Crafting Your Niche with Brand Strategist Mallika Malhotra
About the episode:
Welcome back to Rebrand with RuthAnn, where we explore the real stories behind building a brand and balancing life. In this episode, I’m super excited to chat with Mallika Malhotra, an award winning brand strategist who swapped corporate life for entrepreneurship. We're unpacking how she navigated the big pivots from advertising guru to branding expert while juggling a big family life. Mallika talks about her journey of finding her niche, the difficulties she encountered, and her secrets to becoming the go-to expert in her field. So, whether you’re a new entrepreneur or looking to refresh your brand, you’ll want to hear Mallika’s insights on making impactful changes that align with your passion. Grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and join us for a heart-to-heart on making big moves in business and life!
Highlights:
How Mallika transitioned from corporate advertising to empowering female entrepreneurs
Navigating the challenges and triumphs of raising a family while building a business
Why niching down can set you apart in a crowded market
How to design your business to align with your personal life and goals
Mallika's approach to helping clients become visible experts in their field
About Mallika and Resources
Mallika Malhotra is an award winning brand strategist, confidence-stirring mentor, and dynamic speaker. After years of working in corporate advertising on brands like L’Oreal and Oil of Olay, Mallika now helps women entrepreneurs get clear on their brand message, find their power niche and build their business empire. Her friends and clients call her the brand energizer because she is a strong believer in getting out of your comfort zone, taking action and implementing ideas. When she's not building brands, Mallika is drinking coffee or red wine, reading a stack of books and dreaming about their next global adventure. She lives in beautiful Maine with her husband, 3 sons and mini Bernedoodle, Jax.
Connect with Mandy:
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RuthAnn Rafiq
Hello friends, welcome back to another episode of Rebrand with Ruthanne. I'm so excited because I have a incredible guest with me today, Malika Malhotra. She is an award -winning brand strategist, mentor, and speaker. After years of working in corporate advertising on brands like L 'Oreal and Oil of Olay, Malika now helps women entrepreneurs get clear on their brand message, find their powerful niche, and become the sought after expert.
When she's not building brands, Malika is drinking coffee or red wine, reading a stack of books and dreaming about their next global adventure. I wish we lived close to each other. I feel like we would be best friends. She lives in beautiful Maine with her husband, three sons and many Bernadoodle checks. Malika, I'm so excited to have you on and talk about all things brand strategy, motherhood, entrepreneurship, finding your niche, so many of those things. But yes, welcome. Thank you for being here.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here. I feel like we just were talking beforehand and we could have just kept on talking because it was just so easy. So thanks so much for having me.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yes, I'm so thrilled to have you on and I just love that you have such an extensive background in entrepreneurship and raising a family. And that's what I'm all about is like, you know, keeping your priorities, your priorities and, you know, doing having a life that you really want while doing entrepreneurship in a way that's integrity. So I'm so excited to talk about all the things. But to begin with, how did you start entrepreneurship? Do you have entrepreneurs in your family or like how did you get into it?
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes, I wish I had more entrepreneurs in my family so I would have like a role model, but my whole family, they're in medicine. They are doctors, they are nurses, they're all specialized doctors. I was sort of kind of like the odd man out where I had pursued business and kind of like creative type of business. I worked in advertising for a long time. And so the journey to entrepreneurship really happened in motherhood.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Oh, no way.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
I was working in advertising for a long time, but I knew it was just not a sustainable career for me. The choice for me when I had my first son, which was 22 years ago, my husband is a surgeon and he had a very lengthy training residency hours. I worked 100 hour weeks and I just knew as soon as you get that baby in your arms, like,
I always thought I was gonna put him in daycare or hire a nanny and then pursue my corporate dreams, right? And as soon as I had that baby, I was like, nope, I think we're gonna rethink this and I'm going to opt out, you know, and you know, we're just going to, I'm gonna stay home while my husband finishes his medical career and we'll try to figure this out. And as soon as I made that decision, you know,
You're so enamored with your child and motherhood, but there was this itch I just kept having. Like I loved being at home. I felt like for me it was the right choice, but I definitely missed having something of my own, having like that creative energy and using the skills and the strengths that I went to school for, that I climbed the corporate ladder for, right? All of those things were like all of a sudden packed away and...
