Biggest career mistake?
Not building a personal brand.
I know personal branding is a relatively new concept, especially with influencers and social media making it more accessible.
I’ve worked in digital PR and SEO for over 10 years now. When I started out at a search agency, I was the only young woman in the team – and being Black, from an ethnic background, with no friends or family in marketing or PR, I had no industry connections to lean on.
During that time, I built my first international marketing agency for K-pop with my friend and sister. But we never focused on building our personal brands. In fact, we worked so hard to stay behind the scenes that only businesses knew about us – not the consumers or fans. We wanted to avoid that kind of attention.
Looking back, I also wish I had learned how to sell and delegate work instead of trying to do everything myself. And honestly, I wish I had charged more for the incredible campaigns and work I produced!
Although I documented parts of my work and life back then, I regret deleting my social media accounts. Now, I’m starting from scratch, and social media has changed so much. But here I am, building again. Lesson learned.
Rant
People selling guaranteed links and business owners asking for digital PR but what they’re really after is a bunch of links.
I get why they do it from a business perspective – it’s easy to productise digital PR services. As a third-time founder relaunching my agency, Handnote, this year, I understand why some agencies take that approach as it reduces risk for the client.
But the truth is Digital PR is not just about backlinks.
Yes, they help with SEO. But with traditional PR and digital PR merging more than ever, a good agency or consultant should be setting KPIs that align with a brand’s wider marketing communications strategy – not just chasing link numbers.
Digital PR should be an integrated part of your overall search and brand strategy. And that’s something I’ll always stand by every time!
Useful advice
There are so many! But here are two I keep coming back to:
- “Work at your own pace.”
No one else is dealing with the exact circumstances, challenges, or responsibilities you are. Set realistic targets, be intentional about what you want, and move towards it little by little. When you look back, you’ll be grateful you stayed consistent instead of getting caught up in comparison.
- “No ask, no get.” (A concept by Noah Kagan)
This one is hard for people like me – perfectionists, creatives, the “I’ll-just-do-it-myself” types. But while that mindset might serve you well as an employee in marketing, it doesn’t work if you want to build a successful business.
I’ve had to force myself to ask for things. Once you’re clear on what you want to achieve, find the people who can help you, and ask. Some will say no. Some will ignore you. But some will say yes. And that’s when things start to shift.
The past seven months have been a crash course in this. After maternity leave, I quit my job to relaunch my agency. I started hosting webinars and emailing people about them, some joined, some politely declined, some ghosted me. But those reps gave me the confidence to apply for a speaking gig. And guess what? I landed it!
Now, I just keep reminding myself: Be audacious. Ask. The worst they can say is no.