The Six Figure Personal Stylist Podcast
The styling consultancy is the first "stylist only" business consulting firm dedicated to making personal stylists like you into 6-figurecreative CEOs.
We’re dedicated to pioneering a new category of badass, wealthy industry shifting stylists who run businesses that are ridiculously fun, have dreamy AF clients, and are making so much predictable monthly income, saving items in your The Real Real cart instead of checking out right away becomes a thing of the past.
Everything is about to change for you.
Listen in each week as host, Nicole Otchy, takes you inside the world of Six Figure Personal Stylists and what it takes for you to step into this world for yourself.
The Six Figure Personal Stylist Podcast
Building a Personal Styling Business Around Identity Work with Anna Rova
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Anna Rova came to personal styling from a place I don’t hear very often. She built a seven-figure dating coaching business, closed it down, and then decided to become a personal stylist, even though she had never styled friends and family or really seen herself as the stylish one.
Anna grew up in Moldova thinking style was something other people were just born with, usually women from rich families who somehow knew how to dress well. As she built her first business and started earning more, she began to notice the gap between how she saw herself as a successful woman and how she was actually showing up. That was the beginning of realizing style was not some mythical thing she could never access. It was a skill she could learn.
In this episode of The Six Figure Personal Stylist Podcast, Anna and I talk about what happened when she moved from dating coach to personal stylist, why her past business success did not automatically make this business easy, and how she is using style as a tool for identity work, not just better outfits.
1:34 – How Anna went from running a successful dating coaching business to realizing she wanted to help women with style
4:25 – Why Anna’s path into personal styling looked different from the stylists Nicole usually works with
8:23 – The pressure Anna felt to close the gap between the success she had built and how she was showing up
13:38 – What happened when Anna started building a styling business after already having online business success
17:21 – Why Anna’s polarizing message worked in dating and what she’s figuring out now as a stylist
20:12 – How working with Nicole helped Anna see the rare combination of experience she was bringing into styling
24:47 – Why business growth depends on your capacity for discomfort, not just the right program or strategy
26:54 – What changed after Anna finished the Accelerator, including enrolling four clients and launching her first styling group program
30:17 – Anna’s YouTube strategy and the difference between content that gets views and content that brings in styling clients
40:21 – What Anna is excited about next, including her group program and her first repeat styling client
Mentioned In Building a Personal Styling Business Around Identity Work with Anna Rova
Anna Rova | Instagram | YouTube
Nicole Otchy: Today, I am sitting down with my client, Anna Rova, who came to styling from a fascinating and unexpected place. Anna built a seven-figure dating coaching business, closed it down and decided to become a personal stylist. The thing is, she had never really styled friends and family. She grew up in Moldova, thinking that style was something other people were just born with, something she never really saw herself being a part of. But during the course of her business success as a dating coach online, she figured out that style was a skill she could learn. Anna joined me inside my Accelerator program and on today's episode, we talk all about what happens when you've already built one successful business and you have to start completely over, in a world that doesn't see you as the expert that you are, yet. I think you'll really enjoy our conversation.
Let's get into it. This is The Six Figure Personal Stylist Podcast. I'm Nicole Otchy and this is a show for personal stylists building world-class businesses and setting the standard in the industry. We're talking all things profitable growth, thought leadership and real client transformations. Because the best stylists don't just edit closets, they shape culture. Welcome, Anna. How are you?
Anna Rova: Hi, Nicole. I'm good. Thanks for having me.
Nicole Otchy: Yes, all the way from Bali. It's pretty incredible what the internet can do. Tell us a little bit about how you joined the world of personal styling and what you were doing right before.
