In this episode ep.2, you are invited to an interview of myself telling the story behind Flock Differently. I share how this podcast came to life after a major pivot in my business, and why it marks a milestone in the way I lead and work now.

From the origins of my consultancy The Brandz Bee, to the moments that shaped how I see branding, leadership, and marketing, I open up about where I’m heading and what this platform is here for.

If you’re a changemaker who wants to lead with intention, this episode sets the tone for everything to come.

Listen to this episode on Spotify:

Read the transcript below:

Welcome or welcome back to Flock Differently. Today is going to be something a little bit different.

Today is going to be an interview, but the thing is it’s going to be me interviewing me. So I wanted to continue this series of opening up what this podcast is about, what I am about, what you can expect to see here, and I had this idea to do it in an interview format.

Question 1: Can you introduce yourself and tell us what Flock Differently is about?

I’m Ruqayyah. I am a brand consultant, founder of The Brandz Bee where I help leaders to grow platforms that defy the norm with brand strategy, digital marketing, and leadership coaching.

Flock Differently is a podcast, it’s basically a platform where I am going to be sharing ideas all around branding and leadership for change makers.

So this podcast is a little bit different in that it’s not strictly about tips, it’s not very, very polished. Flock Differently is doing what it says in the name. It is a platform that advocates for changemakers, people in business with real passion and purpose behind what they do, what they put out into the world, to hear stories from other people who are in a similar line of work, listen to my insights as a brand consultant in helping people to put their work out there, get recognised by more people, and grow the following of people that get behind their cause so they can facilitate the changes that their brand has been founded for.

Question 2: Where did the idea for this podcast come from?

I really love reflecting on this because I feel like this podcast itself is a big milestone in the direction that I am now going towards with my business. Myself as an entrepreneur and as a woman in my day-to-day life, I feel like this is something that really brings it all together.

The podcast has come as a natural development of my pivot, my slight pivot, and what I’m doing in The Brandz Bee consultancy.

I began in 2021 consulting, coaching business owners in how they can market and brand their business in a way to really connects it with people. That’s basically what my inspiration was in beginning it.

I have been in business for many years and in that time I was actively building a platform and I wanted to share everything that I was learning using my experience, as well as a freelance graphic designer in the past time, combining that with the strategic side of branding, advertising psychology, marketing, especially digital marketing. I put all of that as a passion into helping other people as I saw so many really doing amazing things, offering amazing products and services, such great ideas but they weren’t getting the recognition that I felt like their platforms really deserved.

Over time my work has developed. I’ve pivoted from being a bit more general, working with Muslim women. I then went into seeing ways that I could scale the consultancy and that led me to going into more of a niche target, that was until I found a better footing in, again, going back to my original idea, my original passion in serving women.

I had elevated at that time and that was all happening before the big shutdown and the shutdown is that big moment for me.

I made a decision to close The Brandz Bee, if we count all of the time that I was really inactive we could say it was about a year’s break. Coming back, I have just a totally different mindset towards building a business and approaching your branding and marketing.

I feel like it’s developed so much not just from taking that break away and really asking and questioning myself about what my true values are in doing this work but also through the experiences that I’ve had in working with people through those years.

All of those different kinds of businesses, all those different entrepreneurs that I had the pleasure of connecting with, working with and that led me to having a very big focus on ethical, sustainable values in branding and marketing.

So, Flock Differently is a by-product of this and it’s a place where I am bringing those ideas.

I am speaking on those values, with different stance which focuses more on who you are as the founder, your story, that origin that really got you into what you’re doing and how to make that be the foundation for what you’re building.

I found that so many entrepreneurs, myself included at one point, we go into business and then it’s like we kind of have to put that identity, those principles aside in order to go for all of those growth tactics and strategies that we’re constantly being told work and we’re constantly seeing the results of in terms of numbers, in terms of following.

What I am here to do is to speak on a different way which brings it more internally. It helps you to become more grounded in who you are and bringing that into your business. Even though I say that, I don’t refer to personal branding. What I’m saying is: as I’m building a platform and I mostly work with people who are building a platform, it’s something that is separate from themselves, it’s not “I am creating a business around me, the expert:, no, I am someone who is obviously the founder of what I’m doing but I’m growing and building a platform for change makers in business.

That can still be very much tied to my story and my vision, and it should be, that is more in line with effective, empathetic and authentic leadership.

I think I’m quite enjoying this format, I didn’t think that my answers would come out that long.

Question 3: What made you go towards this side of business?

Meaning, what made me go so deep and move away from just focusing on helping businesses get sales or having a really nice logo and colour palette?

Why do I bring this (and where) did I start bringing this other stance into my business?

I feel like I kind of already answered that pretty much in the question and answer that I just did, but I am going to add another side to that which is,

My experience working with people.

Like I said in the beginning, I was mostly doing coaching and as a designer, I was also designing brand identities.

The coaching aspect was something that was newer to me in doing as a business and it was through that work I was getting on calls with amazing people.

These were people who had created something, a product for example, or a community, a service, a book. Now, looking at their profiles or their websites, I got to see the amazing things that they were doing but it was always a case of, this could be getting so much more and should be getting so much more eyes on.