it used to really kind of get to me and it's hard because you're at the park and the playground and you're with the other moms and everybody, you know, you want to be there for your kids. And like, I didn't really find that community of people who also felt like me that was like, I had that itch. And so I felt almost kind of bad that I wasn't this present mother all the time that I was thinking like, what else can I do? And I was going to the library and taking out all the books of like,
you know, how to start a business at home or what are the things you can pursue? And, um, you know, just really trying to explore different avenues, but it was harder back then because you didn't have the access to social media. I mean, I'm talking 2002 was when my son was born and, um, I actually started a business at the time. It was a handbag business where I found, you know, I had a big ideas, but I wasn't a seamstress. And so I had hired a seamstress. I had this.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
box of beautiful vintage saris that were passed down to me that were collecting dust. And I used that fabric to create what I called the bangle bag, which was a bag that bangles that you would wear on your wrist. So if you were going to the bar or the club, you would never have to put your bag down, you know, cause that's what you used to do. You would hide your bag, right? While you were dancing on the dance floor. And instead you could wear this beautiful bag on your wrist. It was an accessory. And so I started that business and it was great, but like, my world was motherhood. So I'm not going to the club. So it was like, I had these bags and I was selling them on the weekends at trunk shows. But really, to be honest, it was more like a hobby, but it did fulfill that creative need that I needed. And so that kind of, that business shifted into using the same fabrics to create a t -shirt business for children. And I called it Kid Guru, because it was all these Indian saris and I would make rockets and...
RuthAnn Rafiq
Very true.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
you know, princess crowns, and it was very fun and creative. Again, I wasn't the seamstress, so I was always outsourcing. And then after multiple moves with my husband's career, you know, just get harder and harder to find that talent. I decided like these types of product businesses were very hard to maintain. And so I kind of let go and again, searching and searching, what do I want to do? What can I do now? I had two children.
And I actually had a camera and I started to take photos of my children. And I was living in California where my family was in in New York and New Jersey. And I used that camera as like a tool to tell the story of my kids. And as I was learning how to use the camera, it opened up this whole world to me and it became like a lifeline, right? Where I had the camera and I felt a sense of purpose, this new creativity, storytelling. And the next thing I knew,
The kindergarten class asked me to photograph them. Next thing I knew, the families wanted Christmas cards, so I took pictures. And I had a business, and I was like, this is what I've been waiting for for my whole life, to have a business of my own that I had control of. No longer seamstress, but just me and my eye, my talent. So that was kind of the first business that I had, and that obviously evolved into business and brand photography. That evolved into brand strategy. which now has evolved to being a mentor and still doing brand strategy. But as an entrepreneur for 22 years, you can imagine all the twists and turns that I've gone.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Seriously, I love your story so much because it just shows how resilient entrepreneurs are. Like we will figure it out. Like, and we have that, that creative itch like you talked about. I know I had that like when I was at my day job, I was just so incredibly bored. And it was one of those things where I was like, I need to do something that really fulfills me creatively. And so you just kind of go on this path of discovery basically like you were saying, like you just.
You just try different things. It's like, okay, what here is working? Like, what's not working? What can I do that really fills me up and that makes sense? It makes a lot of practical sense. Because it sounds like when you were in the product businesses, it got to a point where it didn't make as much sense with how your life was. So I think, yeah, it's okay to be on that path of discovery. And I think a lot of people are hard on themselves. Like I have to have it all figured out and I have to know exactly what I'm doing for the next 20 years. And I truly believe entrepreneurship is such a journey of discovery and you just need to be open and roll with it. And I have a question if, you know, as you were going from thing to thing, did you ever feel, and this is over, you know, many years. So this is probably, you know, maybe this doesn't relate, but did you ever feel like what the heck am I even doing? This doesn't make sense. Like, you know, did you feel that impatience of like, why can't I just figure this out?
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Of course.
Many, many.
Yes, 100%. And again, there weren't as many resources at your fingertips. There wasn't like, you know, someone doing an Instagram story about the five things you need to know right now to run your business. So there was a lot of trial and error. There was a lot of self doubt. But I think it's like just having that growth mindset of just try things, keep going. If you fail, it's not really a failure. It's just learning something new right now that you'll take to the next step.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yeah.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
And I think I have, you know, it's a fire that you have inside of yourself. So it doesn't even matter what I was doing. It was about having this sense of purpose about, you know, exploring avenues that I found interesting that were outside of being a mom, a wife, something for me. And that passion for that, I think is what led me, even if, you know, obviously the handbag business wasn't.
