Unlocking Magnetic Charisma: The Power of Packaging, Networking, and Signature Branding

Sandra Yancey [00:00:00]:

I remember asking Ken Cragan, so what is it that makes a Beyonce break out of Destiny's Child or a Justin Timberlake break out of NSync? I mean, what is it? Because they all, at some level, have really great voices.

Kym Yancey [00:00:13]:

We use that word signature talk or signature sound or whatever the case may be. You know, finding that only happens my little isms.

Briana Dai [00:00:22]:

But I realized this is not very becoming. You know, at some degree, when you abuse a word too much, it can kind of take away from your polish. All right, well, welcome back to she Means Millions. We are going to have just a really organic conversation today. And we were kind of talking a little bit off camera, and we were like, why aren't we recording this? Because this is a really good conversation, really. Just talking about charisma and. And magnetism. Kind of sort of a continuation, piggybacking from our networking episode and how you can just be the type of person that people want to work with.

Briana Dai [00:01:11]:

How can you embody that? And it's funny, we were talking about some of the celebrities that have really made the biggest names for themselves and kind of reflecting back on the beginnings of their careers. One of them, you know, Taylor Swift and how, you know, the artist that she was when she started versus the charismatic powerhouse that she is now and the evolution and even Carrie Underwood when she auditioned on American Idol, and the powerhouse that she is now and the charisma that they've cultivated, it was like, is it something that you can learn or is it something that you're born with? And I think the thing that we've kind of come to the conclusion of

Sandra Yancey [00:01:52]:

is some people are born with it and they just naturally charismatic. But it can be learned. Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:01:58]:

There's no doubt about it. And I love that you're using some singers as an example. I remember watching people. Bryson, the first time he performed, our band performed with him, and I remember saying to someone, you know, what kind of singer is this? His name's called Peabo. And I remember just, you know, I was. You know, he's just being kind of like uncomplimentary, you know, people. What kind of. Well, people came out on stage and blew the house down.

Kym Yancey [00:02:27]:

Yeah, but. But I remember, though. But I really remember, though, seeing him for the first time then he was a phenomenal singer. And then seeing him a year later, where his confidence grew to a whole nother level. And he was a different person on that stage a year later.

Briana Dai [00:02:43]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:02:43]:

You know, and actually had a lot

Sandra Yancey [00:02:45]:

to do with bringing Celine Dion into mainstream. I mean, they sang Beauty and the Beast.

Kym Yancey [00:02:51]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:02:52]:

I had never heard of Celine Dion before Beauty and the Beast, but I knew Peabo's voice, you know, And I'm like, who is that woman? And this was before you could just look things up, you know, And I found out it was Celine Dion. And of course, she became. She went on to become a powerhouse.

Briana Dai [00:03:09]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:03:09]:

But what did they both do? What do they have in common? Taylor Swift, all of them. They. They honed their craft. I mean, they honed it.

Briana Dai [00:03:18]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:03:18]:

You know what I mean?

Sandra Yancey [00:03:19]:

Not just their voice, not just their look, but their charisma. You know, I remember asking Ken Cragan, so what is it that makes a Beyonce break out of Destiny's Child or a Justin Timberlake break out of NSync? I mean, what is it? And because they all, at some level, have really great voices.

Briana Dai [00:03:36]:

Yeah. A lot of talent.

Sandra Yancey [00:03:37]:

Yeah. And he always said that the it factor, you know, their. It is lit. You know, it's. There's just this thing that comes out, and it translates into magnetism and charisma.

Kym Yancey [00:03:48]:

And, you know, when you ask David Foster, who's written, you know, all kinds of mega hits, and he talks about the importance in his particular case that he. He was in a court. I mean, he was one of the guest speakers in Ken Cragan's course that he taught at ucla. David Foster was one of his expert guest lecturers. And he said, you know, that what he observed more than anything was even as a musician that you. You need to network. Because again, it's back to that whole thing that nobody knows who you are if you're buried in your basement. You know what I mean? If you aren't out meeting people, because here's the facts.

Kym Yancey [00:04:22]:

There are unbelievable, talented speakers, performers that will only achieve a certain level of success because for a number of reasons, you know, whether networked or ingratiated, the audience that they're performing in front of at a level. At a frenzy level, where they're clamoring to see them do more.

