect; the immeasurable impact that a personal brand creates. 

It opens industry doors that would otherwise have been closed, adding credibility to your name that you can take to other sectors. Big names start taking your calls, people seek you out to work with you, and opportunities start to flow into your inbox. 

For me, the knock-on effect was gradual. But when I realised its true power, I quickly scaled my company from an annual turnover of £30,000, to a seven-figure revenue. My gateway to running a wildly successful company? Social media.

You MUST post on social media

“I’ve been watching you online, you are everywhere. Will you please quote for a block of 45 apartments?’ 

The message came in from a potential client who enquired a year earlier about staging a small two-bedroom property. He said that it was too expensive. Over a year later, he sent this direct message. That invisible ripple effect had taken place, I was in demand. 

After a conversation and quote later, I had secured a £252,000 sale, the turning point in my business, financially. However, this didn’t happen overnight, it was after consistently posting on Instagram for over a year.

Historically, I only posted on social media annually to update my personal profile. But under the guidance of my coach at the time, I was advised to start posting regularly our property transformations and the behind the scenes of building my business.

I started to post my inner reflections of being a business owner, my lifestyle, and the realistic account of running a business. Much to my surprise, it was this content that received the most engagement. 

After consistently posting several times per week, I started to see my name popping up on Facebook groups when people were looking for design advice or a home stager. Interestingly, I was being tagged as ‘Liv Conlon’, not ‘ThePropertyStagers’. 

The ‘lightbulb’ moment happened, people knew ME and they liked and trusted ME. However, solely sharing on social media isn’t enough in building a prolific personal brand, you need external credibility that goes beyond just having a following. 

The interview that changed everything

Winning my first business award (which would turn into 13 awards in two years) was the catalyst for building a personal brand beyond my niche of property. 

I started to become featured in local press which resulted in sales for my company, which led to hiring a PR agent, to secure press beyond my hometown. 

What I didn’t realise is that the most magnetising thing about anyone — and your greatest asset as a personal brand — is your story. And I shared it accidentally. 

During an interview, I hesitated on a question about enjoying school and accidentally revealed that I had been bullied. This was the hook that, when revealed in an article in the national press, created an influx of followers and Facebook Message requests.

The messages were from women from every walk of life, age and background. There were Mums who had shown my success story to their kids going through the same trauma, women who were experiencing workplace bullying, and even messages from my classmates that had no idea what I had been experiencing on a daily basis.

Clients want to resonate with YOU

Sharing this story and subsequent chapters in my life changed everything. From a business perspective I realised that my home staging clients were not just seeking a service; they were looking for a personal touch, a connection. 

Clients want to resonate with your story and values. My story encouraged many women to want to build the same success, which is how my latest business idea, StagerBoss was born. We coach women to launch their own staging companies. 

Building your personal brand is no longer a choice. Everyone has one. However, how you build it will determine its lifetime return-on-investment (ROI).

Carving a unique brand identity, now more than ever, is your strongest asset in a saturated market. It will help you to enter any industry, and you never quite know where it will take you. But I can tell you it’s the most exciting journey you’ll embark on.