The Business of Life with Dr King

How To Build A Trustworthy Personal Brand In A Noisy Digital World with Paige Arnof-Fenn (USA)

• Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King • Episode 53

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Your name should be the answer to a specific problem. That simple shift—from “I do many things” to “I stand for this”—can change how often you are found, trusted, and hired. We sat down with marketing leader Paige Arnof-Fenn to unpack what turns everyday professionals into memorable, referable brands in a noisy digital world.

Paige traces her path from Wall Street to Procter & Gamble and Coca‑Cola, to leading marketing at venture‑backed start‑ups and founding Mavens & Moguls. Along the way she distils the essentials: a brand is a promise in the mind of your audience; consistency across platforms builds trust; and fewer messages said more often beat long lists of services. We talk through concrete examples from Starbucks and Apple that show how familiarity reduces friction, then apply those lessons to your LinkedIn bio, your tone in meetings, and even how you show up at the school gate.

You’ll learn a simple research exercise to find your one or two strengths, how to audit your search results and clean up digital dirt, and why cross‑platform consistency matters more than posting everywhere. Paige shares a practical roadmap for two paths: starting out with no track record and pivoting mid‑career into a new field. We dig into adding value in public—commenting with tools, translating complex topics, and publishing helpful summaries—while using AI as an editor, not a voice. And if you need proof fast, volunteer for a nonprofit or club to build real case studies that feed your credibility.

If you’re ready to stop being a best kept secret and start being the first name people remember, this conversation gives you the steps to focus, show up, and be trusted. Enjoy the episode, then subscribe, share with a friend who’s rebranding, and leave a review with the one thing you’ll commit to doing consistently this month.

Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King

Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....


The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King

Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com


Dr Ariel King:

Hello and welcome to another episode of The Business of Life with Dr. King. Today we have a very special guest, Miss Paige Arnulf Fenn. Welcome.

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to talk today.

Dr Ariel King:

I'm excited to speak to you too. So today we're going to be talking about the issue of, I believe, branding.

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Everybody's a brand today. It's a great topic.

Dr Ariel King:

Could you please tell our audience a bit about yourself and also about our topic of today?

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Great. So I've been in marketing since 1990. I started my career on Wall Street in the 1980s. And then I did a complete pivot, went back to business school, and rebranded myself to be a marketing person. I've been in marketing ever since. I started marketing at big companies like Procter Gamble and Coca-Cola, and then kind of moved into the startup world when the internet was fresh, Internet 1.0. And I was the head of marketing at 3.coms, venture-backed startups. And then 24 years ago, I hung out a shingle and I started my own marketing firm, and I've been doing it ever since. And today, I think a really interesting topic right now is how to be a compelling personal brand in this increasingly digital world that we're all part of with artificial intelligence kind of running our lives today.

Dr Ariel King:

Thank you. I think that's a topic that's so needed. So let's get started so I can learn more.

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Excellent. So, you know, a lot of people when they reach out to me, they say, you know, I I feel like I'm the best kept secret. Why don't people know who I am? And my first instinct is to tell everyone, well, you know, you're a powerful brand. And they said, no, no, no. I'm just a small business owner. I just run this company. I'm not a brand. I'm not Taylor Swift or Beyonce or LeBron James or Serena Williams. I'm not famous. I'm just a, you know, trying to run a good business. I sell these products, I sell these services, and, you know, I'm just trying to do a good job. And I'm like, yeah, but to do a good job, you have to start thinking of yourself as a brand. That is just a given in the world we live in. But we are bombarded with messages from the minute we wake up till the minute we go to sleep. I mean, whether you're walking on public transportation, in an office, in a car, there are messages coming at you from every angle today. Every time you look at a website, every time you do a Google search, there are sponsored ads. So, you know, how do you notice what's out there? Well, you notice things that get your attention that kind of hook you in because they stand for something that you're interested in. You're, you know, you're trying to solve problems. So, you know, I tell people, you need to start thinking of yourself as a brand. And you don't have to be famous to be a brand today. What is a brand? A brand is a promise in the heart and mind of your consumer, your customer, your client. And you want to own real estate in their brains so that when they have a product that your product or service, when they have a problem that your product or service can help them solve, you want them to think of you first. That's how you become a brand. And you need to really be consistent so that everything you do, all the messages that come out from you tie back to that message. So, you know, you cannot stand for 10 different things. You need to figure out what are the one and one or two most important things you want to stand for and be known for. And you want to reinforce that in everything that you do. So that is the starting point. And when you do a good job of that and you build your following, you build trust, people come back to you and they say, you know what? The last time I had a problem, Dr. King helped me solve it. I'm going to come back and do it again. And then they they build a relationship, they begin to trust you. You're consistently showing up as the same, as the same brand over and over. And that is where kind of that's where you can start to really stand out versus your competition.

