The Brand CEO: Mallika Malhotra

Today I have with me in the studio, Malika Malhotra, who is the brand c e O. I'm fascinated to learn more, so thanks for coming in. Thanks For having me. I'm so excited to be here. Well, I'm Excited to have you here. So the brand ceo, I mean that, um, is intriguing. Just you, you've hit the brand very well. Just starting off right there. Yes. So tell me what that means. I've branded myself. You Have great job. Yes. So it means that I am a strategist. It means I'm a mentor for female entrepreneurs, um, also a speaker and an author. And so all wrapped up in one, all of my skills would make me the brand ceo. So let's, I, I guess let's parse this out a little bit. Mm-hmm. , um, you've been doing this for a While. Yes, Yes. 20 years as an entrepreneur. Yeah. Um, and then also a background in advertising in the corporate world. Um, worked with some startups as well. So lots of different experiences under my belt. Um, but most of the time as an entrepreneur, I've loved having sort of the freedom and the flexibility to create a business while also being home with my three boys. And when you say that you've, um, you're an author and you are a speaker and you're a mentor, um, how do those all weave together for you? Yes, I think it's, um, through the idea of branding. So I work with female entrepreneurs, women owned businesses, and what they struggle with often is, what's my story? How do I stand out? How do I convince customers to choose me over somebody else? And so what I do is I work with them to find out their strategy, to find out their story, and I mentor them so that they have a guide who can help them with, you know, shortcuts, can share skills and tips for them so that they can accelerate their business faster. I have resources like books that I've written or courses that I've taught that they can use also to help supplement the experience. I can hear from what you've already said, what your kind of professional story is. Mm-hmm. , but I'm, I'm interested in your personal story and how you even got to the place where you started doing this work. But let's start with when you were younger, did you think that this was the work you were going to be doing? Yeah, That's a great question. I think, you know, when I was younger, I was super shy and the idea of leading and mentoring other people was probably like something I could never even envision for myself. But you know, as life goes on, you have different experiences. You go to school, you sort of evolve into a different person. I think now on the other end, um, being in this role as like a community leader or a champion for helping them, you know, have a voice because maybe I felt so shy and didn't have a voice that it is the work I love to do most. Did you Have any mentors yourself, um, as you were coming up through Yeah, you know, my parents, um, were immigrants and they came to America from India and the Philippines, they're both in the health field, so doctors and nurses. So mentorship not probably in the way of the career path because what I chose was very different and almost confusing for them because, um, in our culture it was Dr. Lawyer, engineer. Those were the options. And so to pick something like advertising and marketing that was creative and business oriented was very foreign to them. But they were role models in the sense that they were hard workers, right? They didn't have a safety net here. And they were very focused on education and very focused on taking risks and, you know, building, you know, a hard work ethic in order to seek opportunities. And so I think about those things often as I run my own business. Um, and so they were mentors in some sense, but I really didn't feel like I had people that I would say, I wanna look like I wanna do what they're doing. Didn't wanna be a doctor, um, didn't wanna be a lawyer or any of those things. And I joke because I think the, my mentor was actually, I don't know if you watched the show on tv, but who's the boss with Angela Bauer? I don't know if you remember. Yes, of course. Yes. So she was an advertising executive. She, you know, had the corner office and wore nice fancy suits. She had the Manny at home doing the laundry, you know, Tony Danza, like she was living the life that I wanted, um, working in New York City. And so she was really like an inspiration to me of like, maybe I could work in advertising one day. It Sounds like initially, although your parents were supportive, they were maybe a little confused. It didn't necessarily line up with the way that they thought about their own lives, but over time, did they come to understand why this was important to you And Yeah, a hundred percent. Um, I think they always, you know, they wanted the safe route, right? If something that was familiar to them that they knew that I would be able to have the tools and the skills and the, you know, make the money that would make me stable and secure. And so doing something that was not what they knew about was sort of, um, you know, made them nervous. And so in some ways I felt like I was really blazing my own path. I had to kind of find my own contacts and find my own jobs because it was nothing that they knew about. Um, you know, their whole network were doctors in all different fields and they could help you, you know, figure out how to get an internship or a summer job, but I didn't wanna do any of that stuff. And so I think it teaches you, you know, like leadership, resiliency, grit, drive, like if you really wanted to do it. And I think for me, because they weren't familiar, it's, I had a lot to prove like I could do something different, right? And I could do it my own way and still find success on my own terms. Just curious, do you have brothers or Sisters? I do. I have an older brother who is like the, the golden boy of course, he, you know, is doctor, he's a spine surgeon. Um, did the path of going to medical school and going to a great school and um, is, you know, very, very successful. So that's even more pressure on you , but not only are you gonna follow your own path, but you have to be really good At it. I know, right? Yeah. I think for a long time we joke about it because I always felt like, you know, second