Hannah Kathleen Hawkshaw,22, is a recognized multi-award winning blogger, singer/ songwriter, passionate entrepreneur and brand consultant; and the Founder & CEO of Branding Marketing Results, a branding & marketing firm based in Ireland.
As an entrepreneur, she has traveled internationally to conduct workshops in countries such as the US and Germany, on the topics of next-generation digital marketing, brand design, and personal development.
She consults relevant branding & marketing strategies to her clients across 5 continents; with which she works to develop their brand messaging so they can dominate their market and effectively position themselves as authorities within their industries, in a way that is forward-thinking and fit for today’s new economy.
She is incredibly passionate about the idea that we can each ‘create our own opportunity’, and spreads that message across her social media, through her talks, and within her company.
What is your entrepreneur’s story? How did you come about building your business?
I started my entrepreneurial journey when I was just 13 years old, almost by accident, when I created a fashion blog. I was unwell at the time and home from school, and one day, I stumbled across blogger.com online. I had no idea what a blog was, but I thought it seemed like a fun idea and so I set one up for myself. What began as a hobby soon became a sort of lifeline for me; I was going through a lot with my illness and blogging offered me a creative outlet to express myself when everything else in my life seemed as though it was falling apart.
During my recovery period, I began investing more time and energy into it, and as a result, I found myself being invited to events like London Fashion Week and working with brands like boohoo.com and Littlewoods Ireland. Through these experiences, I subconsciously learned the power of social media marketing and personal branding. Soon after that, I had small business owners reaching out to me for help with their own branding and marketing, and that piqued my interest in business, so I started educating myself further through ebooks, webinars, and online courses. The more time I spent learning about business, the more I realized that I had a skill set that could help people get their message out there and improve their businesses, so I started monetizing it. A simple fashion blog was the catalyst for the business I own now, Branding Marketing Results, and enabled me to build a branding and marketing company with international reach.
What is your business model — how were you able to grow so fast?
Now, I’m the CEO & Founder of Branding Marketing Results, a branding, and marketing firm based in Ireland. We work with purpose-driven entrepreneurs all around the world, who are on a mission to create positive change through their businesses and marketing message. We guide them in establishing a brand that stands out to their ideal clients, and one that’s relevant for today’s economy, leveraging personal branding and attraction marketing techniques. It’s very important to me to help as many people as possible to monetize their message and scale their social media reach, so we offer a wide range of services, from self-study online courses (we just launched a new one called Social Media Brand Mastery) to comprehensive 12-month+ business growth strategies, implementation, consulting and workshops. I believe that our growth has come from a combination of things, such as networking, speaking, and coaching. I’m a big believer in having great advisors on board, regardless of what industry you’re in, and I’m grateful to have some incredible mentors in my life, who have saved me a lot of time thanks to their insights. However, you have got to be all in, and our rewards have come as the result of years of hard work.
Can you give me an overview of who you are, what is your educational or overall background? What are some of your achievements?
I’m an Irish entrepreneur, speaker, and multi-award winning blogger and singer/ songwriter with a passion for people. I believe that we all have a story, and just like many others, I had many obstacles that I had to face early on. I really suffered from my health in my teens, and as a result, I took some time away from school at the age of 16. I realized that my health had to come first and I needed to take the time away to recover, but this was very difficult for me. I hated the fact that I couldn’t do something that was considered so ‘normal’, and it tore me apart inside. However, during that time, I fell in love with entrepreneurship. I realized that over the years I had developed a skill set that I could use to help others achieve their own goals, so I decided to go all-in with business and teach myself as much as I possibly could about online marketing. After that, I never looked back, and my hard work was recognized and celebrated when I won Best Fashion Blog at the V by Very National Blog Awards of Ireland in 2017.
