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Beyond The Brand is the podcast for purpose-driven entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals who know their brand is about more than just business—it’s personal. Hosted by Brand Strategist Rod Brinson, this show dives deep into the mindset, habits, identity, and emotional intelligence that shape the way you show up in the world. From solo episodes to powerful conversations, Beyond The Brand explores what it really takes to build something meaningful—starting with the person behind the brand. Because if you’re not growing, your brand won’t either.
Hey, Rod.
Rod Brinson:How you doing?
Paige Elliott:I am good. I'm good. I heard what you said earlier talking about Paige with two t's. Talk to people how how we got here today, Rod. Tell them how, you know, how much you respect and love, you know, our our partnership so much.
Rod Brinson:Yeah. I mean, well, first and foremost, let me apologize publicly for leaving one of those Ts off. Right? Her name is Paige Elliott with two t's, and I knew that. And then my, you know, excitement for getting this stuff out here, I I pushed the graphic to her, like, at 02:00 in the morning when she had one eye open, and she was like, it looks good.
Rod Brinson:And then I'll put it out there. So She
Paige Elliott:was excited. It's okay. It's okay.
Rod Brinson:It's okay, though.
Paige Elliott:It's okay. But sometimes with her branding, you know, expert, you know, we still gotta double check. It's okay.
Rod Brinson:Not only do we have to double check, but and you and I had this conversation. It's not going to be perfect all the time. And it's okay. Just like me right now, I was supposed to be in my home studio, which has all the lights, the cameras, the bells, and the whistles. And I got caught in traffic.
Rod Brinson:Yep. So I had to make a detour.
Paige Elliott:Yeah.
Rod Brinson:You know what I mean? I had to go to my second house, you know what I mean, with the long fireplace in the back over here. You know what I'm saying? So I can stay warm out here in these streets.
Paige Elliott:Gotta be able to adapt. You know? Something comes up, you gotta be able to shift. Everybody can't do that. So
Rod Brinson:Period. Now to to your point, I do wanna kinda open things up and let people know about who you are, what it is you represent, and I'll tell a little bit of a backstory how you and I connected, and then we'll jump into what it is you do and why you are what I consider a branding guru. So first and foremost, I got connected through Paige to Paige through a third party friend, and I got connected with her based on what I was doing for somebody else pro bono. So it was like five different degrees of separation, and then when I met Paige, it was to do some work for her corporate company, and we just developed a bond from that point. And so not only was she utilizing me and my services through my marketing agency to do some work, but I just felt like she knew what she was talking about in the branding space, and she was starting to see me do some things in the branding space.
Rod Brinson:And so it just formed a connection. Without further ado, Paige, give the people a little bit about yourself and why you're qualified to speak on this subject.
Paige Elliott:Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Like Rod said, just working with him and my corporation and just doing some branding projects.
Paige Elliott:When you connect with people, let me just say this before I jump in. When you connect with people that have the same vision, the same type of mindset as you, and then you also can just collaborate and make dope content. You stick close to those people. So thank you for inviting me on here to talk today. My background, I went to school for broadcast journalism.
Paige Elliott:I worked behind the scenes a little bit in the PA space. I shifted into public relations and did public relations with professional athletes, lifestyle clients, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and really enjoyed the PR space and media angle of things. And over time, as I was doing that, I was brought an opportunity around employer branding, which wasn't a thing in the world at the time. And it really was about branding a company inside out. And so I built a team.
Paige Elliott:I said yes, I built a team with that organization around employer branding and at the same time, doing PR on the side. You gotta keep your side hustle going. Yeah, so I've really been in this space for over ten years. And I think when you wear different hats on different sides of it, you're able to learn the game and learn different sides of branding and communications and such. Ten years of experience here now doing branding, employer branding and personal branding.
Paige Elliott:So I got a lot to say.
Rod Brinson:Okay. Period. Look, you said so much in that. I mean, we could talk about what you just said for the rest of this call, but I want to kind of pull out a piece and highlight a piece to get your opinion on it. Again, you and I had this sidebar, but when it comes to branding, I think people typically only think about that from a logo perspective or like color palettes and things of that nature, but it's so much more than that.
Rod Brinson:Like you brought up PR, right? You brought up certain celebrities or athletes who have a certain image that they want to uphold. You brought up the corporate side of things. And I deal with primarily, like, people in their entrepreneurial space. Mhmm.
Rod Brinson:But then there's also people who just work a nine to five who also have a brand to uphold. Let's talk about some of those differences. What would you say is, like, the main difference you noticed in the corporate space versus, like, dealing with the individual celebrity PR piece of branding?
Paige Elliott:Well, at the end of the day, branding is branding. The fundamentals are the same no matter what space you're in. And so I would say the core essence and I'll give you a little backstory just doing PR and working with athletes. At that time, public relations is all about really just positioning whoever your client is in the light, however they wanna be seen and positioning them in that way in different media outlets and such. And so I was working with different athletes, and they would always wanna push something out.
Paige Elliott:They would wanna push out content. They would wanna sell something.
Rod Brinson:They would
Paige Elliott:wanna be seen as a certain way, but they never knew, like, the messaging. They didn't really know, like, who they were, like, what they were trying to say. And so at the of the day, you're pushing out content and you don't even know your target audience. You don't even know really what you're trying to land. And I would always
Rod Brinson:think
Paige Elliott:What makes you who you are? What makes you What are the core foundations of your brand? And so as I would go through different clients within PR and even internally, not having the messaging that you need to put out different communications, I learned that the first step is that discovery phase and identifying how you want to be seen, what are your strengths, what sets you apart, what are your attributes that make people drawn to you, figuring that out first so that you can figure out where you're trying to go. And so I think that really shifted me from PR to pushing a client out to taking a step back and doing personal branding and really helping the client go through self discovery, really.
Rod Brinson:Oh my god. That's so big, like self discovery. Too often people want to put the cart before the horse. They want to jump into selling the product and selling the service and getting to the money and, you know, chasing the bag, but the reality is you're probably gonna fumble the bag if you do get it, if you're not careful on who you are, right? Knowing that piece before you even go into that space, and a lot of people go, well, I know who I am.
Rod Brinson:Okay. That may be true for some people, but there are pieces that you're missing. And then here's the biggest kick that I think a lot of people can take away. This would probably be I'm gonna consider this the first gym that I dropped because you've been dropping about 15 of them already. Who you are is not who you know yourself to be.
Rod Brinson:Who you are is who people perceive you as. So you could be out in public saying that you're this person, but when you go behind closed doors and you're treating your children bad or you're not really working on a relationship you have with your parents because of something that happened in your childhood or you're lying to your spouse about, you know what I mean? Like, you have to work on the person that you are in front of the camera and behind the camera in order to discover your true essence, your unique value, the thing that you bring to the table, the thing that could be literally unshatterable because you've perfected it or, you know, toned it in a way that when you get out in public space, they're not looking at you sideways going, I don't think that's really who that person is.
Paige Elliott:Man, it's so that's key. No. It's key. It's really key that you'd be really surprised. I like to say when I'm talking about personal branding, like like, who I am at home is who I am in the office is who I am at, like, in any setting.
