Suz Chadwick [00:00:00]:
Welcome to the Brand Builders Lab podcast.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:02]:
I'm your host, Suze Chadwick, certified business.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:04]:
And mindset coach, author and speaker. Each week we'll be talking about simple but powerful business and mindset strategies that will help you build a lean, clean and profitable business so you can learn to get out of your own way and pay yourself more.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:20]:
Forget average. It's time to level up.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:25]:
Hey, lovely. Welcome back to the podcast. I am excited to have you here. I'm feeling good this week. I'm raring, I'm raring to go. We're so close to Christmas. I hope you're feeling okay. As I've said before, having that long weekend in November just means that I'm still feeling really good coming up to.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:43]:
The end of the year.

Suz Chadwick [00:00:44]:
And I'm actually like feeling really inspired and energized. So I'm excited to share today's podcast episode with you. We are on YouTube as well, so make sure you head over there. It's just YouTube.com forward/suzechadwick and you'll be able to find us. And so we're putting our episodes there as well as on Spotify, which I feel is perfect because today we're talking all about building your personal brand ecosystem. And for 2025, YouTube video, Spotify, et cetera, is a huge element of my ecosystem. As we will talk about today, it is going to be the trunk of my ecosystem tree is going to be the master content that we take everything from. And oh, I can tell you now, I.

Suz Chadwick [00:01:33]:
It is the biggest regret of my business career, my business life, and I just have to really get over it, is that I did get onto YouTube in 2017 for the business. I, if not before and then I just didn't do anything with it. And now I just think, wow, I feel like I just left millions of dollars on the table. So hopefully I can inspire you to not make the same mistake that I made. But we really want to start to take a look at how we create a ecosystem that allows people to find us, organically, binge us, get to know us, understand what it is that we do, and then buy from us and become leads when we're not around. So building your personal brand ecosystem is one of the most important things that I think that you can do in your business, and especially as we are in the creator economy. This is where it's at. So listen up, make sure that you take notes.

Suz Chadwick [00:02:33]:
And I know that I'll be talking so much more about this as well at the end of the day. If you want to do this, then make sure you come and join us in the Amplify accelerator and Mastermind where we can take a look at how we build your personal brand ecosystem. Build your confidence, your connection so that you can really show up fully as yourself and in an uncopyable way because of your experience and expertise and how we systemize your personal brand in order to generate leads, attract the right clients.

Suz Chadwick [00:03:06]:
And grow your business.

Suz Chadwick [00:03:08]:
So head to sushadwick.com amplify and come and apply. If you join before the end of 2024, before Christmas, then you'll also get a thousand dollars off for our six month container starting at the end of January. So make sure you check that out. Come and work with me. Let's make this happen. And I can't wait to see you then. But listen, let's dive into today's episode.

Suz Chadwick [00:03:35]:
How do you build a business that bears fruit, which is clients for you, on a regular basis, without you having to constantly be in the business? One of the things I'm a big believer in is creating your personal brand ecosystem. And the reason that I think about it like an ecosystem system is because you want it to be a cycle. You want it to be fueling everything that's going on in your business. So today we're going to be talking about how you can build your personal brand ecosystem so that you can take time off so that you don't have to always be on. And so the things that you create on an evergreen basis continue to attract, nurture and convert the clients that you really want. And the great thing is that when you do build your personal brand ecosystem, not only does it generate leads and nurture your audience, it also helps to build your authority, help you to get opportunities, and really showcases you as one of the go to people in your industry. So for me, one of the things that I've done is that my podcast is one of my core elements of my business, whether I am there or not. People can consume almost over 400 episodes now and it's been such a great thing to have because when I am on holidays or when I am not around, there are people that are finding the podcast, listening to it, binging, and then reaching out to work with me.

Suz Chadwick [00:05:02]:
And that is the ecosystem that you want to build. Now there's lots of different ways that you can build your ecosystem. One of the things I always say is to know what you love to do, know where you shine, and then really look at how you build a strategy around that. So let's get into the analogy a little bit. I'm a very visual person, so I want you to think about it like this. When we start our business, we have the foundation, we have the ground that we want to start planting this amazing personal brand ecosystem into. And so the way that that works is that we firstly have to have the foundations, right, so the systems, strategies and structures to be able to build and grow. It's one of the things that I teach in Brand Builders Academy.

Suz Chadwick [00:05:41]:
And so it's really looking at what are the products and services that you're going to have, what are the systems that you're going to put into your business, what's your pricing and packaging, what is your marketing and your messaging. So it's the foundations, it's the elements that you're going to be able to.

Suz Chadwick [00:05:56]:
Build on top of.

