Building a Personal Brand That Gets You Paid with Monique Sar

In this episode of Building the Best You, Jeanne Collins sits down with entrepreneur, talent agent, and branding strategist Monique Sar for a fun conversation about personal branding, entrepreneurship, marketing, and the mindset required to create long-term success. 

Monique shares her journey from finance to building multiple businesses, explains her signature “5 R’s” framework for building a profitable personal brand, and offers actionable advice for entrepreneurs, creators, and aspiring speakers looking to stand out in a crowded digital world. 

The conversation also dives into storytelling, consistency on social media, overcoming imposter syndrome, building authentic relationships, and why now is still the perfect time to start building your brand. 

Plus, Jeanne and Monique bond over their shared love of Formula 1 and discuss how F1 has become a masterclass in branding and influence.

Monique's book recommendations:

1. The Go-Giver
2. The One Thing

More about Monique:

Monique Sar is a Founder, Talent Agent, and Strategic Advisor who helps founders, creators, professional athletes, and executives build personal brands that get them seen, booked, and paid.

She works at the intersection of branding, deal-making, and strategy, helping people articulate their value, attract paid opportunities, and move from inconsistent deals to repeat revenue.

Monique represents top speakers, athletes, and industry leaders as President of BNC Speakers, advises founders on monetizing their reputation, and builds marketing systems through her ventures that connect corporations with culture.

https://devitesse.com/
linkedin.com/in/moniquesar

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Transcript

Introducing Monique Sar

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to Building the Best You, a destination for you to reimagine what is possible in your life and then create it. Hi, everybody. Welcome to the show. I'm your host, Gene Collins, and today we are going to talk about marketing and entrepreneurship. I am so excited. We have Monique Zarr on the show. She's coming to us from Colorado. And I don't normally read people's bios, but this one I want to read because I want to make sure I give your bio justice. So get ready, everybody. Here we go. Because this is going to frame it for everybody. All right. Monique Zar is a founder, talent agent, and strategic advisor who helps founders, creators, professional athletes, and executives build personal brands that get them seen, booked, and paid. She works at the intersection of branding, deal making, and strategy, helping people articulate their value, attract paid opportunities, and move from inconsistent deals to repeat revenue. Every entrepreneur loves this. Monique represents top speakers, athletes, and industry leaders as president of BNC speakers, advises founders on monetizing their reputation, and builds marketing systems through her ventures that connect corporations with culture. She also loves cars, and we are definitely going to talk about that too because I have a newfound love of F1. So, Monique, welcome to the show. Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to

Leaving Finance to Pursue Entrepreneurship

SPEAKER_01 1:32

be here. It's so great to have you. And I will say, I went to your LinkedIn profile to prep for this call. And you're like the president or founder or partner of four different corporations. So you are so busy. I follow you on Instagram. Love your content. And you just are so inspiring. And you also have this aura of positivity and hope. And just like women can do anything, which I have to say, I really, really love. And I think women need this. So first off, thank you and kudos to you. You are amazing. Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate that. You're welcome. All right. So before we dig into everything that you do, I would love to understand your journey and how you got to be where you are because you're also pretty young based on me being 55. I feel like I'm old here. But um, you've accomplished a lot. And so I would love to understand a little bit about your journey to becoming an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Yeah, thank you so much. Well, so I am an introvert at heart, believe it or not. So I am still like shocked every single day that I wake up and this is what I get to do. I actually got my start in finance. And so had that whole journey. And I come from an immigrant family. And, you know, what do immigrant families do? They're just like, hey, study really hard so you can get to a really good college, so you can get a really good job. And then that's it, right? So I kind of went on that path for a while. And I got to a point where I did have a lot of success in finance. But then I hit this wall where it's like, you know, once you feel like you do have everything, you know, and I feel like I was kind of drinking the Kool-Aid a little bit, like kind of just following that path of the finance bro, right? You get that, you get the car, get the second house. So we got there. And then all of a sudden I had this moment where it's just like, well, what's next? And it just like gnawed at me for like six, seven months to the point where I finally just like decided to make that leap where I'm just like, okay, I'm definitely made for more. I don't know what it is yet. And everyone was calling me crazy. My mentors, my family, they were just like, but you made it, right? But I'm like, but did I, what is making it, you know, actually mean? And so when I took the leap into, you know, starting my own venture and jumping into marketing and consulting, I started working with a lot of like tech clients. Um, but they got to a point where they were like, okay, Monique, we get what you're telling us, but we don't want to do the work. So that's how I formed the marketing agency. So I was like, okay, well, I guess we could just do it for you. And then slowly but surely just kept on adding more and more team members. And so I know that you shared like so many different things that I'm so busy with right now in my bio, but I definitely couldn't do it without my team. So I definitely want to give a nod to them because they're the ones that help keep me organized and just, you know, to help stay focused on so many different things. But honestly, looking at my whole journey now, like I am so grateful for this just because like it feels like for me, like work and play have totally just like blended. So, you know, that I feel like that's definitely, definitely a privilege uh to get here. And I am aware of that. So I don't take it for granted at all.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yeah, which is really cool that you say that though. So yes, kudos to team. We all need team. So I I love that you mentioned that because we don't get to where we are by ourselves for sure ever. And it's one of the keys to being an entrepreneur is to learn how to outsource and get a team. Like you don't have to be doing everything. So I'm so curious. So if you started in marketing as a consultant and then sort of developed a marketing agency, how did you know what to do with these other passions that you have to build these other businesses? And I ask this because as entrepreneurs, there is a common thread in our personalities very often, whether we're an introvert or an extrovert, and I'm an introvert like you, living in an extrovert world, that we tend to have passions for a lot of things. And like every new business idea is a really good business idea. So, how did you do the things that you help other businesses do? But how did you figure out for yourself where you are going to expand?