Paige Elliott:Like, you know what I mean? And your brand is all about consistency. It's all about, like, how do you make people feel when you leave the room? And I don't want to have to put on different faces and shift it up wherever I'm going. So I think that is really key is like, who are you and how do you want to be seen?
Paige Elliott:And I think you and I were talking and we were saying, I was talking about going through personal branding workshops and how I I like to do this activity with people. And it's like, ask the people closest to you, like, who who do they think you are? You know, give me ask 10 people and ask them, what do you think of when you think about me? You know, what strength comes to mind? You know, what characteristic comes to mind?
Paige Elliott:And, like, really see if that aligns with who you say you are.
Rod Brinson:That's so good. Look, just last night on my monthly coaching call, I told my clients to write the first three words that they think of that describes who they are and what their business is all about. And, you know, they put some thought into it, and they wrote their words. But I would like to see what the other side of that is compared to what you just said, where they would take that and then present it to people that truly know them to see how how real it is or if they have differences in what they perceive that person to
Paige Elliott:be. Just
Rod Brinson:be ready. Whether it's family, friends, coworkers, or whoever. Right?
Paige Elliott:Be ready for the feedback. That's all I'm a say. Because when I've had people do this, they have come back and said it caused issues in their family group chats, you know, siblings telling them that they're one way when they wanna be seen in another. But I would say ask different people, though. Ask different groups.
Paige Elliott:Ask people in your work setting. Ask your family. Ask, you know, people in different different settings and just see if it aligns to who you say you are or if it aligns to where you are trying to go. And I think that's just a good audit do within your Oh
Rod Brinson:my god. So good. Now I want to hit on a few points that you just brought up. The reality is, and I said this before, people are building their brand whether they know it or not. When you're working on your job and your boss asks you to stay extra hours or do this job that doesn't line up with your deliverables and your job description, and you say, oh, I can't do that.
Rod Brinson:I got something, you know, you're building that brand to say to that person, I can't trust this person to do something outside of what they're being paid for. Right? Now that's not to say you got to go and take every job that comes to your desk. Right? There's a certain thing called boundaries that you need to, you know, absolutely establish.
Rod Brinson:However, when it comes time for that promotion and you get overlooked, you shouldn't be sitting there wondering why it happened if you're not willing to go above and beyond to make some of those things happen. Now I said that for a reason. There are some people that may be watching this live or may catch the replay that are thinking, well, what does Brandon have to do with me? I don't plan on being an entrepreneur. Well it has everything to do with whatever you're trying to drive.
Rod Brinson:You are working on your branding whether you're an entrepreneur, whether you're a corporation, whether you don't plan on working on any of your businesses and just want to do nine to five. So what advice would you give to the person that's listening to this who has a small business and they want to focus on the product or the service, they don't really want to go through all the inner work necessary to do the discovery about who they are in order to get to that next level?
Paige Elliott:I would tell you that it might be painful. It might take time to go through that discovery phase, but it is essential. Like it is literally like the bread and butter. If you can take that time and really go through that piece, because at the end of the day, it's gonna set the foundation for everything you do. Every decision that you make, every project that you take on, every opportunity that comes to you, anything you pitch yourself for.
Paige Elliott:If you take the time to do that self discovery and figure out like, look, this is my foundation and everything from this point on has to make sense and align to who I am and what my brand is, then everything will just align up and be intentional from there. And so that self discovery, a lot of times again, it's my it's my favorite part, actually, in going through personal branding because you you see a client have that moment. Like, like, oh, like, I didn't even think of it like that, you know?
Rod Brinson:And
Paige Elliott:sometimes you just got to say it out loud, but I just think that that self discovery phase is definitely key.
Rod Brinson:It's the beginning. It's the beginning of all of it. And to your point, you will have adversities that come your way that might take you off your course if you don't know who you truly are, whose you are, and what it is you're trying to accomplish. Then on top of that, I did, and I'm gonna continue because that's a part of my brand. But in addition to that, here's the thing that I found lately, especially, and I'm just being transparent, I'm full time entrepreneurship, right?
Rod Brinson:This is what I'm doing. I know through and through who I am. I've done that discovery phase. I know what my path is about. God has literally laid it out for me and I'm walking down it, right?
Rod Brinson:But during that time, there are temptations. There are tests and trials. There are things that make you say, I don't know if this is the thing I should be doing, or here's this other sparkly gold glittery looking opportunity over here that has absolutely nothing to do with my purpose and my path, but it looks good, it smells good, I'm sure it'll feed me, I'm sure I can make some money doing this, so maybe I should venture out over here. If you're not steadfast in who you are and what your brand is all about, by doing that initial discovery with somebody who knows how to guide you in that, you're gonna get detoured immediately as soon as you face hard weather, bad weather, whatever the case may be, or as soon as another opportunity. I had an opportunity come up recently where I could have been a fractional CMO for a really big influencer.
Rod Brinson:I mean, they were all in my face, like, let's do it. And I'm like, that chain looks amazing right now. But you know what? I'm not here to work for you in that capacity. That's not I know my brand and that's not it.
Rod Brinson:So, I mean, I totally agree with what you're saying. The reality is you have to discover who you are first by doing the personal branding work, like you said, whether it's an audit, whether it's getting with a coach, whether it's joining a community, taking a course, a lot of people get fearful about those pieces, right, because it's oversaturated in today's social media world, etcetera. What would you say to that person who's on the fence? They find out about Paige and what she has to offer, she's talking about doing the inner work and her personal branding piece, but now they're like, I think my money was probably better suited if I go out here and purchase a website or follow this path over here that I've seen somebody else do. What would you say to that person that's skeptical?
Paige Elliott:Put your website together to go where? Like, what where are you going? What message are you putting out? Who are you reaching? You know what I mean?
Paige Elliott:Like, and I'm telling you this because
Rod Brinson:Looks like it's freezing on my side.
Paige Elliott:On photo shoots. I spent so much money on branding. I spent so much money on just like the look and the feel and you know what I mean? And just jumping into things. I've done videos and promos and had no core essence of what I was trying to do.
Paige Elliott:I've been through grad school and all these different things where I've learned and spent so much money on trying to figure this thing out. So I would tell you to save your money and save your time and save your coins by being able to, like, tap into this knowledge, whether you join in a community, whether you're, you know, on Instagram, TikTok, like, there's all these free gems. I'm not saying come to what I have or you have to offer. I'm saying,
Rod Brinson:right,
Paige Elliott:do the first phase, whatever that looks like for you. Do that first phase because you're going to set yourself up for success at the end of the day.
Rod Brinson:That's so good. And I like how you didn't position it like you have to get with somebody specific or you have to buy this thing in order to do it. There's a plethora of information out here on the internet, right? But here's the thing I like to say, and this is what my focus has been, not only for myself, right, because I didn't get here by just learning all this information in a book or on the internet. I also learned by experience.
