Remember Aaliyah?
I remember the day she passed away, really I can still see myself standing where I was when I heard the news. It was August 25, 2001 and that day I was going to work with an artist at Lowlands festival. We were all in shock at the festival.
Why? Because she was only 22 years old but had already made a big impact in music. She grew up singing with her mother and when she was only 11, she opened for her aunt Gladys Knight in Las Vegas.M
She released her first album called ‘Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number’ when she was only 14, which sold more than 1 million copies. Her music was called hip hop soul.
She modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in 2 hit movies (she was going to be in The Matrix too). Then that horrible plane accident happened after she had finished shooting the video for her single ‘Rock The Boat’.
And this weekend was 17th anniversary of her death. Time really flies.
What lessons can we learn from her? The first one I already gave you :
1. If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.
In 1989, she appeared on Star Search (like Idols or the Voice). She performed “My Funny Valentine” and cried after she lost. But she never quit.
Because you can only become something if you try it like a millions times. Artist know this. Athletes know this. Do you think Serena Willliams got there by accident? So why do we give up so easily when things don’t go our way right away?
The song is about Aaliyah telling her suitor she’s not going to be won right now but he shouldn’t quit trying.
2. Stick to your values.
“She’s the first artist I worked with who would not compromise her values to be famous. In this business, church girls become prostitutes because they want to be stars, but she would never let stardom interfere with who she was.” – Parrish Johnson Music Executive
3. Your personal style matters.
She was the ultimate B-girl with lots of femininity. She never wore dresses or skirts! We always saw her with trousers. She was known for being sexy without selling herself like some artists do.
4. Find your crew
Her first album was produced by R. Kelly, but her second album ‘One in a Million’ sold 2 million copies and launched its producer-songwriter team Timbaland and Missy Elliott to stardom.
Back then they were two largely unknown figures in the music industry.
“Tim and I were new producers. From day one, she had that much faith in our music that she treated us like we already sold 2 million records, when we hadn’t sold anything yet. She really helped make us what we are today.” – Missy Elliot.
Aaliyah means “Supreme” in Arabic. What a fitting name for someone who still is one in a million.
If you like these stories & lessons I am sharing and would like to learn more about my personal branding method based on the artists I have worked with… well, then I have something for you!
On Sunday morning the 23rd of September I will be holding my last info day of the year. This is your last chance this year to find out if my program works for you.
This is for women who want to:
- Showcase their specialty/expertise;
- Leave their mark;
- Gain more self-confidence and become more self aware;
- Distinguish themselves based on their unique values;
- Focus their energy on what they want to achieve.
This is for women who want to get back to business and are at the core of any career change.
And this is great for your network too. You know that the world is full of people, you need to network! People are the key to everything you don’t know.
That is why I started the Network Academy. To gain knowledge and to share knowledge. Our next event for members is almost sold out. You can still join our network here if you are looking for inspiration, new connections and tools to further your career.
Join the Network Academy and come to the next event on September 5th. We’ve got some awesome speakers like :
- Gina Dumfries – Owner StrateG
- Annelies Sitvast – Channel manager Net5
- Willa Stoutenbeek – Owner and Founder WGreen
Hope to see you at one of these fab events!
“Don’t you get sad and lonely
You need a change from what you do all day
Ain’t no sense in all your crying
Pick it up and throw it into shape
That’s why you need, oh that’s why
This is what you need, I’ll give you what you need”
What you need
Hey,
You know I am all about action and results. Listen girl, that is the only way you could work with artists. They don’t like people who talk but don’t deliver. And I guess that is how I have now been able to create results in my business. No bullshit, because talk is cheap.
So let me tell you what you need if you :
If you are serious about these things above, you need to register today for my FREE personal branding info day before 18.00 hours. I am counting down because the event is this Sunday at the College Hotel at 10.30 in the morning.
No time to waste. I really believe in my course because it has been proven to work. And guess what?! It is now FINALLY available in English!! I spent the whole summer digging into the course and we’ve translated it all so all my English readers and followers can join the BrandedU platform and follow the Rock ‘N Roll Personal Branding course I developed.
If you are thinking about joining the course, come and ask me all your questions on Sunday and not only leave informed but you will also leave inspired and connected to new women from our sisterhood.
Like I said, talk is cheap, so you can read below what some previous attendees have had to say about the Personal Branding Course:
*****
“The course has empowered me to stand my ground and ask a potential client the fee I thought I was worth, and guess what? I got her to agree to it!”
