How to Create a Signature Style for Your Business and Personal Brand - #42

Show Notes

As a side businesspreneur, your personal brand and company brand are closely entwined. And, as such, the clothes, makeup, hair, and accessories you wear become a crucial element to creating the type of brand image you want to reflect to customers, colleagues and the public. To understand the power your clothes and grooming play in how others see you and how you see yourself, Lori Vajda and Nola Boea sat down with professional Style Consultant Solita Roberts. Solita is the founder of Style To Impact, a personal styling and image consulting agency working with high-performing, purpose-driven women entrepreneurs and professionals to refine their wardrobe and image so they can showcase their talents, expertise, and thought leadership with confidence.

In this episode Solita shares her tips, insights and strategies so listeners can learn how to make the best use of your clothes while building a strong, memorable and confident image and brand.

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Business success strategies are in the works. Come have a listen!
In This Episode You’ll Learn

• Discover how you can create your own personal style, make the best use of your clothes, without breaking the bank.
• How to make the best use of your clothes while achieving your personal and professional brand image goals.
• Learn why working with a personal styling and image consultant can transform your closet, clothes and image.
• The 3 tips for getting a fresh, new style that incorporates today’s trends and helps you make a positive brand statement.

If you are of the mindset, rules are meant to be broken, then you’ll love Solita’s thoughts and ‘rules’ (hint: there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to creating your personal brand image). As Nola and Lori found out, different clothes, different colors, different styles can help you project whatever personality you're trying to put across. Whether you want to show yourself as sophisticated, relaxed and confident, or fierce and determined it’s more about creating an image and style that fits you, your budget and your closet.

(3:31.86) Personal style has a lot in common with storytelling. When you understand the message you want to convey, it becomes easier to choose pieces that help you tell your brand story. 

(6:08.94) Misconceptions abound whether that has to do with our size, height, weight, age, ect. The key is in knowing the 3 ways you can use key pieces of your wardrobe to change the narrative and break barriers.

(7:27.97) This one Zoom function alone has led to many missed opportunities for professional women. Particularly, when it comes to using the platform to connect, network, build their business brand, and more importantly, build their authority.  

(10:15:42) Whether you’re an entrepreneur, employee, or executive, find out how the clothes you wear not only build your personal brand, they let your voice be heard.

(11:15:33) What is the difference between personal styling and image consulting and how you can use each of them to convey your message and boost your confidence.

(16:02:38) You tell the story of your brand through the things you wear. Four tips to help you create your unique story through clothes. 

(19:27:60) Many of us hold on to old tapes that others told us about our bodies, about what looks good on us and what is acceptable to wear. How to break the limiting beliefs we hold on to so we can create a style story that  serves us and the image we want to create for ourselves. 

(23:47:40) The unconventional trick for finding the colors that work best for you.

Resources 

You can subscribe to Lori and Nola's show, (we love you and want to make it easy) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

• Solita Roberts’ Free EBOOK: The Style To Impact Formula- Your Guide to Unshakable Style Confidence
• Download here: https://bit.ly/styleconfidenceguide
• OFFER: Style Consultation
• Booking link: https://bit.ly/bookastyleconsult 
• Email: solita@styletoimpact.com
• Website: https://styletoimpact.com/

Social Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/styletoimpact/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/styletoimpact/

To Get Solita’s quotes: Sticky Brand Lab Resource Page
This episode was supported by: Be-YOU-nique

Transcript

Lori: [00:00:00] The fact is, first impressions are and always will be important. That's why you wear that particular outfit for date night or to a crucial business meeting. As a business founder, your wardrobe is an extension of both your company and your personal brand. Which, if you're a natural fashionista who is taking names and kicking butt with her style, that's awesome. But if you're like us, you might sometimes wonder whether or not your clothes represent you in the way you want yourself or your business to be perceived. Well, wonder no more, because in this episode, we're helping you get started on creating a wardrobe and professional image that is sure to give off that powerful, confident, boss up style we all desire. 

Announcer: [00:00:43] You're listening to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, where time strapped professionals like you learn how to create a business you'd love in as little as three hours a week.

Nola: [00:00:53] Whether you're a founder of a side business, a professional in an organization or attending networking events, your personal brand speaks volumes before you ever utter a word. Which makes a question. Are your clothes telling others you've dressed for success? Welcome back, side-venture seekers. Nola and Lori here with some practical tips to help you build your personal brand daily and use it to advance your business, professional and personal life. But before we dig into the foundational details that can help ensure your dress code represents your unique style and reflects your professional image, personal brand and goals, we have a favor to ask. If this episode resonates with you, consider subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you listen to podcast. Because each week we come out with new episodes designed to help you hit the ground running and be the most confident, powerful boss-up business owner ever. Now let's get this, I'm Rockin My Style and Dressed to Influence episode started 

Lori: [00:01:53] What comes to mind, when I say packaging? If it's the Amazon parcel that arrives at your front door, the container that holds your favorite makeup or the instantly recognizable box of your favorite jewelry, you can see the power of packaging. The same applies to your clothing, hair, makeup, accessories, et cetera. To help you, and us, understand all the ways our grooming and clothing reflect on our business and personal brand, we're talking to professional style consultant, Solita Roberts. Solita is the founder of Style to Impact, a personal style and image consulting agency working with high-performing, purpose-driven women entrepreneurs and professionals to refine their wardrobe and image so they can showcase their talents, expertise, and thought leadership with confidence.

Welcome. Solita. 

Solita: [00:02:45] Hi, thank you very much. Such a pleasure being here. I appreciate the invitation and to share with your audience. 

Lori: [00:02:51] So just in case the audience can't see, I'm a little intimidated because she's got this beautiful pink outfit on, 

Nola: [00:02:59] Salmon. 

Lori: [00:03:00] Yeah. 

Nola: [00:03:01] I love that color. It's my favorite. 