best, you know, when you have someone who's the favored child or does naturally does stuff really well and doing what is expected. But you know, now fast forward to we're, you know, in our fifties now, it's, you know, we're so supportive of each other and success can be defined in so many different ways and, you know, we respect each other and want only success for each other. But there were moments, sibling rivalry is a real thing, but I think it also was more fuel to my fire. Yeah, I mean, competition isn't always a bad thing, right? As long as you use it the right way. Healthy competition. Yes. Healthy competition. Yes. So in reading through some of the material you provided, you talked about having had all this corporate experience, but then really making kind of a dramatic decision and, and going in your own direction. Yes. Was, was there a, a moment where this became clear to you that that's what you wanted to do, is that you now had the experience you needed and it's, it's your turn, it's your turn to make your own way? Yeah, I think motherhood had a lot to do with that. Um, I liked working in the corporate world. I liked the path and the direction that I was in, but you've met my husband who is a surgeon and his path was very long and rigorous. Um, and when we decided to have a family, I just, I knew it wasn't the vision that I saw for our family. So I, my personal decision was to opt out and stay home as we were moving every few years for my husband's specialties and residencies, um, moving to, you know, cities and states that we didn't have a family around us. And I used to dream about like what I could do that was more entrepreneurial, that had the freedom and the flexibility. And I had a few businesses that I did that sort of failed, probably more like hobbies. I had a handbag business, I had a t-shirt business for children. And it wasn't until I had a camera in my hands and I was taking photos of my own boys. I only had two of the three then we were living in California, we were living far away from family. So I used the camera as a tool to tell the stories of my boys and it opened up this whole world for me. It was like this door to creativity for me that filled something that I loved being a mom, but I also something more. And that camera gave me like a lifeline where I could tell stories and I could connect with my family that was living on the opposite coast. And the next thing I knew, people were like, will you do our holiday card or can you be the kindergartner photographer? And I was like, yes, yes. And that sort of evolved that into having this family photography business. Um, and that was in 2008. And so since then, obviously my business has pivoted and shifted, um, a ton because now I'm on the other side. I don't do any children and family especially cuz my kids are older. I'm not running after anyone else's kids anymore. Um, I did a lot of brand photography, which was more business oriented storytelling, photography for websites and social media. I wrote a book about that in 2017. But when we moved to Maine, I found it was harder to do the photography here the same way I did it in New Jersey in terms of the price point and all the, this having a stylist and hair and makeup, it was a different culture in Maine a little bit. So I had to adjust. And then of course we had a pandemic and so no one was looking for photography and I thought really hard about what I was gonna do and I pivoted more into so strategic part, which is portable and I can do zoom calls with clients from all over the world. And it worked out actually much better for me in the long run for my business. How do you attract the women to your business that you are? Um, apparently you have a wait list for now. As I was reading through it, it's very impressive that you've, you've managed to create such success for yourself that now you're like, nope, this is the cohort and now we're gonna have a different cohort. Yeah, because there's so many people who wanna do this, you've done a great job. How do you Do it? Networking is key in person. Online joining different groups, showing up, you know, doing zoom coffee chats or um, pitching myself to speak at different groups, that's a big, um, you know, that converts people into warm leads for me really fast when I have an expert topic and I go and I teach and I share my knowledge with a group on how to build a brand or how to find your niche or how to be visible. Um, so I have a few key topics that I just keep sharing over and over. And if I don't get asked to speak, I create my own communities and my own platforms so that I can bring people together. So I think it's really visibility, showing up, networking, building relationships, and then you'll find that you build this momentum. Um, and referrals are huge. So of course referrals come when you do the job well, right? When you're actually, um, working with clients and they're getting results and they're feeling seen and heard and valued. Um, so I design my programs really so that people don't feel like a number and that they're in this container where they feel like they have the resources and a mentor that's always cheering them on. So when you talk about building a brand and you're specifically for a woman building a brand, what are some of the first questions that you ask that person as you start to work with them? Yes. So when you're building a brand, the first question I ask really is, you know, why are you doing this in the first place? So beyond your products and services, like what is that juicy why that makes you get up every morning? Like when you're an entrepreneur, it is 24 7. Often we don't have teams. It's usually a solopreneur and we're like doing this work. Um, and they're highs and lows. It's a whole rollercoaster ride. So you have to have this strong commitment and sense of purpose of why you're doing that and that should be the foundation of your brand. The second question I ask is like, what do you believe in? What are you willing to put a stake in the ground for? You know, the guiding principles that you know, help you make your decisions, help you? You know, when you're thinking about launching something, that's the filter, right? The lens. What are things that you