#482: Stop Waiting for Permission & Step Into Your POWER with Melanie Borden, Founder & CEO at The Borden Group

24:07It's going to start elevating your SEO. It's going to start getting you featured in different news outlets. There's so many different ways and it's all based upon what you're looking to accomplish and achieve. And you can start very small. The key is just to start. I think we need to walk them through some of the eight-week program. Melanie, I know that you had some documents up that we were going to be able to show them. Yeah, absolutely. So one of the things that Heather and I are working on together in the bootcamp that we're running is this manual. And essentially every week when we're meeting with the group, there is a specific topic that we're going through and we're teaching them a variety of different topics as we go through the class the day that we're doing it.

24:53And part of it was pre-built based on Heather and I, based on the experience that we've had with clients, our personal experience. But then what we've been doing is we've been actually customizing everything that we're going through in the class every week. And there is actionable steps for the class to take for the following week so they get closer to their goals as well. So we had it preset, but we're also customizing it in a way so it's more custom for the class. And so it's great because they're getting all this information in real time and they're learning things that they wouldn't necessarily have without really sitting with Heather and I together from both those unique backgrounds.

25:36And so this is just a snapshot of the manual that we're working on together. And there are things that a lot of times people don't necessarily know. people want to be out there. People want to be active. Heather, you just brought up such a great point about what happens when someone Googles you. So that's part of the foundation of your personal brand. What other platforms outside LinkedIn are your potential clients? How are you set up? Where is someone going? Are you giving them options outside of your LinkedIn profile of how to contact you? If you don't want someone contacting you through your company page, which a company you might not own?

26:16Do you have a landing page? Do you have your own personal website where someone can go through? What are people seeing when they're Googling you? What videos are showing up for you? What is your positioning in the Google search engines? Is there anything? Do you have a digital footprint? So all these foundations, what do you look like? Who are you talking to? All that positioning, all of that is something that a lot of people kind of breeze over and then they end up burning themselves out when they're posting online or really when they're building their brand in all facets because they say this didn't work.

26:52Well, maybe it didn't work or maybe you need to reframe it and think about it a little bit differently. And this is why Heather and I have really come together to be able to do this bootcamp. Starting the year with a wardrobe refresh, Quince has you covered with Luxe Essentials that feel effortless and look polished. They're perfect for layering, mixing, and building a wardrobe that lasts. Their versatile styles make it easy to reach for them day after day. Quince has all the staples covered, from soft Mongolian cashmere sweaters that feel like designer pieces without the markup to 100 % silk tops and skirts for easy dressing up to perfectly cut denim for everyday wear.

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28:08It is timeless, gorgeous, and the softest thing I've ever touched. Which quince pieces are you interested in? I mean, from the bags, to the denim, to the sweaters, to the jackets, they're all incredible luxury high-end products without the high-end price. Refresh your wardrobe with quince. Don't wait. Go to quince.com slash confidence for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash confidence to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash confidence. Yeah, one of the things that I think has added huge value is it's not just a recorded course.

28:53And this is something really important. There's many recordings that you can purchase from people. And listen, there's value out there, right? Especially if you're in need of certain teaching and getting that access, it's fine if you get it on recording. However, we're actually live, right? A lot of the documents that you're looking at right now, these are living and breathing documents. As Melanie said, we're adding and customizing based upon the meetings that we have each week with the team. But also, we are live in these meetings for one hour answering questions based upon the challenges people went through during the current week, the accountability action steps that they were asked to take.

29:27and where they got hung up. So you're actually having two personal coaches there to give you real-time feedback. And Melanie, that's where I've seen some real breakthroughs as being just even thinking about last week when we were coaching the team around going into their actual profile and giving that real-time feedback to say, this is where you're getting hung up. This is why you're not receiving leads, or this is, you know, here's a different way to look at it. And to us, it's second nature, but to other people who haven't thought about raising their hand and being seen as a thought leader or creating content, it is much more challenging.

