Interview with Natalia Wiechowski

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Natalia Wiechowski about personal branding and success. Natalia is a coach and consultant based out of Dubai in the UAE who specializes in helping building personal brands, expanding online influence, developing content strategy, and public speaking. She is also frequently a keynote speaker presenting on a range of topics such as motivation and successful habits.

Natalia left the world of traditional work to branch out and pursue her own goals and objectives. Through job experience, a quick intellect, and a drive to make herself the expert at whatever she sets her mind to, Natalia has created herself as a leader in her market. I wanted to know from her what has made her successful, and some of her quick points on personal branding.

Q: What is your best piece of wisdom or knowledge that you learned from your time in a ‘traditional job’  that has helped you in your branding expertise?

A: Having good relationships to (almost) everybody within the company, as well as to suppliers, media and customers does not only make work more fun. It is essential to get things done. In short: Invest in your social network!

Q:What piece of advice or information do you wish you knew when you first joined the workforce?

A:The “perfect” job (perfect for YOU) does not exist unless you create it for yourself. Either you accept compromises and work for someone or you do your own thing. Blaming others, nagging and complaining won’t change anything. Change your mindset OR your work status.

Q: What made you decide to get into your current line of work? How can others search within themselves to find their true calling?  

A: I realized that neither working for government, the private economy, nor for a start-up satisfied me. I had the feeling as if I was wasting my time and “talent", without actually knowing what “talent” or “potential” was. That is why I decided to take a break to understand myself, my values and what I want to achieve in life. I sincerely believe that we “should” do what we are naturally excited and curious about. Ask yourself: If I had all the money in the world, what kind of work would I do to somehow help others?

Q: What is the number one mistake you see people make when trying to promote themselves on LinkedIn?

A:The first thing that comes to my mind is writing a short caption of three sentences and tagging 30 “influencers” in their posts. For me, personally, that looks desperate and as if you cannot prioritize.

Q: What goals are YOU setting to grow your presence?

A: I am a big fan of podcasts and creating value-adding videos (for LinkedIn) with other great individuals. That is one out of many strategies to grow your presence. In addition to that it is time to write a book.

What are your goals this year to grow your online presence?