Sandra Yancey [00:04:47]:

Can we talk about packaging for a minute? Because I think packaging has a lot to do with stepping into your next level of charisma. I mean, the truth of the matter is, And I'm not saying that this is the right thing, but the truth of the matter is somebody that isn't really great but is packaged really well from a marketing perspective will often, at least initially do better than someone who has all the chops, all the smarts, all the everything, but never got packaged and was never really seen, you know, As a breakout. And you can watch it just happen. I've got a photo of Carrie Underwood auditioning. I'm sure you can find it if you do a search. Auditioning for American Idol and then just watching her by the end of that program that season, and they took her, and as she got better and better and others got eliminated, they started packaging her and packaging her and packaging her, and she became what is now arguably one of the top country music artists today. And she got packaged, right. And so there is something to be said about.

Sandra Yancey [00:05:55]:

Yes, I get it. It's easy to be like, why should I have to make that kind of investment in getting myself packaged? And that includes the videos and it comes the marketing message and the website. Right. And brand photos and all the things. And that just feels like, know this huge investment. I know I'm great. And that's because when you're in the sea, particularly Kim, snap your fingers. You do it.

Sandra Yancey [00:06:20]:

You do. Like he's got those drummer, that musician, you know, I can't do it nearly, but you can tell who's Kim's. Close your eyes. Okay, you go, we know who's Kim's. But you know, you know, there's something to be said about someone who's put it all together in a way that gets you served up. I think you have a program called serve up, serve you up or something like that, but get you served up in a way that people go, wow. And they want to know more. They like, lean in versus turning to the next person.

Sandra Yancey [00:06:58]:

Turning to the next person. It stops people, right? And in the small business space, I think it. We so underestimate how few people do it and why. The few that do start to become really stellar and you get some really good packaging. It raises your confidence level, you know, and it takes some courage to do that, to let. To get yourself packaged in a way. And you start. You come across more confident.

Sandra Yancey [00:07:24]:

You then start speaking, whether it be on podcasts or you own your own podcast, or you're getting on stages and you do it consistently. You start developing your chops and you get your, you know, narrative down. It's just such a big deal in separating you from most people who might do one thing or. Or the other things or none of the things, and yet they're great out there, just like all the people that don't make it on these great shows.

Briana Dai [00:07:47]:

You know, what's interesting is you saying this. So one of the things that we do when it comes to packaging people with serve you up is their brand photography and I think what's interesting is we don't just shoot brand photos. We bring in the stylist, hair, makeup, everything. And sometimes the transformations are kind of dramatic. We have a fitting the day before the shoot, and the clothes that are often pulled are nothing that they would have ever pulled for themselves. And what's interesting is.

Sandra Yancey [00:08:16]:

I know what you're gonna say. It's a lot of.

Briana Dai [00:08:18]:

It's very uncomfortable for people at first, and then most of them end up buying the clothes anyway.

Sandra Yancey [00:08:24]:

I was just gonna say that's the thing, how fast the transformation can actually happen.

Briana Dai [00:08:28]:

And it's really just a shift in how they see themselves, because they've never saw themselves as this prime time superstar.

Sandra Yancey [00:08:36]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:08:36]:

But the minute they see themselves packaged, they become her. And it's interesting because they're just clothes. But you really do start to embody an entirely different being once you've seen yourself in a certain light. And I will never forget one of our clients, Veronica Bond, she's actually also an executive managing director, Phoenix, in Phoenix, Arizona. And she has a podcast, and she. Her whole brain is about helping you be visible. And she came in for the program herself. And it's interesting because even somebody who specializes invisibility, you can't see what in yourself what other people see in you.

Briana Dai [00:09:11]:

When it comes to packaging your brand, even if you think you're good at it, it always takes somebody mirroring back to you what you can't see, because it's kind of like that broccoli that's stuck in your teeth. Like, unless someone tells you it's there, you just can't see it. And we could see in her something bigger than what she was seeing.

Sandra Yancey [00:09:28]:

And she was a little uncomfortable with a couple of the outfits. Now, those are the pictures she uses for everything.

Briana Dai [00:09:32]:

For everything. Then and whenever she has a big speaking engagement, I noticed she'll repurpose one of those outfits.

Sandra Yancey [00:09:38]:

And.

Briana Dai [00:09:39]:

But beyond just the physical outfits, there's been an entire identity shift in her confidence and as a result, her magnetism when she walks into a room. I just noticed it when I saw her at the Platinum Summit. She just had a different swagger. Swagger, you know? And I think that that is the magic of getting packaged and seeing yourself as a.