Rod Brinson:I also learned by having a mentor. I also learned by taking some of these courses and things that I'm talking about, joining communities, etc. It's a way to do things and it's a way to not do things, but this is not about right or wrong. This is more so about doing it fast or doing it more efficiently. Right?
Rod Brinson:Or doing it the long way. So here's what I'm saying about that. I think that you can learn just about anything you want about anything by getting on your phone or computer and researching. Right? But that that thing that you learn might take you eleven hours of figuring out when you could have come to page and say, hey.
Rod Brinson:I'm trying to figure this thing out. The page said, oh, I know exactly how to do that. Spent three minutes with you, and now you have that download of that information. Right? And so that is the key to me is getting with somebody who's more advanced than you in that space to help guide you.
Rod Brinson:They don't have to be your, you know, one stop shop for everything. But before you go out and put $3,000 into, you know, this one venture that you want to do, talk to somebody who's done something like that first to get their advice so that you can avoid some of those pitfalls. So to me, that's a bigger part about your personal brand and knowing how to build it, is navigating the course based off of what somebody else has done. That's to me the fastest way to learn.
Paige Elliott:No, I'm in agreement. Literally like this new season of life is all literally about partnerships. Like let's work harder, not harder. I'm not here I don't win an award for saying I know it all. You know?
Paige Elliott:Right. I I specialize in what I specialize in, and I, you know, I build a team at the end of the day for everything else. And I'm really learning that as I'm going through things and, like, learning how to delegate and to even build my own brand as as, you know, we grow. And so
Rod Brinson:Let's talk about that. Let's talk about that. Because I told you I was gonna challenge you on that anyway.
Paige Elliott:Here we go. So so
Rod Brinson:so so let the people know, like, you have your own personal brand that you need to build, that you have built. You've already begun establishing it, right? Like you said, when you go to work, you're being yourself. When you go home, you're being the same person. But what is this this battle that you got going on with your your own brand and what it is you do for a living?
Rod Brinson:What what would you kind of label that as or define that as?
Paige Elliott:Look. I'm page at work and I'm page, you know, outside of work. So it's not a it's not two different brands, but it's a balance. You know? I'm at work, and I'm using my job to grow and build my skill set at the end
Rod Brinson:of the And
Paige Elliott:so, and I know everybody doesn't have this opportunity. So let me start by recognizing that, like, sometimes you work a job, a nine to five that does not relate to where you're trying to go. So I recognize that. So if you have the opportunity to find a leadership opportunity or to lead a project where you are or to do like a stretch project somewhere in your organization, you know what I mean? Even if it doesn't align to the industry you want to work at or whatever, I encourage you to do that.
Paige Elliott:In my role, I'm able to work on branding. I'm able to build my corp so I do employer branding. And I literally build my company from the inside out. Storytelling, finding out the values, who we are, everything that I do in personal branding, I'm able to do in the employer space and I'm able to tell the stories about the company culture and my target audience is people who are looking to come work here. And that's how amazing God is.
Paige Elliott:I'm gonna throw that in there because he allowed me to be in this space and then be able to align it to who I am outside of work where I work on building brands from the inside out. I mean, come on. You can't even align that any better. And so
Rod Brinson:that's straight up God.
Paige Elliott:Literally like, and it really so everything I learned internally, I'm able to use it in some capacity as I'm building my own brand, as I'm working with personal branding and building clients out. But it is a balance. However, I'm very transparent about it. Like, you know, working with a company, like, look. I I got this side business.
Paige Elliott:This is what I do. Is it okay? And that was something I actually came into my interview with when I was working. I said, you know, this is what I do, and they they were okay with it. So Mhmm.
Paige Elliott:I never shied away from pushing my own personal brand on LinkedIn or internally because as long as it wasn't a conflict of interest, it was a It
Rod Brinson:didn't matter.
Paige Elliott:But you gotta check with your company first. I I always tell people that first. Don't say Paige told you because I ain't trying to get you fired. But I think that's important for me to be who I am inside the company and outside the company, and I make sure I stay consistent with
Rod Brinson:And you bring up a great point because everybody doesn't have the luxury of proudly proclaiming their business or their passion or their purpose on their professional LinkedIn page and things of that nature. I think it's important to find a way to navigate those waters that won't get you fired. Right? Don't lose your job, folks. And it's primarily because you either didn't read the company hand guides and all of that stuff that says you can't do that, or you got some hater in upper management that just doesn't want to see you win.
Rod Brinson:So now they're mad that you have your own thing going on. So you definitely have to navigate that in a delicate manner, but here's my suggestion to anybody that finds themselves in a compromising position where you really want to branch out and do your own thing, but you also have your main source of income over here. Oh, I'm sorry. Your main resource of income over here because it's only one source of income and that's God, right? But at the end of the day, this main resource of income that you're utilizing to fuel this thing that you care about greatly, you have to find a way to navigate those waters.
Rod Brinson:And my recommendation to you as it relates to building your personal brand in or out of corporate America or the government or whatever other sector you work in is to begin finding ways, as you just mentioned it, that you can get on a particular project to exercise that. Right? I think about my story. I was in finance for years. I worked at Bank of America, and I was just doing what I needed to do to pay bills.
Rod Brinson:Right? But every time we had a team building exercise, I found myself painting, cutting sheets of paper, drawing, building stuff, doing video edits, and all type of stuff that I had no clue would line up to where I would be ten, fifteen years down the road. But I knew that I cared about it and I knew that people in the office recognized me for being able to do those things. I just didn't put two and two together, so eventually once people started recognizing for me that that's how my business got born. Somebody asked me to do a Halloween flyer because they knew I could do that artsy creative stuff, and I did it for free, and then that turned into word-of-mouth, and before you know it, five people were coming to me at the same time, and I'm like, y'all gonna pay me for this.
Rod Brinson:This ain't free. You got to put out there.
Paige Elliott:Took you putting yourself out there and exposing what you do And that's the biggest thing. Lot of people personal branding is uncomfortable for a lot of people because they don't want to toot their own horn. And I get it. They don't want to talk about themselves, what they're good at. Know, like you.
Paige Elliott:I don't want to you might not want to put the content out because you're scared of what the job's gonna say. But how do people know what to reach out to you for if they don't know what you do? Like, you know what I mean? And so you have to you have to be an advocate for yourself. You have to, like, speak in rooms when you have an opportunity.
Paige Elliott:You have to be a thought leader at the end of the day and whatever it is your niche is. And so I definitely encourage that because, I mean, if you want someone to come knock on your door, it's like you have to put that stuff out there. And I leverage LinkedIn. So in the corporate space, I'm like a huge advocate for showing your personal brand on LinkedIn and just showing who you are even outside of the office. Because I promise you, I have walked in so many doors by posting stories and who I am and my brand on LinkedIn.
Paige Elliott:I have sat at the table with my CEOs, been in conversations to make decisions. I've asked to been asked to speak and do a toast with my CEO within two months of being at an organization just because the post on LinkedIn and they saw me consistently posting about my brand and and and personal branding and things. Like, just posting about what I do, what I worked on. And they're like, oh, I know you from LinkedIn. Oh, I know you from your post.
