Having developed more than 8,000 professionals throughout her 10-year career, which includes personal image transformations for personalities of various levels, Ranukka Singham especially focuses on the healthcare industry. Her keen sense of detail and passion when it comes to personal branding is ever hard to miss. Apart from being a certified image consultant, she is also a certified NLP practitioner and certified men’s styling consultant among many other qualifications. And today, we are deeply honoured to sit down with Ranukka virtually to get to know her and her company, Image Revamp better.
Welcome to Marketing In Asia, Ranukka! We are delighted to have Malaysia’s 100 Most Inspirational LinkedIn Icons with us today. To begin, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and your work background.
Thanks for having me! I started my career in healthcare and spent more than a decade doing professional affairs, which is essentially product training and internal KOL management. Though I was able to do fairly well for myself in my job, I knew this wasn’t something I was particularly passionate about. I knew I wanted to start something on my own but was not sure really what to. Fast forward 5 years later, I am super glad I decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship and do something that I am absolutely passionate about.
As you’re the founder of Image Revamp, a company that helps people and brands to build their image, we’re curious about what inspired you to establish this company. What motivated you to do so?
My mother told me to look around and be observant to identify if there is any need in my current space that I was able to solve. That’s when I started realizing a phenomenon in my workplace, which is also rather prevalent in other workplaces I assume. Which was the fact that it is not easy to stand out, especially if you are in a larger-scale organization. I then started taking some courses, reading up and researching on this and did this as a side hustle whilst still having my full-time job. After 2 years of doing that, I decided to take a dive into the deep waters of entrepreneurship and have not looked back since.
Could you tell us a little about the advantages of personal branding?
Though many might say it is one of the most used terms on social media, I honestly think many should really start taking a serious look into their personal brand. Why? Because in a sea full of talents in the corporate sector, it is so important to be able to stand out and be memorable. It is only then, that you are able to showcase the level of substance that you have within. I also think that people should stop looking at personal branding from a vanity perspective but rather, from a commercial perspective whereby if you brand yourself right, the opportunities and open doors for you would be limitless.
We can see how the world is changing and becoming more technologically advanced. How has personal branding changed over time, in your opinion?
I think the advancement of technology has definitely helped us in the ease of obtaining information. If you want to find out about someone, all you got to do is Google them or just find them out on LinkedIn. And because of this, it is important to ensure your online and offline brand identity is similar if not the same. It is not ideal to “catfish” potential employees, clients or even potential collaborators.
No doubt, you’re an expert at helping professionals with personal branding. I am sure others are intrigued about what you focus on when it comes to building your own personal brand. What are your thoughts on this?
Personal branding is fluid. That means it should change as the seasons in your life change too. So, the environment plays an important factor in determining how you should position yourself. Knowing your audience and what your business objectives are helping to determine how best to brand yourself right.
As startups are still new to the industry, it requires a lot of effort, focus, and attention to help them create an image. So, what is the toughest or most memorable challenge you’ve had to face in that regard?
Startups are so fast-paced that it is hard to sometimes have time to sit down to collectively decide on the brand direction of founders. The toughest case I had was when I had brand 3 founders in an organization with very different personalities, and also ideas of the direction they wanted to go in. The key was on getting them to agree to be cohesive for the sake of the company’s brand. Helping them solve that was by far one of the best achievements I had.
The initial few seconds of meeting someone new are vital because that is when first impressions are formed. What advice would you provide to someone in that critical moment?
Don’t try to be someone you are not. It’s that simple?
There must be a few role models you look up to in order to be who you are today. Who are the people who come to mind when you think of successful personal branders?
I think Sarah Blakely is the one person that comes to my mind when it comes to successful personal brand personalities. Being the founder of Spanx and being so successful in her business, she still comes off as being personable and approachable. Because that’s truly what her product stands for and she emulates it so well in her own personal brand.
What are your goals for 2022?
To have a work-life balance. Being a new mom now definitely changes things as it is forcing me to have a healthier lifestyle and also make better business decisions.
Alright, Ranukka. Is there any advice you could give to folks who want to create their own personal brand or become personal branders like you?
To people who are thinking of looking into their personal brand this year, do seek help in this process because I realize one of the things many encounters is that they find themselves imitating someone else, thinking that that is a great way to brand themselves. For those that want to do what I do, I think it is important to truly understand what is your definition of personal branding and work from there.
How can we reach out to you, Ranukka?
LinkedIn is the best way ?. Connect with me here.