It wasn't a lucrative business, but it was something I wanted to do for me. And then that led me to the t -shirt business, which was fun and creative and was good for that life season that I had, but also wasn't sustainable. And then that led me to, you know, photography. And that was like a huge part of my entrepreneurial career was having this camera, but I didn't know how to use a camera. I didn't know what the different functions were. I had to like,
you know, take an adult education course. You go to those community colleges where they would teach you, but it's being open -minded to trying new things and having that courage to get uncomfortable to do those things. I think it's when you're just trying to play it safer, you're waiting for someone to like drop it into your lap. It doesn't happen that way. You have to just, you know, keep in touch with.
what you want, what your passions are, and then you kind of have to go after and have the bravery to kind of feel uncomfortable.
RuthAnn Rafiq
You are so spot on correct. And I love that you say that, have the bravery to be uncomfortable, because that's exactly what it is when you're stepping into something that you don't know a lot about and you're figuring it out as you go. And especially if you have the intention of making it a business, because it sounds like photography just happened naturally for a lot of, you know, what it sounds like. And, you know, if you're going out and you're specifically saying, this is my business, this is what I'm doing,
you have to be even more brave and uncomfortable, because it's like, you're saying, I know what I'm doing, when sometimes you don't necessarily know exactly what you're doing, but you just kind of fake it till you make it in a lot of senses. So I think that is so true. And I heard this on a podcast recently, she was saying, those who succeed the fastest are willing to fail the fastest, something like that. And I was like, that is such a...
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Good way to think of it because you're not gonna have a slam dunk every single time. That's just not realistic. But if you have that growth mindset like you said, if you have that willingness to be uncomfortable and to just put yourself out there, it really will show you the way a lot faster of like, this is the path for me. I'm just being open. I love it.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah. And I think it's also like, keep in mind the entrepreneurial journey is a long journey, right? Like, so you have to think about like, what am I going to do that's going to be sustainable? What's going to be doing for the next five years, 10 years? So every failure you have now is just learning to get you to where you want to be, you know? It's not a magic bullet where you like wake up and you're like, I'm a six figure entrepreneur. Like it never happens that way.
Every lesson, every business, every pivot, every evolution counts. And it's going to just help you get better and learn more and hopefully get to the goals that you've set for yourself.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yes, absolutely. And I love that you have had so many years doing this and raising your family on not the side, but having your businesses on the side to having your family. And how was that in different seasons of motherhood, having a business? I'm sure in some seasons you really were like, I don't have time to work, so I'm...
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes.
RuthAnn Rafiq
not going to like focus on work as much. And then you had some seasons where you're really leaning in, maybe when they were all in school. So tell me a little bit about that evolution.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah, I mean, I think when my kids were young, so, you know, now my sons are 22, 20, and 15. So they're older, self -sufficient, grown and flown, but I had started my, my first business started when my oldest was born, basically. And so I can tell you the stage you are in when your kids are young and they might not even be in school for like the eight to three duration, it is hard. It is hard like, you are working in what I used to call the fringe hours, right? Either you're waking up before they get up or during that time, you're trying to squeeze in as much as you can. And I remember feeling a lot of pressure, like putting so much pressure on myself. I wanted to succeed, but the reality is the lifestyle that that season of life you're in, it just, you can't, you have these hungry, needy little people that are looking to you, right? And so I used to want to rush the...
RuthAnn Rafiq
Hmm.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
process and get to see what everybody else is doing and you want to get to where they are. And if I were to like counsel me now, I'd be like, it's okay if it's slow. Like, you know, keep your eye on the prize, right? And know that there's going to be, you know, all of this evolution where you're going to have more time, you're going to grow the business and just don't put so much pressure on yourself. Like what you're doing now is more than what you did a year ago or a month ago, right?
But it's hard, like we moved quite a bit with my husband's medical career and I didn't have family at a lot of these places. I didn't have a nanny for a long time just because financially I couldn't support that. And so it's like, you want to be present for your kids, but your mind is like thinking of all the ideas. You want to have the business grow, but your hands are kind of tied because you can't do it. And it's hard. I mean, I'm not going to sugar coat it. And I'm sure a lot of people are listening. They're feeling that because...