Dr Ariel King:

You know, that makes such a huge difference. I love that. And people like, I'm not a brand, I know nothing about it. Can you please tell us more about that?

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Yeah. So, you know, I think another problem that people have is they want to show you all the shiny objects. Like, I can do this, I can do that here, you know, and it's it's like they're pulling out a million things out of their bag of tricks. People can't remember all of that. You really want to stand for one or two things that benefit your audience. What do you do that makes their life simpler, more convenient? You're saving them time, you're saving them money. Think about it from their perspective, not from your perspective. How are you helping them? You want to be of service to your your clients or customer. And when you look at it from their perspective, you know, you're you're gonna do a better job. That's just a given. But you think about the print the brands that are part of your life, whether it's Starbucks or McDonald's or Apple, like what is it about those businesses that make you keep coming back every time? It's because they make you feel good, they solve your problems in a way that really makes your life easier. Just imagine if every time you walked into a Starbucks, no matter where you were in the world, Tokyo, New York, London, San Francisco, if they had different menus and different products and they had a different look when you walked in, it would be very confusing and you'd have to kind of relearn every time. Wait, what is it that I like? Well, what is this menu? But if you walk in and you know you like the frappuccino or you like the grande or the venti, and they have a consistent language and a consistent look and feel, you feel very comfortable. You don't have to overthink it. You know, you can walk in, you can get the food that you like, the drink that you like, you can find a comfortable chair and park yourself and get some work done and just relax. You know, what is it about an Apple store? What is it about the products and services that you use every day that really add value to your life? And think about it that way. Because again, if every time someone runs into you, you have a different look and feel, you have a different message, you're not building trust, you're not building the relationship. And, you know, whether you see people in a boardroom, in a in a meeting, at the grocery store, at a kid's soccer game, you want to constantly be living the brand that you are building. That way they know that, you know, you're professional. These are the things that you do well. This is the space that, you know, when when I need help, this is when I can call you and I know you're gonna be there for me. So that's really one of the most important things today, because again, we're being bombarded with probably three to five thousand messages every day, seven days a week. And anything you can do to put a stake in the ground and just consistently show up, that's gonna serve you better. It's gonna help you build the kind of life and business you want. Another problem that I see constantly, you know, we all walk around with these phones in our pockets. We're on lots of different social media platforms. You have to be consistent across the platforms too. You know, people say to me, Do I need to blog? Do I need to tweet? Should I be sending out a newsletter? You don't need to do everything, but what you do, you need to be really good at and you need to do it consistently. So if you like to write newsletters, by all means do it. If you want to start a blog, great. But don't spread yourself too thin and make sure you're picking things that really support the strengths that you innately have. I think when people try and be one thing on Facebook, someone else on X, someone else on LinkedIn, people don't know which version of you is gonna show up. And again, you're not building those relationships where where they know every time they pick up the phone, every time they email, every time they see you out and about, they know who you are and what you stand for. You know, you want to reinforce your core values in everything that you do. If you've got a funny sense of humor and you want to be humorous, that's great. But if sometimes you're showing up and you're more snarky and a little more nasty, people don't know is the nice version of you or the kind of meaner version of you going to show up. And that is not gonna give them confidence to refer business because they don't want it to be a bad reflection of them. So if you're smart and academic, that's great. If you're more humorous and low-key, that's fine. But just make sure that you're always being like the same, you're showing the same personal characteristics. You know, if you act like you're super professional and people run into you around town and you're in your gym clothes and your sweatpants and you're kind of a hot mess, they're gonna be like, wait, is that the same professional that I saw at the board meeting last week? I don't know. That that doesn't seem like the same person, and that doesn't give people a high degree of confidence. It's not like you can't go to the gym and work out, but you really you want to show a united front. And I think those are the brands that do the best, they get the most referrals, and they have the the the most the most credibility in everything that they do.

Dr Ariel King:

Thank you. I think that's so important. You know, you're talking about basically authenticity, be be who you say you are, and then that gives confidence, and confidence helps to build trust, and that's when you can actually start to do something with your brand. You know, so many people are multi-talented, even yourself. So, how do you try to figure out the the the keys or the the one or two uh things that you want to be known for, whatever those are, especially if you're multi-talented.

