We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Helena Paschal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Helena below.

Helena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The first thing people do is search for your name online to see your reputation. What they see determines if they will connect with you, interview you, or hire you.

The problem is most people are struggling to stand out.

Potential clients said they couldn’t find me on LinkedIn. I admit, I was not consistent on the platform but I didn’t understand what my presence on LinkedIn had to do with anything.

When they said they couldn’t find me, I did a “Google” search on my name and I saw that my LinkedIn profile showed up before my business website. The words in my profile read, “No recent activity.”

This was eye opening for me. I was losing business without even knowing it.

This awareness came at a great time because I was ready to make a shift in my business to be a career and business coach with a focus on personal branding. I decided to rebrand myself on LinkedIn. My headline, bio, picture, and skills were updated to attract my target clients.

To get my first client, I contacted a few friends who I regarded as “Overachievers,” the name of my personal branding agency. Two agreed to let me give them a LinkedIn makeover. One referred my services to a family member and she hired me for full service personal branding, which included LinkedIn optimization, a website, logo, video reel, media kit, the works!

Each month, I attract new clients who request to be rebranded to find a higher paying job or to start a consulting business.

For the professionals, who prefer a hands-on approach, I created online classes to walk them through my 21-day personal branding process.

I tell people that personal branding is not about you. It’s about becoming the greatest expression of yourself to inspire others to transform their lives, too.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My business acumen evolved in college when I became the president of the organization PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America). I found a passion for developing relationships to create strategic partnerships.

Relationship building is the foundation of public relations, it is the difference between marketing and advertising. Most small business owners are convinced that social media marketing and ads are the only ways to grow their business without realizing the Chamber of Commerce, local mayor, essential workers, hospitals, and restaurants can yield more value financially and personally.

Strategic partnerships and community outreach take more time to build but the bond of loyalty can produce consistent streams of revenue.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The pandemic caused me to lose my business and everything I owned. I started over with $43, my daughter, and a laptop and I moved to Houston last year. A year later, I have created a six figure personal branding agency.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that forgiveness doesn’t mean waiting for someone to apologize to you. My family turned their backs on me, and I was hoping they would reach out to say sorry, but they never did. I realized I needed to forgive myself for trusting that they wouldn’t hurt or abandon me. I had to forgive myself for giving them more respect and power than I gave myself. After I forgave myself, I felt the freedom of that burden lifted.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://overachieversagency.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenapaschal/

Image Credits
Photography: Elisha Akram www.kustomkreations4u.com