Creating Your Own Luck Through Visibility

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Yeah. So I do, I'm a big believer that you create your own luck, but I only feel like you can create your own luck by showing up. And so I feel like that's what happened over and over again when I started working with those tech founders. And then I don't know if you recall that app called Clubhouse that came out during the pandemic. So I spent, you know, probably a disgusting amount of time on that first week when that app came out. I think I probably spent like 80 hours or something crazy on that app, like actually on the app, like speaking to people and fell asleep on the app. Like it was, it was crazy. But I think it was during a time when everyone was just craving that human connection. And so Yahoo Finance did an article on me being one of the top business influencers on that app. So that's my claim to fame. Um, but my old mentor saw that post and he was like, hey, love what you're doing on Clubhouse. Do you want to join my team? And I'm like, yeah, sure. Like, I don't know what we're doing, but let's go for it. So he was the one that opened me up to working with like professional athletes and um this wide array of like, you know, fantastic talent. And so first I started working with them like on speaking engagements. And then slowly but surely, then it also became like brand placements and product placements. And it's all kind of the same thing because that's when I realized like these personal brands are the product, right? And it almost started to become a mission of mine because some individuals I was working with, even though they had so much success in their past life, now that they're stepping into the speaking circuit or like with online brand deals and things like that, they aren't charging what they should be charging. I always have to remind them, I'm like, you forget, right? Like, you know, let's say, for example, a brand like Nike, right? Before the world of influencer marketing and brand placements and things like this, like they had to hire out a venue, location, hair, makeup, wardrobe, a videographer, photographer, an editor, like an entire team and a massive production that would go behind this. And you're doing everything by yourself. So I I always constantly have to remind them like, you know, even though it's like not like a big six-figure production, it kind of is. And so that's been like a mindset shift that I've seen with a lot of my clients that I'm working with once we really pull back the layers of what actually goes into this. And I love seeing that light bulb moment. So, you know, now that um, you know, kind of like falling into this and creating my own look, uh, I would say that's how it all started to come about. And to take it one step further, I I'm so happy that I got to land back into automotive because that's something I've always been passionate about. Grew up with all boys, um, didn't get my first Barbie until I was like eight. So loved the Hot Wheels, loved all the cars. And I was like really into it. I even my very first business back when I was in high school and college, my mom was like, You're not gonna work. You're just gonna study really hard. But I'm like, well, still want to go out, you know? So I started my own photography business. Um, come a long way from charging like $50 for a photo shoot now to charging like six fig multi-six figures for like an activation for like a big OEM company. So it's so cool how it all came back full circle. And I don't, I didn't think I realized it until I started to look back on like, you know, how like the actual journey of how far we've come.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Yeah, that is so fascinating. And I love that. And I love cars. So we're gonna definitely get to that in the end because I want to make sure we get to talk about our love of cars. So, as you were talking, though, I'm so curious because I find for many entrepreneurs, and I love that you say a lot of people were super successful in one career and then shift careers, and then they have a really hard time charging what they're worth in that new career because I personally struggle with that and I see that a lot, especially if you leave a corporate job and you shift to building your own job. I feel like in the corporate world, you can define your worth based on as you're moving up the ladder and your job titles. And as you

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Knowing Your Worth

SPEAKER_01 9:01

go up, you feel like, okay, now I know I have a benchmark, I know what I should charge, I know what I'm worth, I know what I'm paid. But when we move into being an entrepreneur and having to develop our own brand and our own products and services, I think everybody I've ever met really struggles with this sort of imposter syndrome, but also like we do what we do because it's kind of easy for us in some ways. And so it's really hard to feel like you can charge a lot of money as an entrepreneur sometimes for stuff that kind of comes naturally to us. And a lot of times that's how we grow our businesses as stuff that's easy. So I'm getting to the question, which I would love to know. How do you help brands with that mindset part of it? Because you mentioned mindset. How do you help people with that? Because I think it's very real.