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Yep. So one easy exercise that anyone can do is you want to talk to people and do some market research and don't get scared off thinking it has to be statistically significant. You know, talk to people that know you personally, that know you professionally, and ask them, what is it about? Like, what do you think my strengths are? What are the times when you call me or you think of me? Kind of what box am I in for you? How do you think of me? What you know, where am I strong? Where am I weak? You know, what are the kinds of things that I do better than anybody else? What would you miss if I weren't around? What were the things, what are the things that I help you do or I help you see in a new light that nobody else owns that real estate? And what you hope you learn is, and you might not even realize what it is. So it's a good thing to ask. How do people, how do you show up to different people in your life? And again, it could be personal, it could be professional, but uh but a lot of themes could emerge. Like, you know, you ask great questions, you always make me think, you're always very warm and inviting and inclusive, you always make me laugh, you always make me feel good, even when I'm having a bad day. Like, what is the feedback? And again, it's interesting when common themes emerge, depending on if people know you from work, from church, from the gym, from the soccer field, and you know, and if things don't overlap, that's kind of a message too. Like, what is it about your personality, your core values that's not translating? People that know you personally may think you're really funny, and people that know you professionally think you're very, very serious. What is it about? Why don't you feel comfortable bringing humor into the office environment? Are you not showing up authentically and showing your whole self in a way that is comfortable to you, that also is a great reflection of you? You always want to play to your strengths. So that is, I think, you know, market research. And you know, another thing I have people do, go to Google and Google yourself. Let's take a look at what pops up. And it's not narcissistic, you don't have to have a huge ego to do this. I think it's important because before somebody returns your phone call or agrees to have a meeting with you or invite you to be on their podcast, they're probably gonna Google you just to see who is this person. They're gonna check you out on social media, on LinkedIn. What are the messages that come up? And do they tell a consistent story? I think there are a lot of people, especially young people today, that may have some digital dirt out there. They they put themselves on a lot of different websites, they blog, they say a lot of things that they maybe did when they were in high school or college or when they were young, and those things pop up. And what does that say about you? You want to clean up that digital dirt and tell a consistent story because you know, if your Facebook and a lot of things have public profile, so anybody can see it. When those things come up and you're, you know, on spring break and you're in a bikini and you're doing shots and kind of being silly, but now you're trying to get a job in a respectable law firm or bank, and that's what people see when they when they check you out. That's gonna raise a lot of questions. That's gonna be concerning for people doing recruiting. But if when they Google you, it comes up that you have a blog that a lot of people read, and you're, you know, people really respect you, and they're quoting you, and they thank you for publishing that white paper or explaining these very complex topics in a very clear way. That's gonna be a very good message. Like they think, wow, this person is terrific. They've got a good following. Look how professional they are. They really have a grasp of the details and they understand this topic. That's gonna send a very positive message to a potential employer, or maybe you're trying to join some organization and they go, wow, you know, look at all this person does a lot of volunteer work. Look at all these nice recommendations on their LinkedIn profile. I want to meet this person. I would love to have a lunch with them. I want to have them on my podcast. So, you know, do your homework, do your due diligence, and make sure the right things are coming up so that people get a really honest view of who you want to be and who you are.

Dr Ariel King:

That's such great advice. And, you know, while you're speaking, I'm thinking to myself, I've also worked with young people that don't realize that the digital footprint stays. Um when I say young people, I mean even professionals who are already physicians or lawyers, actually, so late 20s, early 30s, they say things that have to go back and say, well, you might want to take that off, or you you you you might want to edit that. Let me explain why. So even though many of them are very motivated, they're educated, they're highly intelligent, it seems like the communication issues since they grew grew up in the digital age, they have not been quite taught digital manners, I would call it. Absolutely, without a doubt. What would you suggest for young people then in order to start their digital footprint as positive? But also I'm wondering, suppose you're a person who is now mid-career, you're in your 50s, many people are shifting, as we say, or we are we are doing something different, we're deciding. How do you then, either for young people getting started or older people that want to shift what they've done, how do we then try to create a new authentic but still true footprint and branding? But it's either you're new at it or you're someone who's really decided that you're going to change paths, you're going to change career, you're going to shift in some way.