Lori: [00:03:03] And Nola is dressed to influence and I have a t-shirt that says podcast on it.

I wanted to represent, and so I was, but not necessarily in our brand. Which is why, Solita, not only do we hope that what you deliver today helps with our people listening, but it helps us as well. 

Nola: [00:03:29] Exactly. I'm all ears. 

Solita: [00:03:31] This is the interesting thing. From what you just said, it seems to me that each of you are tapping into not only your personal style, but also the branding part of the business in terms of the message that you wanted to convey today. So, let's say for instance, we had, you know, this is a video, a podcast, and the audience can see us. You're each telling a story based on what you're wearing, based on the message that you want to give for the personal brand. And that's what I'm doing with my pink, right? Pink is part of my branding. It's not something I wear every day. But I try to make it part of the conversational piece whenever I get on videos and podcasts. So, it's all storytelling. 

Nola: [00:04:10] I cannot wait to learn more. But before we get into all that, and because we're a podcast like her t-shirt represents, tell us, Solita, what is the most entrepreneurial thing about you?

Solita: [00:04:25] I think it's my ability to just kind of roll with the punches. When I say that I mean that I'm not putting that much pressure on myself to be on the same level of everyone else that's around me, I think is important as an entrepreneur, especially when you're starting off the first time, that you remember that you're running your own race. And every day is a learning experience. Everything that you go through is an ability to push yourself forward. If you stumble, that's okay, you learn from it and you know what to do next. So, I think that's, for me, that's one of the things that's more important to me. It's just run your own race and pay attention to where you are in your business at that time.

Lori: [00:05:05] So you started Style to Impact because you said you wanted to equip women with the clarity, confidence, and closet they need to speak on stage, on video, to serve on a board, start a business, or run for higher office. It's what you call "women empowerment through style." Which, by the way, we love. We love your messaging because that resonated with us as well. What did you see happening or what did you see that was missing that led you to start your business? 

Solita: [00:05:35] First of all, it was like more of a personal venture for me. So, I know the audience can't see me at the moment, but I'm quite petite. I am five feet. I'm not going to tell you how much I weigh, but it's more like when I step on the stage, I just kind of like, will it to move. That's how much you can take from that or whatever, whatever you want. And I'm also, I don't look my age. I look way younger than I am. And whenever I get into rooms, I worked in banking for 15 years, plus. I've worked with people older than I am, and whenever I got into those rooms, there's always this misconception that because of my size, because of my built, it's like, oh, you're just, and then we add woman and being black to it. It's just like, oh, you're just this. And no one took me seriously by just looking at me. So, I always had to, whatever room that I entered, and show that I spoke up because I wanted them to hear, in this little package, there's a lot of things that I can contribute. But what I realized as well, it's like, okay, in order for me to break that barrier, one of the things I hate is people referring to me as tiny. Like they see me immediately and they go, oh my gosh, you are so tiny. So, in order for me to change that narrative, I looked at how can I use my outward appearance to influence how they see me and how they're perceived? So that's first of all, how I got into it, because I realized when I looked a certain way, based on how I dress, you know, having that professional look, having that stature where I'm standing toe-to-toe even though I'm five feet, I get the extra inches from wearing heels, that I can command that level of respect and you start paying attention to, okay, what do I have to offer? And why am I in that room? So that's the personal aspect of it. But going through COVID and we all got onto this space where we have to do Zoom and we have to be on video. A lot of women weren't prepared for that. A lot of women got onto these calls. I've noticed they got onto the calls and never turned their videos on. And most of the time when you ask the questions like, oh, I'm not camera ready. It's like, do you understand the opportunity that you are losing to connect to network, to build in your business? Whenever I'm hearing your voice? There's a difference from listening to podcast and listening to someone speak on Zoom and not being able to see their face. Not being able to see their expression, not being able to see their interaction. And that's where I found a lot of women were losing out on the opportunity to really build their brand, to really position themselves, you know, as an expert in whatever conversation and groups they were in.

So that's why I'm like, okay, how can I get women to really use style as a way to see I'm confident, I'm bold, and show up for themselves. 

Lori: [00:08:26] Until you said that, it was like an epiphany for me, because you're right about, that Zoom. I've thought the same thing, but I never really thought about it from a missed opportunity to influence and to raise awareness about the power of yourself.

Solita: [00:08:43] I mean we were doing a lot of that. Most of us got into the whole Zoom fiasco, if you want to put it that way, because we were trying to connect, we were trying to do like find ways to reach other people and do other things. And networking. And I remember being on a networking call because at the time when COVID happened, every invitation to attend a networking event, I don't know if anyone else did it, but I did it, I went to all of them, I need people. I need to be around people and building my brand. I need that connection. Right. So, I remember going to a networking event for it's just all women. It was like 150 plus. So, you're looking at all these little squares of women. And someone messaged me on LinkedIn and she's like, loved your hair, loved your clothes, loved your necklace, I wanted to connect to see how we can collaborate. And that's what I'm talking about. Missed opportunities. Because you get on these Zoom calls with most of the time with people that you don't know, and you're trying to build relationship for your business or your career. How are you going to make that connection? If I can't see you? 

Nola: [00:09:50] Well, and to think about it. When you're on a Zoom call, nobody sees you as five foot tall. Nobody sees your rank. your status. Zoom, pretty much levels the playing field. Then you literally have an equal opportunity. Whoever can come to the camera with the best presence actually stands out. 

