The Value of Developing your Personal Brand with Molly Trotter
Welcome to another episode of “Dream Job with Danielle Cobo”!
Today, I am blessed to be joined by Molly Trotter.
Molly began her professional career telling stories live on television as a news anchor and reporter. She fell in love with giving the “underdog” a voice on a platform that would reach millions of people. After 5 years in the business, Molly left the news industry.
With $2,000 in her bank account and supporting loved ones in the area, Molly was able to get by and pursue her dream in entrepreneurship. Molly has had the pleasure of working and consulting with high net-worth entrepreneurs in their direct selling business and traditional companies as well.
Now Molly is living life abundantly helping entrepreneurs pursue their dreams. She is creating a bigger impact than she could have ever imagined through digital marketing and speaking on stages every month about building a credible and profitable brand WHILE sharing your authentic self!
Molly believes you too can have it all - success, financial freedom, family, time, health, happiness, and MORE. She has experienced it first hand, and wants the same for you!
“In order for me to elevate, I had to seperate" – Molly Trotter
Listen on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube https://www.daniellecobo.com/podcast
Highlights
💫 1:32 A little about Molly's career journey
💫 6:56 You don't have to be everyone's cup of tea
💫 14:54 The value of developing your brand
💫 19:44 How to translate who you are offline to the online space
💫 23:09 Being vulnerable in a corporate culture
💫 26:29 Three takeaways from today's conversation
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The Courage in Being Vulnerable
There's so much life that has been lived. But I got into the news industry because I really wanted to be able to tell people stories and really give the underdog a voice. There's so many people out there—we all can talk, right? But not many of us have that confidence to really speak up and share something. So I said, “Why not get into TV? Everybody watches it. Let's get into it.” And then when I got in there, about two years in, I said, “Oh no, I am not going to be doing this long term. It's so toxic.” And the people, they're kind of depressing. Like, there's just not a lot of liveliness and light in that industry. So I really did my best to bring that in there. And along the way, I was building my brand as well. So I was like, “Okay, be a TV personality, build your brand, bring them along behind the scenes—people love that.” But when I realized that, I started to get into my own thing, because I'm not gonna lie: When I was in the news, the money was horrible. It was terrible. I'd open up three credit cards to survive. Most people don't even realize how bad the money can be at some of these stations unless you're in an LA, or Chicago, New York type of situation.
And I started building out another stream of income. That was in the health and wellness industry. And I had a really great transformation. I think I lost like 12 pounds, around 17% body fat. I really got lean. And I was like, “Wow, that took a lot of work.” But then, when I posted a before-and-after picture, basically, my job threatened to fire me. I ended up on a news blog where we got phone calls from all over the country asking, “Is this is this your news reporter? Is this her?” And I'm just like, “What is the deal?” There are people around the news industry who are getting on bikini competitions, getting on stages showing off way more than what I was showing, but I became the villain. So long story short, I said, “No, I'm not going to take that down.” And then basically, it just got too much. They got pressure from the top. And they ended up firing me because of this before-and-after photo. And I said, “This is insane. This was my social media, my personality, and you want to fire me for inspiring other people.” Obviously, it wasn't as cut and dried to them. So I remember very vividly, they let me go. Leaving the industry felt like a really big burden got lifted. And I was so grateful for that.
And at the same time, to be honest, I can't remember now it's been so long, but I call him my almost-ex fiance. I found out he was cheating on me with somebody else. So within weeks, I got let go of a job that I gave my everything to, let go of the person that I thought I loved, and had to create something different. But luckily what I did is that I saw the power of the digital side of things. And I said, “Okay, I'm at a low point right now. I'm not gonna lie below what it hurt. To bring people in on this journey of rising up like a phoenix from the ashes, right?” So I am really good at being able to share my story. People kept asking me, “How do you do that?” I need to build my brand on social media, I see that it's something that'd be really viable. And I really just started plugging into that. And expediting to five years later, really being able to help people:
number one, gain their confidence on camera, of sharing their story, being clear, “here's who I am, take it or leave it” type of a deal
being able to share with the right audience on social media
having a social ad agency which really helps Coaches and Consultants have that backend team to really scale to seven figures
But it's really about giving the right people a voice and giving them that confidence that you have what it takes to share your story and it matters.
I really want to acknowledge you for something because to be vulnerable, not only in the people that we are around in our inner circle in our tribe, but to be vulnerable and take it a step further on social media, it takes a lot of courage. To also have confidence within yourself to be able to share that image—to know that you have really transformed yourself and that you want to inspire other women to do that. And unfortunately, that news company had lost somebody who was inspiring. And at the same time, when one door closes, another door opens. And your vulnerability and your ability to just share with other people your journey has what's led to your success today.