Paige Elliott:Oh, I love your stories. And I'm like, you never to reach. But you have to put it out there. Like, you are the brand of you. You to own that.
Paige Elliott:And that's hard for some people.
Rod Brinson:You just said something that resonated with me. Well, you said several things, but I want to hone in on this for anybody that's listening. This is so key. You said you have to expose yourself. Oh my god.
Rod Brinson:That's so deep. But I'm gonna just narrow it down to what my mentor told me years ago. I found myself in a position where I felt like I was being cheated out of some money in my my role, in my job. And I mean, we went to war, me and my manager, about this thing. It went all the way up to the top.
Rod Brinson:And by the end of it, I ended up winning the argument and getting my money. Well, my manager at that time told me, Rod, whether you know it or not, you're ruining your brand at this company. And I mean that stuck with me because I was frustrated. Like, I didn't do anything wrong. You tried to take my money and I fought for it, so you could call it ruining my brand if you want.
Rod Brinson:My kid's gonna eat some food tonight, you know what mean? But I was so frustrated and felt some kind of way that I told one of my old bosses that I needed a mentor, and so she connected me with this guy. And we had a conversation. We had one conversation page. It was two hours long.
Rod Brinson:That's all the mentorship I needed. Right? But he said something so potent to me, and I wanna share it with you guys tonight. He said, no matter what situation you find yourself in, you have to manage your PIE, your P I E. Your P is your performance, your I is your image, and your E is your exposure.
Rod Brinson:He said you have to do all three simultaneously. If you have the performance and you have the right image, but you don't have the exposure, you're limited in what you can do. And then he went around the pie, right? He said if you have the exposure and you have the performance, but your image is weak or people see you in one way that you're really not, or they think about you and they say, oh, he's not a hard worker or whatever it might be, he said, you're gonna be limited. You're not gonna be able to get where you're He said, if you manage your pie accordingly, your p, your I, and your e at all times, he was like, your brand is gonna continue to shine and grow and develop to the point where you're not only invaluable.
Rod Brinson:Right, but also you to the point where people know who you are. When they think about opportunities, they're going to think about you. And I'll say this last piece and I'll pause because I think it's important. When I made my, exodus, my escape from corporate into full time entrepreneurship, I had begun planting those same seeds. So you're blessed to be in a position where you're working in corporate and branding and that's what you also have a passion for on the side.
Rod Brinson:With me, I was in sales and customer success, relationships, and stuff like that. So it was more so like really corporate software type stuff, right? I didn't find a way to utilize my marketing skills in that role until I had a conversation with an executive sponsor who said, hey, instead of waiting for a marketing position to open up, why don't you go ahead and start utilizing those skills in your current role? And I was like, oh, I never thought about that. So I started putting presentations together.
Rod Brinson:I started using my video editing skills. All the same things that I was already passionate about. Every chance I got, whether it was in front of a customer or whether it was internal, I was utilizing those marketing skills. Now guess what? I left the company and six, seven months later, that company ended up hiring my agency to do some marketing work.
Paige Elliott:If you didn't put your put your stamp down and put the word out there, not the word. Did y'all catch them? I hope y'all caught that.
Rod Brinson:Exactly. That's crazy. I that. It. To your point, I made it clear this is who I am.
Rod Brinson:This is what I do, And it turned into a whole another opportunity for me.
Paige Elliott:So That's great. That's great. Literally, have to put yourself out there. Like, no one's going to drive your ship but you at the end of the And you have to be able to, you know, jump in there and and really steer where you want to go and be intentional with it. And I think that's the really the biggest beauty in building your personal brand.
Paige Elliott:It's going to take time and it's not going to happen overnight. But, you know, you navigate it where you're going. You know what I'm saying? It might be different in different seasons, but your essence and your foundation of who you are should stay the same. I'm authentic, I'm this, whatever those key elements are of your brand.
Paige Elliott:And then you navigate it to whatever room you're going into.
Rod Brinson:But this is very important that you bring that up, right? Because it's not about saying you're this person, it's about becoming this person. Now you don't have to try to put it on when the time shows up. It's just who you are. Right?
Rod Brinson:You know, if you say I'll just make an example. If you say, hey, you know, I'm the greatest salesperson in the world. I can teach you how to sell. Okay. Well, that should be in you.
Rod Brinson:That should not be on you. Right? That has to be something that is a part of your system so that it is just naturally in you. Now, if it's not in you, you can develop it.
Paige Elliott:Yeah.
Rod Brinson:But don't go out here just broadcasting to the world that you're this person because now you're just advertising that you're mediocre. You need to become that expert, become that person, and then when you go out to the world, they'll be able to see it, smell it, feel it, and taste it.
Paige Elliott:I like to say, when you think about branding, think about whatever your favorite brand is. Everybody
Rod Brinson:It kind of froze up.
Paige Elliott:Oh, can you hear me?
Rod Brinson:Yeah. You're good. Keep going.
Paige Elliott:Okay. I'm like, think about whatever brand you love. Right? And then ask yourself why. I'm and I'm gonna go and and and think about mine.
Paige Elliott:Like, mine is Nike.
Rod Brinson:I love Nike.
Paige Elliott:I love Nike. And you asked me why. I love I love how they make me feel. I love the storytelling. I can relate to the branding and the messaging that they put out.
Paige Elliott:The ads they put out are very, like, real life. They're touching. Feel like I'm a part of their brand and it motivates me to go get some new shoes if I want to go work out or go get some new clothes. I feel good when I put it on. And I'm like, that's how your brand should make other people feel when you're in a room.
Paige Elliott:It's like, how do you make people feel when they're associated with you, when they're around you? And does that align with who you say you are?
Rod Brinson:So Right. Like my good friend Michelle said in the chat, emotional connection. That's the reason why Nike is something that stands out for you. When you think about it, it's based off how they make you feel. And I want everybody to type yours in the chat.
Rod Brinson:Like, what brand resonates with you? When you think about a brand that makes you feel good, what brand is that that jumps out to you? I'm gonna jump on your training page and say, for me, it's Apple. Like, when I open that box up and I gotta peel all those little white things off, it's like Mhmm. It's just dust.
Paige Elliott:Stairs with two cords. I know. Ain't even got no box. Don't even got no charging port.
Rod Brinson:Right. I don't know what's happening over here no more. They done changed all my imports. But guess what? I still got an iPhone.
Rod Brinson:I still got Apple AirPods. I still got a Mac, you know, and I'm gonna continue to work with Apple because of how they make me feel or more so the experience that I get with them from the beginning of walking in that door to when I'm actually utilizing the functionality of the device that they created. So what does your brand say about you when you're not in the room? What do people feel about this business or this product or this service or this passion, thing that you care about so deeply? What are they saying about it when you're long gone?
Rod Brinson:Right? That is key and figuring out how to mold that to the point where you minimize the negative talk, you minimize the bad experiences, and you maximize the emotional connection and the feeling that they get from your product or service, now you're talking. But it's not just about fluff and surface level things. Right, Paige? Like, that's why it's called personal branding.
