Watch This Episode of MwahTV About Building a Female Leadership Coaching Brand
Are you building a female leadership coaching brand?
If you operate in the coaching space or you’re looking to position a brand that is based on your expertise in working with people, then you will probably find this story about Jo Davidson interesting. Let’s get you inspired by looking at how a unique combo of my services worked for her business.
How We Met
I first met Jo back in about 2015. She always stood out to me as someone who cut the BS, all her copy in social media posts or in her emails felt personal in a way that was genuinely deep.
Jo got back in touch with me again to let me know she wanted something creative for her next set of photographic images. So, we sprung into action. Here are all of the different steps involved in the final shoot and strategic branding work we did.
Q1: From Shoot Plans into Adding Strategic Branding to the mix
L: In your own words Jo, what was it in our working together on the initial shoot plans that made you decide you wanted to incorporate the brand strategy work we did?
J: I felt like I was kind of fumbling around, trying to find some answers as to, you know, what I wanted, and really I didn't actually know what I wanted and I needed somebody that I could trust to sort of pull that out and figure out what did I actually want. On the other side, it was, like, I don't want to sort this out in six months or, you know, I don't want to sort of take weeks and months just kind of trial and error in it and hoping for the best, I just want somebody to just like give me the answers.
Q2: Sorting Strategy in Just One Day
L: Doing it all in just a day. That leads me beautifully to my next question. Let’s talk about doing this in one intensive day.
J: So we already decided that we're going to do the photoshoot and I was like, "Okay, but now I still need this other part done and we're already there, like, we're ready to sort of make the photo shoot happen and I'm like clueless as to what I want." And, again, it's like I don't want to dilly-dally, I would rather just get it done. I feel like there's more focus on it when you do that, I feel like when you do like bit and a bit and a bit, you kind of lose the focus, you lose the thread, you lose the enthusiasm as well. I'm terrible for losing enthusiasm for things if I don't just like getting them done, so it was just absolutely perfect for me.
Q3: Strategic Expectations
L: And be honest with me, what did you expect to come out from that day?
J: I mean, I'm not entirely sure that I even knew what I would come out with. I trusted you, like, to figure it out, and that's what you did like I knew you would, that is your professionalism, that is your expertise.
We talked about so much stuff, so much stuff that I wasn't even aware of that I was doing, so much stuff that I wasn't even aware of that I wanted in my brand. You know, I came out of it at the end I'm just thinking, "How on earth are you going to turn that into anything?" I think the main reason that I wanted to do it when I'm briefing to people in the future, for other things, you know, I want a website rebrand, I can literally just go "There you go", and they can get it and I don't then have to figure out how to explain that to people, because you've already done that for me, so absolutely perfect.
Q4: Implementation Joy & Efficiency
L: That is my happy place, Jo! I love that you’ve said that. So now that you have your organised and codified brand guidelines document, how do you feel about the implementation side of it?
J: Yeah, I mean, I feel super relaxed about it now, it's like I can bring anybody on board. For example, with the website, like, I will be employing somebody to, you know, redo the website. Like, "There you go. Off you go, do your thing." The most important thing for me, for my clients, you can always make more money but you can't, like, get back the time, just hire a bloody person to do the thing for you, especially if it's somebody that you know you can trust to do it.
L: Let's move into how the strategic side works when it's implemented. I'm going to turn you over now to Nichola from the Wardrobe Provocateur, she was the stylist that worked with Jo on picking out what were the right outfits for shoot day.
Style
N: So what I love about working with Laura on the Full Sch-Whammy, and I've worked with Laura on many occasions on this service, is it's absolutely, unbelievably fantastic.
We cover so much, Laura's really great, she sends mood boards over because obviously my part of the styling part is really important, so I need to know what the client's looking for as far as her brand's concerned, her style, and also I get a kind of a good measure from what the client's looking for from me, and that's what's really great about working with Laura on the Full Sch-Whammy because I get all of that, and then I get to have a chat with the client, as well, in this case, the amazing Jo Davidson.
Pulling 5 Different Outfits
N: So what I love about working with Laura on the Full Sch-Whammy, and I've worked with Laura on many occasions on this service, is it's absolutely, unbelievably fantastic.
