EP 10: What’s Inside a Brand’s Empire? – TOP 3 BRAND ADVICE W/ NADYA OKAMOTO
(From a Business Owner, Author’s perspective)
- Listen in on Nadya Okamoto’s TOP 3 pieces of advice on Branding and Business. Nadya Okamoto is Founder of PERIOD (period.org), an organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma that she founded at the age of 16. Under her leadership as Executive Director for five years, PERIOD addressed over 1.5 million periods and registered over 800 campus chapters in all 50 states and 50 other countries. In 2017, Nadya ran for public office in Cambridge, MA at age 19 — at the time, becoming the youngest Asian American to run. In 2018, Nadya published her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement with publisher Simon & Schuster, which made the Kirkus Reviews list for Best Young Adult Nonfiction of 2018. Nadya is also the former Chief Brand Officer and current Board Member of JUV Consulting, a Generation Z marketing agency based in NYC. She has been recognized on the lists of Forbes 30 under 30, Bloomberg 50 “Ones to Watch” and People Magazine’s Women Changing the World.
- TOPICS WE DISCUSS: Young CEO insight, Candid Team Building, Inside a Social Enterprise Transition, Genuine Team Mission, Behind Brands with Huge Movements, Movements and Brands, School Life + Huge Brand Balance, Social Strategy Tips, Brand Audience Priorities.
TRANSCRIPTION:
First tip: 0:04:43.1
Second tip: 0:07:50.6
Third tip: 0:11:54.1
[0:00:00.0] Nadya: To specifically bring on people who can also inform a lot of the work you do is really important.
[0:00:06.1] Peggy: You’re listening to the Branding Gems podcast, a podcast that’s not just interviews and conversations. It’s to bring you guys the best of the best women in branding and business to answer this question: What are your top three valuable tips and lessons that you learned along the way? And then, we discuss it. To fuel your passion-filled lifestyle business, I promise to bring you the best of the best women in branding and business and together, we can grow and learn from the extracted advice that they provide. I’m Peggy Bree, and let’s get growing!
Hi! Just a little something something before we get started, I just want to say thanks for the 300+ downloads already. I’m so excited to really create that space where women can share their tips and all that they learned in their business and branding journey and to celebrate that as well and to also create a space of inspiration, to create that space where we can hear all that there is and all the brands that have already been created and to hear how that came to be. So I’m excited to share all of that and to share all the hidden gems and all the hidden brands that are so amazing and bring that to surface so that you can also hear about them and also to hear what the person behind the brand learned from it, so I’m excited to create that space and to share. And please rate this on Spotify or Apple. Just be sure to keep posted with this podcast, and we’ll be in touch. And also, I’m excited to share this next guest. She is so amazing. She created such an awesome brand and she’s a young CEO, and there’s so much to learn from her, so I’m excited to share her and yeah, just let me know how it goes. Screenshot it, stay tuned, and I’ll talk to you later. Bye!
Hi! Welcome back to another episode of Branding Gems. I have such an amazing guest today to share her top three tips and advice. Her name is Nadya Okamoto, and she is a 22-year old Harvard student. In early 2020, Okamoto co-founded August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods. As the Today show describes, August is a growing online community aiming to reimagine and redefine the period experience to be powerful and dignified, with members who engage in conversations about how to properly use a menstrual cup or what it’s like to be a transgender man having a period, for example. So Nadya is also the co-founder of Period, an organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma that she founded at the age of 16. Under her leadership as an Executive Director for five years, Period addressed over 1.5 million periods and registered over 800 campus chapters in all 50 states and 50 other countries. In 2017, Nadya ran for public office in Cambridge, MA at age 19 at the time, becoming the youngest Asian-American to run. In 2018, Nadya published her debut book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement, with publisher Simon & Schuster, which made the Kirkus Reviews list for Best Young Adult Nonfiction of 2018. She is also the former Chief Brand Officer and current board member of JUV Consulting, a Generation Z marketing agency based in New York City. She has been recognized on the list of Forbes 30 Under 30, Bloomberg’s 50 Ones to Watch, and People Magazine’s Women Changing the World. Welcome, Nadya!