Kym Yancey [00:10:03]:

As a person, you know? But you also pointed out something else. That's that as I look at evaluating Veronica and her progress, what? She's a managing director, so she's in front of audiences every single week, every month. She's talking to people, she's honing her Craft.

Sandra Yancey [00:10:16]:

She's a podcast fantastic student. She was a Pinnacle member as well. Since she used us, the Trifecta, as her executive advisory board. I mean, she's just. I mean, she really does lean in.

Kym Yancey [00:10:29]:

But think about those distribution points again, being the managing director in front of people, and then she's got her podcast. Right. So this allows her to be front and center, and her audience is able to find her and hear from her and philosophies and things that she's teaching. It's same as. It's pretty interesting with our podcast. I can't get over and I know better, but people who say, you know, I'm learning things about you guys that I've never, never knew before. You know, it's. I'm glued to hearing the conversation.

Kym Yancey [00:11:03]:

Well, here's the thing. Before we started this podcast, there was no access like this.

Briana Dai [00:11:08]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:11:09]:

You follow me? And the difference that it. That it makes, but it's also not. You could become stagnant even when you package yourself, because your package can get old.

Sandra Yancey [00:11:19]:

Oh, yeah. I mean, it's not one and done, Chuck.

Kym Yancey [00:11:22]:

I mean, people. People need to see and hear different. I mean, it's. You know, there's no shortage of content. We all know that.

Briana Dai [00:11:28]:

Right.

Kym Yancey [00:11:28]:

So the content is, you know, I mean, it's outrageous how much content is out there. So it really becomes where you become more surgical in what kind of packaging you're doing. So it's actually elevated because whatever you do the first time, that resets your. Your. What I call your style set point, you know, it's just been raised at this new level, and. And now you just can't stay there.

Sandra Yancey [00:11:51]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:11:51]:

You can continue to bring new and using your. We start off with talking about music, but none of those artists would be who they are if they didn't constantly also release new material.

Briana Dai [00:12:01]:

Right.

Kym Yancey [00:12:01]:

They have to feed their audience and give them something new to, you know, to clamor to.

Sandra Yancey [00:12:06]:

And create a signature sound.

Kym Yancey [00:12:08]:

Create a signature sound.

Briana Dai [00:12:09]:

And you know what they're doing? They're listening to themselves and they're watching themselves, and they're playing back how they're performing so that they can identify where they need to improve. You know, it's amazing to me how many people speak or do a podcast, but they don't like to watch themselves or listen to themselves or hear themselves.

Sandra Yancey [00:12:27]:

I have to say, I'm one of them.

Briana Dai [00:12:29]:

But you have had a ton of practice, and you've been forced to watch yourself.

Sandra Yancey [00:12:32]:

I am. I'm listening to the podcast. I. Before we Started, you know, today I said, here's one of the lessons that I've learned. You know, that when I'm leaning in or talking to one of you, I'm saying your names to make sure that the listener can follow along.

Briana Dai [00:12:47]:

It's so true. I mean, it's the key to becoming more magnet. Yeah, magnetizable. Magnetic.

Sandra Yancey [00:12:54]:

Magnetizing.

Briana Dai [00:12:56]:

New word. Magnetizable. No, it's the key to becoming magnetic, though, is being able to identify where you're not so that you can become better.

Sandra Yancey [00:13:04]:

Yes.

Briana Dai [00:13:05]:

I think it was in our first batching day. I was listening back to some of our shows, and I. I realized I am no longer allowed to say the word literally, because I literally say it all the time, like, a lot, you know, and it's. It's one of my little isms. But I realized this is not very becoming. You know, at some degree, when you abuse a word too much, it can kind of take away from your polish. And so I decided I needed to really dial that back. And it was a conscious effort that only could come from listening to myself or watching myself.

Briana Dai [00:13:35]:

And I think that the best artists are students of themselves so that they can sharpen that you can't sharpen. What you don't know needs to be sharpened.

Kym Yancey [00:13:44]:

So. So what do you think of the Kardashians? Think back to when they started.

Sandra Yancey [00:13:48]:

Oh, my gosh.

Kym Yancey [00:13:49]:

You know, because they were blasted for, like, doing nothing, you know, like you.