“It was a good reality check for me to find out who I am, where I want to be – but even more to find out what really makes me happy.”
“Following the course feels like a new awakening, like I have new ears. You’ve made me see what I couldn’t see anymore because I was so focused on others, which made me invisible to myself.”
“One thing I am happy about this course, is that I can apply the learnings to help change the perception around me.”
*****
But hey, do you really want to get started? Are you ready to face it all? The feedback, getting rid of limiting beliefs, focussing on your core values and building that personal brand to get you where you want to go?
Like INXS said in the eighties (you know I am sucker for eighties bands): Is this what you need?
Then register here and see you on Sunday.
XOXO,
Nancy
This woman’s work
Hey,
Did you see Glennis Grace’s version of this beautiful Kate Bush song? It’s is truly amazing.
I have been following her US journey and I have to say her story (which I have only recently dived into) is quite amazing.
It is a story of focus, passion, resilience and really hard work. That is why I find it so inspiring. Her journey and process is something we can all learn a lot from. Lemme tell you why. She was only 11 when she joined Julio Iglesias at his show in the Ahoy back in 1989. But her breakthrough didn’t happen until 2011. Her journey to become a household name took 22 years!
And that is also the amount of time she took to work on her craft. To improve her skills and develop her talent even further. You can’t reach the top of your field without real focus, passion and determination to reach your goals. She has always known she wanted to be a singer.
That is why my first question to women when we start our personal branding course always is: Why are you here?
Meaning, what do you want to accomplish with this course? It is hard to reach your goals but even harder if you don’t know why you truly want to achieve them.
For instance you want a promotion, but why? Is it for recognition or because you want to buy a house and therefor need a pay rise? Whatever the reason is you need to have that figured out before you start your journey.
Every day my journey to help more women to the top of their field of business is more and more backed up by facts.
Last month an article came out on how badly we are doing it here in The Netherlands with regards to equality and diversity at the top. You can read more about it here.
My philosophy has always been simple and let me explain. I think personal branding is answering the question: what do you want to be known for? But in recent months I have been adding this sentence: and it is also about inspiring the women who will follow.
So in fact it is bigger than you. By showing us the first female astronaut we are already creating images around the world for girls and women to see that they can also become astronauts. Because you can’t be what you can’t see. Our unconscious mind picks up on images and they affect our lives.
Or like I read in a Guardian Article “Our aspirations too tend to reflect the current norm and, with relatively few women in key roles, women’s unconscious beliefs about career advancement could be holding them back from reaching the top.”
That is why I am happy about Glennis Grace reaching the finals of America’s Got Talent. Who knows who she might inspire to also follow their dreams and reach their goals. With hard work, focus, passion and resilience I am convinced you can get there.
I will be explaining more about my personal branding method and philosophy on the 23rd of september at The College Hotel in Amsterdam. Join me for an early Sunday morning sessions if you are serious about your career, want to build your personal brand and need to get informed about the BrandedU method.
Hope to see you there,
Nancy
P.S. check out the photo’s of our Back to Business Network Academy event here and see what you missed!
“Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide”
Ready or not
Remember Lauryn Hill?
Girlllll, she broke barriers for female artists. She was the first to mix hip-hop with R&B and made her debut album “The miseducation of Lauryn Hill” sell more than Madonna’s.
For 20 years she was the only female hip-hop artist with a number one song (Cardi B broke her record last year with Bodak Yellow). “Miseducation” was the first hip-hop album to win a Grammy for ‘Album of the Year.’ The album had such a big impact that most of its sales records were only broken when Adele released her album titled ‘21’ in 2012.
Pretty impressive right?
The reason I am talking about her is that this year is the 20-year anniversary of that album.
Her music meant so much to me. I used to look up to her in so many ways. So, what can we learn from her when it comes to career lessons?
1. She is bold
Her music and lyrics were innovative, and she pioneered because of her socially-conscious dialogue in music. Her music helped propel hip-hop into the mainstream and international phenomenon that it’s become today.
You have to be bold. There is no way that you can build a career without taking chances and trying new stuff. The boldness will lead to trial and error and this will lead you to new places, people and ideas. I am not saying it is easy to be bold but if you make it part of your mindset then you can constantly remind yourself that being bold is going to help you move forward.
2. She is a survivor
In 2013 she spent a few months in jail for tax evasion but now she is touring the world once again. Her show in Amsterdam will be in December.
