IE081 Jessica Zweig: Personal Branding Demystified: How to Unleash Your Authentic Self (SimplyBe)

Our guest for this week is Jessica Zweig, a serial entrepreneur, a personal branding expert and the Founder and CEO of ‘SimplyBe. Agency’. About Jessica Zweig Jessica started her entrepreneurial career back in 2008 when she co-founded CheekyChicago.com, the very first lifestyle magazine dedicated to the women of Chicago. After 7 years and an audience of 100 000 readers locally, she decided to open up a new chapter in her life. She yearned to discover her authentic self and what it would truly take for her to live her truth. In 2014, she founded 'SimplyBe. Agency' and entered the business of transforming experts into thought leaders. Her company helps C-level clients and entrepreneurs by providing them with brand identity development and brand strategy, content creation, communications, and book writing services. On her impressive list of clients, you can find names of world-renowned companies such as Heineken, Red Bull, NIKE, Virgin Brands, BBMC Mortgage, Shift7 Digital, River North Design District and PROjECT Interiors. Connect with Jessica: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplyjessicazweig Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jessica_Zweig LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicazweig/ Website: https://www.jessicazweig.com Jessica's Story of Inspired Evolution Jessica’s educational background is a degree in acting from the University of Illinois. Five years later, she stumbled upon her entrepreneurship career when she co-founded Chicago’s first online digital magazine for women, aka “Cheeky Chicago”. She worked hard to help her magazine thrive in a time where the vast world of social media that we know and use today was just at its very beginning. During her 7 years at “Cheeky Chicago”, she gained valuable practical experience she now calls her “real-life MBA”. “Some people don’t believe in the “fake it ‘till you make it” philosophy, but I do. I really do because I did it. I’m a case study on what it can look like.” - Jessica Zweig As time went by, “Cheeky Chicago” was steadily rising and reaching 100 000 readers and partnering up with hundreds of national brands. But she was feeling out of alignment for a long time. The relationship with her business partner had become very strenuous. She finally decided to leave the company and start a new life, one where she could just simply be. “I have this little tattoo on my wrist, says “Simply Be”, that I’ve gotten years before… as a reminder to always be OK with where I am because I am where I’m supposed to be.” - Jessica Zweig She now spends her life helping experts architect their success through personal brand development, relying on her digital marketing expertise and guided by the principles of authenticity and living your truth! In This Episode We Canvas: Living Your Truth We go over what it truly means to be authentic in life and in business and what are the essential ways of unlocking your magnificence through living in alignment with your truth. Searching for Support and Investing In Yourself Jessica goes into detail about her personal hardships of living a life out of alignment and not feeling fulfilled. She highlights the role which her personal coach played at that difficult time. Through a supporting, trusting, professional relationship she managed to get through one of the toughest times in her career and life. “You are your most precious asset and life is hard and we can’t do it alone… Find somebody else that can put their trust in you or show you what that trust looks like.” - Jessica Zweig Taking the Leap of Faith We go over Jessica’s personal experience of taking the leap and she points out that because of the fact she was on purpose, making the leap was the most positive thing she could have done. She reflects on how quickly things began to manifest due to the fact she was in line with her deepest desires, goals, and values. “The trust will come when you fully step out of your own comfort zone and see your own power.” - Jessica Zweig Becoming Courageous We get real personal and Jessica shares her struggles in having a tense relationship with her father who had anger management issues. We talk about the essence of being brave, how courage affects different aspects of our life, and how we can develop it if we have the right approach. “How do you become courageous? I think that you just need to find something that you believe in so much that you are willing to sacrifice something.” - Jessica Zweig Building Your Tribe Jessica provides us with clear insight into how her methods actually operate and why the foundational premise of her business is living your truth. We talk about the intricacies of building an audience around your personal brand and how authenticity plays an important role in surrounding yourself with the people you need. “You cannot be for everyone, don’t even try… The more you do you, the more you’re going to attract your right tribe and that’s all you need.” - Jessica Zweig How to Brand Yourself We’re also blessed with a mini-masterclass in personal branding as Jessica shares basic introductory steps to setting up a personal brand that fits you best. “Branding is an exercise in clarity. You can’t talk about 25 things a month. I say you have to pick 4… because it’s enough that gives you depth, but it’s small enough that gives you that concise clarity.” - Jessica Zweig Jessica's Message of Inspired Evolution This is a wonderful conversation about how important it is for everyone to be able to be authentic and live their truth. Jessica is the perfect example of what we are capable if we only had the courage to take the leap and open ourselves up to the world. “Your truth is your magic. Your truth is your superpower.” - Jessica Zweig Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/inspiredevolution . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.