don't believe in that's just as important. If you don't believe in that, that should also be in your brand. The third is like, who are you meant to serve? Often I see with a lot of business owners, they wanna serve everyone, especially women, business owners, they want to help the whole world. We are not meant to help everyone. We're meant to help a certain person. Our skillset is matched to help a certain person in a certain way. It's okay to be selective. So I help them really get targeted in their audience. And then the last piece is, tell me how you're different. What's your secret sauce? What's your superpower? That's the hardest thing for people. They don't know what sets them apart. Instead they might be looking at what everyone else is doing, maybe using that as inspiration or they're downplaying playing small and not going all in on what makes them different. Women don't like to brag, but it's not bragging in my mind. It's really like building the brand based on your strengths and your skills so that people can see what you do and will resonate with them, right? It's like an invitation that says, this is who I am, this is what I do, this is how I'm different. And if we're in alignment, let's go. So when you talk about finding your niche and, and you're right, I think it is hard for people to give up on this idea that they couldn't, everybody wants to appeal to everybody. Yes, right? Anybody could be a, a person, a client, a a friend, a colleague, whatever. How, how do you kind of drill down on that with people? Yes. So niching down is my absolute obsession. I am a big proponent because I think when you're niche it means that you can stand out right from the competition cuz you're actually going all in on something. So I have a framework that I use with my clients, it's called the Bullseye Branding Framework. And we talk about your area of expertise. Like what would you say you're a specialist in? Why are people coming to you? Have you looked at your testimonials to read and see if there's some common themes or patterns? All these people who wanna pick your brain, right? Like they wanna sit with you, what are they asking you? Can you look at that data and start to see like, actually I'm a specialist in this. And then have the courage to say, you know what, I'm gonna go all in on that. So that's like part one. Part two again is you're not meant to speak to everyone, so let's get specific, if you are a fitness trainer, are you really meant to speak to moms over 40 who have different needs than like young moms who just had a baby? Right? So getting very specific on who you're talking to so that all of your correspondence, it's almost like a love letter specifically written for them. The third is again, how do you stand out? What is that point of difference? What's your competitive edge? Could it be your personality? Maybe it's your process, maybe you have a framework, like I have a framework and that's the tipping point. And then the last is really like how do you solve that specific problem? Is there a vehicle you use technology that you use? Do you have a certain, you know, accreditation or um, some kind of formula that you use that can also set yourself apart When you can do the work on those four steps, you're see, you're gonna see how you go from being broad and generic to becoming more focused, more precise and more specialized and more niche. And it will allow you to actually speak to the right people very clearly. You must have been at a networking event and someone comes in, they're like, I'm a business consultant. Well I have no idea what you do, who to send your way and what results you give to people. Instead you can say, I'm actually a business consultant that focuses on personal branding for women in C-suite that want to advance in their career. And I work with them through a special framework that I have a three-step framework and we do this in 30 days. Super specific, precise. It makes it memorable, it makes it instantly recognizable, it makes it referable. So all the good things happen when you niche, in my opinion. It Sounds like you yourself have spent quite a bit of time kind of honing not only your own niche, but also creating this framework that um, I suspect probably took you a while to get to all the years of experience kind of funneled down into a structure that then you could bring back to other people. Was there a creative process that you followed in order to get to that place? Yeah, I think, and it's funny because this is what I teach my clients now is how do you build that process, that methodology. So it takes working with clients, multiple clients and then seeing, you know, doing a brain dump of what were all the steps that I actually did with all of these clients. What are all the stages that we had to go through to get to the result? What's the intellectual property that I brought to this solution? What are all of the offerings that I might have? And like putting it all on the table to see again, what are the common threads? Are there any patterns here or are there any steps that are repetitive that I keep doing? Can I categorize them in or four ways so that it makes it easy for a prospect to understand the value that I give them. I think every business should have a branded framework because it will differentiate you from other people. It will make it easier for your prospects to understand what you do and it will probably be the trigger that helps them wanna open up their wallets or book you because they know that you have a proven methodology that's gonna get them the solution they want. One thing that I heard you say, um, with regard to your early experience was you, when you had moved past the point where your children were sort of the same age as the people that you had been working with, you were like, okay, now I'm done with that. Yes. And I, I think it can be hard for people to let go and I think it's more than just women, but women in particular, yes. You know, especially women like me who have, you know, children who they get older and, and you just remember with fondness those early years. But there is always this letting go and I'm guessing there probably is a letting go with regard to the work that you're