Paige Elliott:People will
Rod Brinson:feel
Paige Elliott:that. Will feel if your brand is not authentic. There's nothing like and I and I can think about this as a personal brand as well as, like, at a company. There's nothing like and we probably can all say we've been a part of it. A company on their website saying that they believe in whatever, you know, all these things and saying they're one way, and then you get inside, and that company culture is not what they said they Mhmm.
Paige Elliott:They are. You know? Like, you're like, you said you were all this. Look. You said you were all diverse, and you had all this going on.
Paige Elliott:I got inside. It did not
Rod Brinson:look like that. Where's the diversity?
Paige Elliott:It looked different, you know? And so people can feel it. Right? And so you have to be real with your brand, your personal brand and your company brand, if you have a small business, whatever it is. And it's okay to show where you're at and where you're going.
Paige Elliott:You have to find that middle ground, but don't put the fake stuff out because people won't, they'll call you out.
Rod Brinson:And they're feel it. Can lie with your words all day, but your energy can't lie.
Paige Elliott:Come on.
Rod Brinson:Your energy is gonna tell the truth every single time. And that's why people say, I just wasn't feeling it. Well, that's because it was something false there. Right? Or it's just something that I don't know.
Rod Brinson:Like, whenever you're in that space and you're thinking about it from the person that's behind the brand and questioning whether or not you wanna work with them, it's because there's something off. And typically, you have to fix that before you start going into business. And if you're already into then you need to fix it along the way. Mhmm. But you hit on something I wanted to kinda, you know, jump back into, and I want the people on the call to really be able to benefit from this.
Rod Brinson:When you go to market, when you present yourself to somebody, like, don't wait until somebody calls you out to do right by them. Don't wait until the cameras come on to smile. You have to begin to fix whatever you're doing in front of people behind closed doors. That is going to be the true difference maker in you hitting your bottom line, you growing your revenue, you getting to the next level, becoming a millionaire, all these other fancy things that you hear on the TV screen. At the end of the day, and I just aged myself to my TV screen, look, on these iPhones, on these Instagram lives, okay?
Paige Elliott:No comment.
Rod Brinson:The true work happens when nobody's looking, you know? Yeah. The true work happens when like, and I'm just going say this, this is a live, I don't care. I'm a transparent guy, it's just my brand, right? As a web designer, I have the keys to the kingdom.
Rod Brinson:I got the back end. I can see all type of stuff. When relationships go sour with people that I have control of their website on, the flesh in me has this mindset of, I don't well, I have the keys. So, you know, it's that. Right?
Rod Brinson:And as soon as it creeps up, I'll allow my spirit man to push that down, and I say, you know what? I'm a man of integrity. Mhmm. It doesn't matter if this relationship didn't work out. Mhmm.
Rod Brinson:From a business perspective, I don't care if I got the keys to all of their kingdoms. I'm not gonna do anything that would jeopardize my character. Mhmm. Period. Whether they did me wrong or not, whether we are still in business or not.
Rod Brinson:And that, my friends, is how you maintain doing business properly and you continue to grow. You do right by people whether they know about it or whether they don't, you know, and that's a part of my personal brand. So but I fixed that before I got into business to the point where it's like, you shouldn't ever have a situation where somebody feels like the person that they're dealing with is shady or shisty or gonna they're just about to get your money. You know what I mean? Like, that's a part of your personal brand too.
Rod Brinson:So what are your thoughts on that piece?
Paige Elliott:No, I just think trust is everything at the end of the day. Like, you you about all these influencers today, beauty influencers or whatever, it's like you buy products from people that you trust, who you connect And so you have to, people have to connect with trust you, and it does come down to your integrity, you know, and not being a part of things just for money or what's in right now or whatever. Like, you know, that skinny t, like, is it really gonna do that for me or is it just a good check? Like, you know, I need to know what is real or or what's not. And so your integrity is definitely everything.
Paige Elliott:And are you living what you say? And so I think, like, kinda like shifting gears a little bit, but I feel like a lot of people, the average person, they may want to do you know, work on their personal brand or they might have an idea or something that's, you know, that's put in their heart. They don't know where to start. Right? They don't know where to start.
Paige Elliott:I feel like this is the conversation I have all the time. It's like, what I just don't know. It's like, wanna do this y'all. So, like, you know, where where do I start? And so I think it really is you know, we talked about the self discovery, but it's, like, really just taking that seat back and saying, like, I had to give a gym.
Paige Elliott:But it's like, what are you good at? What do people know you by? What are your strengths? What do people constantly come to you for to do? You
Rod Brinson:know? Like,
Paige Elliott:what are those things that make you excited when you're doing them?
Rod Brinson:That matters.
Paige Elliott:What are what are those things that make you tick? Starting there, because everybody has a story. And some people, especially the introverts or the quiet ones, the people that usually like to be behind the scenes, they don't like to talk about themselves. They feel like they don't have anything to bring to the table. But it's like when you take a deeper dive into yourself and figure out those things, there's so much there.
Rod Brinson:Yeah. Yeah. That's like a part of your why. Right? It's like, why am I doing this?
Rod Brinson:And figuring that out beforehand. Like I said, when the going gets tough, right, because it will, when the bills are due and the money ain't flowing, when you find yourself 10 miles down the road and this thing that you say you really want it is heavy and you got to carry it, that why is what's going to keep you doing it. That why is going to is what's going to push you over that mountain that's in front of you. Right? And so that's why it's important to know that.
Rod Brinson:So I totally agree.
Paige Elliott:Yeah, no, it's definitely key. You got to go back to that. And once you figure all that out, I kind of shifted gears a little bit, but it helps you figure out your your main brand elements, your foundation of who you are, and so that you can stay aligned and stay true to those things. And you're not just detouring doing a bunch of stuff. A lot of
Rod Brinson:people take a lot of pride in saying they're serial entrepreneur or they're, you know, jack of all trades, master of none. But in this society where niching down is almost like the thing that everybody's trying to do, I think that's what gets people caught up in this tunnel vision of I don't know where to start and I don't know what the next step is or I don't know how to get I see where I want to go. I just don't know how to get there. Right? It's because you've got too many things on your mind.
Rod Brinson:You're trying to do it all in a situation where people look like somebody said in the chat, subject matter expert. They're looking for people who are SMEs, right, or people that have experience or knowledge in a particular area. So I was in a room recently, it was like 50 guys. Nehemiah Davis had orchestrated it or whatever and you know we've been there talking business and he was giving people the floor to explain who they are and what they do. This one guy gets the floor's attention, and, Paige, he starts going all around the world.
Rod Brinson:I'm a real estate agent. I own this. I do marketing. I mean, he names 16 things in thirty seconds.
Paige Elliott:Mhmm.
Rod Brinson:And, I mean, you you would literally be floored at how many people jumped in and tell him, no. Don't do that. Especially in a room like this. Right? But here's the reality.
Rod Brinson:The reason that doesn't work is because people don't want somebody that can do everything. I will and this is no knock against anybody's restaurant. Right? But I would never go to a Mexican restaurant and order Italian food. It just doesn't make any sense because while they might be able to make it and while it might not be bad and while I might get satisfied, that's not what they specialize I'm gonna go to a Mexican restaurant to get Mexican food, you know, and people do your business the same way.
