How to Show Up as an Iconic and High Level Brand With Elva Li
Feel like rebranding or wondering how to elevate the brand you have? Don't do anything before you listen to this episode with Elva Li where we dive into:
➡️ the one thing people tend to miss before they start making changes online
➡️ why it's important to embrace who you are so others can easily feel attracted to your business
➡️ how to have that iconic brand that brings in clients you feel totally aligned with
Elva is a Brand Creative Director, Coach and sought-after Speaker. From growing up as a "good girl” in Shanghai, to moving to Melbourne and “making it" in the corporate world, she left the 9-5 and founded the iconic Elva Li Branding and Lifestyle Studio, co-founded Impact the Future Giving Circle ... and continues creating and evolving into her next level.
With a 10 year background in business advisory and a qualified personal stylist, coach and NLP practitioner, Elva has combined her creative flair with her business savviness to help visionary female coaches and founders elevate their brand and step into their next level through her unique FemmeBrand system.
Elva integrates holistic brand strategy, creative direction, and mindset work to translate the soul of a person onto screen, so that they can elegantly increase their perceived value, expand their influence, and create more impact. She has been featured on LadyBoss Asia, This woman can and has been seen on ABC, CBS, Fox and more.
Find Elva at: www.elvali.com
Take Elva’s quiz to find out your Femme Brand Archetype: https://www.elvali.com/quiz
Follow Elva on Instagram.
Transcription:
[00:00:00] Lindsay: Elva. Thank you so much for being on the Book Your Dream Clients podcast. I'm so excited to have you on.
[00:00:47] Elva: Thank you for having me, Lindsay. I'm very excited to be here and sharing my print tips and stuff.
[00:00:53] Lindsay: Yes. I was excited to have you one. I love hearing from different branding experts because they all have such an interesting approach.
[00:01:00] And just by reading your bio, I can tell this is going to be a fun conversation. So why don't you go ahead and tell everyone about what you do and maybe a little bit how you got started and we'll take it from.
[00:01:11] Elva: Sounds great. Hello. My name is Elva Li and I'm luxury branding coach, also creative director. I specialize in helping female coaches and founders for eight or so align luxury brand so that they can learn high end clients, increase their influence income and.
[00:01:29] My background, actually, I was growing up as a so-called good girl in Shanghai, China, and then I moved to Melbourne and making it in the corporate world. But I found that wasn't my calling. So I started my side hustle and gradually left my nine to five job and founded my elderly luxury branding and lifestyle studio, where I mainly work with female coaches and founders elevated.
[00:01:58] Lindsay: That's amazing. And I love to hear how people got started. It, it isn't like a, oh, I decided to have a business and it magically appeared. And here I am, we all start somewhere. And most of us have the life where we're juggling the nine to five and building our brands. And then you went in to your business, a full force and you created Elva.
[00:02:21] Brandy and lifestyle studio. So what do you typically do with your clients? Like what are they struggling with and they come to you and how do you, how is your, how is your branding different from everyone? Else's
[00:02:34] Elva: yeah, my clients usually come to me because they are not feel, not feeling confident about their online presence.
[00:02:40] They feel like. That Brenton's reflect the essence or the truth of who they are, or sometimes they already upper level themselves. And the original brand intent reflect the new level of who they are anymore. So when they come to me, I actually use my unique fem brand process, which involves race stages.
[00:03:04] One is in the work it's about the mindset and help them embody that next level. And so the mindset work I'll help them English and what's the brand they really want to try to be. So I don't want to create a brand for who they are home for, who they used to be, but I want to create a brand in Boulder.
[00:03:25] Who they want to be and their vision and uncover their true essence. And the second stage, then we'll move on to the outwork, which is learning the strategies to position themselves as a luxury brand, and also how to create the online high-end presence and the brand name. To create so-called the iconic brand.
[00:03:47] And the last part I think, is the most important. What I call is the higher work, which is creative, so alignment so that they can live on brand. It's about co-creating with the universe and also. Channel, they are a fem brand essence to make the big impact in world to align their so calling. So that's the three aspects of my work in a work out work and higher work.
[00:04:13] Lindsay: I love how you focus on the inner work first and not a lot of people are going to think that changing your branding colors and the way you look online has anything to do with the mindset and what you need worked on inside. Tell us a little bit why that's important before you go into the outer world.
