1. My Story and the making of your own brand

Number one, it was the first time that I thought, oh my god, I can do this forever, which I never thought about that about portraiture and baby photography. But number two was, how much I love working with women. Intrapreneurs how much I absolutely love helping women that are passionate about what they do. This is actually something they need for their social media, their website, their podcast, all the things that I was doing, but then there was something about disempowerment and something really turned on, on me that hasn’t really turned off ever since that.

Welcome to the BE YOU BRAND podcast.

I am your host, Ati Grinspun. And if you’re looking to build a million dollar personal brand, sell out your services, and do it all while living your best life and fulfilling your purpose. You come to the right place. We no fluff strategy, a tiny bit of a spice attitude, F bombs per days, mindset and energy work, we will grow a life and business that you absolutely love. One episode at a time. Welcome aboard my friend.

Welcome again, to the BE YOU Brand podcast, I am so excited that you’re here that you’re actually listening to these very first episode because the vision for this podcast really started so long ago. But like many of us, I doubted and I had fear. And so many times, I lead myself play small, but then I realized that many women will actually go after their dreams or many women will take action shares from seeing somebody else go first. And this has so much to do with my story and we what I want to share throughout this podcast, right? It’s just because I decided to go first, I know that there is going to be women, that they’re going to the site to actually go and do something that it’s in their heart. And this translates to you to the listeners to the watchers, to to our viewers. 

Because so many times we keep or a story to ourselves believing or thinking that it doesn’t matter that nobody wants to hear it. And the truth is that every single one of us has a message. And because of that message, somebody will be courageous enough to actually take action to go after their dreams. So this is not just about me, this is about these be you brand, be your own brand movement, be you 100% At every stage of your journey. So today, I want to go and give you a glimpse of what to expect for for this show why you should invest your time. Or maybe you read podcasts. And you come here with us on a journey, where not only I’m going to be doing solo episodes to show you how to build that million dollar personal brand that is profitable, and that you can build around yourself and who you are your expertise, but also bring you stories of women that also started at zero. 

And they are building amazing brands, amazing businesses, that inspiring stories where you can find yourself and really believe that you can do it too. Okay. So with that being said, I want to kind of start at the beginning, right? Like, I don’t know if you have ended here in this podcast, by chance or whatever. But I started my journey, obviously I have an accent. And I started my journey when I came to Ocean from Argentina. And I landed in Las Vegas because I was a world champion Fleur bartender. If you don’t know what that is, is that bartenders that flip the bottles and a speed fire and they make drinks while they’re flipping the battles. And at the time and for the first 10 years of that career. I loved it. I loved it so much. I had so much fun. I really climb to the top of that career. I ended up working in Las Vegas. And if you didn’t know anything about bartending in Vegas, is like a completely be friendly atmosphere is where you’re making so much money every night and Rhythm is so fast, right? And for the first 10 years, I loved it. But then I became a mom and I got married, I became a mom, I, my son is 10 years old. Now, the recording of this podcast is going to be 11, in what three weeks, and my priorities shifted. 

And something else that shifted was once I stopped actually competing, and that’s why I said World Champion Fleur bartender, is there was the self challenging, underlining to being a bartender, that I was competing, I travel all over the world, I made my husband through it, he’s still a bartender, he was also one of the top bartenders in the world. And once I stopped competing, bartending really lost is appealing to me. Because there was there was no challenge, right? It was a job, I was going making a ton of money. But there was nothing there for me. And with all the truth, I also didn’t want to raise my kid working nights. Now, a little bit of background to that is I went to photography school here in the US here in Las Vegas, while I was still bartending, and I did this because I always knew that there was going to be something more for me, and I just didn’t know what that was. At the time. I took one class that I took another class and I took another class. And then next thing you know, I literally, like finished the whole photography associates, here at CSN in Las Vegas. 