Anna Rova: Right before becoming a personal stylist, I was actually a dating coach. I had a program that was teaching women how to basically attract the right partner. And I was doing that for about five years and the business was pretty successful. And then I decided to close that business down. And I was thinking about what I wanted to do. And so my dating coaching program also had a lot of elements in it of like feminine energy, discovering your wild woman, discovering your, how do you want to feel inside as a woman? It's basically a personal development. And so a big part of that was actually discovering yourself as a woman. And when I was doing that process for myself, when I went, on that journey before meeting my husband. A lot of that was about discovering my femininity and beauty and what I loved and really learning all these different parts about myself and style, was actually a big part. Like I started to be really, really interested in it quite a few years ago, when I worked with stylists and, you know, really learned about my body shape, like all of that stuff. And I started to be obsessed with the subject to the point where while I was still coaching and dating, I actually took my personal styling certification. I became a personal stylist certified. I actually did the personal styling and editorial without knowing that this will ever be my career. So yeah, when I closed down that dating business, I took some time to figure out what I wanted to do next. And I remember in Bali, I was, you know, if you have never been to Bali, there's all these amazing cafes, amazing energy, perfect places for like sitting and writing down notes and visioning into the future. So it was that one day, you know, I was like drinking my matcha latte and asking my journaling on the question like asking myself, what do I see myself doing every day, like, what would I love my day to be filled with. And a thought came into my mind and was I would love to help women with style. So from that on, from that day on and this was more than a bit more than a year ago, from today I was like I'm gonna pursue this. And it was a crazy thought, because I think unlike a lot of your clients, who are stylists, I never worked, well, I did work in a retail store, when I was a student, but it was nothing like a career. It was a summer job. I don't come from the retail industry. I did not style friends. I was never in that industry ever. And this was the last career that I thought I would be like the last person to become a stylist, you know.
Nicole Otchy: Well, I want to talk about that more, because from, you know, our work together, I read a lot of your marketing and I read, you know, a lot of the things that you wrote. So I got to know your story a lot. And not only were you not styling friends and family, you like actively did not think of yourself as like a stylish person.
Anna Rova: No, correct. Not at all.
Nicole Otchy: Right. Like that was not like it wasn't… So that was actually was really interesting about your story. So when you took the certification, you really didn't, you weren't like, was it to help your clients? Like, why did you go take a personal styling certification? I mean that’s intense.
Anna Rova: And that's what I'm saying. I think I'm very much unlike a lot of your clients in actually many ways, I think. Well, one of the ways is like, you know, I didn't grow up being that girl who just knew how to wear clothes well and everybody was kind of looking at me. And like, I did not grow up with like an innate sense of even taste or style or whatever. If you know my background or where I come from, so I was born in Moldova, which is a post-Soviet republic, the poorest country in Europe. And if you grow up in that environment, dressing well and looking great and fashion and whatever, it's like the last thing. It's like, you know, women who are stylish, first of all, when I was growing up were, or girls, I guess and then teenagers and women, were all from rich families. I associated looking good and looking stylish with being rich and actually coming from a family who could afford, because I couldn't afford anything basically. So, and I came from a country where, you know, we used clothes to just cover our bodies. Like this was a necessity, rather than something to express ourselves. I mean, you know, I do remember when like my dad bought me an orange puffer coat and this was like, the most amazing thing that ever happened. But it was never something that I saw my family, like, you know, my mother passed away, when I was really young. I didn't have any female role models that I could model. And I also grew up in a country, in a society and in, let's say, a very kind of middle class family for where I came from, where this was not a thing. You know, yeah, we wanted to look cool and good as teenagers. But I never talked to and I never met anyone who was like stylish, you know. So back to your question about why did I get a styling certification? I don't know. I had the money. I had a seven figure business. So, you know, I had five five grand in my bank account. And I was like, this is fun. This is calling me, because I started to do all the courses about style and working with styles and I was fascinated by the fact that this is like a whole, you know, I realized that style is actually a skill and something that I can learn, because for me, you know, as I said, I looked at all these women who were dressing well and I never saw myself, or my identity as I could be that. This was never a reality for me. I thought there were some like mythical creatures who just knew how to dress well since the moment they were born, you know and that could never be me. I just didn't see myself this way. So when I started to take all these courses, I was like, oh my God, there is like, I could dress my body in a certain way and I could use illusion dressing principles to emphasize certain parts of my body and I could work with color and I could do this.
Nicole Otchy: It was like magic.
Anna Rova: Yeah, I was like, oh my God, I could actually be that girl. I could be that person. And it's not something mythical, magical, whatever. I could learn how to do this. So that's why I was fascinated by it, you know and took the certification as a result.