You’re not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
It's not that it may sound easy coming out of my mouth now. But there were times where I got a lot of backlash. I had friends and family whobasically followed me and unfollowed me on social media. They couldn't handle it. And I had to really dig deep and say, “Hey, you know what, it's not for them.” I know there's something so much greater inside of me that's going to be birthed. And this is what we've seen five years later. And I'm so grateful for that. But there was a lot of painful moments where family turning their back on me and friends being like, “I don't get it,” and just feeling so alone. And that was really tough. And it got to the point where I knew I had to move away from my family because it’s like you can't be a prophet in your own land, you gotta go move wicks. What you do isn't for everyone. I had to really separate myself from people I really cared about. Because I knew in order for me to separate, in order for me to elevate, I had to separate. I’m not saying I'm better than anybody, it's definitely not it. It's just I'm not everybody's cup of tea. And to have that from family members is really hard. So for people that are listening, there's going to be moments like that. There's going to be trolls online who are going to try to bring you down to their level because they don't want to see other people succeed. Because it causes them to question their own life, “Where am I not stepping up to the play with my gift and my purpose? And I knew for me that I was put in the television world for a lot of reasons: to really gain a skill set, be really good with people, to tell stories. And now that I get to do that, but amplify the stories that really matter, that really do make a change, I get goosebumps, I am just so grateful every day that I get to wake up and do that, because it's such an honor to do that.
It really is. And I also want to really kind of speak to what you're saying where you're talking about, not everybody, you're not a cup of tea for everybody. And that's okay. Because whether you're in a leadership role, or whether you're an individual contributor—no matter what—or even a business owner, there's always going to be those people who love you, want to support you, hold you high, and want to support you in succeeding. And there's always gonna be those people who don't like you. There's just some reality to it. We're not going to please everybody. And the minute that you try to please everybody, you're really stripping your own joy. And so when you do things for yourself, and you surround yourself with the tribe that supports you and holds you high, that's when you really get to come into your own and be the person that you want to be in the impact that you get to make.
What really matters is that you want to be in alignment with yourself before you figure out “Hey, who likes me over here, who likes me over there?” There's a lot of people who at the end of the day, they look in the mirror and they don't even know who they're looking at. They don't like themselves. They walk away like, “I don't even know that person” because you spent so long ignoring what it is that you know you should be doing or what you truly want out of wanting to please other people and coming from a forum of people pleaser, and sometimes it slips out. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not perfect. But I know this is how I run everything through a truth filter. I'm like, if somebody says something negative to me, or if I'm doing something that's out of alignment, I run it through the filter. I'm like, “Is this something that is going to support me in the long run?” Is this something where, maybe somebody lashed out at me, does it have anything to do with me and how I showed up? But how I can respond if somebody responds negatively to a post or comment or something? I'm going to respond with grace, love, and empathy, because chances are, they're not getting that anywhere in their life. Hence, whether they're lashing out on you because there's something that you're poking at them; you're like, “There's something you should look at.” And it's really kind of an indirect poke, but people are hurting. And being able to really give them a space for those that say, “Hey, you know what, I have something of value here. I know my story is meant to be mentorship to somebody else. How do I put that out there?” Because when people look at social media, they're like, “This is exhausting. Should I be on Tik Tok? Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, like where do I go?” And we just talked about this Danielle, you're mainly on LinkedIn, which you crush it over there. I'm mainly on Instagram. And it's really hard, especially if you do it yourself. Like you know, being able to be all the things to everyone on every platform. Pick something you're really good at and really focus on it.
I love you know how you and I were able to connect with through Instagram. Even though that's not my primary platform, I still really enjoy following women there who are inspiring, empowering, because no matter what platform you are on or support, you get to connect with people. And that's one of the reasons why I love social media. If you use it for the purpose of connection, and you're contributing, right—because some people will just scroll, but when you take it a step further, and you're actually commenting and connecting with people, that's when you get to really create relationships.
Don't be a taker, be a giver, and when you give you, feel good, too. People are like, “Oh, there's just a lot of giving constantly.” Well, there's a reason for that. So I remember when I first started posting on social media, 10 years ago, I was trying to really figure it out. It was back when you posted multiple times a day, like five posts a day. And I was like, “This is crazy.” Now, it doesn't have to be that way at all, which is awesome.
I knew I wasn't everybody's cup of tea. And that's okay, I knew people were just gonna take, and there are so many more people just watching you rather than taking action. In today's world, there's not a lack of knowledge at all. It's a lack of action takers. We can see that on social media: people just scrolling by and they may like it in their head, but they're not showing that action. “Hey, I support you. I like it. Thank you for sharing.” One thing that I really love to do is find the leaders on whatever platform I'm in. Whenever something pops up at me and like, “Well, this person is really stepping up and stepping out.” I'm going to drop them a message whether they see it or not, like, “Hey, I really appreciate you the way you're showing up in this way. I got it from this post. Thank you so much.” Just really being able to support other leaders because those leaders most likely don't get anything; they just get asked, “Hey, what more can you give me” rather than getting some “kudos” because those are always nice to get.
