Networking Secrets For Brand Owners And Content Creators

0:00 I think what we all struggle with is digital digital presence I don't know how many of you all agree with it who goes through the thing was like rohini I see you laughing come on say yes okay I see manali's hand go up I'm gonna raise mine come on guys be honest it's tough it's tough to keep that engagement going in day in day out of course we have the professionals who are

0:30 not not raising their hands um but but Sean want to hear it from you so the first question that comes to you is one is building a community what are the steps to doing that and the second one is keeping it consistent how are you keep it exciting so it's very tough first to be consistent and I don't know how anyone does it because with kids with a family uh you know events are dime a dozen uh brands are dime a dozen I don't

0:58 know how anyone does it but for me uh I think the one thing that if you ask me building um a community and getting consistent with content or two different things for me but let me start with consistent with content uh getting a team getting a good team on board and pre-planning for me that's one thing I initially write in the first um one year I was obsessing I wanted to post about anything I wanted to post

1:24 about everything I was like so and so is doing this let's do this you know this this one's doing this let's do this this is trending let's do this it doesn't work I've realized you have to do you and you have to have your own voice and that's what matters in terms of building a community um I'm very fortunate that I was able to build I am able to build a community which is of entrepreneurs people that are like-minded and I think

1:47 um that came from offline truly that's come from offline and from events I would say as much as your online have the offline presence because that's what works if that makes sense and how do you keep it thriving like how do you just keep doing things week after week month after month like I know you you plan your calendar way in advance how do you manage to keep that Community buzzing uh I think I'll be very honest fancy you

2:14 know this we've chatted about this a lot I think involvement from me itself like initially I gave up so many hours of sleep uh so many uh you know I was just at work all the time trying to build this you know your human presence and physical presence and chatting with your community growing the community yourself makes all the difference a lot of people do it for the first two to six months and then they're like okay my job's done

2:39 you know I'll get a community manager I'll get my team to do it doesn't work and second thing is like I said consistency would be the word for me and uh you know not following Trends but growing with um times times change the algorithm changes uh what trending changes but don't just follow it blindly you do you and find your voice that's what I was right talking of consistency we have someone who's been doing this for 20 long years I have a question how

3:09 do you even think of starting first impressions so this is a question I've answered maybe a bazillion times but let me tell you it gives me ample joy to say the story all over again because I just feel that in some way if my story inspires anybody then it's all going to be worth it I mean two decades ago I was pregnant I was five months pregnant and that's really a time when everybody advises you you know that you know you need to take

3:39 a little time off work put your feet up and you know the baby is going to come you're going to be actually you know engulfed with the child and first time Mom and things like that but I think I actually looked at this whole thing very differently I actually believed and convinced myself that I'm going to give birth to twins so when you have twins you do not love one child more than the other you do not

4:09 give one child more attention than you give the other so simple analogy worked for me that I was going to have twins there was going to be Tia and there was going to be first impression so I think both of them you know complemented each other because at a time when you know the first born was giving you was driving you with you know sleepless nights and things like that you took amazing Solace and happiness in the work

4:34 that you went to and some days when you were really tired at work because it was an entrepreneurship you had the huge burden of actually launching a new brand you came home to a smiling baby so I think both of them really really helped me and yes it's been 20 years two decades I complete this year and I don't think I could be happier or have chosen a Better Business than this that's incredible that's that's really a great

5:01 story because I I you said you have twins I always believe I have three kids as well I that's the story I tell myself so there's no guilt um bhavna I cannot ever let you go off a panel without asking you how do you get all the celebrities on your page and is there Shahrukh Khan in the line so to be very honest with you I have never ever met anybody with the Shroud that they are a celebrity they have

5:32 always called me as a parent in fact it's quite funny I've actually landed up at their home and then realized oh this person is this because the mother has probably so humbly called me saying you know my name is so and so and sometimes they don't even mention their surname so you've not even related to the fact that this person is a big celebrity or whatever so that way I guess you know people meet us very off guard he's not

5:57 spilling the beans not do it no I just think that one the uniqueness of the product everybody you know wants to have this for their children it's not something that I think if if you are uh you know privileged and and you do and you are one of those who wants to preserve every sweet moment in your child's life this is something you can avoid so you can't avoid me so do you map like which celebrities

6:27 married like I'm going to like approach them she's just announced her pregnancy I have six months together come on come on so actually I won't be putting on tonight I have a brilliant marketing team you know they drive me every single morning when I come to the office I'm I'm like petrified of even looking at them in the eye because you know they they already have this sparkle where they are actually gunning me like today you have to do this and you'll have to