You want success, but it's the reality. And this is the reality. If you have young kids, you can't do it all sometimes. You just do a little bit of what you can, but keeping your, again, having the long -term vision for your business. And I always kept that, like that light at the end of the tunnel. There's going to be a day where I will have more time to invest in my business, where I can then, you know, maybe go to a conference or hire a coach.
and so that I can accelerate the growth of my business. And those days came, those days all came. It just didn't happen overnight. And so, you know, I used to feel guilty because if I got very into my business, I'd like, oh my God, I didn't make dinner and we have to order in again and my kids are gonna be like malnourished. And then I stopped myself, you know, and I thought, you know what? I'm actually modeling to them.
that I can be home and be a mom and be there for them, but I can also have big dreams. And I can also have this business that is important to me, that I'm working from scratch on my own to achieve. And if I can show them that example, that's okay if I'm ordering pizza again twice this week, right? Because I'm modeling to them that. And now that my kids are older, they'll say to me and they'll applaud me for that.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
which is like so beautiful and like, it's like, oh my God, I'm so glad. I mean, all of that, they are seeing the fruits of the labor of like, you know, I'm so happy you were at home with us, but I also, we are so proud of you for what you've built. So it is a journey, but I think the more time that you get, time is money, time is like, you know, so much is valuable as your kids get older and they need you less and they go to school more, you'll be amazed at how much you can get done.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Hmm.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
within those windows of time, if you started when they were little, because it's like five minutes here, five minutes there, then you have like, what, I have five hours? Oh my God, you can like build your empire.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yes, I love what you said so much and just having that your eye on the prize mindset, this does not have to happen overnight. Well, it won't happen overnight, but like, you know, just knowing that you're in it for the long haul, like this is, and I know for me, like, I feel like I found what I want to do for the rest of my life. So there's no rush here. And that's what I constantly coach myself on. It's like,
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah.
RuthAnn Rafiq
I don't need to, you know, when I see other entrepreneurs who are ahead of me who, you know, their kids are all in school, it's just a totally different, it's just totally different because I'm in the little, little, little stage. So it's just one of those things where it's like, you know, how can I like be patient and also have these big dreams? And for me that has been.
building out a micro agency of sorts. I have people who help me with my projects and stuff, which is everything, just because I don't have the time to do it all. So it's finding out how to navigate in the different seasons. And I think being patient can be hard, because I know I'm like, sometimes I'm just like...
I see other people doing things on Instagram like, I wish I could do those things. Like that would be nice. But it's like, you know, I'm just in a different season. My kids really need me right now. My daughter is in a very, you know, clingy phase, which I adore because she's not like a cuddly type of baby. So I just love that she like needs me so much, but it's also like, oh my gosh, you need me so much. So it's just one of those things where it's like, you know, having that.
balancing that tension of wanting it all now and knowing that that's not possible right now, at least for me in this stage, but it is all possible in the future. And that's what I love so much about your story is like, you know, your kids are all grown now and you've been an entrepreneur this whole time, which I think is so, so cool. And just, you know, you found something that you really truly love.
and I'm excited to go into that a little bit more, but I just appreciate your encouragement to us in the weeds. And yeah, just knowing it's a long -term game and there's no, we're not competing with anyone here. And so, which is a big reason I got off Instagram was because I was feeling so down on myself and like, I should be.
RuthAnn Rafiq
somewhere else. But yeah, I think it's good to just keep that mindset of like, you know, your kids need you and this is the best place for you to be right now. And then if you do need help, how can you, you know, find ways to get that help, just so you're not killing yourself, basically.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah, because it's lonely. It can feel very lonely, right? Like when you are running your business, you're running your home, you're trying to be a good mother, a good wife, trying to do all the things, and you have these like big ambitions for yourself. And if you don't surround yourself with like -minded mompreneurs or whatever you want to call it, it can feel very lonely because you're not a corporate mom who may go to work, right? And then you're not a stay -at -home mom where...
RuthAnn Rafiq
Mm -hmm.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
you're kind of just doing the home thing. And there's nothing wrong with either one of those. You're kind of like in this in -between where you have your foot in one and in both places and you're trying your best in that tug of war of trying to be present and be the best you can be. And so what has always helped me is really finding other women that are also in that same season. That...