And in that for about eight years, I went to school 2008. And for several years around this business of doing portraits I niched down to baby photography. But I always had this feeling that that was not it. I loved it. I enjoyed it. I grew it even open a studio when I was pregnant. And but I never thought that that was it. But I didn’t know exactly how to pinpoint it. And that was actually one of the reasons where I did open the studio at that time. But I actually ended up going back to bartending when my kid was 18 months old. And why am I telling you these parts of the story? And what does it have to do with where I am today, I’m being a personal branding Coach and Personal Branding photographer, and speaker, author, all the things that I’m doing podcaster. Right. And is because when I close that studio, and I went back to bartending, I truly felt like a failure. And at the time, the way I was measuring things, were you either make a ton of money, or you’re a failure, you’re either winning or you’re losing, you’re either doing amazing, or you’re not doing nothing. 

And what happened though, is that as I went back to bartending, and at the time, I’m not gonna lie, it was actually really freeing to go back. Because what happened was, I was able to encounter myself again, I had really bad postpartum depression. And going back actually helped me to look at things from the outside. But what really shocked me was that about four months into it, I was so ready to get the fuck out of there again. And I realized that that was not my path anymore. And that failure that I fell by closing is slowly it started to be a teaching moment. And when I work with women now and when I have clients, or I’m talking to other intrapreneurs, I realized I see in that RTX, from 2011, that that was a very, not emotionally aware person that I didn’t grow a lot. I had a close mindset, I suppose, to what I believe I have grown and I still have to grow now. Right. So I know that there was such a blessing on me making those decisions and those mistakes and like how I was measuring success at the time. 

Now, about 2017. I, shortly I actually stayed at the bartending job for about when back when my kid was 18 months, and then I ended up staying there until for like, another four years or five years, I don’t even know. But what happened was, I was exposed briefly to network marketing, and I got into Network Marketing. And I remember the biggest lesson and the biggest gift that I actually got from getting into network marketing was being able to move From a closed mindset to an open and growth mindset, where there were so many shifts that happened on the way I saw things, and I remember I invested on going to an event, I believe he was in Arizona at the time I invested in going there. And I wasn’t really sure why was I even go in there. I was like, literally, somebody convinced me to go there. And I just went, I remember standing in that room, and listening to some of the speakers and looking around. And something opened up for me. And it was the possibilities. And it was this new way of thinking. And one of the biggest things that at the time, I remember my closed and a scarcity mindset thought it was kind of like bullshit, was people talking about impact, and people talking about how, by them helping other people, they could get what they wanted, but they could help other people get what they wanted. 

And at the time, I had a lot of a start, see mindset, a lot of money mindset issues that I’m still growing through, right. And but what I remember that stuck with me, was, Oh, my God, I want to be like this people, I want to have these winner attitude, I want to have these demeanor where I can do it all. And network marketing wasn’t really for me, I did network marketing, I was pretty successful. But it wasn’t really what I was meant to be in this life. And soon through network marketing, something that happened is I actually pivoted my photography business into doing personal branding photos. And when I went through all that change, and I love what I loved about it was number one, it was the first time that I thought, oh my god, I can do this forever, which I never thought about that about portraiture and baby photography. But number two was how much I love working with women intrapreneurs how much I absolutely love helping women that are passionate about what they do. 

This is actually something they need for their social media, their website, their podcasts, all the things that I was doing, but then there was something about disempowerment, and something really turned on, on me that has been really turned off ever since then. So there has been a ton of growth since then. But the biggest one that I think was the crux of where I am today, is when I actually quit my job in 2018. What happened was, I had all this confidence that I brought from my previous job, I had all this confidence, I was a world champion. I was like, Oh, I’m gonna start my own business, this is going to work and it’s going to be fast. And in the next six months, I’m going to do X, Y, and Z. And I’m going to replace my income. And what really happened was exactly the opposite. On 2018, I quit on December, in the whole 2019. I think I made $20,000. And yes, you heard right, $20,000. 