The Five R’s of Building a Personal Brand

SPEAKER_00 9:53

Oh, yeah, 100%. I'm so glad that you touched on this just because I feel like so many people are at this, right? And they don't ever like, you know, they can't really see that connection. So I developed like a signature framework, if you will, and I call them like my five R's. Yeah. So it all comes down to your reach, which is definitely like getting seen, right? The audience and going viral. And these are things that are still important that will get you seen, but it will not get you paid, right? So positioning is what you get paid with, which is, you know, building up your reputation. So I work with so many individuals that don't have like a huge following, but they have their positioning so locked in that it comes back to their reputation and that's what can get them paid. Next is the results, right? So this comes back to the proof. Um, so that's the third R. When you're showing off like the results that you can get as well, this can also help on the mindset piece because you're giving yourself evidence that you've done this, you know what you're doing. And so I always encourage my clients to like make like a smile file on their desktop folder and just to like, you know, drop in the articles that you know you've done, um, drop in like all the companies that you work with, and it just can just be their logo, right? So on those times where you're feeling like that imposter syndrome, just go open that up and just see like how amazing and incredible you actually are, because I think your brain is inherently negative. And it's so it's naturally gonna try to keep you safe. So it's gonna tell you all these things so that you know you you avoid taking risks, you avoid like creating your own luck, you avoid showing up. So go back to that file. Um, I think it's always great.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Um, the fourth R is relationships. So I'm still a big fan of like the old belly button to belly button handshake and really doubling down on relationships because, you know, this is so important, especially when you're trying to like accomplish like those big six, seven, eight-figure contracts, because, you know, they won't just do it based upon like, you know, your background, you know, they have to do it based upon the relationship. And relationship can come down to so many very simple things. And I can't believe I have to say this, but so oftentimes, right, it really comes down to can you reply on time, right? Like, especially in this industry, we do come across a bit of ego, you know, and these are some of those little things where I can't believe I have to say it, but I do, right? Just being a decent human being, right? Like, you know, not, you know, thinking like the world is, you know, beneath you and things like that, right? These are all just like little things, but it comes back to like strengthening that relationship, just making sure that you can come back to just like being human first, like checking in, you know. And so I think that's a big part of it, right? Because we live in a world where things are so transactional right now. And I think it has to come back to that. And then my last R in that signature method has to come down to relevancy, right? And so I see this so often where talent or our founders and brands, they'll just take deals just because that person can fog up a mirror. And so, like, you know, you have to get to a point where you have to be selective and protect your own personal brand. You have to make sure that you're working with partners that are actually relevant, like the audience, you know, maybe they aren't like the exact same, but they may they might be adjacent, right? You have to find that relevancy to make sure that you're not just like promoting something just because the check is really nice, right? So it comes back to the reputation, the results, the reach, uh, the relevancy and the relationships.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

So good to know. I love that the five R's. And it is really funny what you say about relationships, because I've spoken to people who in this speaking realm, because that's one of my future passions, is speaking. And I had someone say the same thing to me about you want to be easy to work with. And I think that probably applies to everything when you're talking about branding, speaking, partnerships, collaborations, even business partnerships. I think people forget that we buy from people we like. We want to work with people we like. And if you are a difficult partner or a difficult person to hire, it makes it much more, there's a lot more friction, and people aren't as likely to recommend you either. And to your point, it sounds so simple. And when someone said it to me, and I was like, well, of course. They're like, No, you really have to think about that in terms of how, you know, if you don't want these potential partnerships demanding information of you. You need to be forward thinking and providing information to them before they even ask. Or then if they do ask, respond in a timely manner or at least respond within 24 hours that you've gotten their email. And I was like, that sounds so simple. They're like, I know it does, but you we forget. We just forget in this world.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Oh, 100%. I'm so glad that you touched on that just because it's for us, it like goes without saying, but you'd be surprised at how many people like just don't follow some of those simple things.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Oh, totally. Yes. And we all have clients who do the same thing. You know, they don't follow, they don't show up for meetings, they don't show up for calls that we put on the calendar, they cancel at the last minute. It's like all of that leaves an impression, which is not a good one. So, what types of businesses or what types or what stage should a business or a founder be in when they start to think about this concept of expanding their brand and trying to do whether it's speaking or brand partnerships or collaborations to try to grow their brand? Where should they be in the development of their business when that is the

Why Entrepreneurs Should Build Their Brand Early

SPEAKER_01 15:09

right next step?

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Yeah. So um definitely like my hot take on that is like I do believe that everyone should jump on this like right from the get-go. And, you know, people have told me too, it's like, oh, it's too late to start on social media, it's too late to start on YouTube. I think it's still quite early. Like this creator economy is just getting started. And so I definitely think that, you know, if you are building something as a founder, build it in public. You know, I encourage you to do that. Like share that with your audience. Like start to build up your personal brand now because everything that you're doing, like people want to follow you for you, right? Slowly over time, like, you know, people have asked me, it's like, should I just work on building my following first? And I always tell them it's like, if you at least do two or three things, right? It should definitely be the reach. Like, so definitely grow your following, the reputation. So that's all about the positioning and the results and the proof, you know. So if you can at least do those three things, you can probably even land deals like very early on because, you know, people are multifaceted, they're multi-hyphenated. Um, it doesn't have to be just like because you have this like really nice and shiny social media profile, right? They're gonna look at you holistically. I oftentimes I believe that like your social media is like your calling card and it just kind of shows proof that you exist and you're doing the deal. But when it comes to it, like if you want to start landing activations and partnerships right away, you can do that like right from the get-go.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Wow, I would not have thought that. I love that you said it's never too late to start to grow on social media because I think a lot of times as entrepreneurs, we feel like we can't do certain things until it's like, I can't launch this new product until I have this incredibly beautiful website and until I have all of this, or I can't go on to social media until I really know I've really firmed up who my target audience is and I really am like secure with my brand and my brand positioning. And I think we tend, because marketing is for most entrepreneurs, not our specialty. We tend to shy away from a public-facing part of our brands because we don't feel ready. And I question whether we ever feel ready.