Nicole Otchy: The more you're talking, the other thing that I think is interesting and it's a conversation that I've never really had publicly, but I do kind of wonder as another business owner or, you know, because you were a business owner before and you had this like million dollar business and like you had all the success and you were super public facing and you had a big hit, you have a huge following. And you really like, you were kind of underselling that you were a dating coach here. This was not a small business. This was like, you were a very well-known public figure. What's interesting about this is, do you think that becoming successful in that world, facilitated a need to have to look a certain way, because we both know that there is a lot of pressure, as you earn more, to look like you earn more. And do you think that styling and completely immersing yourself in it, from the angle of being a business owner, versus you just always liked style, it has something to do with trying to make it in that world too?
Anna Rova: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, for me and this is now as a stylist, I talk about this transformational moment. For me, the transformational moment was not necessarily, because I was a public figure and I had to kind of look a certain way, but for me, I started making an amount of money that was unfathomable for me, years before, where I came from. And so, you know, when you're making $50,000 a month, I remember a distinct moment. I started to look at myself in the mirror and I was like, hang on a second. What I have and that's why I talk about it, because my favorite group of women to work with now are entrepreneurs, because they're like me. And now I'm a stylist for successful women, but also my biggest passion is entrepreneurs. But when I started making that much money, as we become successful in our heads, we see ourselves as these powerful women, who are creating something amazing in the world. And of course, the moment you start making a certain amount, you feel the power and you're, you know, you're showing up in the world a certain way. And then when you look at yourself in the mirror and that doesn't match what you have in your head, I was like, hang on a second. I can't like, I can't be dressing this way anymore, this is not okay. I need to close that gap, so to say. So this is where my initial interest in style started to arise and, you know, I started taking courses and all that for sure. And a second moment that I follow up from that, I was joining these masterminds with people who were also doing, you know, seven figures and beyond. And I was just sitting in those rooms, you know, looking around at women, but also men and just feeling like I don't belong. And it wasn't about, you know, the Chanel bag or whatever, whatever. It was just the sense of taking myself seriously and taking myself, just treating myself, I think, on a different level, like in an upgraded level, where details matter, like where I present myself in a way that says, you know, I belong here, but not from like a vanity perspective, but really from a, yeah.
Nicole Otchy: I think what you said is like paying attention to yourself. It's sort of like, let's be honest, I mean, you talked about where you grew up and stuff, but I think we don't talk about status enough as stylists. And I think it's important to point out that people hire stylists, when they get a certain amount of status, not just because they want to impress other people, but because they notice as humans in society, how other people are acting and what it's supposed to look like to embody something, right? And there are bad versions of this, too, on the internet, where everybody kind of looks the same. That's not what we're talking about. But there are, like, the reality is, when you start to make six figures, when you start to have $30,000, $40,000 months and you get into rooms, like, I'd be $50,000 for a mastermind. It was not the same vibe as it was when I spent $2,000 to do a networking event in town, right, like, you start to see things. Yeah, sometimes it's the Chanel bag, but it's also just like they start to have the space and the time to focus on themselves in detail. When you're scrappy and coming up, like you just don't have the bandwidth. And so it signals that you have enough leisure, that you have enough time, or you can pay someone to show that they're paying attention. And I think your point is really good, that it can come from an internal place and that status signaling can also teach you, like, wait, I can slow down and pay attention to myself. Like, that's part of the money, is that, like, you're supposed to be able to do nice things for yourself when you make money. And it's hard when you're used to being scrappy. And I know you run pretty scrappy. You are a go-getter. And it's interesting to hear that you literally took a course to give yourself the opportunity to do that, because that is some serious business right there. So you took all these courses. You journal in Bali. You're going to be a stylist. This is it. What does the path to building the business now look like, when you've already had online success and done that?
Anna Rova: You know what's really interesting? I thought, oh my God, this whole journey of entrepreneurship, as you know, is all about doing things and learning lessons. There's all these lessons that we're learning, constant lessons. Done that, didn't work, don't want to do that again, or yeah, that worked. So I had, I was like, well, I have all these clients. I worked with more than 500 women over the course of five years. That was a lot. And so I thought, hmm, you know, I was successful as a dating coach. So like, I'm going to close that down. I'm going to open my styling practice and all these clients are going to come rushing in and I'm going to be rich and successful again, you know and so that did not happen. And that was such a humbling lesson to learn, in business and just in general in life, because yeah, my previous clients who trusted me and saw me as an expert as a dating coach, did not see me as an expert in style yet, you know. That was a hard pill to swallow, but yeah, I started just figuring out. Well, the basic thing I told myself is like, if I did it once, I could do it again, you know.