[00:04:35] Elva: Yeah. I understand this because I actually, my background, I'm an NLP practitioner and also a coach. So I understand how important the mindset work can actually affect everything you do with our core physical in the outer world. Because if you do not embody the woman to not have the contents to exude your competence online it didn't matter how beautiful the logo is.
[00:05:00] The house done in the website is you're still shying away from your online presence and you're still shying away from shiny your light because you have some mindset blocks, but lots of time, my clients will worry about what people will think of them, charge them if they show. Shine bright light online and the store, the mindset work.
[00:05:21] I helped them understand the more they shine bright online, actually it's an inspiration for others to do the same. And also it gives other people toys to say yes or no to your brand to be a iconic brand is actually being a leader and the stand for your point of view and let people who resonate with resonates with your message to choose to work with.
[00:05:44] Lindsay: So it's so much more than having pretty colors and a beautiful font and a great logo. I think a lot of us get hooked, hooked on that process and we don't want to leave it for some reason and we'll spend some people will spend months on trying to choose the perfect branding palette. And I believe in my opinion, I believe that's just a way to procrastinate you moving forward in your business.
[00:06:08] What are your thoughts on
[00:06:09] Elva: that? Exactly. I witnessed that province too. They use it as an excuse to not move forward. And I will say, of course we need to really spend some time and put efforts in crafting our brand because we want it to last for at least five years. And not like I want to reprint every year, but at the same time, If you follow the process, and if you really tune into what aligns with you, you should be able to choose the color palette and all the elements and to move forward to next stage and also put out, put your brand out to the world.
[00:06:50] And if you're procrastinating, it's laws have to do with your go back to the first, the inner work, the mindset you kind of Shawnee way from putting yourself online and the launching a new book.
[00:07:04] Lindsay: Exactly. I think there's so much to that. And I think that if you're spending way too long on the branding of your business, it does require you to do the inner work.
[00:07:14] Why am I taking so much time? Why am I using this as protection for me to go out there? And it's some people won't even hit publish on their website because they're busy tweaking their brand for sometimes. And that doesn't help anybody. And I think that everyone who's listening has a dream to start their business and to grow their business and to get hung up on things that are.
[00:07:37] And holding us back from helping others is going to deserve not only you, but everyone else. And I love that Elva touches now on. Okay. So now that you did the inner and the outer, how do we get into the high end being an iconic brand? I like how she said how you want your brand to be in five years. Talk about that.
[00:07:57] What is an iconic brand to you?
[00:07:59] Elva: For a cut iconic brand, my interpretation is you stand up for your message. You are a leader and the standing in your power for your message and for impact in the world. So it then means you have to have huge numbers of followings, but it does mean those who resonate with your message, really follow you and recognize you as the expert.
[00:08:23] They will love to. Be around you and work with you and you are the icon, the example, the leader in that nation, that field to help your clients.
[00:08:35] Lindsay: Because there are so many people out there doing this right. And if we try to be like everyone else, because this person uses this shade or talks this way or uses these graphics, that means I should too.
[00:08:49] And here, here comes a bunch of people who look the same and nobody is standing out. I think that's a dangerous game to play. How does someone get into. The place where they can think as a visionary for their brand. I mean, we're really good at being visionaries for our business and thinking of ideas and, and planning out our programs and things like that.
[00:09:09] But it can be difficult for some of us to be a visionary with our brand. So how do you visualize what you want to actually look like online?
[00:09:18] Elva: Yeah. So with my clients, I use a visualization tools and some meditation to help them go into more deep, conscious level because sometimes they are always in their mind to think of things, but not really uncover their unconscious mind to let it help them uncover them, choose for themselves.
[00:09:37] So during the meditation, we will kind of English, for example, even sometimes I lead them to English. They want to be in their nineties and what message they want to love to the world in their nineties. And when they look back to their life, what are they grateful for? When they look back to that? Ben is in print, they created what they are really proud of, and those meditations really helped them uncover some subconscious mind things.
[00:10:06] Then they might not realize. And also sometimes I'll ask them questions to involve their, involve their imagination. For example, I ask them if opera interviews you, what would you like to say about your brand? Some people want to be the best denim also. So I guide them to visualization when they hold their best-selling book in hand, what's on the cover and the what is the paragraph describing themselves.