Now why am I sharing this with you is because what happened was there was this shift on my identity. And I felt lost. And I couldn’t translate that confidence that I had when I was a bartender world champion. And I see these now when I work with a ton of clients where they’re leaving corporate, or they’re starting a business while they’re still incorporate that they are amazing at what they are. A great example is I had a client in my beginnings when I first started coaching. And she is a nutritionist, and she’s amazing. She used to teach in the university, and all of these bad the business building, really promoting herself really talking about herself really talking about how she’s different through her expertise. All of that was so intimidating. And this is exactly that happened to me. All of a sudden, when I had to talk about my services and at the time, he was just personal branding photography. But when I had to talk about my services, what I had to talk about why I was good at it, and I knew I was fucking good at it. But it was just so intimidating. 

And it was so like I grew up like being told that I needed to shut up that I was too much that it was too loud that I was to be is that I was too bad. And maybe some of you can relate and all these fears and all these limiting beliefs at the time, I didn’t know that those were limiting beliefs, right? Like it started to come up. And all like, I would sit down on my desk and I felt like I had like this a spiral, I would have literally physical sensations of falling. And I’m gonna dive into that in a minute, right on the energetics of business and, or limiting beliefs and all of that. So it took me about a year of doing the super deep work, I hire my first coach and my first coach at the time, it was just a strategy. And I remember, I couldn’t really execute, who told me to do something. 

And I was like, I don’t even know what she’s talking about. I couldn’t even wrap my head around doing a lot of these things. And in that process, I got involved with another coach when she helped me so much her name is Kayla craft. And I remember she challenged me so so much, right? And she challenged me on the way that I thought she even did a question she asked me one time, you she told me, she said, you’re fighting for your limitations, because she will tell me something. And I would say yes. But like, I’m doing this because and I was like justifying, instead of truly doing that switch that then helped me so much to actually be where I’m at today, which is asking the right questions. Why am I not been able to execute? Why am I not being able to do these X, Y, and Z. 

Now, in these work that I did through 2019, what I saw, if there were so many women are on the same boat, and the boat was, I don’t know what to do. And even when you tell me what to do, somehow I cannot do it. Right. So I don’t know what to do goes down to strategy. And even when you tell me what you do, and coming from a place of fear, I’m not doing it. I’m doing it, but I am like doing it against the wall. And I bring this back to what all the things this podcast really is about, which is feeling the audience of who you truly are. And what is your message through the work that you do. Because in 2020, what happened when the pandemic hit as there was a huge shift? What was in 2020, I decided to actually start a membership, which I still run today for photography. And I remember I told myself, under the coaching of Kayla, I told myself if money and time and none of these fears were around, what would I create. And I remember I thought, I want to take awesome photos of women that are in business that actually love what they’re doing, and that they’re confident, and I’m going to help them bring their brand and everything out to the world so they can be happier. And they can make more money and they can build businesses. And the magic that happened with that membership is I put it out there. 

And remember, I went into my stories on Instagram and I talked about it. And I was like I want to start with 10 Beta people. And I sold it out in about a week. And the reason why I say this is because what happened in that process was I knew that I needed to have a strategy to what I was doing. I knew I needed to change my mindset to shift my mindset that that has been going on all throughout 2019, which I made like $20,000. And then I really needed to do this inner work to really find what my passion, my calling my, my real my message was because I knew from a very early age, that I was a record that I had this energy inside me that I could help people I just didn’t know how. And I was constantly somehow told no or that I dream too big or that it was too loud. All the things that I mentioned earlier. But what I realized when the pandemic hit women, I opened a Facebook group, right? And women were like, now we have all these photos, but we don’t really know what to do with them. 

Like how do we actually show up on social media we tell our stories, and people were like literally on zoom all day long. And what I did was really go into what people were needing and I would like learn something and turn around and use it for myself tested and then be Like, Oh my god, this is amazing. And I will tell my story. And people will like really listen to it and be like, Oh my God, you’re an inspiration. And then I will teach women how to tell their story and use their photos right in the meantime. And that actually grew into a coaching program i We did three months, and within six months now we have the view brand Academy. But what I realized through that process is that my absolute calling is to help women reach their full potential. But now this didn’t happen overnight. 