[0:04:04.0] Nadya: Thank you so much for having me!
[0:04:06.9] Peggy: Yes, you’re awesome, and it was so awesome to meet on Clubhouse. That was fun!
[0:04:12.9] Nadya: I know, I know. I mean, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Clubhouse. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but I’ve really, really loved it.
[0:04:20.1] Peggy: I know. It’s a very addicting platform, and it’s nice that it’s audio-based so that you can authentically hear everyone say the things that they would say in real life and it just sounds really real.
[0:04:32.4] Nadya: For sure, for sure. I know I’ve been really loving it.
[0:04:35.5] Peggy: Yes. So let’s dive right in. What are your top three tips on branding and business? And let’s start with the first one.
[0:04:43.1] Nadya: Let’s see. I would say that, first and foremost, before you get started, it’s so important to really have your brand mission, vision, values really set and just really putting in the work to build a brand, sort of, book that you know, that you feel really in integrity with as you move forward. And what I mean by that is I think that what I’ve learned from both the non-profit side and also working on the brand side, is that brand consistency is so key, right? I often work with teams, and I will meet with the whole team, even if it’s like 30 people and I say, “Can everyone tell me what the mission is? Can anybody tell me what the vision is?” And I think that the goal is that your whole team is so on the same page around what you do, why you do it, what your values are, and having a sense of how your brand comes to life in a personification way. So I really think of my brand as personifying the company in the way of like, “What does it sound like? What do they look like? What do they feel like? How do they make people feel? What energy do they have?” And so yeah, I think that having really taken the time to be thoughtful about your brand message and your brand elements is super important.
[0:05:57.8] Peggy: I love that! And I love what you said about personifying your brand because I feel like oftentimes, people forget that you can view brands that way because ultimately, it’s the way they make you feel, how they speak, what their mission ultimately is, so the more you connect with the brand, the more you’ll follow them and the more you’ll consume their goods, so that’s really true.
[0:06:19.2] Nadya: Totally.
[0:06:19.9] Peggy: And actually, I know that you mentioned “putting in the work”. So how has putting in the work translated to what you’ve done so far and your accomplishment?
[0:06:30.3] Nadya: I mean, I think that I’ll say even if I look at the last year, I spent six months working on the brand for August, where I was just staring at this brand book every single day, just trying to better understand it, know exactly what I wanted it to feel like. And even when I was going through some rough patches last year, I would print out the brand book and the working copy and just go over it and review and go over it and review, and show it to people and bring in advisers that I really trusted. And I just wanted to understand how it made people feel, what their first impressions were, and I think that was really important, going into it in general.
[0:07:14.6] Peggy: I love that. I love that you mentioned putting in work because people often forget that you actually have to put in work. You have to really put your time into something. It’s not something that appears right then and there and tomorrow. So it’s so important, and you’re right, it’s about perfecting those drafts and getting people to look over it or even relooking at it again and again and just making sure that draft after draft, it really aligns with exactly what you want to put out there, so I love that.
[0:07:46.3] Nadya: Yeah, for sure.
[0:07:48.2] Peggy: So what is your tip number two?
[0:07:50.6] Nadya: Let’s see. I would say another really important thing to keep in mind is that when you start thinking about how you bring your brand to life on social media, it’s really important to have a strategy for each platform separately. I’ve worked with a lot of different clients before who come to us and they treat every single platform the same way. They repost the same sort of content across each platform. And what I really try to do is come in and say, “You know, every single social media platform is different, right?” From the audience to how people use the app, and so when you think about all these platforms, you have to treat them as such and have different strategies for each of them, whether it be the cadence, what type of content, the length of the content, and I think that’s really important to keep in mind.
[0:08:37.4] Peggy: Yeah, it’s so true because you’re right, each platform pertains to a different audience or the way that they read it, so really creating content that fits for each platform and how they digest each content is so key and so important. So actually, which platform has helped the most for your brand and has reached it the best, in terms of being able to communicate exactly what you want to communicate, and the platform that was able to help in this case?