We cover so much, Laura's really great, she sends mood boards over because obviously my part of the styling part is really important, so I need to know what the client's looking for as far as her brand's concerned, her style, and also I get a kind of a good measure from what the client's looking for from me, and that's what's really great about working with Laura on the Full Sch-Whammy because I get all of that, and then I get to have a chat with the client, as well, in this case, the amazing Jo Davidson.
Beginning in the Wardrobe
In the Full Sch-Whammy, we have to create five outfits but it's very important, during that process, that we also, when we create the outfits, that we look at the longevity of the outfits.
It's really important that we kind of go into the person's wardrobe because it's a very personal space and it's really important that they feel that some of their wardrobe still represents them.
Now Jo was really funny 'cause one of the things that Jo said was, "You'll find nothing in my wardrobe," but, hey,
I always find something.
And Then Going Shopping
And so we managed to find a couple of items in Jo's wardrobe that we used, but then obviously part of the Full Sch-Whammy is we do a personal shop as well. So we go out and we actually start to look for outfits, either online or in person.
We managed to visit many stores, including Mint Velvet, and we also bought an amazing red suit. And she's quite a sassy person and we wanted to kind of get that over and convey that in the messages of the outfit, and we definitely did do that, we definitely did. So we kind of got the rock chick vibe, I love the fact that Mint Velvet actually have similar ethics to Jo and I thought that was a really great synergy with her brand.
Jo's very much a trouser person, so I needed to keep that authenticity for her because, again, it's always about being comfortable in front of the camera.
Rock Chick & Apple Shape
We picked bright, vibrant colours and a lot of her brands were included in that, we also kept the sassiness and the rock chick. She said to me, "You'll never get me a leather jacket." Well, I did. We got one from Next, Jo's an apple shape. Now if you are familiar with body shapes, we've all got them, and one of the things that we need to accent for an apple shape is their legs, Jo has amazing legs, she really does.
Nichola's 1st TOP STYLE TIP
So in one of the first parts of the shoot, we definitely did because we found an amazing leopard print short dress from her wardrobe, I went to Primark and I bought her this belt, sort of enhanced her waist, and then we put her in these amazing boots from Mint Velvet. It showcased Jo, how she could look rock chicky, but also her amazing legs. And I love seeing the client's face when they feel happy that they're showcasing something to feel confident about, and it really resonates with me but also resonates in the camera as well.
On photo shoots, it's not just the outfit it's the shoes as well. The shoes, the jewellery and accessories, can make or break an outfit.
Nichola's 2nd TOP STYLE TIP
In order to make sure that the outfits looked amazing, we had to wear some heels. So we introduced some leopard print which was really great with the red suit, and also we introduced a beautiful velvet shoe which had some sparkle on and went with this beautiful green dress. Be authentic to how Jo feels. We did also do the relaxed look so obviously, you know, if you follow trends and things like that, and it's still in now, trainers are huge to wear with a jean or a suit; so it's a style right now and everybody does that.
Nichola's FAVE Final Shots
I Love the one where Jo's actually with her arm resting on the windowsill, and she's got the very thing that we've talked about which is the t-shirt, the red trousers, which again brings her brand in, and also the leather jacket and the flat trainers. But what we did was we vibed it up a bit and I loved that with the curly hair and the bracelet and pushing the sleeves up, and it just looked- I just loved it, it was just a beautiful, natural shot.
And then my other one was, to be honest, on the roof. Jo likes to wear sunglasses on her head, so we, again, needed to incorporate that into her brand. So there's a shot where Jo's got a beautiful red suit on that we got, and then the leopard print heels.
And she's standing on the roof, and it's just beautiful, and I think it- I'm sure there's a ladder there where she's got sort of one leg up and she's got her sunglasses on her head, and it just looks like Jo and could feel the confidence, you could feel the comfortableness in front of the camera, and it was just a perfect shot.
Are Yoou Ready To Style It Out?
Yeah, I really hope you've enjoyed my interview with Laura, I cannot recommend Laura enough to work with. I mean, I love working, we have so much fun, it's not just about the client but don't tell the client that.
We have loads of fun! And, obviously, if you're looking for a service, then you can connect with me on Instagram, you can find me at @thewardrobeprovocateur.
L: And here is what happened on shoot day!