Consistency, Virality, and Social Media Growth

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Oh, yeah. I'm so glad you hit on this because I feel like the world has so many like thinkers and talkers and but not enough doers, right? And so I think that's so important to just like realize this because nobody ever feels like they're ready. And honestly, you have to just start. Starting is the hardest part. I always think about like this the sailboat example, right? Like the hardest thing about getting a sailboat going is just the getting going. Once you have that inertia, it's like it's off to the races from there. And it's the same thing with building your personal brand. Like once you get going, you can iterate, you can change, right? Like I've had so many um creators that I worked with as well, where like they were just trying and testing different things when they were first starting on their content journey to the point where, like, you know, they they had like a couple of videos go viral that we had to go back to the beginning of when they were starting to post and archiving some of that content, you know, and because it's okay. Like, you know, it's okay if some of it was weird and you're not super proud of it. You know, you can always hide that later. But other times too, some people like to see that progression and that journey. Mr. Beast is such a great example of that, right? If you look at some of his earliest content to where he is now, it all comes back to the fact that he at least started and he just continued to stay on that path. So I would say though, like, probably, you know, like getting started is definitely one of the hardest, harder things. But I think the hardest thing is staying consistent. You know, I know that some people, um, I myself included, you know, like sometimes I'll go like on this stint where like I'll go really, really good for a while and then I'll just like stop all of a sudden, right? And I know many people, um, this happens too as well. But if you can stay consistent, that's what's really going to make this uh very beneficial for you on your personal brand journey.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Yes, consistency is key. And sometimes it is a lot of work and it can be super disheartening too, I will say. You know, as an entrepreneur, you can create a piece of content that you feel really passionate and emotional about and think it's really good. And it's super frustrating when you put it out there into the ecosystem and it feels like you get crickets back. And it's like, even if a couple hundred or a few thousand people see it, for some reason as an entrepreneur, we have learned that that's like not a lot of people. Like we forget if you plopped us on a stage in front of thousands of people and you got to speak to them for a couple of minutes, how cool would that be? But we have this warped perception of what success needs to look like as an entrepreneur and as a brand on social media because we also have the influencer society and the influencers are doing so much and their reach is so great. So I wonder, in your opinion, how do you balance that? You have influencers where the reach is so great, and you have entrepreneurs starting off with a small brand and their reach isn't so great, but reach is one of the things you're supposed to work on. So, how do you balance that for a client?

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Yeah. So first we always start with the mindset piece, right? Because we have to just like get past that block. And I just remind them, like, you know, we live in a world where, like, you know, at least back in our day, right? Where when we were kids, when we were growing up, all you had to do was worry about like just being the coolest kid on the block, right? Now you have to like worry about like, you know, when you're looking at comparison and stuff. It's like, how do you compete with the kid that like is 15 years old and has like a private jet, right? And so like when we're looking at like looking at the the whole thing from like a really big picture, first you just have to understand that that's just the way it is, right? And I always have to remind them too, it's like, hey, if only like 30 people are liking your posts, like imagine if they had 30 people in the room. That's still a lot of people, right? And what it comes back to is, you know, when we when we look at the followers, it's still part of it, right? Because I never want to lose traction of that. So when I do work with talent on like, you know, building out their content plans, we definitely have to do content that is really all about their personal brand. But every now and then we do have to create a piece of content that we engineer to go viral. So it's not always, you know, related to, you know, the brand, but it is engineered to go viral because the intention of that type of post is just to bring people back to your page. So we want to, you know, create a really magnetic first impression so that way, you know, they do convert. So they like or follow you. Um that's still really important to do. But when it comes to like making money, it always comes back to the positioning and the reputation. So we always do those things in tandem. And I always have to remind them it's like, don't forget going viral and having a, you know, a big following and building up your audience is not what gets you paid. It's still something that is required to do because, you know, we are very early in this creator economy. And as you as you know, like the more consistent you are, one of those things is bound to like, you know, go viral and you might end up getting like a really big deal from that. So that's just part of the work. Positioning though, when we're thinking about like making money from this, this we have to come back to the positioning and the reputation. So this is where we showcase, you know, like, hey, you are the expert in XYZ category. You help XYZ category, you know, with whatever transformation that might be. So if like I'm working with a tech founder, for example, it's like, oh, well, my signature method helps reduce turnover by 30%, right? It's a very tactical piece of positioning that like locks into their reputation. So those two things go in tandem, but I always have to remind them it's like one is just the required work, and then one is what actually gets you paid.