Rod Brinson:So if you're all over the place, just understand you're not going to really reach the market that you're trying to reach because they need to know who you are And the only way they can know that is if you know who you are.
Paige Elliott:And that's the process. Let me just say that. And I'm saying that because I've been there, you know, and and trying to I I actually just landed there for real because I am that person that has tried a million different things. They've always kinda been in the same avenue, but, like, I'm that person who's like, I can do it. I can do it.
Paige Elliott:You got I'll figure it out. You know? I can do that. And so when I do a brand assessment, I look at my strengths and my weaknesses. And my my weakness is I say yes to too many things.
Paige Elliott:Like, I need to I needed to be able to say yes to only things that align to get me to where I'm going, which is why figuring out your foundation is so important so that I'm staying aligned. But, like, saying yes to too many things means I'm putting 10% in every bucket. If I'm putting 10% in every bucket, I'm never becoming this this thought leader, this brand expert, this this person who I say I am, or I'm not able to perfect my craft in the speed that I know that I can because I'm spread thin. And it's a it's a process to to get there.
Rod Brinson:It's good.
Paige Elliott:It it's just that
Rod Brinson:it's clear.
Paige Elliott:It's a process. I mean, shoot. Listen. It's hard not saying, you know, yes to everything. And then you you start to it goes deeper.
Paige Elliott:Like, you say yes to a million things. You got so much on your plate. Now you're not putting a % in. Now you're starting to beat yourself up because you ain't you didn't finish this deadline and, you know, whatever. And it's like, you did that because you didn't put some boundaries down.
Paige Elliott:And and so I like I said, I'm I'm still navigating that space. I'm transparent with that because I do feel like I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me. However, feel like you have to be able to be intentional.
Rod Brinson:Let's talk about that. You can do all things, but to your point, trying to do all things is gonna take you back from what it is you're trying to ultimately do, your purpose. Right? And like you said, you spread yourself thin, you get burnt out, all of those things. Let's let's let's shift gears just a little bit more as we, you know, get closer and closer to this.
Rod Brinson:Number one, I got a question in the chat I want to pull out. So should you try everything and see what sticks? I'll start there, Paige, and I want you to chime in on it as well. I would not advise anybody to try everything and see what sticks. I would advise any and everybody to sit with their thoughts, to pray about it if you are a believer, to talk to somebody who is already doing business, to find out some of the pitfalls to avoid, get with some sort of coach or consultant or strategist or whoever that can guide you on whatever it is you're thinking about.
Rod Brinson:But spend some time and wrestle with that piece before you go trying a lot of things, if you haven't already tried some things. Because it's not about making money and having financial freedom if you're just going to be mentally imprisoned. Right? That's why rich people are jumping off buildings when their stocks fall off or, you know, people driving Bugatti's, but they're crying. I think it's a song about that or something.
Rod Brinson:You know what I mean?
Paige Elliott:Don't show your eighties and all the things, but go ahead.
Rod Brinson:I said, I think. I don't really know. But here's my point. If it's not centered in your purpose, if it's not centered in something you're passionate about, then it doesn't matter how much money you make. You're not going to really be happy about it.
Rod Brinson:So that's my answer to that question.
Paige Elliott:I mean, I would say, I won't say that I purposely chose to do things to figure out if I like it or not. I would say that's just where things landed, you know, and I believe that everything happens for a reason. You know, said I went to school for sports broadcasting. My dream was to be a sports broadcaster. Somehow I ended up doing behind the scenes in PR.
Paige Elliott:I'm great at it, but it's not where I want it to be. I shifted over. I've done sales, I've done marketing, I've shifted. Like something in you, again, however you classify, something will push you when it's time to go, when you've learned what you needed to learn at that season to go to the next piece. And so I feel like my life has been aligned in that way that I've I've learned everything has happened for a reason.
Paige Elliott:And I've learned now I feel like I'm full. I got a full, well rounded palette of experience. And it hasn't been me just doing random things. Everything has been in alignment. But I can tell you what I don't like really well based off of the experiences that I've went through.
Paige Elliott:And I can tell you no real quick that I'm not doing certain things that don't align. So I think those those experiences are just as important as Mhmm. You know, saying yes and and finding your thing. But once you find it, for me, it was like it it brought me back to what I was told 15 you know, ten years ago of where I was supposed to be anyway. So, you know, I felt like I was supposed I'm doing now what I was told I was supposed to do is what I'm saying.
Paige Elliott:Where I'm going is where where I knew I was supposed to be, but I went on my own little detour and figured things out. And I feel like, you know, it's different for everybody. But I'm like I said, I'm well rounded. I have the skill set now. I feel like God took me on those different journeys to figure things out.
Paige Elliott:And now I landed where I feel a % confident on where I'm going next.
Rod Brinson:Let's talk about that in just a little bit, Paige. I I know that you're working in branding for another entity, but I know you also have a passion and a purpose that's outside of that. So, you know, there are a lot of people probably on this live who work a job, right? And that's not really something that makes them happy. It's not something that drives them, but it is something that's paying the bills.
Rod Brinson:So how are you personally navigating those waters where you feel compelled internally to make a turn towards this thing that you're more passionate about to do it for yourself rather than doing it for this company? How are you utilizing those resources in order to get you more connected to the source so that you can do the thing that you're trying to do?
Paige Elliott:Yeah, I think it's different for everybody. But for me, you know, I've been in this space. I've actually got comfortable in in the corporate space for a little bit if I'm being transparent because I'm you know, money was well. I'm learning and growing. I'm doing something that I enjoy, so it's not something that's like you know, I've been in the call centers and different things where it's like, gotta get up out of here.
Paige Elliott:You know? Or so I know what it what it felt like to do things that I didn't want to do. I'm I'm aligned, but it took me to to realize, like, okay. Well, but when you have that burning, like, what's next inside of you or you know you're called for more, it doesn't let you get comfortable. Mhmm.
Paige Elliott:And so I I'm in a season. I just wrote an article recently on LinkedIn for International Women's Day. It's called the grace and the gray. But it's like that that feeling of, like, I'm doing well where I'm at. You know, my job is doing well.
Paige Elliott:Like, everything is doing well, but I I know that there's so much more inside of me. And so how do I navigate that gray area of of my life? And I think that's that's where I'm at. I'm navigating. I'm being intentional at work.
Paige Elliott:I'm learning. I'm taking every stretch opportunity. I've identified my weaknesses, and I'm trying to take on more trainings or more projects or more things that are gonna help me grow. But in the back of my mind, I know where I'm going. And I know that it's whatever I do is going to be building me for what I'm trying to do outside of that.
Paige Elliott:I've also been blessed with the opportunity to, like, tell my manager where I'm trying to go. And and I'm not telling everybody to do that.
