If you take away anything: “Holding onto those relationships and keeping them true, that is where the real power for a small business is.”
In the third episode of the second series of OxTalks – sponsored by leading national law firm, Mills & Reeve – we spoke to Paul Wilkinson, multi-award-winning photographer and founder of Paul Wilkinson Photography, to discuss what it takes to build a personal brand and how to keep a good reputation.
As an experienced photographer, Paul works in all aspects of portrait photography, from lifestyle through to fashion, editorial and branding imagery. Amongst his many accolades, Paul has been named as MPA UK Portrait Photographer of the Year in 2020/21 and boasts an impressive list of clients including Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons and Cadbury. He also has his own podcast, The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast, so Paul is a seasoned professional in all things media!
Before he embraced his passion for photography and started his own business, Paul worked as a management consultant for the Financial Times and for education provider, Accenture.
In this episode, Paul discusses his career journey with host Howard Bentham, and how he managed to turn his hobby into a full-time job. Paul also shares his advice for those looking to build their own business, and the importance of a strong personal brand and reputation in doing this.
WATCH: OxTalks, series two, episode three: 'Top Tips For Building Your Personal Brand'.
Discover our top takeaways from the episode, to help you grow your own personal brand…
Engaging with the right people
So, you want to start your own business – but you’re not sure who to lean on for support. Is it appropriate to turn to friends and family?
The answer is – yes, absolutely! Word of mouth is still a very effective way to raise awareness for your brand from the get-go. This might be as simple as approaching your local coffee shop to ask if they can display flyers or some of your work – you never know who you might be put in touch with through connecting with the right people. Good marketing doesn’t have to be expensive; word of mouth can be just as effective and wide-reaching.
Overcoming perfectionism
While being a perfectionist is advantageous in many ways, especially when starting your own business and setting out goals, the idea that you’re going to be perfection every day is impossible to maintain.
To succeed and build your own brand, you have to face up to challenges and deal with the insecurity around producing your own work – there’s always going to be a day where it doesn’t go to plan. One bad day doesn’t define who you are and the success of your business; challenges are there to learn from and overcome.
Keeping a good reputation
It’s all good and well starting your own business and taking on your first clients; but how do you build a reputation that’s going to last? Do you need to keep evolving your offer to stay current?
Reputation is a collective thing – it’s important to remember that reputation isn’t formed from just one person’s view. In order to build and maintain a good reputation, you have to make sure you do the absolute best every single day; you build a product that’s reliable, you make relationships that have true strength, and you make sure you actually care. Authenticity is the key to building a good reputation.
Keen to hear from Paul himself? Tune into the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch all previous OxTalks episodes
And if you’re thinking about starting your own business, but aren’t sure where to begin, visit OxLEP’s Business Support Tool.
