A Las Vegas public speaking coach is getting some exposure with a new reality show but is also helping fellow business owners in the process.
"Fix My Brand With Ali Craig" premiered on the Success Network on Sept. 19. The network is available on Roku TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. The episodes that have aired so far are also available on the show's website.
Craig, an author, producer, strategist and brander, follows the steps and strategies taken, as well as the psychological and logistical pitfalls that get in the way of many entrepreneurs' ultimate brand success.
Alexia Vernon is featured in Episode 6, titled "Fear of Being Seen," which is set to air on Oct. 24. While the show features individual business owners who need help transforming their brands from "fledging to fierce," Vernon is featured giving advice to these entrepreneurs, in particular about public speaking.
Vernon has worked for the past decade as a women's public speaking and leadership coach.
"I work with executives and entrepreneurs and changemakers who want to use public speaking to be able to spread their ideas, grow their businesses and make positive impact," she said from her Las Vegas home office.
While Vernon has made public speaking her career, it didn't always come naturally to her. She had to get over her own fear before she was eventually hosting her own public speaking engagements.
In the last few years, Vernon has developed an online program to reach a bigger audience. It also gives her more time with her 3-year-old daughter.
"That was when I got really serious about wanting to develop online programs to be able to support a larger audience," Vernon said. "As a result of that, it started a chain reaction of positive growth for my business."
Being selected for "Fix My Brand" helped distinguish just how much growth Vernon has seen in her career. Both she and show host, Craig, are part of business coaching program and Craig went to Facebook to find a speaking coach for the show. Vernon was highly recommended.
"There's always that moment when you know that there are no shortage of people who do what you do when you wonder, 'am I really at the top of my field?'" Vernon said. "To be the person that pretty much everybody said this is who you should go to definitely felt special to know that my brand is strong and that people who have worked with me were able to recommend me unapologetically."
While Vernon awaits to see the episode, she said the number one thing they talked about is for entrepreneurs "to use public speaking in a way that it advances your brand rather than undermines your brand."
Vernon said while business owners know that public speaking is an important part of their brand, it can be difficult to put it into action.
"So we talk a lot about how even if you're an introvert, how to connect with your core message, that idea that you want to advance and not feel like you have to be who you 'should' be as a speaker, as a communicator, as a business owner, as a woman," she said. "Instead focus on how you're uniquely poised to serve and let that be the guiding impulse for what it is that you share."
Entrepreneurs also don't have to wait until their brands are established to make public speaking an important asset to the business, Vernon said.
"One of the hopes is that entrepreneurs who might be earlier in their careers recognize that speaking is not something you have to wait until you have such and such audience to be able to do," she said. "Rather, it can be something you can do really at the beginning to attract your ideal clients."
In addition to her appearance on "Fix My Brand," Vernon is also spreading her brand even further with the publishing of her book, "Step into Your Moxie," early next year. For more details on Vernon and her public speaking program, check out her website.
"Fix My Brand" is already planning on a Season 2 for next fall and is seeking brands to feature. More details on that can be found here.