6:56 do this content and everything so they actually I'm being very fortunate I have an amazing team that sets targets for me you know they say man we've heard this because you know they are more on Instagram like a lot of people feel I'm commenting you know on the Instagram and I don't even know I've commented because you know the girls are doing a Fab job I'm loving this content because Sean is seeing your team can't do it bhavna

7:18 saying your team is doing it so guys what's the answer just I just love the conversation ma'am Anushka Sharma is pregnant now what now this is your target for the next six months listen if it was just that then that's doing my job that would have been easy their target is that you know ma'am we're all the time posting only your work can you do this instead and that's the bigger challenge for me because my work I can

7:43 handle but sometimes they make me do things which you know you do it yeah effortlessly I trust style I try right uh Sean on the other hand I have to tell you that getting me out of uh you know literally getting me out for events is a nightmare and you know that I know all my friends were seated here they also know that um taking online offline do you think people are lazy there is a behavior

8:11 change and people don't want to do it like I mean if I get a request that says 8 30 PM or dinner at 10 I'm like my God one and a half hours of sleep is gone how do you get how do you get people to attend offline and and commit to attending offline so I'll be very honest I I if you know like my closest friends know me I just I'm not a fan of going to events okay I

8:35 do it because it's work and I do it for my friends who invite me and I do it for the people behind it you forget that I don't know how sean is doing it there's she knows the whole city so now she's saying I do it for friends 365 days of the year are gone laughs Sean O'Connor John is really popping you have to yeah so and look I've also grown up in a house where my mom has done

8:59 events Simon knows very well for the last how many years so I've grown up yeah so I've grown up after school it was like I'm here my event is happening come I've gone in my uniform sat near the stage whole rehearsal is happening I'm used to that that was uh I mean it's in my blood yeah and and to be honest in those days there was an event in every three months there was one event today

9:20 there are six a day yeah today there are six a day so I think for me I'm also very lazy and uh this is me I wear black and black you must be knowing this winner I'll I cannot do it but if my hair is done and I'm in black and black and I'm dressed for the day I'll go to as many events as I can I'm just I mean it's the truth it's the truth she is spilling the beans

9:43 yeah so it's the truth but truly I am very big on offline and human connection and that's why I built networking now because I believe um for example all the girls here in this in this row are content creators but even the people that follow them and see them in public will be like you know can I get a picture and I'm so excited to chat with you and you know I loved your real because you want it's like Shahrukh Khan right

10:07 you want to see even permit somebody will just Maul him when they see him in person because you only watched his movies and today we have the access of having a hybrid of online and offline where I'm concerned and I run away differently because it's networking and getting business and I truly believe the best networking is done face to face you can like I will actually meet someone and build a warm connection and build a connection with them and then second and

10:29 third time I'm gonna be like this person's legit let me give them some business and they'll give me some so I think that uh every industry it differs but how if you ask me about events I think I've cracked the timing I won't invite somebody post 8 P.M she's saying that because I'm moderating yeah I know it's the truth I I think for me that's like also time spent with friends and family so my events are usually in the

10:52 evening and um so we now also do this property called soundrise which is music at the park and first I was like who's gonna come on a Sunday at 8 30 in the morning man it has some 500 people coming so I think it's what suits you and your timing like Nancy you would love the morning uh out of the house but like I I think that I've correct that timing and that's very important in the offline

11:14 you know when she mentioned offline connection I am such a huge believer of that because my work totally involves a one-to-one rapper with the people that I've built so over the years two decades the kind of family I have built and the love that I've got is actually only because of offline because the fact is that I've managed to meet them one-on-one and build a relation I can see those Happy Eyes so I have so many of these girls whose

11:45 homes I've gone to at odd hours and you know done impressions for their children and we built a relationship now I may not meet them on a regular level whether it's socializing with them or at events but I know every time I see them and we look into each other's eyes we've gone back to that beautiful time that we have spent with each other so I'm a huge believer in the human connection because that's really how I built my business a

12:08 lot of people have joined you know along the journey who have not been my patrons but have followed me and encouraged me on Instagram so definitely that's a very important family as well because these are people I've never met you know I've never the only interaction I've had with them is on on my social media pages but the fact Still Remains is that you know I'm I'm a people's person and for me even even though my you know my staff

