We LOVE meeting people who have turned their dreams into reality, so as part of our NXT series – which highlights the next superstars in business, entertainment and entrepreneurship – we caught up with with the amazing Montelle Bee who recently took part in the OU’s Unlock Your Inner Boss CEO Challenge.
Montelle is a 26-year old based in Leeds who founded Brand Your Influence, an online hub to help creative entrepreneurs clarify their brand by uncovering their unique stories and building an online business. She has helped hundreds of creative entrepreneurs to launch and grow their personal brands by offering services such as 1:1 coaching, workshops and digital products. She says her ideal clients are creative entrepreneurs (coaches and service-based businesses), who want to learn how to build a personal brand that they can monetise and create global impact.
How did you get into mentoring and what is your main goal when teaching others?
I would say mentoring definitely found me – after many years of trying to figure out a career which would allow me to combine my love for teaching and for business. As much as I loved teaching the career path didn’t appeal to me, then in 2017 whilst browsing Facebook, I stumbled across an ad for a 2-day seminar with The Coaching Academy. It was free so I thought, why not check it out?! I was completely blown away by the experience and couldn’t believe that the perfect career for me actually existed! From that day, I knew I found my passion and went on to pursue mentoring.
My main goal through mentoring is to simply share my own experiences in hopes to provide encouragement and inspiration to others. The best thing about this career, is that we all have unique experiences. So there can never be an over saturation of mentors – we all have individual stories and wisdom.
Why do you think entrepreneurialism is important for today’s society?
Our fast pace and ever-evolving society means it’s more important than ever for people to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. The key entrepreneurial traits include self-efficacy, innovation, motivation, risk taking and resilience. There is a much higher value on creativity and inclusivity within companies. Therefore, I believe these traits are essential for not only business owners, but everyone who wishes to thrive in their career.
You help people develop their personal brands, what is the key tool to growing an online business?
As a personal brand, the number one thing you must gain clarity on is your USP (unique selling point). Many service-based businesses today fear market saturation and sounding like everyone else. So knowing your USP is what will allow you to differentiate your brand from the masses.
A strong USP will help with maintaining a unique brand tone and aesthetic, without the need to imitate others.
What has been your most impactful moment so far?
My most impactful moment as a mentor has been hosting international creative retreats for women. The retreats consist of workshops on entrepreneurship, digital marketing, content creation and more. Plus, it’s an opportunity for people to build a community and network with like-minded people. These retreats always give me the most sense of fulfilment, as I am able to provide my expertise whilst travelling to beautiful destinations.
What would you say has been your biggest obstacle so far in starting your own business?
In the first year of business, my biggest obstacle was getting stuck in the ‘information overload’ phase. As a new business owner, everything is exciting and you just want to soak in as much knowledge as possible. “Just one more course or business mentor” is what I’d tell myself I needed. When really, I needed to implement what I’ve already learned! I guess this was simply the fear taking over which led to procrastination.
Avoiding ‘shiny object syndrome’ is extremely hard but so necessary. You are going to be exposed to so many successful strategies and ideas. The key thing is to not be easily swayed by this and remained focus with what is working and suits your business.
What advice would you give to others who are thinking of getting into mentoring?
I would say to start where you are; you don’t have to be an expert to share your knowledge and inspire others. Through my journey, I’ve learned that people aren’t just buying your information, they are also inspired by your individual journey and background. There are many ways which people can relate to you, so don’t feel like you need to come across as perfect.
What’s one thing that keeps you motivated and inspired?
The truth is that I don’t believe in motivation. I would always wait to feel motivated or inspired before taking action. Until I learned it actually should be the other way round. It’s so much easier to feel motivated or inspired when you’re already taking the action and seeing a result. So it’s really about having the discipline to push yourself into taking action.
I always start by asking myself, what’s the one thing I can do in this exact moment to get me closer to my goal? And I’ll immediately do that thing, then keep going with asking the question until I’m doing the thing I was most avoiding.
We have seen a huge rise in young entrepreneurs over the past few years and many people think they have to choose between getting a qualification and starting work, but the Open University is encouraging their students to do both! By offering flexibility in studying you can keep that side hustle going until it becomes your full time career!
To show how this multi-tasking works, they recently put radio star Gemma Cairney up for the CEO challenge – you can see the highlights below or the full video here.
To find out more about Montelle and the services she offers click here.
