I had the honour of hosting a free webinar in March of this year that can now be found on the FMI Guild online platform. I shared some of my knowledge on growing your personal brand value and it went over so well that they asked me to present a full-length presentation in person at the Fall Summit.
I had such a fun time adding to the webinar content and truly organizing building personal brand value steps into an easy way of learning. I took all of my knowledge of attending FMI as a delegate from 2010 – 2012 and put it into a presentation that I wished I had heard when I was just starting out. I think it’s smart to hire former alumni because we know exactly the steps we took to develop our brands and I personally wished I had learned a more step-by-step approach to developing my brand way back when vs. stumbling around for a few years until it all fell into place.
I arrived in Newport Beach on Weds, Oct 22nd and met up with the FMI founders Gary & Natalie. They let me know that the keynote speaker Greg Plitt was not able to attend Thursday morning and was moving to Saturday and asked if I would open the conference. Of course, I would!!
So my session entitled “Growing Your Personal Brand Value” began bright and early Thursday, October 23rd. I’m happy that they filmed the conference and that the video will be available later for all those who showed interest in being able to watch it on social media.
My 1-hour presentation gave insight on how to establish your personal brand through your biography, personal brand statement and discovering & organizing your brand value proposition. I spoke about social media & online platforms that allow you to gain online exposure. I went over the pros & cons of blogging vs. vlogging and spoke about monetization options once a personal brand has been established. I covered ways that I monetize my blog and how to become a brand ambassador. I also delved into 6 case studies that covered online training, intellectual property & services as well as membership sites. I covered briefly the need to establish an authentic brand voice so that you can attract the right audience & allow companies to take notice of you and want to work with you.
After speaking at FMI and learning that I love to be in front of an audience again (I grew up on stage as a ballerina & performing in musical theatre). I can’t wait to incorporate more public speaking into my future personal brand goals. If you’d like a free copy of the personal brand checklist I created for all attendees please sign up here. If you sign up to receive the checklist I will also email you once my presentation is available on the FMI Guild platform.
After speaking I went off to get glammed up with the amazing Eileen Sandoval (otherwise known as @honeybeileen on social). She did my makeup two days in a row and this woman is a miracle worker. She made me feel so glam and I loved chatting with her.
I had hired Noel Daganta for a photo shoot on Thursday so I had to make sure my face & hair was on point. He shot my headshot in 2011 and I’ve been using it on my LinkedIn profile and as a freelance writer for magazine contributor photos. Although it’s amazing I needed something new and fresh.
He drove to Newport Beach from LA to shoot with me so I suggested staying around the hotel for the shoot. We shot glam lifestyle & headshots in an amazing dress I brought with me to California and then I threw on fitness clothes for lifestyle shots that I can use with magazine articles I want to submit as well as my personal portfolio. The below photo is three amazing photographers nerding out. Can you just see them saying, no man I love your stuff? No man I love your style!
After they had finished their bromance I grabbed some run clothes & a surf outfit and Noel & I drove down to Newport Beach for some amazing beach shots that I can’t wait to share with my social media world. The beach was pretty quiet, although it was mid-day and it was perfect and gorgeous weather. We definitely got spoiled.
For the remainder of my time in California, I attended a few FMI lectures, socialized with attendees, did another shoot with Peter Salama and worked on writing my book in the comfort of my hotel room. Peter and I got amazing headshots with a ponytail style that Eileen did on my second day working with her. We also captured some fitness shots and I even threw on a bikini for some pool shots! Look at the below headshot he captured!!!
Here are some of the sessions I attended while I was at the Fitness MBA Summit and what I learned:
Logos, Photography & Slogans and How to Profit From Them – Presenter: Gary Warren – I learned the difference between copyrights & trademarks and that I need to do more research on costs & steps to properly monetize my personal brand as a business in the future.
Outsourcing Website Building – Presenter: Natalie Minh – I learned the steps and flow of working with an interactive company to build a website. Since I have a simple blog where I own my URL and host it through Hostgator with a WordPress editing platform I have never really had to launch a website that I’ve designed with the help of professionals. This is my next step in my personal brand business so I’m glad I have an understanding now of how it will flow.
Converting Fans into Customers via YouTube – Presenter: Mike Rashid – I learned that being motivating to others is really all about having swag in a video world. Having that established point of difference is important to growing profit on a platform that allows users to be fully engaged with you.
Building a Fitness Megabrand – Presenter: Gregg Plit – I learned that Greg has an incredible amount of bravado. He is very rough around the edges but that makes him incredibly motivating and he had the audience mesmerized. I also learned that I can’t control my facial expressions when I’m perturbed and he called me out on making a face when he made unnecessary sexual comments.
During the question and answer time I referred back to a story he told about his childhood and how his father challenged him to either read or workout and he chose the physical challenge. I put up my hand to ask him if he ever discovered a love for reading. We had a good laugh because he asked if I was going to ask why he was so sexual based on my earlier facial reactions. My response was “no I was actually trying to figure out if you were intellectual by asking you if you figured out how to love reading and what you’re reading at the moment.” He then proceeded to show he could read the letters on his can of Rockstar. Robyn 1 – Fitness Megabrand Greg 0.
Finally I was lucky enough to spend time with my social media friend Stuft Mama!!! She was driving to LA for a half marathon and she was able to stop for food & chit-chat. I love this woman and I can’t wait to meet her twin boys someday!
I loved my four days in California surrounded by motivated fitness professionals. I hope to get invited back for more conferences in the future!