Whatever happens always remember the famous words: this too shall pass. You will just have to focus on where you want to go instead of thinking of what you don’t want.
3. She is tough but sweet
My Panterei-coach always tells me that my strength lies in my sweetness and kindness. I used to think differently. But now I have gotten to appreciate that I am all of these things and I can use all of them when needed to make steps in my career.
4. She has influenced and inspired others
From Amy Winehouse, who used to play her songs at her concerts, to Nicky Minaj to Drake’s latest ‘Nice for what’ where he sampled her song ‘Ex-Factor’.
5. It’s ok to go solo
She left the Fugees at the height of their success. The title of this newsletter ‘Ready or Not’ is actually from one of my favorite Fugees-songs. I lived in the UK when that track was released, and it went to number one there.
I was studying business at the time and for me she represented the kind of independent woman I wanted to become. And when she left the band to go solo I taught she was just fearless. But the lesson I learned from it in the end is that it was part of her growth. Change is good when it leads to growth. Sometimes you need to discover things on your own to grow in your own way.
Talking about growth, I am obsessed with it and read an article about the famous French psychologist who invented the first practical IQ test: Alfred Binet.
He was asked to devise the test as to identify students who needed educational assistance. So, it wasn’t meant to be used as a measure of intelligence but as a way to determine how far we can go and grow our knowledge.
Growth ladies. That is what it’s about. I wonder how much Lauryn Hill has grown over the last 20 years and what personal lessons she would give us if we had a one-on-one conversation with her.
So, if you are ready for your own growth, register here for my free personal branding class on the 23rd of September or sign up here to receive the free ‘Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger’ online course. Don’t tell me I never give you anything ;-). GRAB IT!
XOXO,
Nancy
“If at first you don’t succeed (first you don’t succeed),
Dust yourself off, and try again
You can dust it off and try again, try again”
Try again
Remember Aaliyah?
I remember the day she passed away, really I can still see myself standing where I was when I heard the news. It was August 25, 2001 and that day I was going to work with an artist at Lowlands festival. We were all in shock at the festival.
Why? Because she was only 22 years old but had already made a big impact in music. She grew up singing with her mother and when she was only 11, she opened for her aunt Gladys Knight in Las Vegas.M
She released her first album called ‘Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number’ when she was only 14, which sold more than 1 million copies. Her music was called hip hop soul.
She modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in 2 hit movies (she was going to be in The Matrix too). Then that horrible plane accident happened after she had finished shooting the video for her single ‘Rock The Boat’.
And this weekend was 17th anniversary of her death. Time really flies.
What lessons can we learn from her? The first one I already gave you :
1. If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.
In 1989, she appeared on Star Search (like Idols or the Voice). She performed “My Funny Valentine” and cried after she lost. But she never quit.
Because you can only become something if you try it like a millions times. Artist know this. Athletes know this. Do you think Serena Willliams got there by accident? So why do we give up so easily when things don’t go our way right away?
The song is about Aaliyah telling her suitor she’s not going to be won right now but he shouldn’t quit trying.
2. Stick to your values.
“She’s the first artist I worked with who would not compromise her values to be famous. In this business, church girls become prostitutes because they want to be stars, but she would never let stardom interfere with who she was.” – Parrish Johnson Music Executive
3. Your personal style matters.
She was the ultimate B-girl with lots of femininity. She never wore dresses or skirts! We always saw her with trousers. She was known for being sexy without selling herself like some artists do.
4. Find your crew
Her first album was produced by R. Kelly, but her second album ‘One in a Million’ sold 2 million copies and launched its producer-songwriter team Timbaland and Missy Elliott to stardom.
Back then they were two largely unknown figures in the music industry.
“Tim and I were new producers. From day one, she had that much faith in our music that she treated us like we already sold 2 million records, when we hadn’t sold anything yet. She really helped make us what we are today.” – Missy Elliot.
Aaliyah means “Supreme” in Arabic. What a fitting name for someone who still is one in a million.
If you like these stories & lessons I am sharing and would like to learn more about my personal branding method based on the artists I have worked with… well, then I have something for you!
On Sunday morning the 23rd of September I will be holding my last info day of the year. This is your last chance this year to find out if my program works for you.
And this is great for your network too. You know that the world is full of people, you need to network! People are the key to everything you don’t know.
That is why I started the Network Academy. To gain knowledge and to share knowledge. Our next event for members is almost sold out. You can still join our network here if you are looking for inspiration, new connections and tools to further your career.
Hope to see you at one of these fab events!