Like the real depth of what they’re doing and what they’re putting out here is something that it’s not what you see on average. There’s a real soul behind this.

Getting on those phone calls, going through those coaching sessions, working with them as clients, I got to understand the people behind what they were offering and learning their stories, how they got started, their personal experiences that really inspired them to do this.

Something that I always like to speak on and mention is the fact that you, as a business leader, as an entrepreneur, you have stepped up with an idea and you’ve made a decision where you’ve said, “You know what, everything that’s already out here is not doing what I see it could have”, right? The market is missing it, the people that have access to this way that I would like to offer.

Especially for, you know, purposeful passionate entrepreneurs who are doing it based on a real desire to make change and offer something positive to the world. This is where you’re coming from.

What I saw was that this was not coming through in their brand, it wasn’t coming through in their marketing. This depth, this substance, this real soul that was behind everything that they are putting out there, it wasn’t coming through. This is where I was helping them to put that into their communication, create a visual identity that really captures what they’re about and what people are actively looking for. Making that message and mission front and center stage of their efforts.

That is definitely something that made me go towards this side of business. It’s not just this flat, “right, you’re selling something, I know how to design a brand identity that looks amazing, let’s put that together” and Bob’s your uncle, go make some sales.

It sounds great, sometimes we do need that kind of simplicity. But when it comes to the actual work of it and getting it right, I like to go deep and I like to make sure that there is a deeper alignment with what you’re doing, how it’s coming across, how people are connecting with it and that’s what led me towards a more soulful approach in branding and marketing.

Question 4: What can we expect to see on the Flock Differently podcast?

This question lights me up, I know that I wrote it and I’m reading it right now to myself but it lights me up because I am a visionary, I am a dreamer and so I love to think of the future, I am the ideas lady and yet at the same time I have really learned to make sure that you keep your promises.

So I don’t want to say everything, I only want to say what you can expect in terms of format and some things that are already in the works that will be available on the podcast shortly.

Number one thing that I’m excited for, is my change maker story interviews. I’ve already had a couple of really amazing change makers on the podcast, their interviews are in the works and they will be coming up shortly after this episode.

The reason why I really think that’s going to be a great thing is because doing this work, sometimes it is hard depending on what kind of communities you’re in – to feel seen and to realise that there are other people like you with similar values, similar ideas, you know a similar motivation behind what you’re doing.

This podcast just gives them that platform to hear their stories, go behind the work that they’re doing and really get to learn about the real people, how they do it, how they stay so sharp, so focused, so committed and dedicated to their vision. So that’s one thing, the change maker stories.

Number two, I have some series as well. If you follow my regular content I like to write with depth in mind, and on this podcast is where you get to hear it direct from me with my voice, it’s just an opportunity depending on how you like to consume your information.

Come and listen with me on the podcast, go and read it on the blog, catch the little tidbits on social media pages, that’s one thing that Flock Differently is here to do.

And thirdly, I’ll be digging into some of the strategies that I’m using here at The Brandz Bee consultancy, so you can get a deeper understanding of my perspective and my approach to how I’m helping businesses: what that looks like applied across different industries, different sizes of businesses as well.

Here is where you get that live as if we’re on a meeting together, obviously I know you can’t talk back to me but you can leave comments, you can respond to the newsletter if you’ve clicked onto this from the email, you can leave a comment on the social media, all is welcome, let’s make it a conversation!

Yeah, I’m really looking forward to that kind of interactivity between us.

Question 5: What or who are my biggest inspirations?

For me, my biggest inspirations are the women of my family.

In my family we have great examples of women with really strong opinions, convicted and principled people that stand by who they are and what they say and what they’re about and I think that’s definitely the biggest inspiration for me.

Being a woman from this family, it gave me that direct example of what it looks like to be integral, to be a principled person and apply that to all areas of your life. To have come from people that care about the impact that they have on the world, I think that has been such a beautiful thing for me to witness in my life.

Because it’s easy to just focus on your own self and what’s going on within your own home – but you know we need that leadership that thinks outside of what’s impacting me and to really put ourselves forward in considering how I can make the world a better place, even if it’s on a really small scale, just knowing and being intentional about what I’m putting out there into the world. So my biggest inspirations, that’ll definitely be the women in my family.

Last but not least, what is something that you want all listeners to take away today?

The message that I would love for you to take away if you are listening to this podcast episode and you’ve been here up until now, I know that you are someone who is interested in doing good in the world and putting yourself forward for the greater good and I really respect that, I really really really respect that.

I want you to know you can make a difference.

It doesn’t matter the size or the scale of where you’re at right now, it doesn’t matter how big or small your platform is, just by showing up as you and expressing yourself authentically, removing the filter from your messages, making your voice heard, you can be the domino that we need for change.

It always begins with one hard-headed, confident, stubborn person to set the ripple effect in motion.

I hope you enjoyed today’s podcast episode, if you’re listening, leave a comment if you’re on Spotify, if you received this in an email, respond, let me know your thoughts, let me know if you have any other questions, let me hear your story and I hope to see you in the next one.