doing trying to convince women you don't have to do that anymore, you don't have to be that person anymore. So how do you help them through that letting go process? Yeah, I think it's, you know, what happens when you don't let go of all the things you have burnout, right? Though sharing with the negative things that can happen, it's hard to sustain your business. You just can't, right? And showing them examples and then showing them like the data you already have, the data, your fingertips, which is telling you already that you are probably an expert in this. It's just a matter of probably mindset or imposter syndrome or fear that we have to kind of get over those humps together so that you can see what success can look like on the other side. Often my clients, they already have this gut feeling that they know that they should pivot, but it's scary. And that's where having a mentor comes in hand where you have someone who's already 10 steps ahead of you that can say, listen, I remember this too. I used to do children photography, brand photography, seniors, I was doing Instagram workshops, I was spinning out of control. But what made a difference, what was a game changer for my business was I cut out all the stuff that didn't resonate with me, that didn't pay as much of the bills that other things did right. That I wasn't passionate about and that my clients didn't even want anymore. And when I did that work of really looking at the data and deciding, okay, I'm gonna go all in. And for me it was going all in on brand photography at the time and saying no to all those families, which is heartbreaking, right? They're like, what about all those family photos? And you're like, I'll refer you, I have a network, I'll refer you. But it just really, all of a sudden I felt liberated and it was easier because how many messages, it's almost like I having multiple micro-businesses, it's not sustainable. Different audience, different offers, different price points, you're kind of spinning out of control. Once I cut it all out and I picked Elaine, I felt more strategic. I felt like a leader, I felt like an expert. And that kind of energy is very contagious and people kind of see that instead of like, I do this, I do that. If I, if I had a business person go to my website and they saw senior photos for high school students, they'd be like, absolutely not. I'm not gonna invest, you know, this much money for someone who's not an expert. So I think more is not always a great strategy. We have to kind of do less so that we could stand out more. Is there also a kind of letting go of other people's expectations of us? I mean, you've described letting go of your parents' expectations of you when you were younger, but I think it's pretty common for many people to continue to want to be part of the group so they kind of agree to the roles that other people have assigned to them. Is that part of the process that you go through as well? Yeah, I think it's a confidence thing, right? It's like, you know, creating boundaries for yourself, letting go of things that might not be working for you and having the confidence to do that and it's okay. And often, you know, it becomes a choice. You know, a lot of my clients are like, I just, I don't wanna just work with this one person. It doesn't mean you have to, it just means your messaging is targeted and focused and there's clarity. If someone else comes to you that resonates with you, you can make the choice to work with them. It's just that you don't wanna be confusing because a confused mind never buys. So having that confidence and the courage to commit to something and go all in, I think that's gonna accelerate your business much, much faster and just make it more enjoyable for you so that you don't feel like you're spinning out of control and you're like almost schizophrenic with one business and the next business. It just, it's not sustainable. I see it all of the time. What Are some of your favorite success stories with people that you've had a chance to, um, work through this framework with? Yeah, so I have a client who's in New Jersey. She is a nutritionist and of course health, wellness, nutrition, very saturated, right? There's so many people. And so when we started working together, we were looking through her data of who her best clients were. Who, where did she get the most income from? What did she feel most passionate about? So for a while she was like, okay, maybe I will do nutrition for pregnant women. So I'm like, great, that's a great niche, let's go all in there. And so she did it. I said, you have to commit for six months. So she did it for six months and then she came back and she said, I'm not sure, I'm not sure if this is the right one. And I said, okay, so what's not working? So we kind of went through it. She, and in her heart, you can find a niche, but if in your heart you're not passionate about it, it's never gonna work. So then we went through like, what are some like of your own history, your own personal experiences with nutrition that maybe we can leverage to pull into maybe defining this niche? So she started talking about how she used to have all of these migraines for herself and now knew she was a nutritionist for herself, right? She figured out the foods that she should have, the recipes. And I'm like, this seems to me like a great idea. Do you have any clients that are also migraine sufferers? And she said, actually, I have like a big, big percentage of them. And then we dived and did more research with her audience that says like, how big is this opportunity? Would you hire someone who was this specific? And they said, absolutely. Because having a migraine is debilitating, right? It is a big problem. You wanna make sure the problem you're solving is big enough that there is a market for it, that people will be willing to pay for it. So after all that research and after, you know, going through her own pivots and evolution, now she is a nutritionist for women who suffer from chronic migraines. And she gives them not only meal plans, but recipes, but she helps them holistically with movement, with mindset. And she's having this name for herself. She just, you know, is on podcasts that have to deal with