Nicole Otchy: Of course.
Anna Rova: I think I just did not expect that it's going to be so hard again and it's actually, I think it's actually harder for me now, building my business as a stylist, because… anyways there's many different reasons why the previous business worked and honestly it was pretty much like a unicorn, because I hit that product market fit right away with dating and it was during COVID and everything I had a polarizing message and so, yeah. And so, you know, having that experience, I was like, well, this is going to be easy breezy. Let's do it. Let's go. I know all the funnels and all the marketing and bla bla, bla. It didn't work that way. So yeah, the first year was hard. You know, I mean, I'm not going to lie, it's still not super easy breezy. And I don't think I mean, business in general, you know, for the most part is again lessons and a journey and it's hard and then it's amazing and it's hard again So yeah, I started to do different things, figure out different ways where to get clients started learning about it. And then I realized and this is just the person, I am like, look, there must be someone who teaches that, who teaches how to build a business for for stylists, you know. And then I found you, I actually posted in a group of other stylists about who can I mentor a coach with? And they recommended check out Nicole, so I checked you out and this is how I joined your style Accelerator, because I was like, look, I could like… my philosophy is always and I don't know if that hasn't always been, I guess, the right approach, but what has helped me along the way is like, I know there's an expert there to teach me X, Y, Z. If I have the money to invest, I'm going to invest and do it faster. Because I had so many questions about how to build this business, because it was so different and it's a different niche and it's like all that.
Nicole Otchy: Yes, it’s so different.
Anna Rova: And I've tried a few things and they didn't really work. So yeah, then I found you and joined your program.
Nicole Otchy: When you look back at it now and you think about what really worked, I think it could be right that it was COVID, market fit, all of that. I also think it was that you had a very polarizing message as a dating coach. And do you ever feel like that is, in the online space, just such a huge part of success, if you understand how to capitalize on it?
Anna Rova: So that's a really good question. I actually was thinking about this just recently. So first of all, I did not have a polarizing message to have a polarizing message. I had a polarizing message, because I truly believed that is the right way to think and attract the right partner and a way to move forward in a relationship. I still believe it was that, you know and I developed my body of work through years of writing. I started writing on Medium and I wrote every day and I developed all these ideas and as I work with clients and obviously like, I got married and I had a family and so I lived what I preached and I practiced in my relationship. And so it ended, I would say, accidentally, it ended up being a polarizing message. And you know me, Nicole, I don't shy away from speaking my mind and saying what I think despite people, oh my God, over the years for my ideas and dating, oh my God, people called me like a sociopath and there was so much hate and all of that. I didn't look at any of that. So yeah, to answer your question, I think mostly like you have to believe in something really strongly, you know, to become a thought leader and to really say what you want. And ultimately, if you don't look at everybody else, what everybody else is doing, that's what I'm actually trying to figure out now as I am a stylist. Which is, I mean, honestly, if you look at all the stylists, they all speak about the same thing. And that's the most of them, right? That's the resistance I have, being in this niche. It's like, all right, how many times I can bloody record a video about how to tie a shirt 10 ways, you know? Or like all of that stuff to me feels very superficial. And I'm just not that type of a stylist. And this is why I like your work, because you're not about that. You literally talk about the deeper concepts and subjects of what it takes to be a stylist. And so I think, I'm in the process of developing my body of work, when it comes to styling, like identity shifts and what does this mean. A polarizing message is really good, because then you attract the right people and you attract the others and it creates this vortex around you. But I'm not here to do that for…
Nicole Otchy: You are not doing it for the sake of it, yeah. And so when you came into the program, having had all this experience, your story is interesting, because I know you're a little bit like, eh, like, do I really need this? Like, is this really going to be any different? When you look back, what would you have shifted in how you started the business now, versus what you ended up, like what you did in the beginning?