Solita: [00:10:10] Absolutely. I have this thing that I do with my clients because we work on confidence. Most of my clients going through that lack of confidence phase. Insecurities of their body, insecurities of what to wear. So, they don't have the confidence to really wear the things that they want. So, what we go through, it's like, okay. Yes, we're working on your outward appearance, but we also need to work on the internal. We can craft what your signature style is and what to wear for not only for yourself to feel great about yourself, but also to project that image that you want. But whenever you get into rooms, I don't only want you to walk in the room and look good. I want you to walk into room and let your voice be heard. So, I always challenge my clients, speak at least two times. Let your voice be heard at least twice. And that's something that I do for myself, because if you're in a room with people that you don't know or you're on zoom with people that you don't know, what is, first of all, what is your purpose of being in that room? You have to go back to your goals and your purpose. What is your purpose? If your purpose is to build business and to connect and to create relationships, then you need to speak. You need to look the part and then you need to let people know, who are you and what do you stand for? 

Nola: [00:11:19] If you had to describe what you do, how would you explain personal styling and image consulting? It seems like you just kind of did in a way. 

Solita: [00:11:28] Interesting that no one has ever asked me that question. Here's the thing. And that's why I tag it "image coaching and personal styling." Because it's image coaching to tell you the importance of what you wear, the message it sends and what it means to you as a brand, because you are a brand, whether or not you working for someone. Or you are building your side hustle, you're starting a business, you're doing anything like that. You are a brand. And that's your messaging side. Personal styling is like, okay, what do you wear to convey that message? What do you wear to boost your confidence? That's where we pick out the different pieces from the colors to, okay. I want to be branded to whenever you see me, you know that I'm a podcast host. How can I do that? Okay. I want to wear my t-shirt that says I'm a podcast host whenever I'm on podcasts. So that is where the clothing aspect of it. But a lot of the work that I do with my clients, is first, we have to focus on the importance of dressing. The importance of wearing clothes that impacts not only how you feel about yourself, but be able to create those opportunities that you want. That's the basis of the work that I do. And that's why I tag it, "women empowerment through style," because it's giving you the confidence that you need to show up for yourself and show up for those opportunities that you're seeking. 

Lori: [00:12:51] Which is awesome. Would you mind talking about how you help people with their personal brand and combine it with personal style as well?

Solita: [00:13:00] How I define, if we look at like we have the Google version or the marketing version of what personal branding is. We talk about your logo. We talk about your website, those kinds of collateral. But for me, personal branding is storytelling. Which is the same as your personal style. You're telling your audience who you are, what your values are, what's important to you and building that credibility within your area of expertise. How does that translate to what you wear? Again, what's important to you and how do you want to translate that to your audience? So, for instance, as the founder of Style to Impact, what I want to always translate to my audience is confidence, is where I'm positioning women to feel empowered, to look at me and say, okay, Solita's style is quite achievable. I can get to that level. It is not outside of my wheelhouse. Because most of the times that's what happened. Whenever we're looking at someone's personal style, we say, oh, I can't dress like that, or I can't achieve that because it's so outside of our range, we sometimes we compare it to looking at the celebrities or someone with money and they're buying the designer things. And we think that is the level we need to get to in order to show who we are in dress pop, it was like, no, I want to show you that my style is relatable. My style is something that if you're interested in it, cause remember style is personal. If there are elements of my style that you're looking at, you're like, okay, I love the way Solita style colors. How do I do the same? Can I wear the same colors that she's wearing? And you kind of incorporate it in telling your story about yourself. So, my story is connected to three words. I want to be when you look at me, you see professional, vibrant, and there's a little bit of fun. I added fun in there because I tend to have this personality, or perceived to have this personality where I'm like always serious when I'm actually not. So, I'm quite goofy if you're okay in a personal setting with me, but there's just something happens when I get in a professional setting, I get all serious and business and I'm like that. So, I added fun in there cause I wanted to remind myself to always have fun with everything that I'm doing, right? And to have that come out through my brand in all my clothing. So, you'll see me wearing like, soft colors, like pink, or you see me wearing a lot of colors, combination of casual and professional wear, like I'll wear a t-shirt, but I'll wear a dressy bottom, right? Because I always want to maintain that. So that's how you can bridge your personal brand with your personal style. What is the story that you want to tell? And what are the things in your closet? Because we start in your closet first. This is not about, okay, we're defining your personal style and we're going to go shopping. Like, no. We shop first thing in your closet to determine what's in there that you can use to express and tell your story because that's what your branding is, is storytelling. And you tell your story of your brand and who you are through the things that you wear as well 

Nola: [00:16:07] For founders of a business, especially female founders. Would you advise them, before they start putting together their personal brand, to figure out their story, to define what story they're going to tell?

Solita: [00:16:21] Absolutely. You have to know. A lot of us, at least it happened to me as well. You know, I wanted to start a business and everyone is like, okay, you want to start a business, know your, why know your target audience, get your logo, get your website. And these are all things that you were told and probably is still being told as to how to develop a brand. But as I progress, and one of the things that I've discovered, it's like, you have to define what your story is. What is your story? Whether or not you're selling paperclips to you are doing a coaching business. Like, what is your story? And how are you going to share that through the products and services that you have? Because once you connect with your story, then you come across a lot more authentic. You come across, not as generic, you'll find like if you're posting on Instagram or LinkedIn, that it's things that you're posting that comes from you and not you pulling a quote because it sounded great in your tagging it there, but it's speaks to your core values. So, for instance, I've always said that, okay. Style is a form of self-care. I believe that because within the last year and a half, we've all struggled. And I have struggled a lot to the point that I was so depressed the first time in my life that I felt that depressed. I felt that disconnected from who I am. And feeling lost. But getting up every morning with that intention of saying, how can I take care of myself within these five minutes? What can I do? Okay. I need to get up, I'm going to wear something fun and colorful. I'm going to get dressed. I am going to take care of myself within that moment. So regardless of what happened the rest of the day, may not be in my control, but in this moment, it is for me. So, when I post something on LinkedIn and say, "style is self-care," I mean that, because that is my story. I'm not just pulling buzzword from the internet and say it to you, it is my story. And that's how I'm telling it to you and connecting with you in hopes that you understand when you get dressed, it is a form of your self-care. 