SPEAKER_01 22:35

Yeah, there is such a big difference. I love that you emphasize that because I think sometimes if our expectation is we're trying to grow our following and grow our connection and we don't see a direct correlation between doing that and getting paid, it feels incredibly frustrating. I can say personally, as an entrepreneur, I have put out a lot of content that in theory should help drive sales of some, you know, evergreen products that I have, such as a book and a course and all that thing. And I have been shocked at how hard it is to drive conversion as an entrepreneur to do that when that's not your specialty, is doing that. So like it's so not easy. The world needs people like you to help us. So I'm super curious.

Storytelling and Human Connection in the AI Era

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Do you also work with brands trying to help people identify what really is their uniqueness as a personal brand?

SPEAKER_00 23:30

I do, I do work with a lot of individuals in the knowledge industry and you know, kind of going into this space because there is so much out there. And especially right now with like AI, there's like a lot of AI slop out there too. And so I do work with these individuals. And the number one thing that I always want to lean into when we're having these discussions of like how can we help your people, right?

SPEAKER_02 23:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

It comes back to storytelling. And so I think storytelling is like the number one thing, and I think you're fantastic at it, you know, just having listened to some of your content as well. This is the skill that, you know, AI can't really do. And I'm saying this too with a lot of the tech community that I work with as well. Like they're beginning to like, you know, they're beginning to offer salaries between like 250K all the way up to like, you know, seven figures just for like an in-house storyteller. And so it really comes back to that because what you know, when you're telling stories, this is what can help really move the needle in a sense of like any marketing, you know, to drive any conversions. This has been the pivotal point of like, you know, the one thing that we really focus on with our campaigns. So even with some of like the production stuff that we do as well, like even though it's all visual, we still have to come back to the storytelling, right? It's like, what is the story it's actually telling? Right. And so I think gone are the days where you just make something beautiful and people will come, right? It's like now you have to really hook them in with like, you know, pulling on the heartstrings or making them laugh. Um, and you only can do that by telling great stories. So I hope that helps answer that question.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Yes, it does. It does. Well, it's also it's great because you mentioned AI. It's humanizing your personal brand. I, you know, follow lots of influencers and lots of people who work in social media space, and they all say, whether you like it or not, get behind the camera because people want to see you and don't worry about being perfect or looking perfect because AI has made it so it's even AI is creating versions of us that we don't even know about. And so the more you can humanize yourself as a personal brand, like really humanize and not be an AI robot, the better off you will be as a brand and trying to differentiate yourself in a very crowded content space.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Yeah, 100%. It comes back to this whole concept of just like being human first, right?

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Yeah. And I've had other people come on and talk about building a brand, and everyone says the same thing. So I'm glad to know that that is the common narrative. Yeah. Okay. So if there's somebody out there who says, ooh, I'm super interested in what you've been talking about, you know, how should someone go about trying to see if they are a right fit to work with you or any of your agencies?

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Yeah, absolutely. So definitely just reaching out. LinkedIn's like always a really good way, um, or through it right directly through our website. Cause I think that like the it comes back to like creating your own look, right? Like you have to put yourself out there and you have to also be prepared for a lot of rejection and a lot of no's, right? So I know that early on when we were just getting started, I actually wanted to align myself with a lot of partner agencies as well because I'm so new in the space. Yes, I do have a roster of clients, but I didn't really have like a book of business to start with. And so um, I'm a big fan of collaboration over competition.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

And so if we can do things that way where we can work together versus competing each with each other, it's definitely um been beneficial on both sides. And it makes it a lot more fun too, because like with other talent agents that I work with, we can kind of share in some of the the wins and challenges that we we face together because it's such a specific space to be in. But, you know, like along the way, we can also like make some money together with our with our clients too. So that's been that's been really fun. So coming with that, I I did run into a lot of rejection as well because like nobody wanted to share their book of business. And and rightfully so, I get it, right? It's your black book and you, you know, you worked really hard to get those contacts. But over time, you know, I always want to just find ways to demonstrate value. So if you're out there and you're trying to just like get seen, you know, show up for yourself, you have to be prepared for the rejection, but also be prepared too. Like if you do get the phone call, you know, always lead with, you know, like how you can also add value to their lives. Because I think like, you know, a lot of people will just come on just expecting to get something, but we always have to understand that it's a lot of give and take. And um, I will, I will say I also do like a lot of empty-handed meetings, you know, and my mentor would kill me for that because he's like, you're just wasting time. But, you know, I do see the payoff, right? And I always think about this as like a return on effort, if you will, because I don't think a lot of people are putting in the reps in that way, you know, and a lot of people are very much looking for everything to have some sort of ROI, which is okay, right? And I I find that to be also very, very efficient, but I'm not just after the one-time transaction, right? I'm after like a really long-term partnership where we can make, you know, a six, seven figure activation happen. And so I am definitely putting in the reps that way. So I would encourage you, or for anyone listening, that um, if they do feel like they just keep getting the door, like, you know, the door slammed in their face and lots of no's, like that's okay. But, you know, try to find ways to stand out and to add value.