Sandra Yancey [00:13:54]:

You stars for nothing.

Kym Yancey [00:13:56]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:13:56]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:13:57]:

You became famous for nothing, you know,

Briana Dai [00:13:59]:

and they're magnetic as heck.

Kym Yancey [00:14:01]:

Yeah. And. And people love to watch them.

Briana Dai [00:14:04]:

Yep.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:05]:

And I'm particularly in love watching them because now they have brands. Oh, yeah. And just. What. And now, I guess because they own their own show. Is that why?

Briana Dai [00:14:13]:

Yes. So the Kardashians is my guilty pleasure on Hulu. I will say it right now. I love watching the Kardashian show because they're the executive producers of it.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:21]:

Right.

Briana Dai [00:14:22]:

So they get to say, have a say in what's shown and what's not. And they do. They all have their own brands now. And so what I think is really particularly fun about the show, now that it's their show and not owned by E. And, you know, was more so just about the craziness of their life. They still show that, but they really do show the behind the scenes of their brand.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:43]:

These girls work.

Briana Dai [00:14:44]:

They work. And I love when they show, like, the behind the scenes of their brand shoots, because I'm in that space, and I love to see the setups and the ideas and the creativity. I get so inspired by watching what they do because those girls got some budget. Okay.

Sandra Yancey [00:14:59]:

And still get frustrated and still get let down and write all the things that we think somehow if we make more money, we will outgrow.

Briana Dai [00:15:07]:

Yeah. They still get betrayed. They still get burned. Learned. They still make mistakes. Things still fall through the cracks.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:14]:

They still struggle with each other.

Briana Dai [00:15:15]:

Yep.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:16]:

And make up.

Briana Dai [00:15:17]:

Yeah. And move on. Yeah. Rise together.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:20]:

Momager. Can I just say.

Briana Dai [00:15:22]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:22]:

That Chris.

Briana Dai [00:15:23]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:23]:

Jenner.

Briana Dai [00:15:25]:

Oh, yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:25]:

She's something else.

Briana Dai [00:15:26]:

She is.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:27]:

She is something else. And I, you know, to me, if I watch one show and get one takeaway that I can apply in my own life for my own business.

Briana Dai [00:15:36]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:36]:

I mean, come on. I didn't know that you watched the card out occasion.

Briana Dai [00:15:40]:

I thought I was alone.

Kym Yancey [00:15:42]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:15:42]:

I'm always embarrassed to say it in our community because I feel like people judge me. I'm like, it's a really good show.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:47]:

You should watch it. It's particularly good now that. I mean, I didn't like it when it was all about the drama.

Briana Dai [00:15:51]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:15:52]:

But I really love the new format where it's so much revealing about their businesses. That, to me, is sexy.

Kym Yancey [00:15:59]:

Think about the stop points, though. Along the way, they've had support and they've also read negative press on themselves, right.

Sandra Yancey [00:16:06]:

Oh, yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:16:07]:

And they had to move through the negativity, through the, you know, those statements and stay true to what was working for them. But they've evolved as people.

Briana Dai [00:16:17]:

Yes.

Kym Yancey [00:16:18]:

You know, I really like seeing, like, pictures of the Kardashians in the first year or two.

Briana Dai [00:16:23]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:16:23]:

And pictures of them now. You know what I mean? And the level of confidence, it's discovery. I mean, it. You know, we use that word signature talk or signature sound or whatever case may be, you know, finding that only happens in doing that, you know, and doing lots of it and not. And not settling. Because believe me, you know, we all lean, you know, can lean on each other. Let's see what she's doing. Let's see what, you know, is happening there over here.

Kym Yancey [00:16:51]:

And you can learn from that. But it's. But it's all about your unique, special sauce. You know, what's unique and different about you? And, you know, and it's okay to challenge yourself, you know, with wanting the. Wanting to get answers around, you know, this talk or this webinar that I'm doing is not getting the response that I want. You know what I mean? Or I don't have the audience. Hey, man, you can start off with five or ten you know, whatever it is to begin the journey?