Lori: [00:18:30] That begs the question. When you're working with somebody on their personal style and their image, how do you help them connect it? As you pointed out, when you start your business, people give you recommendations or the checklist or tell you all the assets that you need to consider. But when we think of personal style, at least for myself, when I go shopping, I'm not necessarily thinking that whole thing. Let me back up by saying at this exact moment you have my head just buzzing cause I'm rethinking everything 

Nola: [00:19:03] I know. 

Lori: [00:19:04] on how I'm applying this. And I'm recognizing that I'm piecemealing it together rather than being proactive and working through that. So, when you get started with somebody, they may be more like me. They're coming at it, piecemealing it. How do you help them think about the whole and not just the sum of their parts? 

Solita: [00:19:26] Okay. So first of all, we start with your style story. Your style story, are things that you were told, whether childhood, teenage years or in relationships, and even things that you were telling yourself, or being told currently, about your body type, about what you can and cannot wear, how you should show up in different spaces. And without you even realizing it, you're holding onto some of those stories and you're making them true. So, someone said to you, Lori, you should never ever wear anything above your knee. And you automatically took that as, okay, I have horrible legs. And you start to feel self-conscious in it of it. So, there's this summer's coming and you want to wear shorts. And every time you look at women in shorts or you see shorts in the stores like, oh my gosh, those are so beautiful. I wish I can wear them. I will feel so happy and comfortable. But you're going back and replaying what that person said to you. You should never ever wear shorts because you look X, Y, and Z wearing it. So instead of doing what makes you happy, wearing what makes you comfortable, you're holding onto what that person says. So that's the first work that we do together. Is getting rid of those negative stories that you’re holding on to. Because that's what influences and impact whether or not you wear something, because it's what you want to wear. And not because someone else is telling you that you shouldn't wear it. And we can all go back to our childhood or recently of things that we swear we'll never wear because someone told us it wouldn't look good. Going to give you an example. As you know, I was born in Guyana. Originally from Guyana, but I grew up moved to Antigua and Barbuda in the late teenage years. As an immigrant from Guyana, they looked at nationals from Guyana and say, okay, you can identify a Guyanese by the amount of gold jewelry they wear. Because you have a lot of Guyanese will wear gold because we do have a gold mine in our country. We do have it. it's a resource that's available to us, so we will use it. So, for the longest I avoided wearing gold jewelry. Because I didn't want the students in my class to say that I didn't want anyone that I came in contact to say that it's not that I hated where I came from. If you ask me, where are you from? I would tell you boldly and loudly. Yes. I'm from Guyana. That's where I'm from. But I didn't want that negative connotation to be attached to me. It's not like we were the only persons wearing gold, but I just didn't want it to attach. 

Nola: [00:22:11] You didn't want to be a stereotype.

Solita: [00:22:13] Exactly. Yeah. So, I never wore it until, I will be honest with you, until the last three years I started to wear gold jewelry. Because I've held on to something that I thought was, okay, I don't want to be in this bracket. I don't want to be classified this. Yes, I am from there, but I don't want that to be the first thing you say about me as to why I'm from there. So, I'm holding onto it. So, every buying decision that I made around jewelry, that impacted and influenced it. So, where you're saying Lori, you're piecing things together. It's because you have to go to that style story. What are some of the things that you're holding on to? What are some of the things you need to let go of? And what do you want to wear? Then we develop your style persona. Secretly, we all wish that we could wear something. It's like, oh, I was on a podcast recently and you know I was talking to the host and she's like, oh, my gosh, I wish I could wear bright colors and I wish I could wear pink. So, I was like, why can't you wear it? People's opinion. People's opinion. Was it? Oh, I, people may say this. It's like, no, let's let that though. Let's develop your style for you. What are some of the things that you want to wear that you're allowing other people's opinions to stop you from wearing? And that's how we develop your personal style. And you don't want people to define who you are. You know who you are. 

Nola: [00:23:33] So disregard the color wheel, skin color. Just go with the colors you're drawn to that make you feel good, right? 

Solita: [00:23:40] Absolutely. And I'm going to tell you my unusual way of finding your color. First of all, color is something that I love. And it comes from living in the Caribbean. It comes from living in Antigua and being a part of the carnival festivities. If you know me privately, you know that I love carnival, you know that feathers and colors bring me joy. And it's just exciting. So that is part of who I am. So I, you see that through the clothes that I wear. It's like, okay, how can you bring that out? How can you wear things and find things that you love? So, this is what I do. The colors. Go into your favorite lingerie store. Buy a bunch of color underwear that you love. Just look at them as say, oh, I love this green. I love this pink. Or you love this yellow. Buy them, go home, put them on, stand in front of your mirror and see which one makes you go, oh my gosh.

Lori: [00:24:42] That's awesome. 

Solita: [00:24:45] Cause it's on your body. You're right. Yes. I love how I look in it. Then, what you do is just kind of like find clothing that you can wear on the outside that people can see. Right? We don't want to see your underwear through your clothes. Trust me. It is the simplest way. And I guess you allow yourself to be more creative and expand. I think the color wheel is so, it has its purpose. But I think when you're developing your style, you want to be free to explore things and not put yourself in that box of saying, okay, you are warm color tones. So, you should only wear these 10 colors. It's like, no. Okay. There are millions of colors and shades like experiment with it.

Nola: [00:25:28] So let's say we do that. At what point can I tell if I'm rocking my brand well? 