Rod Brinson:You
Paige Elliott:gotta feel that for yourself, but, like, I'm at a place where it's like, look. This is what I'm trying to build, and this is what I'm trying to do. So any opportunity that has this involved in it, please put me in it because I'm trying to build that skill set and I'm trying to eventually be on my own to do all of these things. And so if you feel that you have that type of opportunity to be transparent like that, you know, you told me you you put yourself out there, Rod, and and what you like to do with marketing at your previous company and just see where it goes. And so I'm just not doing stuff without being intentional.
Paige Elliott:And so I but I'm also not gonna be dumb and just quit.
Rod Brinson:Right.
Paige Elliott:You know, I'm not gonna have to just quit. I got bills. I got a child. You know, I got things to do.
Rod Brinson:So You got responsibilities.
Paige Elliott:You got responsibilities. So I'm trying to be intentional with every move and use my my job as a development opportunity, as an opportunity to grow, and then prepare for where I'm going.
Rod Brinson:Okay. Now, you used the word comfortable. I think a lot of people get comfortable in those type of positions, but they still yearn for more. As you're navigating that gray area and you're trying to transition to being more involved in the thing you really care about, Even like jumping on this live with me, like I sent out the request, you were like, let's do it because you've been being pushed anyway. My question to you for everybody watching is how do you fight against that comfortability feeling?
Rod Brinson:Because you know the other side of this is a little bit more uncomfortable, right? As you prepare and you want to take that leap, like you said, you're being wise about it. You're not just going to jump out there in the middle of the street, right? You're to map it out and plan it out and think it out. But at some point, it still has to be a faith journey because you can't see all of the steps in the path to get you where you're going.
Rod Brinson:So how are you navigating that piece where you're like, you know what, Rod asked me to get on this live. I know I need to be doing this thing. I need to build my own personal brand a little bit more outside of corporate. How are you navigating that question?
Paige Elliott:I mean, it's a process. I can say I definitely have been guilty of getting in my own way, you know, and and being that person that's like, you see all the work that you need to do to get there and it could be overwhelming or you feel like there's a million steps and all the things. So you kinda resort back to that comfort zone or you make that excuse or you get busy doing a bunch of stuff that you're not supposed to do. You know what I'm saying? Like, busy doing nothing.
Paige Elliott:Right? And so for me, I've been navigating it by, well, trying to say no to more things, trying to put more a little bit more time, you know, in my own self.
Rod Brinson:Even writing that article was was a part of that.
Paige Elliott:The step. Saying yes to this was a step. Like, literally, the only way through is through. That's all I'm a say. And the only way through is through.
Paige Elliott:And so I'm not perfect at it, but I'm like, Paige, just put an hour in here. Okay. Put you know, just just start working on that website. You know, start just the little things for me. Everybody operates differently, but the more I do something, I get excited.
Paige Elliott:You know? And I will say, because I gotta bring this into it, the number one thing for me is, like, when I'm with God, I'm good. Mhmm. Like Okay. So recently, like, just realigning with God and, like, getting in my word and spending some time in the mornings and just, like, praying.
Paige Elliott:Like, God, like, everything order my steps and, like, what I'm doing. I don't mean to take it there, but but that's
Rod Brinson:No.
Paige Elliott:That the truth?
Rod Brinson:You you should mean to take it there.
Paige Elliott:But that, like, that has if I'm being honest in the last week, I've been, like, really trying to be intentional and just talking to god. And you reached out to me about this live. I have a podcast set up tomorrow. I have four people reach out to me on LinkedIn. I haven't even advertised anything about personal branding.
Paige Elliott:All because I said yes to god. You know what I'm saying? In in those conversations. And so I say all that to say is, like, as you as you say yes and go through it and just take us, you know, step by step, doors are gonna open. I'm not going to answer your question and say, I got it figured out.
Paige Elliott:I'm saying yes. And I'm just trying to do one thing at a time and navigate that space.
Rod Brinson:And to me, that's all you can do. And that's why I asked that question on this live. I think a lot of people get caught up in wanting to have it all figured out. They want to know the whole plan. They want to have the business plan, and they mapped out the strategies, and sometimes that will literally keep you from doing the thing.
Rod Brinson:There is no set way of going about business and marketing and positioning your personal brand. It's up to the individual, Right? So, you know, speaking to you directly, Paige, like, I feel like you already have everything that it takes. You've already been in Right. I know.
Rod Brinson:Right.
Paige Elliott:Right. See? You gotta be able to talk about it. You gotta be able talk about it. Know.
Rod Brinson:So hold up, then. Now now think about it like this. Right? Now you are talking about it, and that's good. Right?
Rod Brinson:You got that peace. So what's holding you back? Right? And that's not a rhetorical question, right? Because a lot of people don't even have everything that you have.
Rod Brinson:They're not working in a position where it lines up with their purpose. They're not already with ten, fifteen years of experience with PR, with, you know, all of the things that line up to this thing that they care about. They're working at UPS or FedEx, and they really wanna be a rap star. You know, they're working over here in corporate America when they really wanna be, you know, helping people in the ministry. I guess a lot of different things that other people are dealing with where they don't have the luxury that you have yet and still, you're in a position where you're starting to like develop your wings and be okay with getting uncomfortable.
Rod Brinson:So here's my thing for anybody listening as it relates to your personal brand. If this is something that you say you really want to do, if this is something that you feel God has led you to do and gifted you with talents and skills to to really bless other people because that's what it's really about at the end of the day. It's not about you gaining riches and you becoming super popular and an influencer and having all the freedoms of the world. That's that's a portion of what you get by being selfless. But it's more so about who you can give something to with the skills and the uniqueness that you were made with.
Rod Brinson:Right? So when you get to that place where you really know what that is like you do, and you have the skill set and the background and the network and everything else, what's holding you back?
Paige Elliott:And I'll let everybody answer that for themselves. What? Talking to you. But that's a deep question. But I know what it is for me.
Paige Elliott:I think at the end of the day, you can have all the resources in the world, but if you're not good mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally, it does not matter. It does not matter. And that's why that first step of self discovery and figuring out who you are and all of that and sitting in that is important because you're right. Like, I do have I've I'm whether I have the resources in my house and the equipment, whether I have the experience that you know what I mean? Whether I'm connected to individuals that can help put me in a room or the source.
Paige Elliott:If I'm not the person to do it, it's not going to happen. So going through that journey and figuring that out and really spending that time with yourself and making those mistakes, think is the biggest, most important foundational piece of figuring out your brand. So that's the stage that I have been in, and I think a lot of things recently, for real, have been exposed. And all I'm a say is just watch, you know, Rod. I'm a just say just watch you're about to see because I feel like when you go through a breakthrough season, that is when you get uncomfortable when when a breakthrough was coming.
Paige Elliott:And I feel like that's that season that I'm in. So, you know, catch these jabs.
Rod Brinson:I love it.
Paige Elliott:And then, know, come follow. Come join the journey. And I just put myself out there so I got some accountability partners on the call of whoever watches this. But Real But even seeing your
Rod Brinson:Quick, Paige. I wanna I wanna address some some stuff in the chat. Right? Because I asked that question Uh-huh. And people start answering it.