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Yeah. Ooh, which is important. And I love the long game of it. And I think it's hard sometimes to have our sights on the long game because any successful entrepreneur will tell you there were so many no's. But it's hard when you're an entrepreneur and you're getting a lot of no's. You're like, can the universe just wrinkle a little bit of yes in here for me, just to like remind me that my mission and my purpose is aligned and that there's value in someone care. So, you know, we need a little bit of of that. And but you mentioned a really important point, which I don't want to pass up, which is, you know, in the land of spirituality and in the land of manifesting and really trying to create your own life and to create your own luck, you have to take inspired action towards what you want. You can't just say, I want this and sit back and think that the universe is going to deliver it right on a plate for you. It doesn't, life does not work that way energetically. And I do think that's really important. You have to be willing to put some work in and a little sweat and effort, it's not just gonna get handed to you. You're not just gonna become a millionaire just because you're pretty, it's just not gonna work. You gotta work at it.

SPEAKER_00 29:41

Oh, 100%. I feel like too often, you know, especially with the world of entrepreneurship, I feel like social media has really glamorized it, right? And they just don't see that it takes like 10 years to become an overnight success.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Yes. Yes, that is so true. All right. So could we talk about speaking for a second? And you as a talent agency speaking bureau, because I think there are a lot of people, myself included, where we have a serious interest in speaking, yet it's incredibly daunting because it feels like we're stepping into a space of which, unless you have been groomed to be a professional speaker, it's really hard to feel like, how do I even get started in the speaking space? But I know that there are a lot of people, myself included, so I'm asking for me too, who feel like, you know, I have a lot of value. I have a lot to say that I think could be really valuable. And so what advice would you give to someone like myself who's super interested in speaking, but yet doesn't have this whole massive speaking reel? Like, I've done some stuff, other people have done some stuff, I've done a TEDx, things like that. But it's how do you take that next step to start working with a professional to really figure out how to get yourself into the realm of having speaking be something that you get paid for? What advice

How to Start Building a Paid Speaking Career

SPEAKER_01 31:01

do you have for that?

SPEAKER_00 31:02

Yeah, such a great question. Um, so I definitely feel like number one, like you have to put yourself out there and start putting out content. So for yourself, like, you know, I think that you definitely have a step up ahead of people that, you know, have never even like just put themselves in front of a camera. And so that's definitely number one is just like you have to start showing up because that's one thing that bookers are always looking at. They're looking at your website, they're looking at your social media to see if you actually, you know, it's like your calling card, right? They want to make sure that you're actually doing the deal. I want to also say that I don't think that everyone is always 100% ready to work with an agent in a speakers bureau, because I do believe that my hot take is like you have to at least be commanding at least 10K minimum to make it worth everybody's time, right? So not a lot of um agents and speakers' bureaus will take you if you're charging less than that. However, I do believe that a lot of speakers are also underpricing themselves. Yeah. Um, because I do feel like if you have like this extensive knowledge and if your signature method is really dialed in, coming back to like my five R's, right? If you have the results and the proof that you can do this for people, you should be commanding at least 10K minimum, right? And so I do believe that when you're first stepping into this, you know, as you start building up your content and you start thinking about the pricing, when you do approach like an agency or a bureau or even just approaching clients directly, you definitely need to come in ready to pitch. So whatever your one-liner is, it can't be this long, like four-paragraph thing. Cause I've seen so many pitches and you know, you lost me if I have to, you know, keep like reading through it. So it has to be done within that first paragraph and it has to be able to sell itself. And the reason why this is so important is because when you're first pitching somebody, it's not the decision maker. It's always just like the person that's like kind of like organizing and putting everything together or the decision maker. Yes. So you have to make it so easy for whoever's reading that pitch to know exactly who you are, what your message is, what the transformation is, and who the audience is for.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

That they're able to sell it to their leadership that's actually making the decision, right? This pitch has to basically sell itself. And so um, too often I've seen pitches that just get lost in the sauce and whoever's pitching it to the decision maker, you know, just loses it as well. So if it's way too complicating, you know, you've already lost it there. And I feel like that's the number one thing that I I've seen a lot with new speakers is because they try to fit everything in there. Yeah. And that's okay. Cause I know, you know, it's it's a very exciting opportunity and things like that too. But I would really boil it down to like um three signature top speaking topics. And um on this one sheet, you know, you we would have like your bio and keep it short, right? So this is all has to fit on one page. So um, you know, you have like maybe your headshot there, your bio, and then you have like, you know, past um the proof, right? Like past clients that you've worked with, past the results that you have there, and then your three signature topics. Each of these signature topics needs to have the speech title, basically a quick like one-liner tagline of what the speech is about. And then you have like who the audience is. So if this is like for leadership only or for like a big general, you know, thousand-person keynote audience. And then bullet points for the three takeaways for the attendees. So that's one thing that oftentimes a lot of speakers miss. But if you can just like line it up just like that, yeah, makes it so easy for the booker and the planner. Um, and that's what can help you to like, you know, getting that minimum 10K.

