"Your customers need to know the face behind the brand and what you stand for."
Victoria Kennedy is a TEDx speaker and well-respected authority in Public Relations. She is the CEO of Victorious PR, an award-winning Full-Service PR Agency, that helps Impactful leaders and businesses be seen and heard to have a greater influence on the world. She is a highly in-demand speaker on all things branding and publicity and has helped many clients boost their visibility and revenue. Because of her expertise, she has been a trusted speaker and contributor to such organizations as Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inman News, and Yahoo Finance.
Victoria organically scaled Victorious PR to over a million dollars in revenue within their first year in business. In addition to running a successful 7-figure PR & Marketing agency, she also has given talks, workshops, and has worked as a trusted consultant for Entrepreneurs, C-level executives, and top Inc 5000 companies. She has been featured in over 200 publications and podcasts both nationally and internationally.
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Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Victoria Kennedy: I started my career as an opera singer, traveling around the world to perform with some of the top names in the industry. But when my music career came to a close, I had the opportunity to pave my path in another industry which I was passionate about: Public Relations. I know that the shift from being an opera singer to a communications professional may seem unexpected, but I realized that the connection was there. Music artists need to promote their work to wide audiences to be successful and that is through publicity and public relations campaigns. That realization is what I used to launch Victorious PR.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Victoria Kennedy: I had to climb my way to the top within the PR industry as I did not have any background in PR and marketing. I started out by enrolling myself in a program on how to become a marketer and learned the ropes of the business through firsthand experience. I discovered how to build and scale a business from the ground up. This included making valuable connections with the media, networking with industry experts, and learning how to help entrepreneurs build their business with the right messaging.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Victoria Kennedy: I believe that one of the common mistakes that entrepreneurs make is that they don’t realize the importance of building a personal brand. It’s imperative to put your name out there and showcase your USP to the world. Your customers need to know the face behind the brand and what you stand for. It’s necessary to be seen and heard in the right ways so that you can build a loyal customer base. I believe that creating a personal brand works in tandem with your business growth strategy. It’s high time that entrepreneurs understand the importance of doing both.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Victoria Kennedy: To me, resilience means never giving up and always overcoming challenges with a positive mindset. I believe that no matter what challenges come your way, one must have the grit and determination to successfully overcome them. I take everything that comes my way as a learning experience and fully understand the impact of my decisions on the business. I never feel afraid to take ownership of every decision I make. I take credit for my success while holding myself accountable for my mistakes.
What is most important to your organization—mission, vision, or values?
Victoria Kennedy: I believe that a healthy mix of all 3 is important to our organization. We believe in excellence and that is our core mission. We adhere to strict standards of excellence in everything we do with honesty and integrity. We aim to do everything with laser-like precision and accuracy while reflecting excellence in our day-to-day activities.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Victoria Kennedy: I’d say:
- Decision ownership
I know that I am responsible for my actions under any circumstances. Positive results will accelerate the company’s growth, while negative results can be used as lessons for the future. I take credit for my success while holding myself accountable for my mistakes, and that has paid dividends when it comes to growing my business by learning from my mistakes.
- Positive approach
As an entrepreneur, I have a responsibility to lead my business toward its goals with a positive attitude. I learned that any form of negative emotions will destroy the enthusiasm of my team members, thereby affecting the overall productivity of the company. That’s why it’s always important to maintain that optimistic mindset and attitude even when things are in utter chaos.
- Growth Mindset
Your success can only come from within. That’s why I continue to push myself to be better every day than I was the day before. I understand that, in any business journey, knowledge and experience are always limitless, and if I stop learning, I’m robbing myself of the chance to become a better business owner and person.
How important do you think it is for a leader to be mindful of his own brand?
Victoria Kennedy: I believe that in order to succeed, it is very important for a leader to be mindful of his own brand. He must have the ability to market himself, as this builds trust and credibility and reflects well on his company. Remember that your persona is an extension of your business. I grew my business to 7-figures in less than a year solely by leveraging the power of my personal brand and now I help others find their ticket to success by building their personal brands too.
How would you define “leadership”?
Victoria Kennedy: For me, leadership means motivating and inspiring people to achieve a common vision. It enables and empowers people to do their best work by acknowledging their strengths and helping them overcome their weaknesses. There should always be open communication so that all team members can become more involved and understand that what they are doing is important to the success of the company.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Victoria Kennedy: Always have lots of grit and determination. There will be good and bad days, but you need to believe in yourself and that you will be able to overcome all sorts of challenges.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Victoria Kennedy: “You are not defined by your past.”
At any moment you can become something else because every new day is a decision to redefine oneself. Make a different choice. That’s what I did from becoming a nun to an opera singer and now a high-powered publicist and a successful entrepreneur.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Victoria Kennedy for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Victoria Kennedy or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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