Rod Brinson:So fostering champions said fear is holding him back or her back. Failure for Just Von, comfortable, judgment, money, experience. Like, these are real things that people are thinking about and living with that's causing them to stand back. Like, I I have this video that I reposted of this lady, getting ready to do, like, a a parachute jump off of a Grand Canyon or something, and she had an instructor, like, connected to her back, and she's on the edge, but he's not gonna jump until she's ready. So So he's like, are you ready?
Rod Brinson:And she's like, I don't know. I'm so scared. Right? And she's like he's like, are you ready? And she's like, no.
Rod Brinson:Not yet. You know? And they went through this for, like, forty seconds and finally she said, okay. And he jumped and she screamed and the parachute comes out and she's like exhilarated and enjoying it, right? But without her saying okay, she would have never got off that ledge.
Rod Brinson:Yes, she was afraid. Of course. Yes. The parachute can fail. Yes.
Rod Brinson:You know, it's a million things that could go on.
Paige Elliott:Mhmm.
Rod Brinson:But at the end of the day, she decided that she wanted to do it, and she got past all of that fear and did it anyway. So here's the thing. Failing is actually not a bad thing. It's actually going to help strengthen you and put you in a position where you know what not to do. Fear is self made.
Rod Brinson:It's all in your mind. Most of the stuff that we fear is like, I don't know, I'm scared. It's in our head. So get past that and see what's on the other side before you decide to be afraid of it. And then comfortable.
Rod Brinson:You cannot grow without being uncomfortable. Nobody has ever made it to somewhere that they want to go that's great by being comfortable. Nobody. Matter of fact, you have to go through uncomfortability to get to a place where you can actually be comfortable, which is what all we're chasing anyway. Right?
Rod Brinson:So just the sooner you go through it, the sooner you get to it.
Paige Elliott:Exactly.
Rod Brinson:And then lastly, I'll address judgment, money, and experience. People are going to judge you anyway. You can't avoid it.
Paige Elliott:What are going to say? How are they going to feel? What if I put myself out there? It's like, they paying your bills?
Rod Brinson:Right.
Paige Elliott:Are they? No. Yeah.
Rod Brinson:So, don't worry about the judgment piece because they're going to do that anyway. And there's a lane for everybody. Everybody has something unique about themselves. So, tap into it. Money.
Rod Brinson:This one is very simple. You know, if I try to sell you a pen, matter of fact, if I try to sell you these sunglasses for $50,000, Paige, would you buy them?
Paige Elliott:It's a no, Rod.
Rod Brinson:They're really nice though. Okay? It's a really high quality. They block the sun when you do. Work right Let's say that I and I will never do this.
Rod Brinson:I'll put that disclaimer out there. Let's say that I kidnap your daughter and I say it's going take $50,000 to get her back.
Paige Elliott:Woah. Why you go there? Hold on.
Rod Brinson:If you have $50,000 or not, what are you going to do?
Paige Elliott:I'm going to get it.
Rod Brinson:You're going to get that $50,000 to figure something out. Yeah. Oh, Why? Tomorrow. Today.
Rod Brinson:But why? Because that's important to me. That's your baby. It's important to you. It's something that you care deeply about.
Rod Brinson:Yeah. So this thing is something that you care about so much and you really want to do it in his passion and God has told you to do it. How is money an excuse?
Paige Elliott:To add to that, one of the biggest advice that I was told a while ago and it still sticks in my head today, it's like whatever you were called to do, whatever that purpose is, if you just get close to that and do it, it might not be tied to money all the time, whatever, but purpose, the money once you start walking in it, it's gonna come. The doors are gonna open in it. And, yeah, I was kinda conflicted between, okay. I got two things I really wanna focus on right now. Like, which direction do I go?
Paige Elliott:One brings money. One's passion and purpose driven. And my friend was like, girl, go with the purpose. Like, purpose, purpose, purpose. And when you go through the purpose, I promise you the doors are gonna open for the other things.
Paige Elliott:And so I'm putting that out there for anyone else because that really hit home for me. It's like, I'm I'm not the biggest money motivated person. I love money. You know? I love, you know, where there's things that I can do, but I've been around people who have a lot of money and are miserable.
Paige Elliott:And so I know it's not the end all be all. So I know that if I want to do something that makes an impact and is bigger, I have to go where purpose is.
Rod Brinson:Yeah, and the money will come. Money is a byproduct of you doing what it is you were called to do. Yeah. That's just all it is to it. And it's a tool just to get you to be able to do it more and for more people.
Rod Brinson:So, yeah, I'm with you a %. Choose purpose and passion all day. I know people who make a lot of money doing stuff, and it's not that they're unhappy, but they're unfulfilled and they're still looking for the next thing that they should be doing because they're not tied to the thing that they should be doing. Right, so man this has been an amazing conversation. I think that is needed today.
Rod Brinson:There's more conversations like this that are needed. Paige, appreciate you being willing to jump in and talk about these things. There are obviously more branding gems that you've got and stuff that you want to provide for people. So tell people how they can follow you and how they can connect with you for the various things that you offer.
Paige Elliott:Yes. Yes. I would just say right now, stay connected with me if you're not on Instagram. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Paige Elliott, and DM me anything, any questions or anything. But just stay tuned and just really connect with me right now because I'm working on some services that I can be able to offer, revamping it.
Paige Elliott:I kinda took a pause with some services. So revamping it, trying to scale, but I'm always dropping gems and everything on store on my stories, on my page, or you're gonna catch something. If you're not gonna catch a gem, you're gonna get empowered. You're gonna be inspired. It's gonna be something because I really feel like like the people said in the comments today, you know, it's like fear, you know, life life is life and a lot, and sometimes we get in our own way.
Paige Elliott:So I just like to encourage people and remind them, you know, to be the best version of themselves. So stay connected on these social platforms and just just see see.
Rod Brinson:Yeah. For sure. For sure. Paige, I since connecting with you at that corporate event and staying connected socially, I can without a doubt say you have definitely been a gym dropper, not just with personal branding, but with life, right, with various things that you have experience on. So I appreciate you for that.
Rod Brinson:For those of you who I don't know who decided to join us live, I'm making a vow to go live with somebody new every week, especially for the month of March. So next week I'm going to be announcing it. We're going be talking about business and how it is to run a business and what it means in today's time with all the influx of inflation and what we got going on politically in this world. Mean, it's so many different things that are happening. So make sure you tune in.
Rod Brinson:I just want to continue to bless people and give them something that they can grow from because we all need some help. And thank God we had Paige on here today to help you guys with some Branded Gems.
Paige Elliott:Thank you.
Rod Brinson:Until then, y'all reach out to us, connect with us, DM us. It's not about an offer. It's not about selling anything. I told Paige before we got on here, I'm not interested in positioning this so that I can gain something. Goal in this conversation is for us to give the people something.
Paige Elliott:Hopefully you caught something. Hopefully you got inspired and whatever it is burning inside of you, you wanna take that step forward. Personal branding. Let's get it.
Rod Brinson:Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Ryan. Y'all stay tuned. Thank you. No problem, Paige.
Rod Brinson:Appreciate you. Thank you.