Anna Rova: It's very hard to say, because I, You know, being in your program, the most important thing that being in your program and working with you and having the direct feedback from you as a client, for me personally and I know different stylists take different things from your program, but for me, was like, because I still, you know, when I start, I'm like, okay, I'm going to be a stylist, right? But there were so many thoughts in my head about, well, can I be a stylist? Especially since what I've shared with you in my background, you know what I mean? I did not see myself as a stylist and I could not believe that I could do it. So when I joined your program and I was going through the course and everything and you were helping me navigate this whole thing. I think it was mostly self-belief and the mindset that really helped me realize that I could freaking do this. And not only I could do this, but I could do this super well, based on my story and my experience of having built a business before. So I remember you told me specifically, you were like, oh my God, Anna, you are the most qualified person to actually help successful entrepreneurs with style, because not only you're a stylist, but you've also built a seven figure business before. And do you know how rare that is? Besides, I also shared with you the fact that, you know, I am an embodiment coach. I have been a feminine embodiment coach and this was the foundation of my dating program and why so many women came to actually work with me, in the past, because I did not just tell them what to say to a man to get him back or like where to, you know, all this superficial dating advice that the internet is full of that in the same way that the internet is full of superficial styling advice from influencers.
Nicole Otchy: That is correct.
Anna Rova: So it's the same thing. And then I had that. I had the experience of taking more than 500 women through deep identity shifts ,so they could change, so they could attract what they want, which is a different type of a man. And so if I could bring that into my styling practice, which is all about identity shifts using, you know, clothes and style as a tool, then the combinate, because many stylists don't even have that, right? They're here for the clothes, which is great. You know, I feel like there's a niche for that too, but I'm here for the identity shift that clothes can give me and my clients. And we just use clothes as a tool to do that. So by being in your program, I really understood that. And I remember, I'm going to tell a story, you're going to love it. I remember listening to your program and reading some of your messages. And I remember riding my scooter, because that's what you do in Bali. And I was like crying as I was listening to you. Because, you know, I mean, I myself, I'm a coach and I truly believe in coaching, you know and mentoring. And you are one of those people who will always be and I'm sure we'll work together in the future, who will always be one of my true mentors, because you saw in me again what I knew about myself, but I've forgotten, because I've closed down the business and maybe part of me thought that I was a failure or it didn't work or whatever. But you saw in me the, dare I say, the brilliance and the potential and who I am and what I could do. Because when you're building a business, building a business is really hard. And I'm an extrovert and I always want and crave support. So when a mentor like you, who's actually worked with my niche and my group and whatnot, saw who I am and when I heard that reflected back to me, I'm like fuck yeah, I can do this you know. and as I said I was crying, because no one else has told me, you know, my husband doesn't sit every night and saying you're amazing, you can do it you know how amazing you are, you know, what would feel… he's dealing with his own shit about, you know, closing down the business.
Nicole Otchy: Right.
Anna Rova: My girlfriends don't understand, you know, my family doesn't understand. So, yeah, I think being in a containment like that with someone who really believes in you and sees the potential and encourages you and literally is like you are sitting on a gold mine. For me, this was everything. And yeah, I'm so grateful.
Nicole Otchy: Well, thank you for sharing that. I think everybody comes, you know, you came with such a rare experience and it's interesting, you know, I think it's just very telling how many people I get on the phone with, or I have messages with them, you know, on DMs that are like, yeah, but will it work for me? Like, will it work for me? And it's like, as you know, as a coach who has run programs, I don't know what your capacity is for change, so I don't know. I don't know where you are in your personal development of how much discomfort you are capable of tolerating. Because that's the truth, like what you said earlier about being an entrepreneur. And you can't force someone's capacity for discomfort. You just can't. It just doesn't work. You've seen that. You can hold them to a standard and hope they mean it. And you can be there, when they come to you and ask, but you can't make people do anything, even if you have the best program in the world. And so working with you is fascinating, because you are someone that goes after the hard thing. Like if it is hard and it is in the room, you're going to go for it. Because you're like, I got to tackle that thing and I'm going to get on the other side of it. And there are clients like this, but this is a capacity you have to be able to cultivate in yourself for discomfort. And yours is wildly high. And that was really, more than yes, the success online, that is what I could see. And when you're that person, it doesn't matter what you step into. You're always going to be successful eventually. It's just because that's how you are wired. And so it doesn't surprise me that you're like, I'm not a stylish person and here I am a stylist. So whatever else you go after, I am confident you will tackle it. So now, you've been very honest. You do a program, it's not necessarily all sunshine and rainbows. There's still hard days. But what do you feel like you have grown in? What do you feel like is easier on the other side?