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

So it's a great question. You know, think about where you are today and where you want to be. You know, who are the role models? Who's doing what you want to be doing? You know, what sandbox do you want to be playing in? And you want to kind of, you know, follow the breadcrumbs to get there. So, you know, if people, you know, whether you're young and trying to get into a new industry, or whether you're mid-career and you're trying to change industries, what are the websites? What are the blogs? What are the newsletters that people who do what you want to do? What are they reading? What are they watching? You know, are there conferences? Where do these people hang out? And so you want to, you know, do your homework and start subscribing to those newsletters, start reading those blogs. And, you know, as you follow who those leaders are who are well respected, who already have an audience of the world that you want to be part of, you want to start contributing to that. So, you know, if you're on a blog and people are talking about stuff and you're learning new things, and for young people, it's such a great opportunity to showcase all your digital skills. They may be talking about something that you happen to know a lot about the technology in that area. You know, these digital natives, these kids who were born with, you know, smartphones in their hand practically, you know what the apps are, you know the latest and greatest tools and technologies. You could put something on your LinkedIn profile, or you could respond to somebody's blog who has a huge following and say, you know, I know a lot of people are confused by this, but I found this great tool. Or here's the reason why I love this particular thing at AI that's really helping me understand things better. It's saving me a ton of time. And I thought this might help you too. When people see that you can take complex, chaotic situations and make it simple and clear, they're gonna notice. And every time you make a comment, every time you do a post, if you, you know, are the one that always adds value, you're the one that's always giving good advice, people notice that. And then they want to come back and say, like, what did Dr. King think of this? Because every time I read her post, every time I've gone to her website, you know, every time I see her latest updates on LinkedIn, she's doing something great, really interesting, really smart. And so you're building your brand, you're building your reputation. And, you know, we we live in this world where artificial intelligence is kind of taking over and it's affecting every industry. And yeah, feel I feel like there's a new AI tool or you know, something, some new shiny object virtually every week. I'm reading articles about new the newest, latest thing. And you know, I think AI is great, and I think there are a lot of benefits to it, but I warn people that you don't want to get sucked into AI and be part of you know the sea of sameness, because AI only knows how to go to go to different websites and pull out what's already there. It's not creating new ideas, it's not it's not able to compete with like human stories, the good, the bad, the ugly. Here's what I learned, here's how I how I got knocked down, and here's how I got myself back up. You know, here's some creative ideas, out-of-the-box thinking. You can really differentiate differentiate yourself from all the kind of robotic copy that comes out of AI when you do something that looks fresh, that sounds kind of like a new thing. If all you're doing is regurgitating what everybody else says, you're not really helping advance the conversation. So, you know, when you're when you're out there looking for work, looking to pivot industries, looking to, you know, join new a new field, figure out all the things you can do tangentially. Like, you know, maybe there's a nonprofit that is looking for volunteers, and you can start learning by giving, you know, what so I do marketing, and there are a lot of young people that say, like, how do I get experience? I'm trying to get a job and you need experience to get a job. And I'm like, you know, on campus while you're still in college, you can join a club and help do marketing for the club. That's going to give you some skills. If you're out in industry, you've been working already, and you want new skills. You know, there are nonprofits in every category, you know, whether you like the arts or education or children, whatever your interests are, and you could, you know, reach out to the nonprofit. They all love volunteers, they're looking for board members, they're looking for committee members, and you can help them do marketing for the audience that they're reaching out to. That's going to give you some good skills, and then you'll have something to talk about in the interview or talk about on your resume. You know, I do finance or accounting, but I'm really trying to make a move into marketing, and I've been involved with this local charity, and I'm helping them do marketing to help them raise more money. I'm helping them to grow their email list, I've been helping them write their newsletter. Those are great marketing skills. So you can get those skills by volunteering your time and you know, helping organizations move forward. And I just think you have to be creative. And again, humans are creative. Artificial intelligence isn't gonna kind of help you think your way out of a paper bag, but it's gonna do a great job of editing your newsletter and checking for grammar. That is a good use of it, but coming up with creative ideas, not as much.

Dr Ariel King:

Thank you so much. I love that. That's right. Human intelligence, right? Humanity has to do with us as humans, and artificial is exactly what that means. So I love that. And our time has come to an end. Could you please tell people how to get in touch with you and how to liaise with you or also become a client if that's what you still do?

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Yep. So the best way to find me is on my company website, mavensandmoguls.com. It's M-A-V-E-N-S-A-N-D-M-O-G-U-L S dot com. And you can also find me on LinkedIn. You can see that my last name is hyphenated, but on LinkedIn it's all spelled out no hyphen altogether. And as one of my clients said, because my company name has an ampersand, my family name is hyphenated, she's like there are too many words I can never remember. So all she does is Google Page and Mavens, and I pop right up. So search engine optimization does work.

Dr Ariel King:

Thank you so much for being with us today. The information was so informative. And to our audience, thank you so much for joining us today. And remember, if I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, then when? That was by the great philosopher Hillel. And I've added if not me, then who? Thank you so much for joining us.

Paige Arnof-Fenn :

Thank you.