Sandra Yancey [00:17:21]:

Yeah, for sure. Do you feel like you're drowning in your business? Like you're doing everything and something has to give, but you're afraid it might be you? What if I told you there's a network of over 500,000 women entrepreneurs all dedicated to supporting each other? A network of women helping women. I'm Sandra Yancey, founder of Ewomenne Network, and I'm inviting you to join us and become a member. Ewomennetwork.com we can't wait to meet you. Okay, so I'm curious to know, when you think about magnetism and you think about, in particular, the digital marketing side of it, there is an element of really understanding kind of what. Whether somebody tells you or you recognize it in yourself, you know, what is the kind of thing that becomes signature to you, that you can create and recreate and recreate and recreate and get the expansion, even if it's just in snippets. Right. Of on your digital platforms.

Sandra Yancey [00:18:32]:

Right. So I know, you know, for me, I think because I was originally trained, when I think about really starting to speak, I had an ABC radio show and really had to learn sound bites and, you know, going into commercial breaks and creating the tea so that they stay during the commercials and then understanding that after the commercial was over that, you know, now you have all new people that might have gotten in their car. And so you have to bring them up to speed so they don't switch the channel. And, you know, you gotta hit the bottom of the hour news break really hard within seven seconds because people paid a lot of money to be sponsored to sponsor that news break, et cetera. And so it really forced me to study the greats. And I gotta tell you, at the time, there wasn't a lot of women options for me, you know, in the beginning in 2002. And so I studied Larry King. Larry King.

Sandra Yancey [00:19:28]:

And I liked his style. He was kind. But I just. I just really wanted. I remember we used to record him and then I would go back because I was on at a time that I think I was momming, you know, at the time with the kids. And so I couldn't watch it live, but I would go back and. And watch it after the kids went to bed. And by recording, I'm talking like on vhs, if I remember correctly, and just go back and watch it over and over and over again.

Sandra Yancey [00:19:52]:

And I learned the power of sound bites so that today I speak in sound bites still to this. Yeah. And so knowing that then what is it that you have to take some responsibility to find out? What are some of the unique things that people. Let me listen to a compliment or listen to what people are saying about you and leaning into that. That's how you kind of create some of your signature sounds. And I know even today, when I think about, you know, short form on social media, really zeroing in on those clips that have a sound bite because it connects or listening to how people. Because I always say, are you tracking with me? You know what I mean? And people say now saying are starting to ask their audiences if they're tracking with them too, kind of thing. And knowing that that's okay, there's enough for everyone.

Sandra Yancey [00:20:41]:

But knowing that it is part of your signature sound, I think is important so that you know what you want to do more of. Because it's landing. It's connecting with your audience.

Briana Dai [00:20:52]:

Yeah, for sure.

Kym Yancey [00:20:54]:

You know, it's a really good point, Sandra. I. I'm also reminded of people who, when they don't have the right support mechanism. Let me put this in perspective. When we moved here with the Dallas Cowboys, you and I had never seen fandom like we see Dallas. Okay. I mean, we were from Ohio, and not that we. Iowa had good teams, too, but they didn't have the Dallas Cowboys in terms of reputation.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:16]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:21:17]:

And I remember it was a key observation when we went to our first game, as we got close, we saw all these people walking towards the stadium and they all had on players jerseys, all right? They got the other players jersey. That's who I'm rooting for. You know, they get into the stands, first of all, they have to pay a real hefty fee to get into the stand. So they get into the stands.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:37]:

Have to feed a park.

Kym Yancey [00:21:38]:

Yeah, have to feed the park.

Sandra Yancey [00:21:40]:

Then to get into.

Kym Yancey [00:21:40]:

They get in the stands and they're revving up in their seats. Just revving up, revving up. And then, you know, and waiting for the players to come out and the players come out just to warm up. The players go out and warm up. They erupt in their seats into a standing ovation. And they're clapping and they're just warming up. And I sat there and I looked at this and I thought, my gosh, those players are on their field of dreams. They're living their dreams, living their life.

Kym Yancey [00:22:05]:

We are in the stands, bought a ticket. We're in the stands, cheerful, giving them a stand on vision. And we had to pay to do it.

Briana Dai [00:22:12]:

Right.

Kym Yancey [00:22:13]:

And it made me realize, you know, who's Standing up for you and in your career. You know, when's the last time you got out of bed in the morning and there was a cheering crowd there saying, way to go, Sandra, way to go. You know what I'm saying? I mean, they have all these things around them, you know what I mean?

Sandra Yancey [00:22:29]:

Including coaches.

Kym Yancey [00:22:30]:

Including coaches.