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yes.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
wanted to create something outside of motherhood, but also wanted to be at home, stay at home, and then raise the kids. And when you find that network, it's just, it kind of can change the game for you because it doesn't feel lonely. It doesn't feel like you're doing it wrong. You have this camaraderie and you have the support of other people that...
you can lean on. And I've always had that over the 22 years that I've been an entrepreneur, and that is a game changer.
RuthAnn Rafiq
I love that. And that is so true. Having those people who are doing both is so encouraging. And I have so many friends like that who are like, I call them my online friends. I mean, they're my real friends, but like, they're just not like close to me, not local. So I do feel like I have such a good mix of friends like that. And it is so encouraging because we're all dealing with the same thing, especially if we're
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Local, yes.
RuthAnn Rafiq
in the same season of life too. That's always really nice too, because it's like, we can just commiserate with each other about everything, but we can also like spur each other on like, oh, this is what's really working for me right now. This could be maybe a great option for you. I just, yeah, I think that is such good advice and it really helps you not burn out. It helps you stay encouraged and it really gives you inspiration of like what's possible, like what are other people doing? I love that so much.
So I would love to talk about what you do now as a brand strategist. So you work with women in your mastermind group to help them really narrow in. Do you help women niche down? How do women come to you and then how do they leave your mastermind program?
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah, so the women that I best serve, they are service -based entrepreneurs. So your coaches, your designers, your photographers, they're probably subject matter experts, so they know something really well that had success. And they probably have some kind of program or offer. So they sell web design services, or they have a coaching program. So they actually have some kind of program that they're leveraging their strengths.
But right now they feel like an invisible expert, meaning that they haven't been able to articulate their value or their differentiation well enough to attract quality clients, to get seen for opportunities. So they feel like they're being overlooked, undervalued, and often underpaid. And so what I do with them is we kind of take a look at their brand, their strategy, their messaging, and see how can we really get you to
niche down. So instead of being this generic kind of Jane of all trades, get much more precise and focused so that you can build a reputation around what you probably already are doing really well, but people just aren't hearing it or seeing it. So kind of fine tuning the messaging so we can amplify your strengths and your skills, leverage that and own a certain piece of the marketplace so that it's no longer feeling competitive.
It's no longer feeling crowded. And instead, now the brand becomes in their own category, basically, like the undeniable choice, the go -to. And once you're in that phase, obviously you stand out, you're more profitable, you get better clients, you get more referrals, you're more findable. So all of those things help you grow your business faster. So in my mastermind, it's a four -month program.
And I try to keep it small so that you do have access to me. And it's kind of like this done with you process where we look at your niche. We try to figure out what are you a specialist in? We try to figure out who your specific audience is. What is your standout quality, your competitive edge, and how are you solving the problem? Is there an opportunity to have a signature offer or a signature framework in order to elevate the brand? And so we work on those kind of four components over the four months.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
so that they leave feeling confident, super clear, able to articulate in there from their elevator pitch to their website copy, who they are, who they serve, how they're different. And there's no more confusion. And there's no more of this confidence issue of like, oh, I just look like everybody else. Now they're like powered up. They're like, hell yeah, this is who I am. This is how I'm different. And they're ready to be visible and they're ready to share their message with the world.
RuthAnn Rafiq
I love that. And I do brand and website assessments for people. And that is the main thing I see is generic. Like I think that is the biggest thing I see is like, okay, like how are you standing out from all? I work with a lot of coaches. And so it's like, how do you use standing out from all the other life coaches out there? Cause there's a lot of life coaches out there and it's like, you know, live your best life. It's like, okay, like let's, let's find.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes.
RuthAnn Rafiq
let's maybe narrow in or like, how can we spice this up? Like what can we do to help you stand out to really capture that person who needs your services? And so I love that you help them with niching down. And I feel like a lot of people, I feel like some people, you know, are all for niching down. And then some people are like, no way. It is a little controversial, I will say. And I think,
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah. Yeah. It's controversial.
RuthAnn Rafiq
You know, one of the reasons a lot of people don't want to niche down is because, and I was like this when I started with my branding and website design services. I was like, I don't want to box myself in and only work with a few people. I want to work with everybody. Like, doesn't that make you more attractive to more people if you don't have those like boundaries of like, oh, I only work with this type of person.
