A lot of people say, how long till I'm famous or how long till happening. And I'm like, you can't quantify it. It's just like me saying my business, putting a timeline that, five years I want to quadruple my business. It doesn't work that way is something that. It's a constant on dedication. So I always say, ask Serena Williams.
when she thought she was gonna win her first grand slam as Harry styles, when he was gonna get his first record deal, ask famous people and they were doing it for 12, 15 years before anyone even knew who they are. David Shriner-Cahn: welcome to smashing the plateau. We help you get on stuck so you can do what you love and get paid. What you're worth consistently. I'm your host, David Schreiner con. Today on smashing the plateau.
I'm speaking with the CEO and founder of eminence communications, Maria Rosati. When you're selling your own services, you're trying to become better known in your niche. In today's episode of smashing the plateau, Maria shares how to promote your own personal brand so that you can be more successful in your consulting business. Stay with us to hear all of the details. Maria discusses the importance of testing your ideas. An easy place to test.
New ideas is in a community of supportive like-minded colleagues. As a member of the smashing, the plateau community you'll have access to a community that is built to be a safe, caring place where inclusive, direct, active, and empowering conversations are welcome inside the smashing the plateau community. You'll also find a range of tools and resources to support your business, access to experts and the answers to your burning question.
If you're committed to getting your consulting business, to grow on your own terms so that you can deliver great results to your ideal clients while supporting the lifestyle you want, and you don't want to do it alone. I invite you to apply to become a member of the smashing the plateau community. Learn more@smashingtheplateau.com.
Now let's welcome, Maria Rosa. Maria is the founder and CEO of eminence communications, a boutique advisory, working with Changemakers to build brands and corporate reputations. Maria, welcome to the show. Thank you, David. Nice to be David Shriner-Cahn: here, Maria, how did you learn to embrace your individualism when it's been programmed out of you for most of your career, most of your life. Yeah, it's a very good question, David.
I think embracing individualism is a lot about resilience and I consider myself as someone having thick skin and having worked with a lot of difficult people throughout my career. But, I think it is really hard when you are inside of it, now we're hearing a lot more about embracing your personal brand and that all stems from. Being authentic.
So I feel like post COVID, being authentic and being individual is more embraced than it has ever been before, but it really is hard to do that in the corporate world. And so that was one of my choices of wanting to start my own consultancy was to re-embrace who I am, what my strengths are and how I can help others. That was my path was, striking out on my own. Really let me sit back and understand my value and how I could help others.
And, I'd have to think a little more and a little more detail, how you can do that in the corporate world. But I would say in a corporate world, It's always about reinvention. some of us who've had the same job for 5, 6, 7 years, same titles, same role, same responsibility. So it's always trying to reinvent that role on a daily basis, can I add a new skillset where the, my manager or my company is gonna value that. I want to value that because at some point you're going to leave the company.
So it's about being true to yourself and always reinventing. So they, your skillset and how you feel about yourself is a lot stronger when you do leave that organization. David Shriner-Cahn: How long have you been in your own business? I have been in my own business for about three years. I took a little time, from the corporate world to decompress and evaluate my opportunities. And then I started my business formerly in 2019.
David Shriner-Cahn: And were you an employee for your entire career before that? Yes. Yeah. It's interesting this whole concept of embracing your personal brand in particular, when you're an employee and a. like you many people feel constrained to be able to be proactive about embracing their personal brand. And, you mentioned also that at some point you're going to, you're going to leave your job.
How did you feel all those years as an employee about embracing your individualism, stepping into who you really are, knowing that. The employer, employee relationship generally doesn't last forever. Yes. So yes. And we both can testify to that. But what I would say is, for years, I started my career in PR at a PR agency. I was taught one of the things, I guess that helped me early on was in my writing. there's different writing skills for different clients.
So some of our clients want more creative, flowery writing. Others wanted more. business gets straight to it. And so you learn to adapt to each client. And that's also very, part of my personality, I'm always questioning why are things done the way they are? And I think that's a topic that's a whole nother topic that's relevant to COVID, we've realized a lot of our processes are broken. so I'm the type of person that has always said, why are we doing it this way?
for many years it was like, Shut up, go along with everyone else. Just do, as you're told, my last job, I was older, I wanted to make more of an impact. And I felt like the role I had, I was just a cog in a wheel. And so I knew that I wanted something greater and I didn't feel fulfilled. And I knew that my company had a short shelf life. And so I knew it was a matter of years before a decision would be made for me or I'd make the decision.