[0:09:11.7] Nadya: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think that it’s the same answer, right? So it totally depends on who I’m trying to reach, right? I think I would have a different strategy if I’m trying to reach moms of people with periods versus people who are getting their period for the first time, right? And so, I think that’s what I mean by it. Even when I think about my favorite app, a lot of it is different based off of who I’m trying to reach.
[0:09:36.2] Peggy: Mm-hmm. So ultimately, it depends on your audience after all. No matter the platform, you have to really pertain to each audience, so that’s so true. And I would say that you have such a diverse group of audience because periods, it’s all levels in terms of like teens and moms going through menopause and stuff like that. So where do you find that balance of creating content that speaks to all those age groups?
[0:10:06.3] Nadya: Well, I would say that even if we’re trying to reach everybody and change culture and even how fun menstruating is, obviously you are talking to everybody when you have public platforms, but you still prioritize your different audiences, right? So our primary audience is really reaching young menstruators, high school, college age. And I think from there, we have a secondary and then a tertiary audience. But I think that having even an understanding of what that looks like from a priority perspective is really important.
[0:10:40.1] Peggy: Mm-hmm, so really focusing and niching down to that age group and putting up the priority where it’s needed, so I love that.
[0:10:47.3] Nadya: Exactly.
[0:10:48.9] Peggy: It’s so true. And actually, when it comes to strategy for each platform, would you say that, because you know how Instagram has different features like Reels or using the DM and using Instagram TV or all these features within that platform, how has that been, creating content for that?
[0:11:15.9] Nadya: I mean, I think that it’s definitely a lot of work. I definitely have been experiencing some platform fatigue just with the amount of social platforms, but we’re getting through it. And so, I think a lot of it is just bringing on the right support to be able to build it out.
[0:11:29.3] Peggy: Oh, that’s true. And it’s so true because you really can’t do everything by yourself, and if it’s not something that is of your expertise or you don’t want to do, period, it’s so true. You can bring on that support to have somebody that loves doing that and can focus on that stream in particular.
[0:11:47.4] Nadya: Totally. Absolutely.
[0:11:49.4] Peggy: So good. So what is your final tip in branding and business?
[0:11:54.1] Nadya: I would say build a team, right? I think everybody has their different specialties. For me, I love working on overall strategy, but I think what’s really important is always taking time to be like, “Okay, I’m not an expert at all on TikTok, and here’s a place that I think I can be a lot better.” And so, I think to want to specifically bring on people who can also inform a lot of the work you do is really important.
[0:12:25.3] Peggy: Mm-hmm, that’s so true. So what are your tips on forming that team and finding the right team that fits your mission and your values? Do you have any tips on entering those questions or bringing that together?
[0:12:41.2] Nadya: I think a big part of it is specifically finding people who really believe in the mission, vision, values and see the vision of what you’re trying to create. I think it’s really, really important. And then I think the other thing is, I think it’s really important to find people who can one, challenge you as well. As a young CEO, it’s really important for me to find people who feel very comfortable being able to just speak to me very candidly and tell me what we can be improving upon and everything.
[0:13:18.3] Peggy: Mm-hmm. So what is it like to be a young CEO and have people that are older than you work under your brand? How do you keep that harmony going?
[0:13:28.3] Nadya: I mean, I think a lot of it is just coming to the mindset of having the confidence to really speak out when we are trying to build something. And I have that authority, but at the same time, I wake up everyday with the utmost respect for the people. Everyone has different levels of experience in different ways and different things, whether it be personal or professional. I think approaching it, not saying like, “Oh, I’m the boss. I know everything,” but actually surrounding yourself with people who inspire you because they do have certain expertise.
[0:14:02.7] Peggy: That’s so smart and so true because it really comes down to that level of respect of each other and ultimately learning together and not to say that, “Oh, I know it all. I’m this boss,” but really leaning on each other because that’s what a team is, so that’s so true.
[0:14:19.6] Nadya: Totally.
[0:14:21.0] Peggy: So when it comes to building a team, is it just one team overall or per each, I guess, subsections of your brand? Is there a different team for that, or do you just have one team to do it all?
[0:14:35.0] Nadya: No, it’s totally different teams. I have my August team, when I was working with JUV or Period, they had different teams, and then I had people who specifically were working on the personal side.