Anna Rova: Right after I finished your program, I've actually enrolled like, well, this was your program, but also, as you say, 90 days of YouTube videos that I've been producing. One of them was crazy viral. I continued to post and all of that. I've enrolled, you know, four clients in the span of like two months, I believe, two to three months.
Nicole Otchy: That's amazing.
Anna Rova: And then, right now, I'm just launching my group program, my first styling group program, which I'm really excited about. So, it's a journey and you got to hustle. Like, I have days where and you know, I've talked to other stylists and it's hard, you know, but it's a business. So, and I know how much you hustle, Nicole, to get your enrollments into your programs. If you ask any successful business owner, you know, you've got to put in the work. Without the work, you know, unicorns are not going to march into your room and deliver you coins.
Nicole Otchy: Hand you bags of money.
Anna Rova: Yeah, right. I've done this enough times, I guess, to see those, start to see the ebbs and flows and the patterns. And I also have, you know, bad days where I'm not feeding it. And, you know, I do the minimum that I also have two small children, you know, so that in itself is a thing. But yeah, like you said, I think I have this thing in me, where like even launching this program, right. I'm like, all right, what if like bloody nobody signs up? I said, well, I guess I'm going to learn, you know what I mean? And if nobody signs up, I guess I'm going to try to do something different, like a paid masterclass or whatever, whatever. It's a journey, but just last night, actually this morning, I heard from a woman who actually has a big following on Instagram. She messaged me and said, hey, you know, I watched your YouTube video, it’s amazing. I found you on Instagram and like, I'm your biggest fan and I'm looking into your offerings. And I'm like, yes, you know, so it works.
Nicole Otchy: Yeah. It works, it just takes time.
Anna Rova: You gotta show up.
Nicole Otchy: You gotta show up. You have to do the uncomfortable thing. You know, what's interesting is like four clients coming from what we were dealing with when we first, when you first started is like pretty significant in two months. And I don't think, I think you're underselling how much the positioning of you, like, yes, you got this confidence, you got who you were for, for sure. But then you immediately hit the ground talking to them. And it usually takes about 60-ish days of consistency, 90 days of consistency, but people are like, wait, what? Right, so you were getting YouTube hits, you have a YouTube channel that was doing well, but it wasn't necessarily getting you clients that were like the kind of clients you wanted to work with, that would pay your rates. One of the things we were trying to look at for you was how do you balance getting views and getting attention and niching and doing that. And I'd love to hear, you know, these are real strategy conversations. These are real things that we have to talk through and think through in these types of programs. So what did you end up deciding? Because I think it's interesting for people to hear this, because it's a real conversation about marketing.
Anna Rova: Yeah, so being on YouTube is actually a different beast rather than being on Instagram. And I chose YouTube as a platform, because I honestly have a love-hate relationship with Instagram. And again, you know, being a person, well, I consider myself more of a person of depth, rather than putting out short-term content. For me, long-term content is something that I felt more passionate about. And I said, all right, I got to choose a platform. You're not going to get clients. Again, no one's going to come and bring you bags of money, without you being on a platform and doing marketing, essentially. Which is, by the way, still hard for me. I find it wild that I've built a seven-figure business and I still find marketing hard. Like it's just… doesn't make sense to me, but it is what it is. Because I think at heart, I'm still a practitioner first, like a coach first and a stylist first, you know and then, and I think your audience will resonate with that, but then the marketing, the sales. And I think I told you this before, when I tell this to other peer stylists, they're like, what. I've done a thousand sales calls in my previous business, a thousand. I had days, and that's how I built my seven-figure business, through bloody sales calls, all day, every day. I'd done six to eight sales calls. So when people hear seven figures and everything and maybe it was COVID and luck, I'm like, there were days I couldn't get up out of bed, because I was so exhausted. Now, I don't promote that model. I don't want to do that anymore. But I had to learn how to sell and my highest today sale was like a $20,000 one-on-one client. I'm just sharing this, because I think a lot of people might hear my story and be like, well, I just got to hustle and this is so inspiring and whatnot. Yeah. And then there's a lot of work in that, where we have to learn sales as the number one skill as business owners.
Nicole Otchy: Yes.