unknown 34:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

That's super helpful. So I I have to laugh as you're saying like it has to all fit on one page because I I think about the days back when I first started looking for a corporate job. It was like you had to get your resume on one page. Like we don't care how many years you've been working, your resume has to fit on one page. You have to be able to communicate your uniqueness, your value, what you're gonna do for a corporation, how you're gonna help them increase revenue or increase our whatever it is on one page. And I think I've seen a lot of things from different speakers that can be incredibly overwhelming because it's like eight pages of stuff. And it's wonderful. That's great, but it's also super overwhelming for someone who might be trying to step into the speaking space and and start somewhere. And so thank you for that advice on the one pager and what to include, because I think that's really actionable for anybody who's interested in trying to pursue speaking. So thank you. That is so helpful. I love that. Okay, before we've run out of time, can we talk about cars for a minute? Because you are so busy and you have four businesses and it's totally crazy. And one of them does deal with automotive. So that's great. But you are such a good example of you have passions and you still make time in your life for these passions. And one of them is cars. So talk to us about that passion and how you make time for such a passion. And then we're gonna talk about F1 for a

Cars, Formula 1, and Building Passion Into Your Brand

SPEAKER_01 35:42

second, too.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I love cars so much. Obviously, just having grown up with, you know, like all Hot Wheels and things like that, now bringing it full circle. I do have like my own toys that I like to play with as well. And so what I started to do is actually I actually started to just align myself with like friends and just like my peers that were actually automotive content creators. And, you know, um, one of them actually approached me and he was like, you know, you represent athletes, you should represent me too. It's kind of like the same thing, right? So he's got like 300K on TikTok and not a huge audience, right? But it is kind of like the same thing, right? Like the personal brand is the product. So I started working with him on like, you know, aligning it with brand deals and things like that. And I think what really opened me up to the whole automotive industry was um through some of the brand partnerships that I was landing for him, I got an invitation to attend SEMA. So for those of you that don't know what SEMA is, it's the really the biggest aftermarket car show like in the world for all like the aftermarket suppliers. Um, it's it's very show car. So you will find like the best of the best builds there. And so that's that was like definitely like one of the most like life-changing experiences for me because I remember back in the day when I was like looking at the forums of these events. And I remember the very first time I walked into that hall, it was like a pinch me moment where I was like, I remember like I'm getting goosebumps talking about it right now because like I remember looking at this when I was a kid on the forums and now I'm here. Right. And it just came back to like, you know, I really wanted to work with something I was passionate about. And like now that the work and play has just like completely crossed over, um, I feel like that's been the best part because I really wanted to get into more of the automotive space because, you know, it's definitely not as big as like the tech sector, right? As far as like, you know, conversion dollars and things like that. But I really wanted to go to the activations, the race events, right? And so that was always like the really the best part because like, you know, I can just show up as as um, you know, the talent manager, just like, you know, hold bring my oil sheets just to make sure the talent doesn't look greasy when they get on camera. Like, but getting to attend these behind the scenes um of the race events and stuff, that's been oh, it's been the best, the best time for sure.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

It sounds like a dream come true for someone who just found racing thanks to my daughter who had us binge watch the Netflix series of F1 racing over the Christmas holiday and the her January break, binge watching the last six or seven years of F1, of which I knew nothing about and now have come become completely hooked on F1 and these race cars. And and what I think is so interesting about racing, and I think what's cool about just racing as a concept of a passion is I knew nothing about the strategy behind any of this. And I think what's so interesting is that, you know, television has made it so it opened my eyes to the strategy of a sporting field that I knew nothing about, that I now am completely obsessed with, have a fantasy league for, you know, like George, Mercedes, Kimmy. I am all in, like they are my people. And but yet I knew nothing about it before, but television has opened my eyes to it. And the correlation I think to that and a personal brand is you never know when someone's gonna have that aha awakening or get exposed to something about you and your brand and what you do that could be life-changing for someone. And I just think I'm using it as a super big example, but I think it is applicable to brands because I think sometimes it's hard for us to keep the faith and keep the momentum. And I think F1 has done such an incredible job of the racing world. All of a sudden, you're like, where were they been around forever? They've been around forever. And now all of a sudden they're like rising up and everyone I know is talking about it. It's really cool.

SPEAKER_00 39:31

Yeah, it's so cool to be on this side of history, right? Because it's just like you said, because I remember like attending some of these F1 events like way before it became like super mainstream, right? And I'm just like, I'm so glad it is though, because now I see like all these collaborations with like a lot of like apparel brands, like racing culture is like really coming in now. And I love it because like normally, like it'd be so hard to find like really nice like merch and products and stuff to relate, but now it's all here. So it's it's super cool to be a part of it now.

SPEAKER_01 39:58

It is, you're lucky. All right, so do you have a favorite team?

