Bridgett Battles thrives on empowering professional women by helping them enhance their personal appearance.
Despite the pandemic challenges, she’s seen an uptick in corporate clients and speaking engagements as many are tapping into her expertise as an executive presence strategist.
“My business is has done well during the pandemic because I took the leap of faith and anybody I ever wanted to connect with — I positioned myself to make sure that I had whatever I needed — to show up as the best version of myself,” said the CEO of the Bridgett Battles Experience.
“From that, I was able to not only tell a compelling story but also show people that working from home is a prime opportunity to show how you add value to the marketplace.”
Battles said even though many people are working from home, they still need to exude the right image when participating in virtual meetings and Zoom calls.
“It’s about knowing what works for you and making sure that when you show up on the screen, that people want to turn their camera on because they want to hear from you,” Battles explained.
“Everything that you do or say, should deliver a message and this is why your presence has to be radiating and be felt through the screen.”
Her business offers executive coaching, image consulting personal brand development and media presentation training.
Battles launched her venture 10 years ago after relocating to Philadelphia from High Point, Carolina.
“I knew that I had the skill set but it was about positioning and packaging myself appropriately to actually get the roles that I desired,” she said.
“So I decided to create my own platform to get the desired results that I was looking for.”
“Being an executive presence strategist and looking at professional women, I knew that they always were able to deliver the outcomes but helping them look like the transformation they provide was one of areas that I saw that there was a gap in,” Battles continued.
She said her first seven years in business were hard as she focused on building client base and cultivating key relationships. She invested in a business coach to teach her how to price her work appropriately and stand out in the marketplace.
“It wasn’t until my seventh year when I really started to see the financial increase as well as the brand recognition,” Battles said.
During that time, the 47-year-old experienced major transitions in her life. Her dad was dying of cancer and she kept getting overlooked for promotions.
She was spurred to write her first book “Beauty and Her Battle: 30-Day Style Guide” during that harrowing time.
“All while I was going through that, is when I really got the breakthrough that I needed and that’s what helped my business to succeed,” Battles said, as she reflected on that challenging period.
Battles has 25 years of experience working in health care administration. She currently juggles running her business with working as diversity and inclusion manager at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
“The great thing about what I do is that I’ve been able to blend both worlds,” Battles said.
She enjoys seeing how transforming one’s image can impact a woman’s career. Battles gives her clients pointers on what professional clothing works best for their body type and provides a wardrobe audits.
“I want to help you transition your look so that not only your corporate career skyrockets but your bank account skyrockets,” she said.
Battles often shares her insight on fashion and diversity through her show “Coffee With Bridgett” and magazine and television appearances.
Now she’s gearing up for the summer release of a new book, which will focus on the importance of ensuring that women are actually healed as they work in corporate spaces.
“As women we have taken on a lot of the hurt from the country, so as we move forward let’s get ourselves prepared to heal,” Battles said.
Battles said seeing how women transform themselves keeps her engaged in this work.
“The transformation that I see from women who are powerful in the marketplace and they get this next level confidence – that is what keeps me going,” she said.
“I’m committed to personal brand development because I know what it’s like when you don’t get the opportunity because of the fact that people can’t get past the exterior – in their mind people have a view of what they think certain things should look like,” Battles explained.
“I like to say that when you find out what your secret sauce is it exudes in the way that you look.”
Battles says the other thing that keeps her going is being able to build relationships with professional women.
“As women, sometimes we carry a lot of silent frustrations and we carry a lot of silent frustrations because we have a lot of competing priorities and then it gets to a point in our career where we’re now trying to figure out, how do I make this next move,” she said.
“So I enjoy the problem solving – to help people figure out what that looks like for them.”
Darnyelle Jervey Harmon, the CEO of Incredible One Enterprises, LLC is one of Battles’ longtime clients. Battles has been Harmon’s stylist for approximately eight years.
“She knows her stuff,” Harmon says of the entrepreneur.
“She is the epitome of style and class and she is able to help others find their style in a way that honors who they are and how they want to show up in the world.”
“I also love that she has a background in diversity, equity and inclusion and brings that into her coaching and consulting,” she continued.
Read the complete article at: The Philadelphia Tribune