Building Your Brand
It's so it's so true. Because you know, we are posting consistently on various social media platforms. And you know, you put in a lot of time. I block out an entire day to do content and to really try to provide value to anybody who's following me. And when people are commenting, and they're engaging, and they're responding, you're like, “Oh, awesome. I'm so glad that I was able to make an impact in these people's lives.” So for those of you that are out there, no matter what platform you're on, engage, connect. And, you know, I really want to circle back to something within your career because whether you are a business owner, whether you are working for an organization, let's really talk about the value of developing your brand. Because that in itself—when we're looking at what's our short term career goals, what's our long term career goals—our brand as a company is a combination of our reputation and how we're showing up in the world. It's also now how we're showing up on social media.
When people go and say, “Oh, who's Danielle Cobo?” they're gonna go look on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. They're gonna go start doing that kind of search, or they'll type it on Google, and those social platforms will be the first to pop up, I promise you that. So…to build a brand:
Does your profile match your area of expertise?
Is it really embodying who you are or what you're about?
Maybe, you're sitting here like, “Well, I don't know what platform I'm supposed to be on. I don't know how to post.” There's a lot of support out there. And a lot of courses, free information, or even hiring a social media manager to help you. But really, it comes down to this before you hire anybody for help.
How do you want to be perceived online?
Brand yourself, not your business?
So we'll start with how do you want to be perceived. I always tell my clients inside of my program that as we're building that confidence in their message, confidence and clarity on camera, we match it with a social strategy that is really going to speak to their right target audience. A lot of people that come to me have a business, and they want to be able to make an ROI and monetize their social media. They come to me for that. And I give them this:
What are your three pillars?
What are they coming for?
What are they going to see?
What is important to you?
What do you want to share?
Maybe it's financial freedom, maybe it's health and wellness, maybe it's the new importance of family. Now create content around those pillars. So people have that consistency from you. Because the people are so consistent at being inconsistent. So if you show up consistently, they're like, “Oh, that's good. I love how they keep showing up.” And you're gonna spark some kind of something in them at some point. But you got to be able to see like, “Okay, what do I want people to know about me for? What is going to be the perspective of my profile?”
But then secondly, stop hiding behind your business. Stop hiding behind. What I can do is to help people show vulnerability, openness, transparency—the tough times, and being able to share those tough times with people to add a little silver lining to it. So it's not just airing your dirty laundry. I just shared in the beginning of this how I got fired from a nice job, how I was cheated on by somebody that I thought was going to be my husband. And I shared that not to talk about anybody, but to be like, “Look, when I stepped into what I was called into being, this is what happened. It didn't feel good that I felt like I was stabbed in the back. There was a lot of hurt that came from that. However, has anybody else gone through that? Yes? Can people share that all the time?” Not necessarily because it hurts, and it's really vulnerable. But I received so much support, so much love, and I'm not gonna lie, there was some validation there too, like, “Look, I'm not the only one going through this.” People need to hear this message. Because social media was created to have genuine connection with other people. And we've really kind of stripped humanity out of social media. So stop hiding behind your business. Start putting more things out there so people can get to know you. Because there's a lot of business coaches out there, for example, a ton, like thousands and thousands and thousands. But the difference maker is you who you are, how you show up, how you make that person feel. If they feel like you're relatable, and you can have that connection.
You are really the expert when it comes to branding for coaches. And for me, what I do is that I work with branding women when it comes to their career. And so it's the same philosophy and the same approach when it comes to really wanting to excel in your career. Let's say you want to climb the corporate ladder, or you want to create opportunities that you may not even know about, but you want them to be attractive to you. It's that same approach because if you're not putting yourself out there, then people aren't going to know about you. And people don't get promoted for doing their job well. People get promoted because of the potential that people see in them. And so you never want to be in a position where you're looking for a job. You always want to be positioned where you're either being recruited, or you've developed such a reputable brand about yourself that people are saying, “Okay, we want to promote you into this position.” And if you're not doing that, then you're really putting limitations on how fast the trajectory of your career can be.