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Yeah, so my team is Mercedes, always has been.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

Well, um, Todo. So he's coming to New York as part of his book tour. Him and his wife are coming to New York as part of their book tour, and uh, we sat in the queue to try to buy tickets to it, and it sold out literally in like two minutes. Like two minutes. Literally, there were maybe 15 seats when I got logged in. And before I could even click on anything, they were gone, gone. And it's still sold out. Like a lot of times people will resell stuff on Ticketmaster. I check all the time. It is still totally sold out. Everyone wants, I would love to see him speak. I think it'd be fascinating.

SPEAKER_00 40:37

Oh, yeah, he's incredible. Um, do let me know if you do. I would be super jealous, but I would love to learn about it.

SPEAKER_01 40:43

Yeah, yeah. Well, and I just think it's from a branding perspective, there's so much you can learn from Formula One because there are so many brands. And these drivers have become, I am always shocked. They're like fashion icons now. And and just seeing how they are individually developing as a personal brand and a driver is just, it's such a cool case study in how to build a brand and build a business. Granted, they have lots of money and it's very macro, but I think for anybody who's looking to learn, it there's a lot that you can learn about how the F1 space and the drivers and the companies and how they all have done a lot of partnerships and deals to bring brands to the forefront. I think it's pretty cool from a branding perspective.

SPEAKER_00 41:26

Yeah, 100%. And I'm just loving what they're doing with like F1 Academy and like bringing in like cosmetic brands into the space too. Like it's about time.

SPEAKER_01 41:34

It is. It's not just for men. It is. I mean, I know so many women who are so into it. And then you find out that those women are actually super into cars as well. It's not just the F1 and these beautiful drivers and how fast and how beautiful, but like actually really super into cars themselves. And I think it also opens up a super interesting connection for people, especially on a social media platform where it's like, okay, if you're trying to develop a personal brand, most people wouldn't even know that I love F1 unless I actually start posting content about it. And then that could be what gets me a follower or gets me a connection with someone who might end up buying my coaching services just because I posted something about F1 and they connect with me on that level. And so you kind of never know as a brand. It's like if you can deliver more about your passions, your interests, what you're excited about, you just don't know where that's gonna take you.

SPEAKER_00 42:29

Yeah, 100%. Because people are following you for you and people want to work with you for you, right?

SPEAKER_01 42:34

Yeah, which I love. Okay, so before we run out of time, is there anything that I didn't bring up that we didn't get to talk about that you think is super important to share?

SPEAKER_00 42:43

No, um, but I do want to just like, you know, um lean into one last thing about, you know, when I mentioned about getting started, I I do want to reiterate that. Like, you know, if you're on the fence about something, like just get started. Cause I feel like too often, you know, we do get a lot of energy and inspiration from like these types of conversations and these types of chats. But if you do nothing with it, right, it can all be for nothing.

SPEAKER_01 43:03

Very good point. Absolutely. Tap, I always say to people, like, if your gut is like kind of excited or you have energy from something, follow that. Don't just like let it die and fizzle. Follow what your gut is telling you from your passions, especially as an entrepreneur. Okay. I love to ask my guests to recommend a book that they have read that has impacted them either personally or professionally. I think it gives us a great insight into our guests. And it also, I believe books can change lives. And so I think it gives the audience um really interesting content to read. So I would love to know what book or books, some people can't narrow it down to one, you would recommend people read that has had an impact

Favorite Books and Inspirations

SPEAKER_01 43:37

on you.

SPEAKER_00 43:38

Yeah, absolutely. So um, I think for me, um, it's down to two books. The first one is The Go Giver. That one has just changed my life. Um, it definitely I feel like that's the number one recommendation. And then the second book is Um The One Thing by Gary Keller. Um, I know it's like kind of contradicting because I have like so many different things going and on the go. Yeah. Um, but I think it starts there. It starts with like narrowing in on that one thing to be able to. open up room for like all

Closing Thoughts and Final Advice

SPEAKER_00 44:01

these other things. Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 44:02

Yes. And I have not read the first one. I've heard of the second one. So I'm going to definitely have to go read that because I do try to read a lot of the books that my guests recommend because I think it's really insightful. We have people on here that are super successful and really have a lot to share. And so I love reading the book. So I thank you for that. So ah Monique, you have been such a fabulous guest. Thank you. You've shared so much insight. I think you've given our listeners some really practical things that they can think about as they're trying to build their entrepreneurial business, as they're thinking about marketing, they're thinking about branding. I will put into the show notes everything so everybody can follow you. They can find you they can go see about your businesses. They can follow you on Instagram. You do put out some super inspirational content on Instagram, which I greatly enjoy. And you also post about cars too. So you got to check that out. So thank you so much, Monique, and we will definitely keep in touch. Thank you for being a great guest. Sounds good. Thank you again so much for having me. This is fantastic. Thank you for joining us for this week's episode of Building the Best You. If you are ready to take a deeper dive into transforming your life check out my Empowerment Fundamentals course on my website, houseofgermar.com. Thank you and I will see you next week with another inspiring guest