Solita: [00:25:34] That's a great question. That is when your three words are repeated back to you. When someone comes in contact with you as like, oh my gosh, you are so vibrant, fun and professional. Oh my gosh, you look so amazing. Your confidence, your energy is just like, that's it, you know when it's an alignment when people are saying it to you as well. So, you define and determine what your three words are. You are dressing with those three words in mind. Not to say that's your only three words you're going to walk around, but that's your general message of your brand. You want to feel like for me, I want to feel empowered in myself. Because again, I'm so tiny I want to be like, okay. I don't want tiny to be it. I want to feel empowered. So, you will seldom see me in flats and the occasion must call for it. So, if I'm going to a networking event, I will never wear flats. I'm always in heels. One that's comfortable for me that I can stand in because they lift me up. I feel powerful. And then my audience go, oh, wow, you look great. I love the way you, you know, you're standing or you're talking and it comes out and that's how you know it is in alignment. 

Lori: [00:26:55] So what I hear you say, and that's kind of working from the inside out, is, what do you want to be known for? Find the colors that when you wear them, you think to yourself, that looks good on me. And then put those on. And when you hear it mirrored back, you know that it's connecting. Sometimes it'll come just as a compliment. 

Solita: [00:27:21] Exactly. That's what it is. I like to say we are what we wear.  If you are wearing exactly what you want people to think of you, confident, bold. That's exactly what they're going to see. 

Lori: [00:27:36] Is bold about wearing bright colors? 

Solita: [00:27:39] Bold can be defined as like what you want it to be. So bold can be your defining as someone who steps out of the box. So, you will never see, for instance, me I'm being bold, so you will not see me wearing general black and white. If I'm being bold with my black and white. It will be some form of statement piece within that black and white. Let's say the occasion called for black and white. Like that was the dress code. I would never wear a boring black pants with just a button-down shirt with a blazer. There was be some element of boldness to it. Maybe I will attach. Okay. I have to go simple, but can I be bold with my shoes? Can I be bold with my accessories? Bold as well is, I am bold in terms of the colors that I wear and how I combine colors. That may be your definition of bold. So, you have to define that word, what it means for you. Because let's take professional, for instance. When we look at the word professional, in terms of dress code, there's a wide spectrum. There is traditional professional, there is smart, casual professional. Where do you fall in? How you want to show up within that word, it's what do I wear to define that? Because someone may say, I want to always show up professional, but here are the things that speaks to me that I want to wear. I want to wear a pantsuit. I want to be bold about it. So, I'm going to wear like color suits instead of ordinary suits. Someone else may say. I want to be professional. But at the same time, I want to be relatable. I don't want to show up as the bold bossy woman, but I want to be a little bit more relaxed because of the audience that I'm speaking to, but I want to be professional. That person may want to wear slacks, you know, a t-shirt and a blazer. That's their professional. So, they know every time they step out of their homes, professional for them, these elements, and these are the things they're going to wear to convey that. 

Lori: [00:29:41] I feel like you're blowing misconceptions out of the water. 

Solita: [00:29:45] Honestly speaking, I am not one to follow the style rules. I wasn't born into a fashion household or just paying attention to the exact rules. I'm going to be honest, like I dress a lot based on how I feel. So, defining my style and letting go of things that people would have said that I cannot wear or shouldn't wear for my body type and wearing things that makes me feel great. Putting together outfits that I love that speaks to me. Because if I don't feel great in what I'm wearing, when I step out, you're going to notice, you're going to realize that I'm not as confident because I may not speak up in a meeting. I may be a little bit more reserved than normal. So, I go a lot on how I want to feel.

I also love, not many women will love it now, you know, not a lot of persons love it. I love shows that has some form of fashion element. There's a show that I love called The Bow Tie. There's also like, I will watch the awards ceremonies just for the red carpet, not to copy and say, oh yeah, I want to wear exactly that. But just to see how they mix certain things, how they flowing it and how do I feel when I look at that person in that particular outfits, like, I love that. What elements of it do I love? Is it the professional look of it? Is it the fun look of it? And I think with personal style you have to give yourself scope to be adventurous, to explore, because as you are changing, your style will change with you as well. But if you stay within these style rules, that's where to start a frustration comes. Because you're growing, your side business just started, it's taking the steps and doing what it's doing. And all of a sudden, you know, you're getting more traction, so you're changing, but because you're paying attention to all these rules and how to dress, your style is 10 steps back. And then every time you go to a business meeting with a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you feel underdressed and insecure about what you're wearing because you allowed yourself to be stuck in that. But if you allow yourself to one, let your environment be an inspiration to you, you know, what's happening around you, the places that you go and the message that you want to translate and try new things. Incorporate new styles. Anything that you feel in yourself that okay. If I wear this floral dress, I am going to feel like I'm going to tea with the queen, and that's how I want to feel, then do it. Do what makes you feel comfortable. But maintain and remember, okay, what is the message do I want to send?

Nola: [00:32:22] So at what point should we consider the accessories? Where do they fit in? And 2, it' s what I'm really getting into is at what point does it really not matter? Can you just, can you just throw on that, t-shirt those flip flops and does it just not matter? Can you just put the brand down for a minute? 

Solita: [00:32:42] Okay. Okay. I'm going to start with your second question first. Here's why. Style for me, as I said, it's a personal thing to determine how you want to feel about yourself. What makes you happy? How do you want to show? If you find yourself wearing clothes or you have clothes in your closet that don't inspire confidence, then you may not be a candidate to just wear whatever. By doing that, you are not allowing yourself the opportunities to grow and have the things that you want. So. We're talking about women entrepreneurs, starting businesses. If that's what you want, that's your goal. You cannot get up every day and stay in your t-shirt and your flip flops and expect your mindset to change. That's it. It's not that you immediately move from your flip-flops in your t-shirt to a business suit. That may not be your thing. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that whatever your goals are, you have to adjust your mind to it. That's the only way you're going to achieve it. But you also have to adjust how you feel about yourself and how you present yourself. So, you may decide how I'm going to present myself on days that I'm not going in front of a wide audience, that I'm not going on videos. I want to be a little bit relaxed. So that's going to be my casual dress code. But at the same time, I'm loving myself, building my confidence, maintaining my self-awareness and maintaining what I want. My casual may be, and I'm going to tell you your audience, can't see it nor can you, I'm wearing shorts. That's my thing. I'm wearing shorts and I'm wearing what's a t-shirt with some necklace on it. I'm not going to wear that all day around the house, but what I'm wearing once I take the necklace off, it is comfortable. But at the same time, if someone knocks on my door right now and I look out and be like, Ooh, that's opportunity, would I go, oh, one moment. I need to change? If you have to do that, that simply means that, okay, you will lose option. Let's look at it from the bigger spectrum. If you're not prepared for your opportunity, you'll not get it. So, you have to be prepared for it being prepared when it comes to what you wear does not mean you have to drape yourself in a business suit. I think that's what a misconception is. And this is why it's important to define and determine what your personal style is based on your lifestyle activities, and the environment that you're going into. 