So with that, Started doing is, reaching out to vendors and talking to other people. But I also started adopting certain skills that I wanted, that I saw are where the future of communications. And so I wanted to learn more about, so I just built a network to help me do that so that when I came out, I knew I was very focused in what I wanted to do. But again, it all goes into individualism. Resiliency, but that's me is so I'm pushing the boundaries.
your show is for entrepreneurs, solo foreigners, not everyone is a preneur and an entrepreneur, and there are a lot of people that want to be a cog in a wheel, or, they have financial means in a, they can't take the risk. but I would say probably most solopreneurs entrepreneurs have some sort of. Pushing the brown is resiliency. Individual is, already as part of their personality. David Shriner-Cahn: I agree with you wholeheartedly that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur.
There's some big differences between being an employee and being an entrepreneur. even if you're staying in the same discipline, the way you work is quite different. And I wonder what your thoughts are about particularly. If you've been an employee for a long time, how do you know whether being an entrepreneur is right for you? whether you'll be better off as an entrepreneur or not there, obviously there, there are risks to be in being an employee and their best to be an entrepreneur.
But how do you know whether being an entrepreneur is right for you before you actually do. So here's the, medical equation that I went through. And hopefully this helps other people that are considering being a solopreneur entrepreneur by it. I am in my mid fifties and I looked around and I didn't see a lot of. Senior women and corporate communications.
And so I said, I could go to a lateral role or, a little bit of a, get a promotion to more senior role, but what is my longevity in the corporate world? And so the risks reward for me. Was I rather start off slow and build a business that I can run effectively until, I have the mental acuity to stop. So I maybe have another 20 years left, maybe even 25 where I see most of my peers in the corporate world, maybe, making it to 60 would be a stretch. so that was my risk reward.
I think it, you have to consider that I also came from my father had his own business. He was a optometrist. So I saw what it was to run your own business. And I think it was always something that was programmed in me. I just didn't know when I was going to launch it. And the stars aligned, I had the opportunity and I ran. David Shriner-Cahn: going back to what you just said about look, looking at your colleagues, particularly women in corporate communications.
What did you see happening to those women when their past age, the age of 60? I didn't see any of them. Yes. They get moved down. the few women that were around, I saw them, the careers where we're an extension of their life. it was, everything they lived in brief work. I don't think that's a good answer. I tend to see also a lot of women that are the few that are around, tend not to have children. And so they dedicate more time to their work.
But honestly, I just didn't see a lot of women and I. The pandemic has definitely made more of a change because women are the caregivers and we. We need more of a work-life balance. And that's what I don't see with senior women that are still around past age 68, there was never a work-life balance. and I just, in general, corporate America, there's a lot of old white man, but there's not a whole lot of old white women. So that's not.
Read the chilies and said, you know what, let's just go now and start with, start on their journey ahead. David Shriner-Cahn: It also sounds like you have a lot of patients to build your business slowly. you just mentioned your plan to be doing this for 20, 25 years or maybe more. And what I'm hearing for you also is that you're realizing that it takes time to build a successful business. And it sounds like you have the patience to do it as.
Yep. And, I had a roadmap coming out, I've talked to some other solo preneurs that thought they'd be profitable in year one. And I'm like, I don't know, business books you've read. But when I came out, I got a line of credit from a bank and I had to create a five-year plan, which was really good because it focused me. But I knew that, I was going to take a step back salary wise and year one to. Three and probably a year three would be breakeven and go and beyond.
So I was fine with that again, because I see a longevity of twenty-five plus years, I mentioned my father and he didn't, he went part-time at 75 and fully retired at 78 and he's still around at 91. And. But solitary, you can play at age 91. And so I don't want to retirement that looks like that either. I'd rather work, but other people might not feel that way. And they'd rather take the money and maybe retire at 75. So it's, all in what makes you happy?
David Shriner-Cahn: Let's talk a little bit about what actually it looks like. Control over your destiny, like you've done. How does that feel? especially right at the beginning, when you first opened the doors on your business, it feels amazing. And it's funny because earlier today I shared a post on LinkedIn about the annual performance review and how that process really needs to be. Rejiggered and that it's old and stale and broken.
And, just thinking of that, every year, the performance review and what am I going to get for a raise? What's my promotion, what's my bonus. And it's also, I find highly biased. And so it's just refreshing to know that. I made control. I can run this as long as I want it also, it really changes your self worth because I'm building it. Clients are hiring me for me. So I'm sure all of your listeners, that's what people are buying is them and then their talents.