Sandra Yancey [00:22:31]:

I mean people that are telling them the truth, people that are fine tuning them, people that are making them do an extra rep, an extra iteration on something. I mean, so many of those practices, I think are transferable and sports are transferable into building.

Kym Yancey [00:22:48]:

I agree, but that is the common denominator. Right. They've got the coaching, they've got the tutoring, you know, you've got the agent

Sandra Yancey [00:22:55]:

that's making them feel great and is advocating for them.

Kym Yancey [00:22:59]:

Right. And of course they've got to do their part because they've got to practice like, you know, nobody's business. Right.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:04]:

No one's watching.

Kym Yancey [00:23:05]:

Nobody's watching. You know, they, they can't be marginal.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:08]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:23:09]:

That's really about your journey. You know, you, you can't be marginal in what you do. You can't be marginal about your dream and your ambition and setting. The setting. The intention and then the action to go with that intention to make it, to make it happen.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:25]:

You know, I, I love to study the goats in every profession, including sports. And you know who is the greatest of all time, like a Tom Brady. And you know, he was a sixth round draft pick, I do believe, and wasn't really identified as to be someone that would be the goat.

Kym Yancey [00:23:45]:

Yeah, Major standard.

Sandra Yancey [00:23:46]:

And of course he was surrounded, he had a lot of respect for his coach and surrounded by a team and got better and better and better. But what I really appreciate about Tom and anybody that's great across any profession is just the amount of hours they put into honing their craft. The discipline, the discipline that most people never see. I feel like there's a saying I read somewhere, something to the effect of

Kym Yancey [00:24:15]:

in my music training. I remember at Capitol Records they would have different artists. People come in and says, hey, this guy can sing as good as Michael Jackson. Great. We got Michael Jackson.

Sandra Yancey [00:24:25]:

Right.

Kym Yancey [00:24:26]:

We don't need this other artist. I'm sorry you sound like him, but we're not gonna put out another record to go against. Yeah, he's already given us what we want. You know what I mean? It's, it's give, giving it, but own your own style. Definitely.

Sandra Yancey [00:24:39]:

And you can have a similar love song.

Kym Yancey [00:24:42]:

Yeah, right, yeah. Owning your own style.

Sandra Yancey [00:24:45]:

I mean, you know, the World is always, as you always say, the world is always looking for its next love song. So there's enough room for everyone, but just be the original.

Kym Yancey [00:24:54]:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Briana Dai [00:24:56]:

So true.

Kym Yancey [00:24:57]:

But I, you know, you had said too, when it comes to. To the packaging is that, you know, all of these elements go into that charisma, that unique person that you are, you know, and showcasing it and not being deterred by those that, you know, maybe say, you know what? This doesn't look like you.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:20]:

Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:25:20]:

You don't seem like you. Like, you've seen me on the playground and everything else. You see me doing hopscotch and everything else. You know, I've evolved. I've evolved.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:31]:

Jackson. Hula hoop would be next.

Briana Dai [00:25:33]:

Little jump rope action. No, it's true. That's like when you are packaged and you don't look the same. That's kind of the point.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:41]:

Exactly.

Briana Dai [00:25:42]:

That's kind of the point.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:43]:

Some of them have said when they've left our photo sessions, they go back and show their team and they're like, that doesn't look like you. And that's the point.

Briana Dai [00:25:50]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:25:51]:

You know, we're not trying to give you more of who you are. Trying to give you more of who you are on the journey to become. Yeah.

Kym Yancey [00:25:58]:

The evolution of who you are.

Briana Dai [00:26:00]:

2.0.

Sandra Yancey [00:26:01]:

Yep.

Briana Dai [00:26:01]:

You know. Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:26:03]:

It's a version that's going to get you to where you need to go is not the version that got you to where you're at. And it's hard. It's a. It's why I loved last year, the Year of the Snake.

Briana Dai [00:26:12]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:26:13]:

Because it was all about shedding. And, you know, you. The reason why the snake sheds its skin is so that it can grow bigger. It can't grow bigger in the same skin.

Kym Yancey [00:26:23]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:26:24]:

And I loved that metaphor. It was very powerful for me. And of course, this is the year of the Fire horse, which is all about momentum and fire. Right. And coming out. And I feel. I love to watch all the kind of data points of signals in the universe that just are constant reminders that, you know, I've got to be willing to do something that I've never done before in order to have something that I've never had.