[00:10:33] So all these visualization techniques and exercises help them really tap into some subconscious mind and also help them imagine their Brent.
[00:10:44] Lindsay: I love doing that work because I feel like it is. You giving yourself permission to voice what you really want, that you've been holding in for so long. And when you are relaxed enough, you can actually just let it out and speak it out loud and feel what that looks like and to feel the, just the environment.
[00:11:04] Being that person and it feels so freeing and sometimes we need that. We need that push or that permission to allow us to imagine what it does look like. I think we're so in the business so much that it, we thinking about tomorrow and next month. Typical, but a year, 10 years from now, that's, you know, not many of us think that way.
[00:11:30] How do, how will our business look like when we're 10, when 10 years from now, much less when we're 90 and we look back at our business and what's a, what's a common thing. What do you your females look at their business when they are meditating and they see my business when I'm 90, what am I grateful for?
[00:11:49] What's a common thing that they're grateful for.
[00:11:52] Elva: Usually there are several aspects. One is of course they are grateful for the contribution they have made to the world and to the client life. The other part is actually satisfy their own desires. For example, spend more time with their kids or no train, their relationship had time to travel.
[00:12:11] So those things are combined. I think. One of them needs to be met. Otherwise it's not really helps you to live a life you really want because it has to meet your own needs as well as to satisfy to fulfill your big purpose in the world. And also the thing I want. Then to focus on during this specialization exercise is what kind of feeling they actually want to feel, because at the end of the day, don't matter what you want to achieve.
[00:12:39] It's actually, you want to feel a certain kind of feeling. So if they want to feel, for example, abundant, peaceful, then I will actually help them to create some action plans to kind of implement this action so that they can feel these feelings now. So we don't need to wait to their nineties. So even sometimes for example, they want to go to Paris.
[00:13:02] So what's the feeling they want to go to Paris or it's kind of few elegant chic. So what you can do to incorporate that feeling now without going Paris, or maybe put a candle on my desk or maybe. Put a lipstick or maybe play some Parisian music. So once we implement actions into depth learners, they starting to feel those kind of feeling.
[00:13:25] Now what I call is involved, the woman, the print they want to be, then they are in the feminine flow to really bring that vision into. Hmm.
[00:13:33] Lindsay: I love that. Giving your mind a little taste here and there of what it is to feel that way. And I think feelings are what matters. So I love that you do that. So when people are building their business and they're evolving as a brand, what are some, I know a lot of people, I, I have a lot of clients and students that will sometimes tuck themselves away for a season because they're rebranding.
[00:13:58] What is it? What is a good sign that it's time to do that? Do you feel like you outgrow your brand or what are some things that, you know, all right. I think it's time to reapproach this and find somebody like Elvin helped me. Tell me about those signs.
[00:14:12] Elva: Yeah. On the one side we're always evolving. So every day we can leap and involve to our next level.
[00:14:20] So in terms of branding in the first place, you will need a brand that can carry you through these kinds of small involvement, no need to do the rebranding every year. Your brand should reflect your big vision and reflect your, as in, so that even. Gradually involved, the brand still can carry you and still can reflect the essence of yourself.
[00:14:42] But however, if you didn't do it in the beginning, the first place, right? And once you pivot a big direction, then that's the time. Usually my clients come to me and they feel every time even they look at what they describe as every time I look at my logo or Panda. I just feel that kind of ICI feeling.
[00:15:02] And I know it, it doesn't suit me anymore. So I will always say, listen to their heart and follow their intuition, especially the body, or they have wisdom as well. If it says really know. And it's the time you starting thinking about finding a suitable brand creative director to help you bring your new rental life.
[00:15:24] Lindsay: I love that. I'm not just feeling like you're tired of it, but it's also giving you a feeling that it might not even feel like you at all. Sometimes we look at, you know, clothes that we buy in our closet and we're thinking, why did I buy this? I would never wear this anymore. And do you Oak grow? You outgrow things.
[00:15:43] And I think that's good. I don't think you should have to stick with the same thing forever, because imagine if we had to go back to our original websites and our branding, that would be scary. Right. But I do love changing because I feel like it shows the evolution of your business and don't be afraid to change.
