On Tuesday night, professional women gathered at One King West to hear Mia Pearson, co-founder of communications agency North Strategic, speak at a Women of Influence event. From cocktails at the beginning to the keynote speech to the networking session, the two-hour-long event was run very efficiently. After working in leadership positions at a few of the country’s most reputable agencies, Mia had a lot of advice on entrepreneurship to dispense, which she eloquently shared with the group.
1) Find a niche where you can excel, ensure that you have something valuable to offer and then become the best in your field.
One of Mia’s first managers discouraged her from specializing in tech PR, but she disagreed with his advice because she recognized that specializing could lead to huge career opportunities. In the end, she co-founded High Road Communications, an agency that specializes in tech PR and Omnicom eventually acquired it. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, Mia said you should always look for growth opportunities. She emphasized that big ideas can come from any level, reminding the audience that you don’t need to be the co-founder to think big. If you work hard within your niche, then you can become famous for your work.
2) If you don’t want to start your own business, create a business plan for your own career.
With this point, Mia noted that men are more likely to exaggerate and boast about their grades or accomplishments in job interviews than women. It’s equally problematic that women are more likely than men to turn down chances to appear on TV as experts. Dream big and think like an entrepreneur when planning your career.
3) “They don’t put logos on the covers of magazines, they put leaders. It’s not enough to be good at what you do—you need to be visually competent.”
Each of us is the CEO of Me Inc. so it’s imperative that we unleash the power of our personal brands while telling a story about our skills and achievements. Mia urged everyone to imagine that a magazine will profile you. What would you want the journalist to say? Identify the key points you want to be known for, include them in the Summary section of your LinkedIn profile and apply this approach to all of your social media profiles. She added that it’s recommended to invest in a new professional headshot every five years.
“The Mia Pearson bio looked good on paper, but it didn’t come easy.” Success never comes easy, but with hard work, determination and some guidance from thought leaders like Mia, you can create a bright future for yourself. For more advice from Mia Pearson, follow her on Twitter and read her column in The Globe and Mail.