From the last 10 years, I've had so many opportunities like this. I'm so grateful to be on this platform and your podcast. I've been on so many other different podcasts just in 2021 alone. I mean, like dozens and dozens of podcasts, summits, virtual stages. Like, “We want somebody who's really going to have that connection point of the audience.” Because there's a lot of people, if they get out of the news, they'll either go into PR, or they'll do something like what I'm doing, because we're taking our skill set of what we learn. You get that cookie cutter so stiff, like a nonrelatable person. And I used to be like that in the news. And I'm like, “That's not me at all. Like I'm very, like, you know—fun, relaxed; let's have a good time. And I really want to get to know you.” I'm the type of friend that’s like, “Hey, let's scuba dive into what's really going on,” rather than staying at the surface level type of person. And I've had that feedback from people like, “I really feel that from you. I really feel seen, heard, and appreciated.” And that's really what it's about. And that's how I share with people how to express that in your brand. So people can really get to know you on that level. Because the best compliment I've ever received. I always aim to help other people get it to be who you are online is who you are offline. There's no disconnect. And then you feel good, too, because you don't have to put on this facade of “what I think people want to see versus what I actually am.” Just be you and the right people will be there. And you'll also repel the people that aren't supposed to be on your journey, too.
I know that in a similar situation when I was in corporate America, I didn't truly understand the power of vulnerability and how vulnerability gives you the opportunity to connect with people on a different level. I spent a lot of my corporate time fearing judgment, of how should people perceive me, and I was very guarded. I had a guard up for me for a long time. And a lot of people would say, “Well, you're unauthentic.” And it wasn't till I stepped out and I really took inventory of who am, where I want to be, what my insecurities are. And I said, “Okay, what do I want to do? What's my passion? How do I get to make an impact and support people? And what legacy do I want to leave?” And that's where social media gives you a platform to share your knowledge, make an impact, support others through your vulnerability so that they know they're not alone, and create connections. And now when I'm working with organizations, when it comes to leadership development, I talk about the power of vulnerability in a company culture and developing your brand.
Because there's a certain vulnerability that I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs have, at least maybe the circle that I'm in. Because you have to burn the boat to get in. There are struggles in there, you don't get the cush of the corporate—like you really are on your own, but then there's a lot of beauty of it too. But in the corporate space, it is very stiff is very regimented. There are not very many people that have gone outside the box. And if they do, like myself, I got fired. But I don't feel like every company culture is like that. So I love the fact that you are pressing in on that. Just be yourself. This is who you are. And then you'll once you start being vulnerable in yourself, you're gonna figure out:
Am I meant to stay here?
Are these my people?
Am I meant to move?
I went through that and I said, “Oh my gosh, I worked so hard to get into this industry—news industry for it to be ripped out from under me because I wanted to serve people at a different level that wasn't hurting anybody.” I was like, “This is crazy.” They rather talk about death and destruction than how to help people at a granular level, like what you're doing with the vulnerability. I feel like vulnerability for some is like a cuss word. They're like, “Oh, no, don't say that. Don't say that.” That's because we haven't normalized it. And I love the fact that you're normalizing it.
As women, you know, there's this fear of being a woman—especially in corporate America, where less than 50% of women in corporate America are in leadership roles. And so, the fear out there, the perception out there is, “If I'm vulnerable, I'm considered weak.” And it's not until you really let that guard down. What I've experienced is that when you let that guard down, and you're vulnerable, and you get to connect with people—it's interesting. I actually gained more confidence through that process because I started to truly understand the challenges I've been through. And through those challenges, I've shared them with people and the steps I've taken to overcome those challenges. So even though you're being vulnerable by sharing your challenges, you're also showing up as a confident leader because you're supporting others through the steps to come through those.
But I just want people to be open to the experience. Start messy. It's not going to be perfect. It's going to feel weird and uncomfortable. And your brain's probably going to tell you, “Hey, danger! Danger! What are we doing here? This is uncomfortable.” That's okay. Stop trying to be in this little bubble all the time. I'm actually so comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s not even funny anymore. It's like, if I get comfortable, I'm like, “Oh, I'm not supposed to be here. What more can I be doing to help pursue more and just grow and serve other people?” And so that becomes really addicting. Because when you start seeing that ripple effect, you become vulnerable. And then because you are vulnerable, this person, now becomes that person. Now, it's developing healing and more deeper relationships. That's what people really want at the end of the day. That's really what they're after whether they want to say it out loud or not.
So tell us what are three things that our listeners can take away from our conversation today?
Start messy. It's not going to be perfect right out the gate. Just get started and be willing to be flexible with the process. Start messy, be flexible, and just grow with that process.
Be vulnerable. With yourself, first and foremost, and then with other people. And being comfortable about talking about or normalizing vulnerability.
And then when it comes to building your brand on social media, really get down to it. Why do you want to be out there? What's your driving force as to why you want to brand out there? Because it's not really a luxury anymore? It's like we got to put ourselves out there because we're constantly selling ourselves every day—whether it's to a significant other, a client, a job, whatever. People are out there, Googling and watching what kind of value do you want to give? And how can you start doing that on social media where it just goes a little bit deeper? Not so surface level? A lot of people do that, but how can you share your experiences that are unique to you, and allowing that to be mentorship to other people?