Suz Chadwick [00:05:57]:
And so it's really important to have all of those areas in your business business nailed and sorted. Now, one thing I always say to my Brand Builder Academy clients is that I go through the BBA system every single year to make sure that all of those things that I've just mentioned are exactly where they need to be, that we don't need to tweak our messaging, that we don't need to upgrade our systems, that we don't need to take a look at what our marketing is, et cetera. And so knowing that you've got your foundations in place and being somebody that is always looking at them is an important element. But once you've got your foundations in place, and if you've been in business for a while, hopefully you've got all of those things working for you already. But once we've got those in place, we can start to think about how we build this tree. And this tree I want you to think about as a fruit tree. Whatever your favorite fruit tree is, let's say it's an apple tree and it's going to start bearing fruit for you when you get this up and running. So the trunk of the tree is what you want to be known for.

Suz Chadwick [00:07:00]:
It's all the things that you want other people to, to say about you when you're not in the room. For example, I have an amazing biz friend and I know that every time I'm not there and she's at a networking event or she's speaking to somebody and the person says to her, I really need to build my personal brand. I need to build my confidence, become more courageous.

Suz Chadwick [00:07:18]:
I need to work out how I'm.

Suz Chadwick [00:07:20]:
Going to put myself out there in the Market in a confident way. She always says you need to speak to Suze. And so that's something that you really want to be thinking about when you're not there. What is it that you want people to say about you? What is it that you want them to be referring you for when they're speaking to other people? And you getting really clear on that is an important element. So once you know what you want your personal brand to be and what you want others to be talking about when they talk about you, then that's what we're going to be creating content around and really thinking about, like, where is all of this going to be housed? Where am I going to be sharing this? And the one thing I really want you to think about is master content. So it is the one place that you are starting and then everything else comes from that. So for example, over the last eight years, the podcast has been my master evergreen content. It is the one thing that we do every single week.

Suz Chadwick [00:08:19]:
I think we may have missed one or two weeks, but apart from that, it's something we do every single week. We've committed to it. That's what we do. And when I say we, it's like me, myself and I, yes, I have a team, but I'm the one who shows up every week and creates it. Now 2025, I want to absolutely be doing more YouTube videos. Why? Because I know that that's where the growth is going to be. I know that that's like where I need to be focusing my energy. But it's still going to be the masterpiece of content.

Suz Chadwick [00:08:49]:
So the YouTube video will become the podcast and the podcast becomes show notes and blogs for SEO on the website. And then from there they become carousels, text content for LinkedIn threads wherever else I'm going to use them. We then create short form content that we can share either across LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, et cetera. But it's a one core piece of content. Now obviously you do need to think about the way the different platforms work and make sure that you're repurposing in the right way. But when you start to create core, high quality content and then you distribute it in a really smart and systemized way, it means that you're getting so much more out of the content that you're creating. It means that you're squeezing the juice out of it so that you can attract more eyeballs, more followers, more community members, more leads, and eventually obviously more clients as well. And I was listening to another creator a while ago Talk about the fact that we have to be engineers and artists.

Suz Chadwick [00:09:54]:
And I think this is where the ecosystem comes in, too. It's creating the systems that are going to help you have structure to be able to scale, but then also being the creator, being the artist who comes in up with new ideas, new ways of thinking, new ways of explaining things to your audience so that they can get the outcomes and the results that you want to help them to be able to get. And so once you understand what that tree trunk is, what you want to be known for, and you start to look at the systems of distribution, which are the branches, then what will happen is your community and followers. I see as the leaves, as your tree. Your ecosystem continues to grow. And one thing that I did think about was a few episodes I spoke to Fatima about building brand worlds. And I think that when you build an ecosystem, you are building brand worlds. You're building new ways of communicating and connecting with your audience across different platforms in different ways, which allows them to interact with you and start to connect with your brand in a much bigger way.

Suz Chadwick [00:11:00]:
And you've got to remember, brand is the emotional connection that you have with your audience. Your brand is a feeling. And so if you can bring that feeling to more places, it means that you're going to be able to connect even more with your audience. So once you start to distribute all of your content and you have a system in place, and I think this is one of the biggest things is really knowing what is the process by which we're going to do this? What's the system that we're going to have, which means that we know exactly what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, who's going to be responsible for it. And then also take a look at how you're measuring what's working and what's not, is so important. It's kind of like looking at the health of the tree. Is the tree thriving or is it dying? Are we getting more leaves or other leaves are falling off? And so really understanding and being somebody who wants to nurture your ecosystem and somebody who's tending to that garden and that tree is so important. And so not only having systems in place, which is the engineer and you being the artist and the creator, but then also looking at measuring what's working, what's not working, how do we make things better so that we can make sure that we just continue to grow from strength to strength is so important.