So it's just so much more fulfilling. Then, just being part of a function and, just because you're part of our 5 cents and people had to use you because you were a part of the function, it's just, it's blossomed being a solopreneur. David Shriner-Cahn: Yeah. I'd love to hear a little bit about your process for. Being able to sell yourself, creating your personal brand and selling yourself.
Because one of the challenges that I hear from so many people when they go out on their own is you go from this, especially if you're in a high-achieving role in corporate, you go from a place where you have this overflowing inbox, your calendar's always fill. They're always people who need you. You don't have to go out and. And look for, not going out and look looking for work. The work is always coming to you and you have this built in social structure that you're part of.
So you always have people to talk to, especially if you're working on something where you want to bounce ideas off of other people, they're always people to talk to about it. Then you go out on your own. Initially for many people, they don't have any business at first, they're starting from scratch. And so their inbox is empty. The calendar's empty. They have no social structure because that's gone. Your quote, unquote, friends from work are ghosting you because you've left.
they're all sorts of reasons why that happened. But you spend a lot of time alone and you have to get up and market and sell something that you've never sold before, which is yourself. And it can feel really daunting. And then all these hours that you spend alone make the lack of self-confidence kind of feed on itself and it gets blown out of proportion. And it sounds like you embraced being able to create your personal brand and sell it. So I'd love to hear a little bit about how you.
Sure. like I had mentioned, I had been stagnated in my career for my last corporate role. I was there for 12 years. So I would say the last three, I really, wasn't personally growing and Like I said, I was already having a lot of conversations. So when I came out, I just continued those conversations. But the path that originally, I thought it was going down or who I thought my target audience was shifted after having conversations and starting to see that wasn't really a market fit. But yeah.
I also realized that I'm a natural sales person. Then I could just talk to people and they're like, okay, tell me where to sign up. tell me more. So it came very easy to me, but I would say anyone that's considering it, start to test the waters unless you don't have that opportunity. And you're let go. And then, you got to start your business, but you say it's something that's already an idea that's inherent within you. You already have a network of people that buy in.
And buy into you as a talent to represent that idea. So it's just tapping into that and it just keeps growing. David, do you have an organization to help entrepreneurs grow and keep an agile mindset? And I also did a lot of networking. I'm a part of an organization for C-suite females to build their network and to support each other as felt.
So that's been, really grateful for me to build my business, but I'm constantly out there having conversations and, again, it goes back to that taking control. If you're an entrepreneur and you're waiting for people to come to you, turn the lights out and shut the door because you're not going to go anywhere. So it's seizing those opportunities. you have to be out there. and that's what I did. I was David Shriner-Cahn: out there.
Yeah. T tell me a little bit about how you can tap into the power of a community. Cause you mentioned that you're part of chief, how do you tap into the power of community to test your idea? Like I said, as a professional network to connect C-suite women and they're all premises, as you go higher up in your career, there are less and less women in the C-suite and you don't have a natural network. So that's what it was originally designed for. But, we used to have a slack channel.
We have an intranet. Their premises, you have a core meeting, they designed a forum for you and you meet with your core group once a month. That's facilitated by an executive coach. So it's just the national network. early on someone introduced me to lunch club, which is also an online network where you can log in your interests and they set up, we could cause for networking, but it's just it's I would say it all goes down to being curious. Of course.
I also, when I work with a lot of my clients are startups or individuals where are building their personal brand and I always. If you don't tell people, they don't know what you're selling. So one of the things you have to do is tell people what you offer. So a lot of my clients wanted to be on board service and I'm like, you actually have an audience of people that would probably hire you, but you have not sold any of them of your desire to be on a board.
So it all goes back to the more you tell people, I've done very little outraged, 99.9% of everything I have and all my clients has been through referrals or my networking or for something, but it's all come to me, but I had to put the effort out there. And the last thing I will say is that is part of their job. As an entrepreneur. I see three buckets servicing. Building my reputation, which is, a good example of being on the podcast and then networking to keep the pipeline refresh and fresh.
So those are the three buckets that every entrepreneur should build their business around. David Shriner-Cahn: So what's the difference between having the business come to you? Like you just described through referrals versus selling versus talking about. I can, what are the different, these sounds like there are different steps in this process. Yeah. And they are distinct steps. They sound a little like you're asking, how did they differentiate? But it's being at a cocktail party.