29:59Once we explain it to them, they say, oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't realize that. I can't believe how simple it is. But making some of these simple tweaks and changes can really advance someone, like you said, not only turn your page into an advertisement for you, but into a funnel that's actually converting into business for you. Now, some people are listening and they're saying, I don't want to leave my corporate job. That is fine. All I want you to remember is if you want to get promoted, you elevating yourself is going to attract more offers to you. Who doesn't want to have a multitude of offers from different companies, different industries, and be seen outside of that small bubble of your own industry, your own team, your own company?

30:41The more you elevate yourself, start teaching and adding value and helping others, the more you're going to invite opportunity in. Wouldn't you rather go to your boss who's not offering you a raise right now and say, Jim, I'm here today to talk about, I received two different offers in the past week. Both are for substantially more money than I'm currently making. My goal would be to stay here. I'd love to find a way for you and I to work something out that looks and works for both of us. What would work for you? Well, you're suddenly having leverage. The minute that you've elevated yourself, you're seen as a thought leader and people are now inviting you into new opportunities, now you're seen as someone who's very valuable.

31:18And at the end of the day, when you really start seeing the value in you, other people on your team are going to see it. So if currently you're thinking, I'm stuck, I'm not getting promoted, I want to break through to the glass ceiling, come work with us. I've done that, right? I've got through to the C-suite in corporate America, and I can talk anybody and everybody exactly through those steps and what it takes. But one of the best things that you can do today is to elevate yourself on social media, to elevate your personal brand and to be seen as the thought leader that you are that people aren't aware of yet.

31:47That is a game changer. What are some of the other things, Melanie, that you want to walk them through? So one of the things that I personally look at LinkedIn as, as a funnel, I really do truly look at LinkedIn as a funnel. And if you think about the platform, if you think about your page, I almost feel that you're positioning in who you are, which is essentially the foundation of your personal brand, but who you are speaking to is almost more important than your content itself. And you can really speak to that person directly through your profile. And so one of the things that I always talk to people about when they say to me, you know, this doesn't work.

32:27And by the way, I'm not just talking about people who are in other fields outside of what we do, even people who do what I do, Heather, i.e. people that work in personal branding or people who work in marketing, I want to work with those people too, because the more people who are in my mind going to market on LinkedIn a certain way, the better it is for everyone. Because then overall people have a better understanding is that yes, it can be a lead generation tool, but it also is a way to create branding and awareness for whether it's your company or there's an event or X, Y, and Z, whatever the goal is that you have, there is a way for you to convert it into something.

33:08And so I look at LinkedIn really just as a funnel. You have a very short period of time to get somebody interested in you, right? So they say the attention span of the average person is about eight seconds, which sounds about right. So from the moment someone comes onto your LinkedIn profile, you have this one opportunity to make sure that you're talking to the right person and to really making a first impression. And so there's all these micro moments that someone can resonate with and relate to and just advertising one-on-one, just seeing that same and hearing the same message over and over and over again.

33:45And a lot of people aren't thinking strategically with their profile as it is a funnel. Okay. So, you know, who am I going to speak to? What does that person do? What is their overall reason for being on the platform? Why are they interested in talking to me? So making sure that your profile from top to bottom reflects that and really move them to what your ultimate goal is, which it might be setting up a meeting. So is it easy for someone to schedule time with you? Is it easy for them to see that they can book an appointment through the custom call to action link or button that you have? Is there somewhere on your banner that reflects social proof or telling them what to do when they come onto your profile?

34:29Are the colors in line with what someone would be looking at if they were that client that you had in mind? So those are just some things just to think about when you think about your profile and have it be very intentional. Because if we're not intentional with LinkedIn, the default is to just basically waste our time with it. And so if you are spending so much time not being intentional, then you're wasting a ton of energy that you could be using to focus on other things. So well said. I'm sitting here listening to you talk about this. One of the things that reminded me of being in corporate America was when I first started posting on LinkedIn, I was doing it to establish a personal brand so I could attract talent into my company.

35:16And I think that's one of the things that people forget is not only does it elevate you, it's elevating your company, the company that you represent. Right. And so it's going to attract other people. When you start sharing success stories about some team outings that you have or wins that you have as a team, you know, that starts attracting people into not only potential talent, but clients as well. People want to work with happy people that recognize and take care of other good people. And when you start sharing and telling those stories, you're going to start attracting clients that want to do business with you and potential employees.

