257. Two expert tips for building your strongest brand! Guest Lele Sadoughi

SHOW NOTES Title: Two expert tips for building your strongest personal and professional brand  Encore Episode 257 Guest: Lele Sadoughi THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: One of the secrets of building a strong brand either for your company or for yourself means tapping into the power of your unique story and those elements that make you and your business special. This can be a challenging exercise, but when you’re clear on your core values and you’re aligning them with the things that you love and that you’re passionate about and you’re using them to help you create a product or a service that can then contribute to someone else, it can make all the difference. It can also help you differentiate yourself and your product in a powerful way!  Tapping into what makes us unique and living in that uniqueness is also key to building influence. In this week’s conversation, I’m talking to the queen of the bejeweled headband — an embellishment artist who has taken “dopamine dressing,” but more specifically “dopamine accessorizing” to a new and colorful and sparkly level.   ABOUT THIS WEEK’S GUEST:  Lisa — also known as “Lele” — Sadoughi is the founder and creative genius behind her bejeweled namesake brand Lele Sadoughi.  My conversation with Lele is part of our collaboration series with The Southern C. As part of this series, you have been hearing from incredible entrepreneurs and founders who are part of The Southern C network and who are sharing their expertise to help others. Whether you are already in the throes of running your business or just launching one or maybe just thinking about what might be next, I think you’ll find great value in all of these conversations.  Lele Sadoughi started her celebrated, colorful jewelry and accessory brand after working with an impressive roster of well-known brands — Rebecca Taylor, Ippolita, and Tory Burch.  She also launched the first ever J.Crew costume jewelry collection before deciding to launch her own brand in 2012.  What started with jewelry and accessories — most notably the bejeweled headband– has now expanded to include a range of other accessories including wallpapers. Each has a fun, colorful aesthetic that is very uniquely Lele Sadoughi.    WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:  How to lean into your passion to create a business and a unique brand.  How to manage your creative energy. Where Lele Sadoughi finds inspiration for her bejeweled accessories.  The power of collaboration and knowing how to pick the right partners. Knowing when to pivot or expand, and why Lele advises brands to grow at their own pace.    LELE’S TOP ADVICE: <br /> “Realize that you don’t kno