Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Phil Pallen, Founder of Phil Pallen Collective, located in Davenport, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a brand strategist! I've helped position, build, and promote over 350 clients in over 30 countries in a decade. I specialize in personal branding, which means the majority of my clients are people that have created businesses around themselves (like I have).
Tell us about yourself
I help companies achieve their social media and branding goals. From customer service representatives to executives, I encourage an open dialogue about authenticity online. It started in 2011 when I was a fresh-faced Canadian studying in Florida. Design and entrepreneurship always came naturally to me, but it wasn't something I'd ever considered as a career path. A friend submitted my name for Charlie Sheen's social media intern search before graduation, and that's when everything changed. What started as a playful "what could be" chuckle ended up in an intense competition with 90,000 other applicants. In a time when social media what still new, I dove right in—developed a full-fledged campaign for myself, and it garnered over 100 media placements across TV, radio, and print.
Did I know what I was doing? Not in the slightest. I wasn't even 23. But I rolled up my sleeves, followed my intuition, and embraced my personality. It's how my perspective on personal branding was born. Nowadays, I live and work remotely all over the world, sharing my branding systems as a keynote speaker at international conferences and my opinions as a featured branding expert on Access Hollywood, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, and the DailyMail, to name a few.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I consider it an accomplishment to get to do a job that I absolutely love every day. Best of all, I have control over my career—what opportunities I pursue, which aspects I focus on, etc. I find that really exciting!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
You have to make hard decisions sometimes. I tend to be a "yes" person, but that isn't always the smartest choice when you're running a business and responsible for others. I have to be guarded with my time and focused on my priorities.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Really think hard about what you love to do, and pair that passion with something people need and are willing to spend money on.
- When it comes to figuring out where to show up online, prioritize 1-3 platforms only. Rather than being average on 10 platforms, be a rockstar on three or a superstar on one.
- The best branding recreates the in-person experience as closely as possible. Work toward achieving self-awareness—it's KEY to successfully position a personal brand!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://philpallen.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philpallen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/philpallen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philpallen/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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