35:46Yeah. And it's just one way. It's just another way. I mean, I just, right. So if you're launching a book, if you're launching a podcast, if you're launching a new product, you have all these opportunities to grab someone because most of the time, if someone is coming onto your profile, yes, they see your photo, but the second thing they see is your banner. So right now, for those who are listening and or watching on your banner, do you have your company logo? Is it present? Is there a call to action on your banner? Is there some sort of a value proposition question on your banner? Do you have social proof showing who else trusts you and or why?

36:24Do you have an image there? So all of these things factor in when someone is going to market with their personal brand and it can be interchanged depending on the season that they're in.

36:48So, so true. A couple of different hacks. I just want to share with everybody. So I want to add some value for you being here today. One of the things I missed opportunities I see for people is when your anniversary is up, you know, three years at Harper Collins leadership came up for me a week ago. One of the things that I do is I set in a way out message, right? So for the two days that I know that's going to hit, you're going to get a notification. It's going to go out to all the people in your network, whether you have a thousand, 10 ,000 or a million, it doesn't matter. That amount of people is going to receive a notification.

37:17So many of those people are going to reach out to you in the DMs and they're going to send you a note. Hey, I just wanted to say congrats on being there. One of the things that I do is I'm always thinking, how can I convert? And I know oftentimes people hear us and like, oh, that's spammy. No, I get messages back from people. So they say, hey, I just wanted to congratulate you on three years of HarperCollins. And I say, oh my gosh, now remind you, it's on an away message. I said it and it's done. I don't have to do anything anymore. It says, oh my gosh, thank you so much. That means the world to me.

37:44Did you ever get a chance to read my book, Overcome Your Villains? It was a bestseller on Amazon. I would love to hear if you got it. So many people will say to me, they respond back. I didn't know you had a second book, Heather. You might think that you're posting about things. You might think that you're selling these things all the time. Such a small percentage of any one of our audiences actually sees our posts or sees a post where you talk about the book. So I've had so many people say, thank you for telling me that. You opened my eyes to the fact that you were an author. I didn't know. I bought both of your books now.

38:14I love them. They changed my life. Let me tell you. So we need to dial back the way we see selling things and saying, you know what, it's on us to help other people. We don't know what problem they're currently having. We haven't got them to empty their glass with us yet, but we want to make sure that they're aware of the solutions that I have available that can actually help them. So moving away from this idea that selling is uncomfortable and moving into selling is helping people. And it's my job to elevate them, let them know what I have available and try to help them solve their problems. I've seen it happen time and time again.

38:44And I know you have as well, Melanie. People think promotion is a dirty word on social media, but in real life, being promoted isn't a bad thing. It's a great thing that we all strive to do. We all want to get promoted at what we're doing. We all want to get that recognition for the work that we're doing. And what I've seen specifically with those who have had success with LinkedIn, with other types of social and being able to monetize it for their business is it's not necessarily in every single post, but they're putting out there. This is what I do. This is who I work with. These are the results that I get.

39:21And this is how you can contact me, because if you don't promote yourself, no one else would. Just like when you're going to get the promotion at work, you're going to hopefully bring some data with you. You're going to have some reports. You're going to show everything that you're doing. You're doing that every single day when you're posting on social. You're saying, look, this is what I know. This is who else trusts me. This is what they're saying about me. This is what I know that can help you. And this is why you should work with me. And that's exactly how it should be done, in my opinion.

39:55And that's how people have the success that they do because they're promoting themselves. Because if you don't put yourself out there and ask for it, the answer is always going to be no. So if you don't think it's working and you haven't told your network, hi, I've launched this business or I've lost my job and I need help. How could they know if you don't tell them? Like you said, to your point, it's a disservice to them if you're not putting out your genius into the universe. We brought up a great point and that's layoffs, right? So I just want to touch on, there's so many. Nike laid off thousands of people.