Nola: [00:35:15] So if my three words are, I feel energized. If I know I'm feeling energized by one outfit, that's in front of the camera or at a networking event, that's one thing. But off the camera, I'm still at work. I'm still doing my thing. Who knows who's going to show up at the door or not? I still want to have that mindset of, I feel energized. So, I will pull things out of my closet that make me feel energized, not so totally relaxed. 

Solita: [00:35:44] Exactly. I mean, there's a time and place for everything, right. If you're going on vacation and you're like, okay, you know, I'm going on vacation, it's going to be on the beach. I have my Villa on the beach. This is my moment to just, and all I want to wear is a bikini and a t-shirt and flip flops, that's when to do it. But don't go to dinner with it because you don't know who is going to be in our room, that you are going to be talking to, that you can engage with and that you can have, yes, you're on vacation, but you're also talking to people you're engaging with people and those conversations can turn into something else. To answer your second question when it comes to accessories. Now, accessories is like one of the number one thing, like, every time I'm talking to my clients, they're like, oh, well, how do I know what's the right accessory to wear and not to wear? Again, it goes back to your personal style. And what are some of the things that influence how you see style and what you want to wear? For me, again, going back to my lifestyle and living in the Caribbean, living in Antigua, taking part in carnival and having colors. I love statement jewelry. But statement jewelry for me in the form of necklaces. That's the only way I would wear it. I don't think my face looks right with big earrings. I prefer delicate earrings, but I make a statement with my necklace. Do I do that every day? No, there's some days it's like, okay. I want to be a little bit more. You'll just wear a little casual piece. What your jewelry is, you have to determine, okay. Who am I? Am I that bold person, that's going to be, okay. I want my necklace to be the focus of my conversation. If I wear something like wear a statement necklace, people are going to talk about it. And there's a story to tell. There is something I'm going to be able to tell based on that piece. You may have a simple necklace that was given to you by a family member. And that's what you wear often. Someone sees it, that's a story. That's how you connect. That's how you develop relationships. That's how you build your brand. Accessories on a whole, for me, it's like, you either see me wearing a statement necklace, scarfs, also part of what I love. You may not love it. What are some accessories that you want to incorporate into your wardrobe? Are you a bracelet person? Are you a ring person? Whatever you want, whatever you are most comfortable wearing, do that. I love broaches as well. So, every now and then you'll see me wearing a broach. It's not something I wear every day. Again, it goes on my feelings like, oh, I want to wear a broach today so I wear it, but because I've identified what are those accessories that I want to wear? And make sure I source those. And in my closet, I can wear them at any point in time that I feel like wearing them. So, kind of like, look at accessories that way. And this is why I never like work with my clients and say, get broaches, get this, get that. It's like, no. What do you want? How do you want to express yourself? How do you want to show us? Like, oh no, I've always loved scarves. Okay. Let's try it. But I don't like wearing things around my neck. Okay. How about we just put the scarf on your back. Would that make you feel great? Would that still add? Yeah. Somewhere in a scarf, I'm on brand doing what I want to do, but I'm not being restricted by something being on my neck.

Lori: [00:38:44] I hear you saying how to almost step out of your comfort zone, you know, fake it till you make it that if you're going to really think about what your personal style is, your personal brand, how they connect to your business, especially working with you. You may think about it on a continuum. Here's where I am. Here's where I want to be. And you help people get there. One of the things I think that happens in that fake it ‘til you make it, is that imposter syndrome. I'm going to give you a scenario to help us think about. You are going to attend a conservative, or maybe traditional, maybe it's a business meeting, and people that are attending will tend to be more conservative in their outfit's, colors. If your style and your story is, I want to be bold, I want to be confident. I'm going to wear colors that aren't traditional, but now I'm going to a traditional event. What do you do? Do you stay true to who you are? Or do you stay, I want to blend in, I don't want to stand out. What's the step here? 

Solita: [00:39:51] That's a wonderful question because that is what a lot of women within the traditional industries that they work struggle with. You're talking about the financial industry, where the business suit created by the men and women get into that workspace with the type of color and they adopted and wear, but they're not being true to themselves. I've worked in the financial industry. As I said, for 15 years, I've seen what that dress code is like. It was not built for women. 

Lori: [00:40:23] Good point. I mean, most of businesses not built for women because men were the first ones. 