Shoot Day
L: Outfit number two, this is the power red look. Say hello, Nic.
N: Hi.
L: We've been waiting till the 11th hour for these smoke bombs today, and I've just had a phone call from the courier that he's on his way to drop them off. So we're going to go out and meet him, and then we're going to start doing the smoke bomb shots.
We wrapped just as the rain started to set in, and all in all amazing stuff. I haven't done as many stories as usual, I think that's because it's been a while since I've done a shoot this full-on and really needed to have my head in the game. But all in all, a real success. I'll send some results as they start coming out.
Q5: Shoot Day Surprises
L: What’s the one thing you didn’t expect when thinking about your Full Sch-Whammy Shoot Jo?
J: I think the biggest thing is how much bloody hard work it was. I mean, you guys just worked solidly, I was exhausted, like, I mean, brilliant, brilliant thing to do but it's a long day actually and there's a lot that goes into it.
And, you know, I'm just standing in front of the camera posing, and I'm bloody knackered, so- You guys just worked and worked and worked, it's just unreal, and just all the different props and you're like running around after us, treating us like a supermodel. I was like, "I quite like this, I quite like having a personal primper.
A personal makeup person just like keeps on touching us up, and that. So, yeah, I think that was the biggest surprise. I mean, I've seen them before, of course, I have, you know, I know people who've done them with you before, I considered having one done with you years ago and it just didn't feel like the right time. But, yeah, I think that was the biggest surprise, was just how much work goes into it and, like, like some of the ideas you came up with, like, I would never have come up with.
Photography Results In Situ
L: Here's a quick preview of how these images are currently sitting on Jo's website, I love how the graphic design side of it feeds into both the colourway and the outfit, and the overall energy that we were able to crystallise from the branding strategy day.
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J: Anybody who is interested in finding out more about my work, the best place to get started is by downloading my free "Ultimate Guide to Empowerment", which you can get at thepowerhouseunleashed.com/ultimateguide.
L: I signed up for a copy of this myself, and found this framework raised some interesting challenges for me. So, I personally recommend this too so any women out there who want to start feeling more empowered as professionals and as women of our time.
Q6: Photoshoots & The Intrinsic Connection to Empowerment
L: Thinking about the idea of what it feels to be empowered, or just empowerment in general then, Jo, I'd love for you to talk about how you felt on the Full Sch-Whammy Photoshoot. You know, being photographed is very vulnerable to a lot of people, and I think especially to women, do you want to talk about that a little bit?
J: We are powerful women, we are empowered, most of the time. But there's something very vulnerable about being in front of the camera, and like for a whole entire day, like, I mean, it's probably harder at the beginning and actually, it probably gets easier as the day goes on, but there's something- like you feel a bit daft, to be completely honest, like standing there posing for, like, all these photos, you do, you feel a bit daft and it's like...
But equally, if you don't stand up and do it, then how will anybody ever really know what you stand for? Do you know what I mean?
Timestamps for this Episode of #MwahTV
00:00 Episode Starts
02:12 Talking Strategy with Jo Davidson
02:52 Delegation is POWER
03:39 What did she expect?
05:26 Talking Style with Nichola English
07:00 Outfit Alchemy
08:57 Style Tip
10:38 On the Roof
11:44 #BTS of Shoot Day
12:42 Surprises on Shoot Day
13:47 Using the Final Images online
15:41 The Image Collection
With Special Thanks To
STYLE: The Wardrobe Provocateur
HAIR & MAKE UP: Laura Oddity Hair & Make Up
SMOKE BOMBS & HEROIC SERVICE: Enola Gaye Grenades
STUDIO & ROOFTOP: Board School Studio, Ouseburn
VIDEO PRODUCTION: Danielle Bayes Videos Undifficulted
Danielle and I would like to extend our thanks to the BTEC Digital Art Students at Sunderland College for workshopping this episode editing process. Great work guys!
EPISODE GRAPHICS DESIGN: Carrie Reagh Social Mint
Has This Gotten You More Curious About Brand Strategy?
If seeing the connection between brand strategy and brand application has you all curious about exploring what you can be doing more on this to grow your business faster, this is a helpful episode to replay next.
It's the full skinny on what Branding Strategy really is, and why it's so important if you want to build a successful business that is firmly on your terms.
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