And what would you say to that person who's like, I just want to help everybody.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes, and especially women, right? We want to save the world. It's like, I work with everybody. So this is what I would say. A couple of things. One is most of my clients are solopreneurs, right? There is no way you have the energy capacity or financial ability to speak to everybody well. You are not target, right? And so you are, you know, you have your megaphone and you're speaking to everyone, but you're speaking to no one basically.
RuthAnn Rafiq
It's true.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
And so when you can shift the messaging to get so precise and so specific that you're painting a picture of the person that you're best able to serve, the specific problem that you can solve with a very specific solution or expertise, then that message becomes more meaningful. Then that message becomes like a love letter between you and that right prospect where she says, oh my God, this person is in my head. Oh my God, this person can help me take my money, right?
So having a diluted, generic, safe message is not gonna really help you grow your business fast enough. It might help you grow your business. You could do that. And you might just meander along, but I can promise you, you'll probably hit a plateau. And that's when you're gonna be like, why do I blend in with everyone else? It's because your message isn't specific enough. Because you haven't put a stake in the ground that says, I have the clarity and confidence to own this lane.
And that tells me a lot about your brand as well. Why don't you have the confidence? Why wouldn't you want to step into your mastery of what you do really well? Why would you want to do all these other things that you kind of mediocre around? If it's up to me, I want to do things that I am slam dunk every time that I get the best results with that I can speak on in five minutes. If you told me to get on stage, I could speak on it, which is a nice strategy. You can hear it. I'm so passionate and obsessed with it.
And those are the type of people that your clients are gonna be attracted to, because they're gonna say, she knows what she's talking about, she has a proven method, she's so passionate about it. So I'm gonna maybe choose her over the other person, which is talking about all the things, all the different audiences, all of her multi -passionate loves. But I'm not sure if I'm gonna get the results from her. So.
Not only does it help elevate your brand, build authority, but it is also liberating where it simplifies everything. As a marketer, as a business owner, I can speak to my target audience. I can describe them. I can tailor everything to that person. And that just makes everything in your business much easier.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yes.
RuthAnn Rafiq
I cannot agree more. And I know when I, I niche down, I think it was a year ago, a year and a half ago to rebranding. And I really specialize in women who have done the DIY route. They are ready to up level and, you know, hit that next six figures and do it with clarity and confidence and look like the go -to authority. And after I made that switch, I will say it was not like an overnight thing where people are like, oh, I can't wait to work with you, but it.
You know, it took some time for that message to get out, but I feel like I am attracting the exact type of people I want to work with. And it's so beautiful and liberating and like, oh my gosh, this has been the missing piece this whole time of like, you know, I just think my message was, I mean, I'm one of a lot of brand and website designers. I know that there's a lot of us out there. So.
I think really owning your niche like you're talking about and getting really clear and specific, it makes life so much easier. And it's just, it's liberating on all accounts. Cause the people who find you, they're like, oh my gosh, I've been looking for you. You're exactly who I need to work with. And then, you know, you as the business owner, you're like, I know exactly how to communicate about my offers and the value and the pricing and all of that stuff. So I just feel like it's, yes, it's such a...
It touches a lot of different things and it's not just, oh, I need to find an issue. It's like, well, it helps you with how you are presenting yourself, your marketing, your confidence, like so many other things too. So I love that you said that.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah, and I don't want to minimize it. There is a fear. I get it. You know, cause I mean, the reason why I'm so passionate about it is there was a phase in my entrepreneurial career. I call it my junk drawer phase. Cause my business was like a messy junk drawer. I was doing children's photography, headshots, senior portraits, brand photography. I did Instagram workshops, vision boarding workshop, like all of the things. Yes. Yes. It was my junk drawer era.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yeah.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Okay, we all go through that phase, but I love that you call it a junk drawer. That's so funny.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
And the problem with that is that my business clients who are paying me the most money for brand photography, right, to grow their business, they would come to my website and see babies and be like, why would I hire this woman who is taking baby photos when I'm looking for a specialist who's going to know the right type of photos that are business minded to grow my business? You know, why? And then I would have like,
the parents in a family put photos coming on and be like, who's this woman leading Instagram workshops? Is she a social media manager or is she a portrait photographer? So there was confusion across the board. And I just didn't feel good about my brand anymore because I was so, you know, split in different ways. And then I just made this decision to go all in on brand photography. And this was in 2015.