Solita: [00:40:28] Exactly. And, you know, we haven't sadly progressed to that stage where we're now looking at, making it more inclusive, which is kind of interesting. I know I'm, this is a bit off topic, but I'm going to get back, where, I think it was the aviation industry just introduced maternity wear for women. And my mind was like, are you kidding me? But it is a fact. So, let's say you are one of those women who are attending this traditional dress code event, but you want to express your personal style. You want to stand out because you're going back to your goals. What are my goals for myself and my business? And you cannot achieve your goals if you're going into a room to blend. How can I respect the dress code, at the same time, stand out? I'm going to use the dress code formula of black and white. Everybody's going to be in some form of black and white, some form of Navy blue and white, some form of gray and white. Do you opt for the very old-fashioned gray and white, black and white, blue and white? Or do you make a statement by ensuring that one, you opt for, if I were supposed to do that, I'm going to opt for a pants that either cropped at the leg, it's either cropped, but not like cropped to be short pants, but has some kind of detailing on the bottom. Can also be a tuxedo style pants. We have those for women where you have that little tuxedo stripe going down so it's elegant. Instead of opting for white button-down shirt, I will go for something if I decided, okay, I'm not going to wear a blazer. I want to make a statement with my shirt. I may go for a statement, white shirt. That can be something with ruffles. That can be something with little details, like maybe you have a bow on it. If you opt for a three-piece dress code where you're going to wear a blazer, instead of getting a basic blazer, get one with some gold buttons, get one that's tailored or cut in an unusual way from the normal. So, you are fitting into the dress code of black and white. You're fitting into the traditional look, but you have brought your personality to it because you're not wearing that basic. I mean, we all know what I'm talking about. The ones that Ann Taylor will sell now. So, they're so basic that all of us will look the same. No one will ever remember that Lori said something incredible because I've networked with 50 other women. It's like, oh, I don't remember who said that incredible thing. But if you came with your black and white and you looked completely different, I am going to remember she was wearing that black blazer with that gold button. Do you know, those gold button, the lady that was wearing that? That's how we describe people. Think about it. Sometimes we do that. And that's why it's important that what you wear is not only comfortable to you, that you feel great in, but it's also memorable. Because sometimes people wouldn't remember our names, they will remember what we wear and what we said. 

Nola: [00:43:37] So all of this time, I've been remembering this time where I was a speaker. And I remember thinking I am going to just be myself and I went and got an outfit that made me feel just me and I like neutrals, but I like them in a lot of layers and kind of flowing and fluttering and swinging earrings and sassy boots. And it's like, they are going to remember me if they don't even hear me, they'll see me. The event went off fine, but I thought, maybe I overdid it. 

Solita: [00:44:12] Sometimes that's something we have to keep in mind. Yes, you want to show up as yourself, right. But you have to look at your audience as well. You don't want to have that disconnect. It's like, I'm going to show up. I want you to remember me, but at the same time, I want to get your business. I want to have that conversation going. So, you're not showing up in a way that they don't think that it's outside of their scope. So, let's say for instance, an example to give you. If you're speaking to moms who about self-care, you know, just making more time for themselves, that's the conference that you're going to, and it's in a small, intimate setting, you're not going to show up there with you, like for me, I love my heels and everything, but I'm not going to show up there with my, you know, my heels and wearing a boss blazer and looking all bossy because these are moms who are already struggling to take care of themselves to find time and doing different things. And your purpose was to give them your encouragement. To step up to do something different for themselves and kind of look at you and say, oh, so I can wear my jeans with that loafers. And you know, that really cute t-shirt with that statement, necklace, I can do that. Yes, I can do that. So, I can stop wearing my mom jeans and looking.

So, you're inspiring them to rise their level up a little bit. But if you're talking to moms who are going back into the workforce, who are starting a business, you don't want to go four steps down or on the level that they're at. What you're doing is going above to tell them you're changing your mindset. I also need you to aspire to look like this. So, in your case, I would have said that. Let's pick one element that you want to make the memorable piece, the conversational piece, and use that instead of going head to toe full memorable, we do like, okay, do I want the boots to be the thing? Or do I want the outfit to be the thing? What do I want to be that piece that people talk about? 

Lori: [00:46:17] So we asked you to give us your motto. The two that you gave us are, Action is the anecdote to fear; and No one starts the race at the finish line. Which now has become my personal favorite. Can you tell us, in what ways these two mottoes reflect your journey to successful entrepreneurship?

Solita: [00:46:37] It was interesting like when you asked me that. There was no question about what those were, what my quotes were going to be, because action is the antidote to fear. It's been that thing that reminded me constantly, like it's on my desk in a frame that reminds me that every time I think about doing something, the immediate reaction that we will get as human beings, especially for things that we've never done before, we feel scared about it. And when we feel scared about it, we procrastinate. We make all the excuses as to why we can't do it. We don't have this. So, I was doing a lot of that two years ago. I wanted to do some things and say, oh, but I don't have this, but I don't have a connection or a network as yet. And I was doing a lot of that. Until I read the book, Do it Scared. And that's where that quote came from. Where it's like, if you want to do something, fear is going to be a factor. There's no question about it. Everybody gets nervous, everybody fears like, okay, I'm going to lose a lot. Or, you know, I'm going to fall flat on my face, whatever it is. But to get over that you have to take an action. You have to decide, I want to start a business. What is the business you want to start? Why is it important? What's your message? Okay. What can I do next? And something that I've learned from not just taking the action, but making that action public. Putting whatever is it I want to do out in the public because what it has done, I'm not only holding myself accountable. But it's like, oh, you put it out there. You need to go do something about it now. There's no holding back. And one of the things that for me, I started Women Making an Impact, LinkedIn Live series that I have. And one of the things that I wanted to do is like build community and talk to different women that are doing different things. But I didn't want to, if I held that to myself and just secretly message women, then there's no accountability. There's nothing. So, it's like, okay, I'm taking the action to put myself out there. By doing this or saying, I want to do it. How can I hold myself accountable? Okay. I'm going to put it publicly. So, you have to do that. Determine what action you need to take and do it in spite of the fear or however you feel about it. Building that into entrepreneurship. Now. We take the action. Because, you know, we felt fearful and we decided, okay, we're going to go ahead. But within social media, there's so much happening that what we will do is start comparing our journey to other people. It happens, I've done it. And this is why it's on my desk to remind me not to do it. I'm looking at persons who are doing similar work within the industry that I'm in and the field that I'm in, who have been doing it for 10, 15 years. And I've just started and I'm expecting every video that I do to be great. I'm expecting every post to have traction and connection. And expecting that every call that I get on that is going to be successful, that I'm going to know exactly what to say and I'm going to do this right. I'm going to sound this way. And then I have to remind myself, wait a minute, you are at the start. A matter of fact, I am in warmups. That's how I look at it. I'm training for this, right? When you get into blocks, you're running the race. But no one, as it says starts the race at the finish line, everybody starts at the starting line. So even if that person has been doing it for 10, 15 years, there was a starting point for them. And the starting point did not look the way it is looking right now. And that's been my motivation, not only for the journey that I'm on as an entrepreneur, but throughout life, just kind of constantly remind myself. You are where you are, because this is where you need to be. This is your race. This is the lane. This is where you are. Okay. Where do you want to go next? And how do you get there? And not compare myself and say, I mean, it's a work in progress that we have to like really put that energy into, not comparing ourselves cause we see it. People are talking about, oh, I just did this on, you know, my business. And I just did that. And you're like, but I'm doing the same thing. How can I not? And not remembering. Okay. You just started. And you're still building. 

