When setting up this business I knew I was missing a certain skillset around branding and digital marketing. Therefore, I signed up for a Digital Media and Branding course with the Chartered Institute of Marketing and read everything I could find.
Over the first year I fumbled my way around Instagram using paid promotions and following a huge amount of influencers/content creators. I learnt a lot however, I still wasn’t confident around my brand messaging, how to communicate it or which channels to use. I was basically going around in circles.
Whilst on holiday over the Christmas break, and leading up to our rebranding, I started reading Patricia Bright’s book Heart and Hustle after following her on YouTube. After the first chapter I walked to the hotel shop and bought a notepad. Yes, I was the woman reclined on a sun lounger on the beach writing in a notebook with my iPods in.
Every person who has had an idea and wants to create something using their passion and skills needs to read this book. Patricia’s unique style sings through on every page and her approach is motivating and engaging. You learn how she hustled from a young age and how to find your grind which could contribute to getting you where you want to be.
Taking Lesson Learned from her upbringing, a career in finance through to her current roles as a very successful content creator and entrepreneur she shares these insights as highlights throughout the book for easy reference. Two of my favourites are:
- Take small steps and enjoy them
- Your limits are based on how you perceive yourself
With my own love for planning Patricia is also keen on detailed spreadsheets and lists to ensure you are on top of everything you need to do. I have adopted this approach on my social media postings and can honestly say this process is now far less daunting.
For those interested in being a content creator Patricia’s invaluable experience throughout the book is extremely useful and insightful to those not used to this media. I have successfully adopted several of her tips in my own business and was able to focus in on how I wanted my brand to be received, what and when to post and to really listen to my customers.
In summary, if you want an insightful viewpoint on how to hustle, start a small business, manage you finances and get ahead I would highly recommend reading this book, but be sure to have a notepad handy as you will definitely need it.
www.patriciabright.com, @thepatriciabright