Kym Yancey [00:26:51]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:26:52]:

Yeah. There's a common phrase that I've heard often in the corporate world, but I think it applies very much to entrepreneurship as well, and that is to dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have.

Sandra Yancey [00:27:05]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:27:05]:

And so showing up as the future you, who you want to be.

Sandra Yancey [00:27:08]:

Yeah.

Briana Dai [00:27:08]:

And just owning that Persona.

Sandra Yancey [00:27:11]:

Yeah. Now I'm. I am a living example of that. I have always dressed and performed when I was in corporate America and had a stellar career in Corporate America, Fortune 500 company. And it was. I was always doing more than what I was being paid for. I was always showing up more than was expected. Yeah, I was.

Sandra Yancey [00:27:33]:

And then I was always promoting.

Briana Dai [00:27:35]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:27:35]:

As a result of it. And I. And. And I watched it happen to others. You know, if you just watch the patterns of the people that you want to be like, you'll see they're doing stuff you're not doing.

Briana Dai [00:27:47]:

Yeah. I mean, I think about when I got into Jen Gottlieb's group. You know, I mean, yes, I knew I was going to learn a lot and I wanted to, but I also knew I wanted to be known by her. I wanted Jen to know who I was. Yeah. You know, because I respect her a lot, and she's really a powerhouse in the industry, and I love everything that she's doing. And I remember very distinctly being very intentional. When I'm going to go to one of these events, I'm going to show up as somebody who deserves that attention.

Sandra Yancey [00:28:23]:

And do you know, one of the things that you did so magnificently that I think, you know, but may not. But may not notice about yourself is that you were so great at edifying her.

Briana Dai [00:28:35]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:28:36]:

And who wouldn't be. Who wouldn't lean in and notice somebody that was edifying.

Briana Dai [00:28:41]:

Yeah, no, it's. It is. It's true there. It's not just a matter of showing up, looking the part, but also a confident person doesn't have to dim somebody else. A confident person lifts up those around them because they're not afraid that lighting someone else's candle is going to dim yours. It's just going to make you burn brighter. And so if you are wanting to be seen as a confident person, then you're the type of person that doesn't come from a place of lack of. You come from a place of abundance.

Briana Dai [00:29:09]:

And so I believe that in lighting someone else's candle, making them glow brighter is only going to help you glow brighter.

Sandra Yancey [00:29:17]:

In the process, I. I notice people who speak fondly of others that are not in the room.

Briana Dai [00:29:26]:

Yes.

Sandra Yancey [00:29:26]:

And you should know. You should know for you, who is speaking highly of you in rooms that you're not in. And those are the people you need to lean into. You know, my mother used to say, give without remembering and take without forgetting. So the give without remembering is you find ways to then talk about them in Rooms they're not in. It is very. It is very attractive to see people bragging about other people and they're not even in the room. You know, that's authentic.

Sandra Yancey [00:30:08]:

You know, that person's the real deal. You know that they will do the same for you. Yeah. And how. There's so much for all of us that's out there if we just lift as we climb. Right. And just know that part of our stepping up to the next level is making sure that we are noticing the others that have done it and continue to share and brag about them. And I'm telling you, you have to trust that it will someday be your own turn.

Briana Dai [00:30:40]:

Yes, absolutely. Man, this is a good conversation. We didn't really know where we were gonna go with it, but we started talking off camera. We're like, we should just start recording us, see where it goes.

Kym Yancey [00:30:54]:

You know, as we were talking, I was just reflecting on some of the people that came into our life that, you know, were, like, natural standouts, things that made them sparkle in special ways. You know, Like, I was thinking about Maggie Cook and her salsa that she

Sandra Yancey [00:31:12]:

created and sold, that she sold for well over $200 million. Yeah, right.

Kym Yancey [00:31:18]:

Yeah, but her. But her story, which made her so unique, made her stand out. And actually, her friends are.

Sandra Yancey [00:31:24]:

Who are. Who got her to make it and put her salsa in a contest. Her friends did that, and then she won. And then it was the next thing and the next thing. And then she got the opportunity with Whole Foods, and then she rented the truck to get down there. And then, you know, she's all of, what, five foot? Something very little, like me, short like me. And her foot didn't reach the pedal, and she had to get a brick and tie the brick around her foot to give her the couple of inches to hit the pedal to drive down to Texas to be able to meet with Whole Foods that then picked her up. And then, you know, when she was ready to sell, she had a beautiful exit plan.