Suz Chadwick [00:12:19]:
And I think that when you do all of these things, then you get the Flowers on the fruit tree. And that's where the fruit comes from, which is your clients. And so the longer you can nurture what it is that you have, you know that you are creating high value. But also the most important thing is that you're also creating those calls to action where you let your audience know how they can work with you, what you can do together, what's possible for them, what the outcome would be when they decide to come and engage you in whatever it is that you do. And so we want to build an ecosystem that allows us to be creative, that allows us to have systems that work, that allows our audience to find us and engage us. And so really think about what does your ecosystem look like at the moment? Do you have an ecosystem? Are you just kind of, you know, throwing things out there and hoping that something sticks or something grows? When you come at it from a perspective of having this one strategy, like, the one thing that I want to be focused on, the one thing I want to be known for, the one thing that I want to create content from, that then allows me to distribute it in a really smart and systemized way, then you'll be able to create more powerful content as well. That will lead to better leads and better customers and clients as well. Now, the one thing I do want to say about building a personal brand ecosystem is that whilst I am a big one for making sure that you're known for a particular thing, I am also a big believer in you are the niche.

Suz Chadwick [00:13:53]:
What does that mean?

Suz Chadwick [00:13:54]:
It doesn't mean that you talk about everything and anything, but it's about letting people really get to know you. Because remember, brand is a feeling. So how do I feel about this person? How do I feel about this brand? Do I feel like the quality of what they share with me is amazing? But then you also want them to get to know you a little bit. It's up to you how much you decide to let them get to know you. But the one thing I think is really important is to let yourself be in your brand as well, because that's something that can't be copied. For me, I love pickleball and I love house music and I love summer and I love travel. I lived in London, I lived in New York. I have a dog named Beau who's a schnoodle.

Suz Chadwick [00:14:31]:
Like, allowing those elements of yourself to come into your brand just means that people can connect with you on a more personal level, so that when they come to your content, not only do they love what it is that you talk about, but they're actually getting to know you a little bit more as a person. And we want to be relatable to our audience because it creates a much deeper connection as well. So think about what your ecosystem is going to be like. I absolutely believe that in 2025 and beyond, not only is an ecosystem so important, but it really helps you to get more time back and allows you to have things in your business that are working for you from an organic perspective. And obviously, yes, you can have ads that amplify what it is that you're doing, but when you create this and you create it consistently, like I said before, it means that people can find you, they can binge you, they can find out more about you. And Google shared some information a while ago which was about how people buy. And it's that we need to consume 7 hours of content over 11 different platforms and in 4 different, different formats. And so when you start to create long form content like videos or podcasts that you can then chop up and use in different ways, it means you're giving your audience more opportunity to really get to know you and what it is that you do and how you do it.

Suz Chadwick [00:15:51]:
So I want you to think about what your ecosystem and personal brand strategy is going to be for the next 12 months. What needs to shift and change? Do you need to make a commitment to be consistent with one masterpiece of content? And if you're going to do that, what is going to work for you? Is it a long form blog or article? Is it audio like a podcast or is it video? And I really think it's important to understand where the market's going and what's happening so that you can make the right decisions. Now the other thing I want to say is that whilst you absolutely want to lean into what you're really great at, you can also learn something new. You can also become really great at something that you've not done before. And it just takes practice. For me, I went and bought myself a little DJI osmos. I've sorted out some of the lighting in my office, but I'm also still like learning and trying to become better at creating engaging videos. And I'm doing things that I've never done before and I'm trying to play and not take it too seriously because I know that when I do that then I'll get better at it and it's also more enjoyable.

Suz Chadwick [00:17:01]:
So you've got to figure out what is going to be an enjoyable way for, for you to build your personal brand ecosystem. What is something that you might need to learn a little. How can you get help with it? Maybe you need to outsource some elements of it. You know, one of the elements of my business is Bold Vibes Consulting, which is a personal brand management and content studio. And so we work with a lot of our clients who are amazing at what they do, but they find the technical elements a little bit harder. And so we help them to execute that with me and my BVC team. And so just knowing that, that you can still do the things that you want, but you can get help where you need it, I think is also important for me. Hiring a video editor is top of the list at the moment.

Suz Chadwick [00:17:46]:
And also looking at getting somebody who is a great writer who can take a look at our blogs and our show notes and previous podcasts and start to extract a lot of the information and the content that I've already shared and be able to package that and share that across different platforms as well is another thing that I'm really thinking about and looking at. And it's not always about new. You know, you've got so much information already in your business. I'm sure that you've created blogs, you've been on podcasts, and so really looking at where have I already created content and how can I take that and repurpose it, how can I take that and get more out of it? And what do I need to do? What do I need to learn? Who else do I need to bring in in order for me to do that really, really well? So I'm very excited for you to create your personal brand ecosystem. This is what I do with my clients in the Amplify accelerator. And so if you want help with this, then make sure that you apply and come and join us and I'll see you next time. But until then, make sure you keep building that bold and courageous brand.