It's being out with friends at a dinner and there might be new people that you haven't. People say, what do you do? And then I tell them, and then I tell a little bit about the importance of it. And they're like, oh, what, can you help me with this? Or I know someone or, and so that's how it starts. So it's not bragging to some people, feel, and that's another thing when you have your own. There is no bragging. It's just talking about what your value proposition is.
So what, again, the more people you tell, what you offer and the need you service, the more things come back to you. So David Shriner-Cahn: when you meet somebody new and they say, Maria, what do you do? What's your. I tell them that I build personal brands and I build brands for startups that are trying to change the world and make an impact. And then they usually ask me, what's the personal brands. And I go on about how it's about asserting your individuality and.
Setting you apart, but the whole basis behind any find a brand and then, there's metrics on this is that it creates opportunities. So the more you're known commodity, the more people seek you out, either for advice or to speak or to write a book, but it's creating opportunity, right? David Shriner-Cahn: What are some ways that people build a personal brand that are. I mean doing it in the wrong way. some people don't go into it with a philanthropic mindset.
there are some people that do it for wealth or fame or, for an inauthentic. Good. And I think when it's authentic and natural, People know that and they see it and they buy into it. And the people that are doing it more for vanity, eventually people see through that as well. David Shriner-Cahn: Yeah. What's an example of somebody who is building a personal brand in the right way, who is someone that's building a personal brand in the right way. You stumped me on that one.
Yeah. I think, like I said, it's what I'm doing. It's, it's marketing for yourself. It's networking for yourself and it's servicing clients. one of the things I will say about building a personal brand is a lot of people say, how long till I'm famous or how long until happening. You can't quantify it. It's just like me saying my business, putting a timeline that, five years I want to quadruple my business. It doesn't work that way. It is something that. It's a constant on dedication.
So I always say, ask Serena Williams, when she thought she was gonna win her first grand slam it's, as Harry styles, when he was going to get his first record deal, That famous people. And they were doing it for 12, 15 years before anyone even knew who they are. And that's the same dedication of being a solopreneur, building a personal brand, building a startup. It's a multi-year commitment. This is not something that's five years, one and David Shriner-Cahn: done.
This is I always say a breakthrough is when somebody else notices what it took you hundreds or probably thousands of steps. Yes. Yes, exactly. That's what, I'm fun. Someone finally notices. And to that point, one of the things you ask who's done it well, and I don't have someone that comes off the top of my mind, but one thing I always say too, and this was backed by early years of PR, but it's that surround sound.
So how do things go viral or how does someone notice, if they heard you on a podcast. you're just a book just came out, they read something you put on LinkedIn, but you have to be firing on a bunch of cylinders. And then people finally start to notice. And that's the aha. David Shriner-Cahn: Well said, Maria, is there anything else that I haven't asked you that you want to mention before we close? I think you've asked some really great questions.
And the only thing I would say to the listeners is, I think now is a better time than ever for people to embrace their individuality and just get out there. the, where we're trying to remove all the stigma. this is mental health awareness month, stigmas against a lot of biases that have existed in the workplace. And so I just say, embrace yourself and get out there. David Shriner-Cahn: Sounds great, Maria, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to join us today on smashing the plateau.
Somebody wants to go deeper with anything we've discussed today, or get in touch with you. Access any resources you have. Where's the best. Sure. So I would say the best place to find me is on LinkedIn, under Maria Rosati, or you can go to my website, eminence, E M I N E N C E N Y C dot Tom. Or you can email me@mrosatiateminencenyc.com. David Shriner-Cahn: My guest today has been the founder and CEO of eminence communications, Maria Rosati. Thank you so much for Maria for joining.
Thank you again, David, David Shriner-Cahn: when you visit the smashing the plateau website@smashingtheplateau.com, you'll find a summary of each episode. Along with the links we mentioned on the show on today's episode, Maria discussed the importance of testing your idea and easy place to test. New ideas is in a community of supportive like-minded colleagues. As a member of the smashing the plateau community you'll have access to a community that is built to be a safe, caring place.
We're inclusive, direct, active, and empowering conversations are welcome inside the smashing the plateau community. You'll also find a range of tools and resources to support your business, access to experts and answers to your burning questions. If you are committed to getting your consulting business, to grow on your own terms so that you can deliver great results to your ideal client. supporting the lifestyle you want and you don't want to do it alone.
I invite you to apply to become a member of the smashing the plateau community. Learn more@smashingtheplateau.com. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our show. I'll see you on our next episode.