[00:16:00] But I think it's important to do that deep work that Elva has for you, because you don't want to revisit your website in six months and think, oh my gosh, I was really. Trend right now. And now that trend is dead. And now I have to start all over again because it's not just about the west. It's about everything in your business.
[00:16:20] Absolutely everything. How do your clients feel after they have their inner work done? They're out of work they're they're facing the internet world was a whole new. Whole new vision for themselves there they've upgraded themselves. How do they feel when they're done?
[00:16:40] Elva: Yeah. I actually want to use my clients or they will say I want to cry for, from a excitement point of view.
[00:16:48] So yeah, even during our last session, sometimes they will pause and they will reflect back and just say, oh, I just want quiet how far we've come. And. When they see the website going to launch, they just see that vision reflect on the stream and it's kind of excitement. And also. Reflection of how far they come and the product themselves.
[00:17:12] So it's a kind of mix a feeling and I would love to cheer them on because sometimes when you want to launch something, we want to step as a new identity. You need people around you to give you lots of love and courage and cheer you to step on your next slide.
[00:17:29] Lindsay: It sounds to me that you are really good at polling the vision out of the brain of the entrepreneur and helping make it come to life.
[00:17:41] Is that a good way to describe.
[00:17:43] Elva: Yes. I think that that's part of my, I would say so no genius. And according to my, to my human design, yes. That's part of my genius.
[00:17:52] Lindsay: I think we all need people like that because if you close your eyes and your, and your business and your brand doesn't feel like you, what can you do to make it feel like you?
[00:18:02] Because what happens when someone's brand is totally them, I'm guessing that people are attracted to it because. It's them. They're not trying to be like somebody else's they removed the mask and it's them it's 100% pure ni. Right. So what are some things that happened to your clients online? Do they get more customers of what happens to them, but some actual metrics and results that you can share with people once they have that elevated brain?
[00:18:33] Elva: Yeah, the most instant way. Usually my clients that do is definitely increased their price because they feel more confident in their words and understand their value and power to really charge a premium price, not underselling themselves. And set great boundaries for only work with ideal clients, those high-end clients and understand which clients they really want to work with and which clients they would like to say.
[00:19:01] No. So that's much immediate results. And the second part is they are more competent to peach media. So I will see them are starting to get featured on the media. And to be comfortable to do publicity work and put them out there.
[00:19:20] Lindsay: I love that because it, it, it makes them feel like they have everything put together.
[00:19:26] They're not wearing. I always use the examples of you're wearing someone else's clothes and shoes and you feel awkward or you don't feel like yourself. And now you have an outfit specifically made for you, just for you and only you. And you feel so confident because everything is fits perfectly and it looks like it was made for you because it was, and you weren't able to step in front of the camera and do your videos.
[00:19:49] Go on lives and do this because you have that strong brand behind you that reflects who you are, and you don't have to feel like you have to be somebody else online because your brand is something else. And you feel like you're, you have all these multiple identities and it helps people really see who you are and it attracts them to you because you're being yourself.
[00:20:12] Elva: Yes, the alignment is so important. I think the most impactful thing once I do all the branding and alignment for my client is in the longterm. They can actually live on their brand every day. Just like you said, not putting on a mask as someone else. Really few totally alignment. And everything from there will be from ease and flow because they are not trying to compete with someone else or be someone else.
[00:20:39] They are totally lived up brand and in their power.
[00:20:42] Lindsay: I think that's a great way to sum it up because it just shows you what can happen when you do the work to get to where, you know, you deserve to be Elva. Do you want to share with everyone how they can find you and work with you?
[00:20:57] Elva: Yes. Sure. They can find me.
[00:20:59] I'm a website is elvali.com and there is an interesting quiz. I, I encourage all of my website visitors to do because it's really helped them can uncover which dominant and brand essence they belong to help them align their essence to their brand. And also you can find me on my Instagram account, which is elderly thought luxury branding.
[00:21:24] Well, I'd love to connect you with awesome.
[00:21:27] Lindsay: We will put Elva’s website and the link to her quiz in the show notes. Go ahead and follow her on Instagram and definitely go check her services out because if you're feeling like you need help, just go get it. You're going to waste so much time doing on your own.
[00:21:42] Just trust me. Elva, Thank you so much for being on the podcast. It was great to have you, and I'm excited for everyone to hear this up.