And I remember having families like crying, being like, you've taken our portraits for years. Like, what am I gonna do? And I was like, here are some other people you can go to. I just, it's like, I was schizophrenic. I had all these different personalities. It's like micro businesses, right? You have this business, this, I just couldn't do it anymore. And that was the best decision I could make because then I could put all of my efforts, all of my energy in becoming the best brand photographer out there. And I did.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yeah.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
But guess what? I pivoted, right? I'm a brand strategist. I don't even do brand photography. So just to tell your audience that it doesn't mean when you niche that it is in your tombstone and that's what it is for the rest of your life. I was a brand photographer for a long time. And the way I did brand photography was I did a lot of brand strategy. I thought everybody did that, but they didn't. And then the next thing I knew I would have photography clients want me to help them with brand strategy or just random clients that wanted brand strategy. So I kind of started doing both. And then I came to a point where I had to ask myself again, you know, where do I see the future of my business? What is leveraging my true skills or how I can be different in the marketplace? And then while I was being so honest with myself, even though I, my identity was attached to photography for decades, I knew that I was a better strategist than a photographer, but it was hard to shed who I had been for so long. I almost had like an identity crisis. Like how can people think of me as a strategist? I've been a photographer for years, but you can do it because now in 2024, no one even knows I was a brand photographer. Everybody knows me as the brand CEO, a strategist. So the lesson here is that you can shift, you know, over time.
But as long as you go all in on that niche and you market it, you communicate it consistently, you know, with purpose, with passion, you can shift into a new niche if you see that in your trajectory.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yes, I love that and that's so true. I also have a background in photography and I did wedding photography and then I was doing brand photography and I just had a whole thing with photography and it is, it's one of those things where it kind of becomes an identity of like this is who I am, this is what I do, this is what people know me by and I did family photography, I did all this stuff too and I feel like it's really easy to do that with a camera because you can do all the things so I think telling families like, hey, I'm not doing this anymore, but here's some other people. It really helps you get a lot of clarity. When you start to shut doors on things, when normally, yes, normally you would say yes to everything, at least back in my day, that's what I did. And when you start having those boundaries of start, like this is actually what I do best and this is what I want to do more of. So I'm going to close this side of my business.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah.
RuthAnn Rafiq
It helps you with so much confidence. It gives you a lot of clarity. It's such a good, I just think it's a great thing to do in your business so where you feel more empowered because it is your business after all. You get to make all these decisions. Something else that you mentioned was...
Oh, I lost my train of thought. Hold on. This happens a lot in this pregnancy, actually. Just having that... Oh, I feel like I totally lost it. Let me think, let me think.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
I miss your brain, I remember that.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Oh, that's what I was gonna say. I remember now. When you talked about pivoting, I think that is such a natural progression in an entrepreneur's journey. And I just think that is such a normal thing that we should not be afraid of. And I think what you said was correct. When you find something that you are passionate about, this is what I wanna do, go all in and don't worry about like Oh, am I going to keep this for the next five, 10 years? Like you don't need to think that far. I don't personally think you need to think that far ahead. Just know that like this is where I am supposed to be. This is what I love to do. And I want to go all in 100 percent. And then as time shifts, as seasons change, as the marketplace changes, you know, pivots can come along the way. And I just think that's a natural progression of being an entrepreneur. So I love that you said, you know, just embrace the pivot when it comes, it takes time. It's definitely like a long term. Well, it doesn't have to be too long, but you know, you have to educate your audience and like let them know this is what's happening. And sometimes it takes a while to get the word out. So I think it's just a good thing to remember that you don't have to be completely locked into something forever. You know, do what you feel called to do in the time that you feel called to do it. And then you can make other decisions later on. So I like that you mentioned that it doesn't have to be forever. And I love that you are in like the mass, you have the mastermind set up like because other women can hear like what other people, I'm assuming that's how it is, like other women can see what other people are doing. They can get coached, you know, and they can see the coaching happen.
I love that type of container so much and I think that's so smart doing it in a brand strategy type of way. And I have to say, I haven't heard about that before, like from other brand designers. So I think that's a really cool thing that you offer to people and that they can learn from, you know, their entrepreneurial.