Nola: [00:50:57] That is such wise advice and it's a great mindset. Like we call mindset reset. It's a good reminder. That is a reminder to keep me from thinking, I've got so far to go. There's no way I'm going to make it. And like, look, I'm only this far. I mean, it would be so easy to be discouraged, but that one motto can really go, oh. That's right!

Solita: [00:51:17] Every time you feel discouraged. I mean, it's normal to not, you know, think that you for you personally, because you know yourself and you think you should be this far along in your journey, it's normal to feel that way. Right. You feel that feeling, but you have to remind yourself that, okay. I am doing the best that I can every day. This is my race. Let me look around to see what that person did to get them to their spot. So, for instance, I'm following someone's journey to see what they're doing. See what the messaging is. Look at last five years of content, if they were doing it for more than five. I'm looking back to see what they did from the beginning. Those shitty videos that they made, those poor lighting videos that they made. That's what I use as my measuring stick to say, okay, at least my video is not as bad as. 

Nola: [00:52:10] That's great. And they were that crappy at one point too, you know? 

Solita: [00:52:16] Exactly. So, that's what I use. 

Lori: [00:52:19] Well, and I think it makes you more relatable because you're talking from the fear and the experience that you're having right now, where they're talking past tense. They can't embrace what that feels like from five or 10 years ago, because that's past. 

Solita: [00:52:36] Exactly. 

Lori: [00:52:37] They don't understand what you're going through now. But you do, or I do, or Nola does, because we're living it right now. And it is a good reminder. Nola's absolutely right. Mindset reset. Beautiful. 

Nola: [00:52:52] Well, to help our audience get to know you even better, we have a fun question for you. If you could instantly speak another language, what would it be and why?

Solita: [00:53:04] The one that I've always said that I wished that I can speak is Russian. This is the thing. There is no like bombshell reason why. It's a simple reason. You want to know why? It goes back to my five feet, zero inches. For some reason, to me, Russian, whenever you hear it and you don't see the person, they sound so powerful. Russian when I hear it's, like, oh my gosh. That would make me feel so powerful and feel way taller than I am. So that's my only reason why I'm like, I wish I can speak Russian because for those moments where people are like, oh my gosh, you are so tiny. I'd be like, and it sounds like, to me, it just feels so powerful.

Nola: [00:53:52] Yes, it projects, power. 

Solita: [00:53:54] Exactly. That's what it is. And that's my only reason for wanting to learn to learn Russian. 

Nola: [00:54:01] That's a valid reason. I can see that, too. That's fun. 

Lori: [00:54:05] Solita, it has been such a delight to have you here and you have packed a lot of information into our podcast. And I would tell listeners, now you know why you need to contact Solita and work with her because you're not just picking out pieces of a wardrobe. You approach style personal style from the inside out. It is a holistic approach. That is a mindset reset, and will change your starting point to where you want to go. But to clarify, would you tell listeners how they can learn more about you, your company and your services? 

Solita: [00:54:47] Yes, absolutely. First of all, I want to say thank you very much. Again, this has been a wonderful experience being able to share, and it just felt so great having a conversation with yourself and Nola. So, audience can find me on my website is styletoimpact.com. I'm also very active on LinkedIn. You can find me there, Solita C Roberts. I do have a LinkedIn company page as well, that's Style to Impact. If you want to email me after listening to this, you want to get in contact with me, maybe to ask me a question or just engage, you can email me at solitaatstyletoimpact.com. And my first name is spelled S O L I T A.

Lori: [00:55:28] Listeners, you can also get the links, details and information about Solita, her company, Style to Impact, the services she offers, along with her quote and a link to her e-book, which you can follow up until just a little bit about that in a second, by visiting our website at stickybrandlab.com/resources. We didn't mention your e-book, but you just gave us a link to your e-book. 

Solita: [00:55:52] Yes. So, the e-book it's called the Style to Impact Formula. Which is basically seven steps that you can take to get yourself to what I call unshakeable style confidence. And I use unshakeable for a specific reason instead of unstoppable. Unshakable, because you would have determined who you are. What are some of the things that you need to let go of? And how do you put yourself in a position of power going forward based on the things that you were. So that e-book takes you through those seven steps, prompt you with questions and journal ideas that you should be asking yourself as you define your style. And as you determine, like, who you are. 

Lori: [00:56:33] Thank you, Solita. Be sure to come back next Tuesday and every Tuesday for another informative, inspiring and motivating episode. And remember. Actions create results. So, tap into your desire to create a business and brand you love by taking 1% action every day. Small steps, big effects.

Nola: [00:56:54] Do you have questions about creating a personal brand, side hustle or small business? Sign up for one of our clarity sessions. For more information, contact us at stickybrandlab.com/contact.

[Out-take]

Lori: [00:57:09] The same applies to your clothing, hair, makeup, except accessories, and et cetera are so close to each other.