Anna Rova: YouTube, I started to be on YouTube and then I worked with a girl who's helped me figure out a strategy, which was basically looking at what works in the styling niche. And what works in the styling niche, surprise, surprise, is dressing rules every woman should know, which is, by the way, my highest to date video, which is almost 750,000 views now. Or, you know, 10 things expensive ladies wear. Or, you know, body shape, blah, blah, blah. Right.
Nicole Otchy: But it wasn't getting clients, it was getting views. And you do make money from views. Some people, not everybody, I don't want to encourage, you know, there's a monetization strategy that you already had from your last experience, you know, online. But like, it wasn't... You can have all those views, but it's not like you're rolling in cash just because it's doing well.
Anna Rova: Yeah, so views can get you some AdSense revenue, but it's not necessarily going to get you clients, especially if your content is that kind of top of funnel, 10 tips here, three things there, blah, blah, blah, you know what I mean? I wasn't getting, I realized that the women who sit on the internet and like type in, or watch videos about rules and techniques and tips, whatnot, are not the women who are going to pay three, four or $5,000 for a stylist. So yeah, I mean, it's still a journey to be honest, Nicole. I've since then, you know, joined another program, which is all about YouTube. And I figured out, so my strategy now is actually doing like a hybrid. So pairing up what works with some of the deeper content. So that's what I'm doing now. Yeah.
Nicole Otchy: What you're saying basically is it's not like you have to… you have to, eventually you have to learn how to sell your services to your point earlier. Like even in your content it has to go back to the like what you are wanting to be known for, what the positioning is. Tips without it is you're a content creator. Like at some point like and you can do both, you can make money at both, but I think a lot of stylists think that it is that there is a magic bullet, where you can give 10 tips forever and it will be easy and then you'll also make thousands of dollars as a personal stylist and it's just… Yeah, right? Because I mean, that's why everybody wants to be a stylist right now, is because it looks easy to get on camera and say, 10 tips. But if you don't really like, you know, as you've experienced, when you have to talk to clients, you have all these conversations, knowing your 10 tips and getting on YouTube and then being able to help someone when they're having a meltdown about a blouse that has a frill on it and they forgot to tell you. Like, you know, there are two different jobs and the shock that comes with that is often a lot for some people.
Anna Rova: Yeah, I think when you I think, you know, coming back to when I was in your program, I realized I could actually do this. Not only I could do this, I could do this better. Well, I would say the majority of stylists, but then many stylists out there, because I'm not here to help a woman figure out how to wear blouse 10 ways. That's like not my first interest. I'm here to help a woman step into a new identity and I know how to do that really well as a coach in the past. And so what we see in the industry of styling is a lot of influencers or even and I know this is a big part of your program, because you talk about, well, what is the identity shift that you're creating for clients and talk more about that, rather than here's the 10 tips. The 10 tips are going to give you the audience that are going to follow you for the 10 tips.
Nicole Otchy: For sure.
Anna Rova: But not for, what you're actually doing in your services and they're definitely, well not definitely, probably not going to look at you as someone who I want to pay $5,000 or even $3,000 to help me shift and transform. Because it's not about the wardrobe. It's about how you're feeling, who you're presenting yourself to be and your identity shift that, again, your closet or your clothes are doing for you.
Nicole Otchy: One of the things you've done very well is share your own story, share your own experience with styling and style and your own journey there, which has been really cool to see, because I think that with more time is… that's the kind of thing that creates a cult following, because people want to see that there is evidence that this is possible for them. And like you have literal evidence from your past career, from how you showed up online. And it's just… it's really cool. I'm really excited for all the other clients you're going to see. So tell me, at this point, you're what, a year and a half? How far are you into your business?
Anna Rova: Yeah, like 13 months. So I'd say a bit more than a year. Yeah.
Nicole Otchy: All right. So it's a little over a year. Still a baby business. I didn't realize.
Anna Rova: I know, right? It's only been like nothing. Yeah. So new.
Nicole Otchy: That's pretty impressive. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, talk about hire somebody and go quicker. My God, that's really quite fast, actually. What are you excited about? I think I have some idea, but what are you excited about for your business in the next, you know, six months or a year? Like, what do you really want this next year to look like for you?