[0:14:45.8] Peggy: It’s so good. That’s good. Oh my gosh, you are such an inspiration! It’s so cool that you really are an Asian-American that’s doing it, and it’s inspiring, I’m sure, for people to hear that people, even women of color, they’re totally capable of running and owning businesses like this, so that is amazing.
[0:15:09.7] Nadya: Thank you. Thank you so much! It’s so good to chat with you.
[0:15:13.3] Peggy: You too! And what has been the biggest curve that you ever had to overcome when it comes to all these businesses and brands that you’ve created?
[0:15:24.6] Nadya: I mean, I think the social enterprise space has been one of the biggest curves [laughter].
[0:15:31.5] Peggy: Mm-hmm. Like how?
[0:15:33.5] Nadya: I mean, I think that specifically, this is my first time raising capital. This is my first time really building out a social enterprise, and it’s difficult but it’s a lot of fun.
[0:15:46.0] Peggy: Mm-hmm. That’s true. I guess with every new experience, there is challenge to it, but it’s fun because you’re going to learn through it and after that, and then it’s done, and then it’s complete and then you’ve learned so much from it, and then there’s so much more to come after that, so that’s so good.
[0:16:06.4] Nadya: Absolutely.
[0:16:07.2] Peggy: That’s good. Yeah, so do you have any tips on essentially making sure that the brand and the mission withstands? Because it’s such a big movement and such a strong brand and voice. How do you really keep that going?
[0:16:23.9] Nadya: I think that a big part of it is one, just never straying away from why you started in the first place and who you’re ultimately trying to serve. And then I think also, with time, and I know I’m kind of a broken record, but have a team. Build a team to support you and really be with you through it.
[0:16:43.6] Peggy: Mmm. That makes sense because the bigger the movement and the conversation, you would need more voices to uplift it together, so that makes so much sense. Oh my goodness, it’s so good!
[0:16:55.7] Nadya: Thank you.
[0:16:57.3] Peggy: Yeah, thanks so much for being on this podcast. It’s cool that meeting on Clubhouse can lead to this and create that relationship and conversation, so this is so fun! [Laughter]
[0:17:10.5] Nadya: I’m so glad we are able to meet. And seriously, thank you so much for what you do and just democratizing access to a lot of these strategies too, and I’m excited to listen to the other episodes as well.
[0:17:20.1] Peggy: Yeah! And what’s next for you? What’s going on?
[0:17:24.5] Nadya: Just trying to get through senior year. I’m going through my last semester at Harvard right now and gearing up for August official launch.
[0:17:32.8] Peggy: Oh man! So excited for you! And good luck on your studies at Harvard! How has balancing that been?
[0:17:41.4] Nadya: It’s good. We’re just going for it. I think that everyday, it’s a little bit of a push. I have to review what I have to do for this week for school, so yeah, it’s just kind of a “We’ll get through it, just keep your heads up and study”. [Laughter]
[0:17:56.5] Peggy: Yes, keep at it, and remember to rest in between. You’re doing so great, so you’re awesome! And where can people find you?
[0:18:06.8] Nadya: Just on social media, my full name, @nadyaokamoto.
[0:18:10.5] Peggy: Awesome, awesome! Well, thanks for coming on board. You had such amazing tips and brand advice and business advice. I’m sure people can seep that in and learn so much from it, so thank you so much.
[0:18:24.0] Nadya: Thank you!
[0:18:26.6] Peggy: Hey, welcome to the end of this episode. You are literally sticking to the end. Thank you! I appreciate you. I love people who stick to the end on the highs and lows. I appreciate you for that. And so, I just wanted to quickly say please rate it on Apple and Spotify or whatever podcast you are listening from. That would be really appreciated and helpful. And yeah, thank you again. This is my bye-for-now-I’ll-talk-to-you-soon note, but also my thank-you note! I appreciate you, so bye!
JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
- INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK: @blankroomdesign
- WEB: brandinggems.com
- GUEST: NADYA OKAMOTO
Business: Web / Instagram – @nadyaokamoto / Clubhouse: nadyaokamoto - HOST: Peggy Bree
Instagram – @peggybree / Clubhouse: @peggybree