And this didn’t happen without fear, or without coaching. After coaching with Kayla, I have been in, I don’t even know at this point, how many coaching program masterminds and all these investments that I have done in my own growth, but also in my business growth, to really find what my message is all about, right? And every time that I thought about actually recording this podcast, even this first episode, I really asked myself, How can I add to the lives of these women that are building businesses, they truly want to make an impact in the world, but they also want to make a ton of money, they want to be unapologetic, and they want to feel absolutely authentic. And I know that word is such a bad word authenticity, because what’s authentic to you today may not have been authentic to you six months from now, or may not feel authentic to your higher self, until you actually start stepping into her. 

And really, you start asking yourself, How will my next version me do all of the things so when in my heart, I think of what I want to like, bless you with it through these podcasts is my own experiences, a strategy, so you can actually use that strategy, also mindset and inner work. So you can actually apply all those strategies, how you can get more visible on and off social media. So you can build a business that resonates with you, not everybody wants to leave on their stories on Instagram. And I know that for me, building a personal brand is so much more than just building a brand on social media, building a personal brand. For me, it’s about leaving your mark in the world, really, like creating that path that at different moments, it’s going to look a little different. And different moments you may want to people like IP world, I used to love being a bartender, that is some of the best years of my life, I travel all over the world, like I competed everywhere. And that was amazing. 

And I know that that has brought me where I’m at today, right? So every single stage will help you. And the reason why I’m saying this is because so many of us as are touting even myself, when I sat down three times to record this podcast, I was like, what parts of my story, I want to tell what parts of the story are going to be more beneficial to these podcasts or the business and then I was you know what, I’m going to write down my introduction. And then I’m going to learn my story speak for itself. Because so many of our listeners and the people that I know, these podcasts is going to attract or women with stories of resilience, women with stories that maybe you were incorporated for many years, and that didn’t work out for you anymore. 

Women with these stories where maybe you are working a million hours right now, but you’re looking to have more freedom while you’re having more impact and making more money, all the things that I also want. So I invite you on this journey, and on this movement of you being you 100% The be you 100% movement, and I want to give you permission to these be you 100% Be you at each stage of your journey. And when you are you 100% I mean binding you even in this first episode to think who you want to become. Who do you want to be not only what do you want to do, you’re gonna have to do things in order to become who you want to become. But who do you want to be? When you start with that premise.

Everything is possible. And I want to leave you with this thought for you. And I would love if you want to share in your stories and you even want to like maybe tell me send me a message send me a message Teach on Instagram. But is, this is the mindset switch that happened for me from I’m not that person. And I don’t know how to do these, I don’t know if I could ever do what she does to who I want to be. And no matter the work that needs to be done, I am going to become her. And when I say her is you a year from now, you the next level, you the person that actually does all the things that maybe right now you’re holding yourself back from, I promise you that when you merge, the inner work, the energetic work, the mindset, the strategy, everything that you want it to your fingertips, you just need to be patient, and you need to allow yourself to peel the onion, of who you are, and dig deep into who you want to become. 

And this is where this first episode is going to end. What you can expect in the next few weeks and months. And hopefully yours is a lot of deep conversations, a lot of deep conversations with coaches, service providers, people that are doing really big things in the industry, on an offline building brands that are changing people lives and really feeling from some of the stories I learning from some of these women and their stories of your resilience. And I want to touch on on topics like money, money, mindset, internal work, energy work visioneering A strategy business, right? So you can in this journey together of you being 100% you do all the things that you have the potential to be. Thank you so much. This was episode one, not episode zero of the BE YOU brand podcast and I can’t wait to see you for Episode Two. Thank you guys.

Thank you for tuning in to the BE YOU Brand podcast. When it comes to building a personal brand. No one size fits all, or mindset is key. And there is a million things to learn from social media making videos and tech to storytelling and writing. So if you found this episode valuable, we would love for you to leave a review and share it share on your socials, your stories and send the link to your friends. So more women can build million dollar brands by being more of who they all ready are not sure where to start on your personal brand journey. Take our profitable personal brand quiz. This quiz was created with a service base and entrepreneur in mind. It will tell you where you’re at and even give you a next step for massive action. Go take the quiz and power charts your personal brand at atigrinspun.com/quiz.