Anna Rova: It's funny, it's funny you say that's nothing, but to me it's such a long time. I'm like, oh my God, how many, yeah, like a year, like in my mind by now I should be back at a million dollars a year with this business. You know, it's just like so unrealistic.
Nicole Otchy: It's a different ballgame, girl.
Anna Rova: I know, right.
Nicole Otchy: It's a different ballgame.
Anna Rova: But because I am, as you said, you know, such a go-getter and it's like results are not coming fast enough, what should I do? You know, I just launched a custom chat GPT as a feature, like it's a whole thing. But yeah, now that I talk to you and I step back and this is again the value of working with someone who can look at this and say, Anna, chill the F out, because it's only been 12 months and you've had like what eight clients most stylists don’t like… blah blah blah…
Nicole Otchy: You know, like tripled your prices, you had like you have this like incredible YouTube strategy That's like also monetized and paying you, that is both this transformational thing, you're literally building an actual body of work, like not, like you're… that's what you're doing, that and most people aren't even using body of work eight years into working with me. So just chill, girl.
Anna Rova: I know. I think that's the thing about like, well, you know, I don't know if you want to call me a high achiever or whatever. It's like never fast enough, never good enough, never big enough, you know, so it's like, yeah, but I could have been there and because blah, blah, blah.
Nicole Otchy: I mean, maybe or else maybe you need to be where you are to learn the lessons you need to learn, so you can handle over there, because maybe over there looks different than over there looked as a million dollar business owner, because you're not the same person. So what if you need to get all these reps in? You're trying to build your own career when you say that. I mean, you're not, but that's what your brain is saying. Your brain is saying that's success. But then 20 minutes ago, you said, don't do nine sales calls in a row. It will kill you. Don't build the business the way I did, it's not healthy. So sure, let's not go back over there where it was very, you know, like it had its highs, but money doesn't change the unhealthiness of the model. Let's not pretend. So I hear you, but I'm coaching you now to remind you, you're not building that business. You're building a healthier, better, more transformative business. So it might take another year.
Anna Rova: Yeah, for sure. Hopefully a bit less, but we'll see. No, I mean, again, I've learned so many lessons. I would never recommend that model to anyone. The biggest lesson I learned is like, holy shit, I can have a business like that. It's possible for me to make a million dollars a year with something that I created. That, in itself, this is what I'm grateful for and all the sales experience that I have and all the connections and everything. Back to your question about what I'm excited about. I'm excited about my group style program that's coming out, starting in May. I'm in the launch phase right now.
Nicole Otchy: So exciting.
Anna Rova: Yeah, so that's kind of in the next, I guess, three months. And then I'm excited also about all the women, you know, who are finding me and all the clients that I'm going to be able to help. I'm having my, I actually wanted to send you a message or a screenshot. Today, a woman's signing up for my repeat styling service. And I remember when I was going through your program, you said something like, well, the styling industry is, or like personal styling is a repeat business industry, where clients come back to you and you give that off-boarding guide, where you give them a bit of a discount to sign up for the next service and everything. So I'm having my first client actually sign up for a repeat. And for me, it's like, because I never had like dating industry doesn't work like that.
Nicole Otchy: I was going to say, you know, you never want them to come back to you or else you didn't do your job.
Anna Rova: Yeah. Yeah. Unless you do like a higher kind of… anyways. Right. But here it's like literally clients could come to you over and over and over again. Maybe it's like once in two years, maybe it's for an event, whatever. So this woman worked with me in like a work wardrobe. And now she wants to do a complete wardrobe overhaul, like things like that. So I'm so excited and I'm celebrating that. Yeah. And I'm also looking forward to, you know, building this into something meaningful and substantial and connecting with all of these amazing women who are going to be my future clients.
Nicole Otchy: Yeah, I'm so excited. Thank you so much for being here. It was so wonderful to chat with you.
Anna Rova: Thanks so much, Nicole.
Thank you so much for hanging out with me. It turns out that social proof is actually pretty important. So if you could help me out, I'd so appreciate it. If you just had a quick free moment and could leave me a rating, or review on the podcast app, that would be killer. And even better, if you wanted to share this episode on Instagram and tag me, that would totally make my day and it would bring so much more awareness to the podcast and would help other stylists, just like you, who are looking to build lucrative styling business, because the better each of us does, the better all of us do.
Thanks for hanging out with me and I'll chat with you next time.