Sandra Yancey [00:32:08]:

It was just great stories, right. Of what people go through, what they do to package themselves and to get themselves in front of the right people. Whatever it takes.

Kym Yancey [00:32:19]:

Yeah, yeah. You know, I'm reminded of. Packaging is really a broad statement, but it includes, aside from the physical look, like, I. I think about Apple. I mean, really, Apple's packaging, Tiffany's packaging, you know, you get that physical, and your decision is made. You know, not that you make the decision on that phone based on the packaging, but it speaks a lot to the brand that carries through, through everything that they do the colors of their stores, their employees, the way they approach it, you know, Tiffany, I mean, it was a long time before I felt confident to walk into a Tiffany store. You know, I just got pretty comfortable. Yeah, I got pretty good.

Kym Yancey [00:33:00]:

Yeah. Yeah. Lucky me. You know, but, but, but you've got, you've got that packaging and, and, but there's also, you know, the, the what you feel like after the purchase is made, you know, what you feel like as a, as part of that interaction. And I think for those of us that are, you know, again, speakers, experts, thought, thought leaders, et cetera, you know, all of that plays into it. You know, it. In terms of the consistency of it. You know, your website, what you're doing on social media, you know, all of it.

Kym Yancey [00:33:35]:

You know what I mean? I'd rather see you do more and be, and, and, and the quality be high. Then you're just doing a whole lot of stuff that. A lot, you know, good thought, hadn't gone into it.

Sandra Yancey [00:33:48]:

It's praying and praying.

Kym Yancey [00:33:49]:

It's aimless, you know, it's aimless. You know what I mean? Yeah. What's been your experience with that, Brianna?

Briana Dai [00:33:57]:

No, I'm, I think that people underestimate what goes into building a really strong brand and putting. We keep using the term packaging. I'm curious if people are like, what are they talking about, you know, to some degree, because it is, it's also, it's, it's beyond that. It's even just the catchphrase, you know, what is the tagline, you know, like, Nike's just, just do it. You know, there's just. It goes so deep. And I think that that professional touch can really make a difference, because what I know time and time again, even the people whose branding, you know, I admire, you know, that. That have opted to work with us, illuminate another level for themselves just based off of getting your brand in front of the eyeballs of someone else.

Briana Dai [00:34:50]:

So whether it's us or not, I, I would encourage every single person to, you know, find somebody who isn't just anybody. You know, you can't just ask a friend. I think this is another big mistake when it comes to packaging and getting feedback for your branding is going to somebody who is either not your target market. Yeah. Or doesn't know what they're talking about in the branding space.

Sandra Yancey [00:35:10]:

You know, it's like going to somebody that eats steak every day and say, teach me, you know, give me feedback on, on how to become a vegetarian.

Briana Dai [00:35:17]:

Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:35:17]:

I mean, you know, you want to find people that doing.

Briana Dai [00:35:20]:

Yeah, people like, go to their spouse or their partner, their boyfriend or something who is not their. They would never want that person to buy from them. That's not their target client at all. And also they're in finance, so.

Sandra Yancey [00:35:31]:

And they're biased.

Briana Dai [00:35:32]:

Yeah. And they're biased because they love you. You know what I mean? Or their best friend. Right. Or somebody that doesn't either fit the mold of your person that you're wanting to work with or understands branding and marketing at a deep level. And so I would identify who that person is that has the credentials and just. And just. And just check.

Briana Dai [00:35:53]:

Because it also needs to evolve. You know, I think that it's not a one and done thing. Messaging evolves, branding evolves. We're on our.

Sandra Yancey [00:36:00]:

What, third or fourth customers evolve.

Briana Dai [00:36:02]:

Yes. So if you're not evolving with them, you're gonna.

Sandra Yancey [00:36:05]:

Exactly.

Briana Dai [00:36:06]:

You're gonna get left behind, right? Yeah.

Sandra Yancey [00:36:08]:

Great conversation.

Briana Dai [00:36:09]:

So good. I loved it. I loved the unexpected twists and turns that we went with this one. I'm curious your feedback if you enjoyed this episode. Definitely. Leave us a comment, let us know. And if there's any topics that you want us to cover, also drop a comment, let us know. Make sure you subscribe all of the things and let us know that you're enjoying this.

Briana Dai [00:36:32]:

But until next time, I think that she doesn't just mean business, she means millions.