12:32 they're a little unhappy that I micromanage and want to be everywhere and want to take every you know child's impression personally myself but I just believe that doing that has really helped me be where I am today that connection that I have made with all the people over the years has really landed me this position where I'm able to do this work for two decades and sit with you girls and talk about my work the third and the most important

13:00 question that I'm gonna ask and I think it's for all three of us today is are we are we very close to our community and does the community stand for us are we running that risk so very honestly we are very synonymous once you put yourself out there they they want to know everything they want to know more now it's really your discretion how much you want to expose yourself in that field maybe that is more for you know

13:31 the mom bloggers because they are putting their children they're putting you know a lot of their family bit over it with me maybe little less because comparatively there's more of work but all the same if I'm celebrating an anniversary or it's my doggy's first birthday it's all there so we all run the risk of you know being over exposed and and you know not everybody is out there who loves you for what you are some people watch you very closely

13:56 because one they want to maybe watch you fall or they want to you know maybe not wanting to use the word stock but um it's all there and and we all know that so I guess that little discretion of how much we want to put out there like a lot of actors and actresses say that they don't want their children photographed and you know but you still have perhaps running you know after even if they can just get a

14:21 glimpse of a side profile or a you know just a shadow but yeah we're all running the risk because once we put ourselves on on our social platform then I guess um it's just something we have to be very casual and watchful yeah so I think uh the kind of industry I am in is very different to the ones that are content creators and put like all of them I I understand what you're saying you do run

14:43 the risk because two things one firstly you you give out information you're willing to but then people just want to always know more you know so recently um and like I dread about somebody so somebody's marriage not working out you know the number of messages that I got saying why why have you found out why I'm like she's not spoken about it I don't even know the person but there's a whole community that just wants to know

15:06 and it's so that's terrible you know wait for the person to talk about and then what happens is as content creators you feel compelled to give this information even if you don't want to like your child is spotted somewhere and they're like you know look who I spotted even even I'm saying um and that's quite creepy if you ask me I think it has to be a voice but for me the best advice I got and I wanted to share is last uh two

15:31 years ago somebody told me saying Sean when you're building a community and when you're building a brand make sure to separate you with what you're building and I think that is somebody told me that and that makes so much sense because today whatever I do with networking now will always be tomorrow if Shan is not what happens with the company or you know um will is there something that they can take away from any video I'm creating or any event I'm

15:52 creating that can work for them even if I'm not saying it or I'm not present and I think that can work for anyone it can work for a for a blogger it can work for a brand it can work universally but again let me say the choice is yours if you're comfortable sharing go ahead and do it and uh just remember that you know we do live in in a place where people can come and approach you so even

16:16 your family is right like I know people stop people's parents grandparents it's that's just how you know I'm with you on that one and I learned that lesson just like you so I separated and I realized this is work this is home and and because I understand the boundaries seem very blurred um so I I completely am with you on that one um any but you know Mansi I want to tell you something in despite uh the fact

16:41 that you're very conscious and you want to really put very you know very happy content which you feel that is not threatening anybody and it's not intimidating anybody and according to you it's appropriate content that you want to put out there yet sometimes when you look at the comments if 90 of the or 99 of the comments are happy and they're happy for you there'll be one person who'll put a comment and you're wondering like what is going through

17:06 their minds I mean I didn't even in my wildest of imagination think that this would be have this would have been you know turned in that direction and they are just there to put that one comment which kind of throws you off balance like am I doing the right thing but no I just think that you should look at the 99 you know happy comments which come and maybe block this person because it again brings a lot of negative energy

17:30 into your system which nobody needs so block delete end of story I guess and just go ahead and I have written this that I think that the hate is in the comments The Love is in the DMS so stick by it take what you want and don't worry about what the wordings so I just wanted to add that you know even when you're talking about a founder or somebody running a page a brand an influencer a

17:54 lifestyle influencer you know that for scale it has to be separate how many places can Sean be at one time every person that's meeting somebody else I can't possibly be at every meeting look at this I could have not done this exactly so I think the best advice two years ago when I met somebody they were like but Shawn you're too involved and for me I thought I was nurturing the community by being at every meeting by

18:15 connecting each person and then he's like but what if you want to go from that one to five hundred so I think yes we do run the risk of being too involved as well but for scale you should back off and um maybe plan better 100 you know my team is going to be so happy if they hear your comments because there's a c she said it you don't have to be everywhere yourself all right ladies thank you so much for

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