40:28Bristol, Squibb, Myers, it was like 20 ,000 people. I think every tech company under the sun has laid off thousands of people this year. The layoffs have been fast and furious and are not stopping right now. Don't wait until you have a pink slip to say, okay, now's the time I need to elevate myself. Now's the time I need to go figure out where my skills and talents can be paid somewhere outside of my industry. Because like me, I had a non-compete and I had to leave the industry. Set yourself up for success now, like I talked about with my son. Give yourself all the options possible. And to unlock that, start working with people like us.

41:02And I love this idea of people working with us right now because a lot of people come to both you and I and say, I can't afford to hire you in one-on-one. And we understand it's expensive, right? We are very expensive because we get phenomenal results. That's exactly why we created the eight-week bootcamp. We created this group coaching option because when people are asking you for something and And people are telling you there's a barrier to entry. Not only do you have a new business opportunity, you have an obstacle that you as a business owner needs to say, how can I treat this? Is there a way and a solution to actually make this work?

41:34That's why Melanie and I came together. That's why we're doing this eight-week bootcamp. We're living in one of our eight-week bootcamps right now. And we're talking to you today about our 2025, January and February, eight-week bootcamp. Not only is it going to get you phenomenal results, not only is it going to help you You get clarity, strategy. Not only are you going to take action, build momentum, and be part of an incredible team, but you're going to be able to meet with us live each week to answer the questions that you may run into, whether it be fear-based, whether it actually be tactical and strategic, whether it be a challenge that you run into that has been very specific to you and your industry.

42:06We have worked with countless different industries, countless different people, and we're going to be able to answer those questions for you in real time during the eight-week bootcamp so that you see massive results by the end. our whole entire goal is to elevate you, to empower you, to unlock those opportunities. So that if the day ever does come that like me, you get that pink slip, you're not worried about it because you've already been building a side hustle. You've already been building your brand. You're already attracting opportunities in like that woman that I was giving you an example of before who had been at a big company, was not getting promoted.

42:36People weren't recognizing her value prop. So she started sharing it with the world. And suddenly she had incredible opportunities rolling in for her. Melanie, what is important for you to share about the bootcamp? Something that I want to share with everyone is that this is not limited for those who do what we do. I have had a few people come to me and say, well, would you work with me because I'm one of your competitors, right? And this is my perspective on this. There is so many fish in the sea on LinkedIn. There's a billion people. Even if Heather, you and I wanted to work with 1%, we wouldn't be able to because it's so many people.

43:14So we want to work with everyone. We want to help level up everyone. And if you are in the field that we're in, or if you want to be in the field that we're in, join our bootcamp and work with us. So let us teach you, let us be the ones to guide you and show you how to launch your business or how to help internally your company now. So there is really no limit on anyone who would be joining. We want you in. We want to help you. And the space is there for you. You just have to claim it. And we get phenomenal results. I mean, the testimonials for our work, you can go on my LinkedIn page. You can go on my website, heathermonaghan.com.

43:55Same with Melanie. We both have countless stories of unbelievable breakthroughs that people are having that are not only driving more revenue for them, but like we said, bringing them back from unemployed to creating a side hustle, getting promoted, landing board seats, writing books, landing TED Talks, the amount of success that we're seeing is people just want that blueprint of like, how did you do it? Teach me how to do it. And then when I run into roadblocks, teach me how to overcome them and hold me accountable. And when that recipe comes together with the different frameworks that Melanie and I have both been testing and trying our entire careers, we found the strongest, most powerful breakthrough frameworks that are going to enable and empower you to get the kind of success that you are looking for and unlock those potentials for you, for your brand, for your personal brand, and for your future.

44:42So don't wait any longer. Don't circle the drain. What you've been waiting for is here. We've created it for you. It's eight weeks. It's January and February. It's every Tuesday at 6 p.m. You're going to be live with us one hour each week. We have a WhatsApp group where our team is constantly online answering questions, supporting one another, supporting one another's posts, using so many of the tips and tricks and hacks that we have to really grow your brand and grow your post and get results quickly. You're getting all that access. What Melanie just took you through the Google drive is massive.