migraines. Um, she's being invited to panels where she's a specialist about health and wellness and migraines. So I think what happens when you really niche down and you build your brand around something, it just helps others to find you. It helps others to refer you, it helps others to build partnerships with you if it's the right synergistic fit. And so it just means that there's, it's more access to opportunities. As you've been working through this process yourself as the brand CEO and you've really focused all of your attention on this, you talk about this energy that's, that's been building and you talk about kind of this attracting like-minded individuals into your, into your sphere. I mean, does it feel, it almost feels like a, like a, a multiplicative process where, you know, it's not just like there's one plus one plus one, it feels like it's like burgeoning and booming and at what point do you reach the point where you're saying, oh, I might need to actually have some other people in here to help me out with This? Yes. So I mean, scaling is, you know, a big thing to think about, right? But I also think you kinda have to define success in your own terms. And so for me, scaling for me, I don't want multiple junior coaches underneath me. I don't want a huge team. I wanna keep it very, very simple. In this stage of my life where I have children going to college, I have my parents that I wanna see more often as they're aging. And so I have tried to keep my scaling very, very simple. Which also means that because I have programs where I only have 16 seats, they do fill up fast and there is this energy and momentum of when are you offering it again? So it's been very intentional, um, especially in the last couple of years. For me, the business model behind what I do, because there were years where I was doing it all. I was doing photography and I had a mastermind, I had a membership and I was burned out. The capacity thing. So when you're thinking of scaling, you hear people scaling all the time, I'm scaling, I'm hiring, but is it right for you for the life that you want when you're thinking of your business and you're thinking of your lifestyle? And so I've really reflected on that in the past year. And for me, I don't want a lot of people on my team. I wanna keep it simple. I want people to know when they work with me, they get me, I'm in their back pocket, I'm invested in them. So that means maybe my price point is premium because they have that access. And so right now that works for me. I don't know what'll happen next year or the year after, but I think that energy and that buzz that you're talking about, a lot of that has to do with the intimacy of the program and the accessibility and then the collaborative nature of having a program where everyone actually knows each other. And not only am I invested in them, everyone's invested in each other. It becomes a collective. You know, we have calls weekly, we do hot seats. Um, I just led my first in-person retreat two weekends ago in Maine, which was very exciting. It has been a big goal of mine. And all of my mastermind clients, not all half the mastermind clients came and half were main business women that I had just met. And it was like merging these two worlds. But everybody was hungry for that connection. They wanted to share their experience, share their stories. And I found that there was so much magic in the room. Um, and I think it was really very, very special. I think now I'm like, do I need to do more in person? Is this something I have to, you know, add to my business model? It was a lot of work. So I'm not sure if maybe next year, but um, that I think also adds to that energy. So As you're talking about your own personal brand as the brand ceo, and you're talking specifically about women, I'm intrigued by the fact that you have three boys, , so . So how did you, and I understand that, you know, who's the boss and that was a good role model for you. Yeah. And uh, I mean she's obviously a, she's a great role model, but how did you decide at some point? No, no, no more testosterone. I'm just gonna focus here professionally. I Love to work with women because I think sometimes in the branding sphere, when I was doing photography as well as the brand strategy, women have a hard time sharing their voice. They have a hard time being visible. They have a hard time, you know, claiming space that says, I'm really good at what I do. I'm an expert and I have these issues too, right? You know, it's been an evolution, um, to build that confidence and to build that leadership. And so I wanna help those women. I, I think men have no issues with that. They come in and they might even have the, have the experience that the women have and they're just owning it. They're not, you know, dancing around their price points and, you know, feeling bad if someone says they can't afford it, no, they have no issues with that. So for me to empower women to really stand in their power, use their voice, get paid what they're worth is deeply my why, right? That's the work I do. You know, mastermind retreats, books, like those are just the vehicles. But really it's about helping women like really uncover and unlock what their skills are and go all in on them and claim space and say, I'm an expert and get paid to be an expert. Because if women get paid money and make money, then they're gonna better things happen. They invest in themselves, they invest in their children, they invest in their communities. So for me, like I'm not interested in working with men to be honest, you know, and people come to me and I'm like, I'm sorry. Like even when I did photography, not interested, I only work with women. That's my niche. I wanna work with them, I wanna connect with them, I want to empower them. I wanna support and mentor them so that they can seek, you know, success in their own terms. Are you Finding any generational differences with the people that you have mentored and worked with? So I'm in midlife. I turned 50 last year. I think I attract a lot of women that are in that 40 and 50 range because I can relate and resonate with them, right? And I think what I hear from them often is, is a feeling of like, I feel like a dinosaur, you kn