RuthAnn Rafiq
They can learn from their mastermind sisters as well of like, this is what I'm doing, this is what's working and getting coached. And I think that is such a great container for your service.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah, I have found a lot of it's so much fun and a lot of my clients do get the transformation afterwards because it's this tight knit group, right? That you are working with on a weekly basis over four months to kind of transform your brand, right? To really nail what your message is, what your expertise is, who your audience is, and then how do you show up? How do you talk about it?
What does your offer look like? Do you have a signature topic? There's so many things that are related to creating this in -demand brand. And so when you do it together, I feel like you have a community where you can have peers who are in it with you and are sharing the struggles, but also cheerleading you on and you're learning from each other. But then you also have me as a mentor and a facilitator that's giving you
RuthAnn Rafiq
Yeah.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
really a bespoke, personalized mentorship. So you never feel like a number, you never feel like you're just watching modules kind of DIY. I think the beauty of the mastermind is this hybrid of community along with a mentor or a facilitator or a coach. And then of course there might be resources also available. I do have lots of resources for my clients, but we're growing together. We're doing it together.
And when you're running a business, so many things come up, right? That you might have a question with. Is it in delivery? Is it in clients? Is it in getting leads? And so now creating a container where you have access to an expert to ask those questions, to get real time answers so that you continue the momentum, right? So it is four months, it is weekly, it's pretty tight.
We have a community that like in between calls, you know, there is an online community so that you have continuous support. And I think I've kind of cracked the code on like all the things that my clients need in order to get the results that they want. After doing this mastermind like I think I'm on my fourth year of iterations of leading masterminds. And I just love the mastermind format because.
It's not too structured, it's still pretty loose, but it's very community driven. But you also, that personalized mentorship, that's what people want. They don't want to watch just another video. They want to hear what you think about their situation and giving them strategies or shortcuts that they can implement quickly.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Mm -hmm.
RuthAnn Rafiq
I love that. And I personally love the mastermind setting as a participant. I think it's so good. I love hearing other people get coached. I think it's so valuable. So I think that is, yeah, I just love that. So are you, do you open it up at certain times during the year or is it always open? How does it work if someone's interested and they want to hop in?
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes, thank you for asking. So I launched twice a year. I do January. So I'm just finishing that cohort now. And then we have another one in September. So intentionally, I have done it so that there's two launches because as a mama, I want the summer off to be with my family and my kids. And, you know, finally made the decision to kind of design the business to fit the life that I wanted versus designing the life to fit the business. Took me a long time to get to that point, but really intentionally designed it, having that mastermind, which is my core offer, and only launching it twice a year for a small amount of people, like six to eight is my sweet spot, that has worked really well for me.
RuthAnn Rafiq
I love that so much. Well, Lika, this has been such a great conversation. I feel like our audience is gonna benefit so much from all the things that we talked about, pivoting, niching, motherhood, going through all the things. So I'm thrilled to have had this conversation. Thank you so much for coming on. Please share where people can find you, your freebie and all the things.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yes. Well, thank you so much for having me. This has been such a pleasure. I'm active on Instagram. So you can find me at malikamalhotra .co, which I know is a mouthful. So hopefully there's a link somewhere here. And then I also, okay, awesome. And I also have a freebie called ready set brand. So this often is a great first step. If you're trying to figure out some clarity around your brand messaging, you don't know how to like write the mission statement or the vision statement or what your positioning is.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Don't worry, we'll have the links.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
I actually have like mad lib type of fill in the blank scripts that will help you just get to a starting place to start to articulate and put those ideas in your head on paper. Just a great way to get your brand started. So I will share the link here as well and would love your audience to download that.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Absolutely, yes, go download that for sure. Especially if you feel like you're muddled, you need some clarity in that outside perspective, that would be such a game changer. Thank you so much for coming on again and everyone out there, I just hope that you really take the time to think intentionally about your brand, where you're going with it and how you can make your brand exactly what you want it to be so you can really stand out online. So if you have any questions for either of us, please reach out and I hope this has been a super helpful episode. I know it has been for me. And until next week, I will talk to you later.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Thank you.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Amazing. Thank you so much. All right, let me stop the recording.
Mallika Malhotra, The Brand CEO
Yeah!