45:13And we're going to walk you through all of the different worksheets, all of the different strategies, all of the different information that you're going to be able to take into your hands and empower yourself to go for more. Yeah. We have so much content between the two of us and that we've put together specifically for this. So every single week when we meet, you not only get the WhatsApp, we also have the video going out that we record every week. We also record the audio too. So you can listen to it like a podcast, take notes, et cetera. Everyone is super engaged. And we also have a Dropbox that's separate that also has tons of eBooks and other resources and content.

45:55In addition to that, we can go through Heather is also has our 30 day accountability program. And I also have a community and course that has additional content for everyone. So you just get so much content and you're getting that direct expertise for them from us who we've been there, done it and gotten the T-shirt. So we are able to share that with other people who are looking to do the same thing and we want to share. And that's one of the things that I think everyone will find that is very unique about working with the two of us is that we want to help everyone. It's not just limited to one type of person or one specific industry.

46:33We want to help everybody and we want to make sure that we're helping you get to the next level. It's exactly right. And that's why we created this program. That's why we created the boot camp. That's why we're running the one that we're running right now at the end of 2024. And while we're launching our January, February Q1 2025 boot camp. And today, because we appreciate that you're here with us, we appreciate that you showed up and we want to get back to you. We are offering it at 50 % off Black Friday. You got to jump in the deals while you can. Today is your day for a deal. Make the investment now.

47:04It is the best price you're going to get while we still have seats available. 50 % off. What is the code, Melanie, that they use at checkout? The code is ELEVATE, all caps, using that code ELEVATE. And it's elevateyourinfluencebootcamp.com. And when they go there, they will get 50 % off and get excited for January. And we will get some information out to you ahead of time. We're going to have a questionnaire for you. We want you to get really clear on your vision, your goals. You know, a lot of people struggle with specifics. My saying is this, those that deal in generality seldom succeed. Those that deal in specifics seldom fail.

47:39We're going to help you through our questionnaire, our onboarding questionnaire, get really, really specific around what success looks like for you. Because we want to materialize that during the eight weeks. And we all want to come together to support one another on actually achieving, identifying and owning those goals. So if you've been wondering and wishing that you were actually taking action towards making 2025 different than 2024, you need to do something different now. So this is your moment. Go to elevateyourinfluencebootcamp.com. Elevateyourinfluencebootcamp.com. And then at checkout, type in elevate all caps and you're going to get 50 % off today.

48:13Now, one other thing I want to mention that Melanie and I have run into is we've heard challenges from people. Can't afford that. Still can't afford it. Even if 50 % can't afford it, we've got you. We've partnered with Klarna, with Affirm, with these different companies to help offer payment solutions. I have one person working off a three-year payment plan, and she ended up starting a business within the first eight weeks and has already paid off the entire bill. So that was so exciting to see. If you're concerned about paying upfront, even at the 50 % off, we got you. We heard you. We've got solutions for you.

48:47Just click on the Klarna or Affirm link and you can create the payment solutions that work best for you. What am I missing, Melanie? I think we've covered it. It's going to be so great. I mean, the results that these women are already seeing and their overall mindset going into this moving forward is awesome. And we also work with men too. I just wanted to add that actually one of the gentlemen in my last group program was looking to get promoted. He joined the boot camp wanting to get promoted. We work with him on getting promoted. And it looks like he's actually not only getting promoted, but he's making it into the C-suite.

49:20So, you know, you need to meet with people who have been there. I walked him through exactly what it's like in a board meeting because he was going into his first board meeting to pitch himself. You need to be sitting down with the people who sit in board meetings to show you what you're going to walk into so you can go and prepare. We want to prepare you and set you up for success. Elevate your influence, bootcamp.com. I mean, that's a long one. Use code elevate. It's for today only. It's 50 % off. You can't afford not to invest in yourself. Make the decision that's going to change your year for 2025.

49:50Join me and Melanie and the team January and February, every Tuesday at six o 'clock. You are worth it. You are worthy. And I can't wait to see what you're going to achieve. We can't wait to see you there. Thanks for being here today, guys. We'll see you soon. I decided to change that dynamic. I couldn't be more excited for what you're going to hear. Start learning and growing. Inevitably, something will happen. No one succeeds alone. You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it. I'm on this journey with me.