Since then, my business has grown more than my 16-year-old self could have ever imagined. I’ve had the pleasure of traveling internationally to conduct workshops in countries such as the US and Germany, on the topics of next-generation digital marketing, brand design, and personal development. I’ve spent time with some of the world’s highest achievers across industries, including Sir Richard Branson, at his home on his private island, Necker Island, and for me, that was a very special moment as he is one of my business idols. We’ve had clients across five continents, which was quite an amazing realization for me, who we work with to develop their brand messaging so they can dominate their market and effectively position themselves as authorities within their industries.
It’s taken years of hard work, late nights watching webinars, and missing a lot of nights out and social events to spend time growing the business, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am so grateful to work with amazing people every day, who are inspiring massive change within their industries. I love what I do and I’m excited to see what the next chapter brings, and I also plan to spend more time on my musical projects. Music was my first love, and a driving force behind why I started my business, and so I’m happy to be spending more time on that this year alongside my business.
What have you learned through your experiences as an entrepreneur that can be used by aspiring business individuals?
Realize that you are so much more capable than you think. Too often we put a cap on our own potential because we let self-doubt sink in. If you are not where you want to be, it’s very likely it’s as a result of your own self-sabotaging thoughts. It’s so important to believe in where you want to go. If you have a vision, but don’t really believe in it, then no one else will, so 1) start believing in your dreams, and 2) surround yourself with people who lift you up and celebrate your vision. Build your network: Get yourself around people who are more successful than you, who are dominating your industry and learn from them.
Most importantly, put in the work. You need to go all-in with your vision, particularly in the early days. Entrepreneurship is not always easy, but it’s totally worth it and will bring so many opportunities into your life. Whether it be through social media or traditional networking, there are so many possibilities out there. I am incredibly passionate about the idea that we can each create our own opportunity, and this is a message that I am committed to sharing through my seminars, content, and online programs.
What makes your business so unique and successful?
I believe my company is unique because of the perspective we bring to the table. The business world is ever-changing, and in order to remain relevant, you have got to have a deep understanding of the market. Thanks to the experience I gained as a blogger, I realize the power of personal branding, and so when developing marketing strategies for our clients, we focus on growing the company brand and the personal brands of the key members within an organization. We also create a two-pronged approach, one that incorporates offline marketing methods alongside the online strategy, because, in order to stand out in the market, I feel both play key roles, and too often, businesses focus on one over the other. We also have an international team and partners who are each expert in their fields, to maximize our input and ensure we put the best possible plan in place relevant to our clients’ goals.
What skills and attributes make you as successful as you are?
I believe that saying YES to opportunities have taken me to where I am now. There have been times in the past where an opportunity has crossed my desk and I had absolutely no idea how I would make it happen, but I knew if I said yes that I could figure it out later… And I did, on multiple occasions. You see, in order to grow, you have got to take risks. It’s better to have tried and failed, then to never have tried at all. You never lose — You either win or you learn. Every experience is a learning opportunity and when you realize that, you’ll see so much change within your life and business.
I also consistently push myself to be better. I believe that you should always be educating yourself, and I have invested a lot of time, energy, and money into developing my mind and perspective. Through this, I have built my skillset massively and improved my ability to network, connect, sell, and serve. Everything is connected, and when you realize this, you’ll be able to make smarter, more educated decisions and spend your time more wisely.
Why is online business, marketing, etc important?
Online marketing is incredibly important. I’m a big believer that you should always take note of the developments taking place in technology and how it impacts your industry, and the internet impacts us all. Social media means that we are more connected than ever. If you’re not leveraging social media marketing within your business, you’re leaving money on the table. You are literally seconds away from communicating with thousands of people who will be interested in what you have to say, and the solution that your product or service provides. Once you understand that and spend time crafting a strategy relevant to your customers, industry and business goals, then the world literally becomes your oyster.
Social Media:
Instagram: @hannahhawkshaw
Personal Website: HannahHawkshaw.com
Business Website: BrandingMarketingResults.com
New online course: www.socialmediabrandmastery.com
Testimonials From Clients:
“Hannah Kathleen is awesome. She does great work. I highly recommend her.” — David, USA
“I met Hannah in 2017, and I have to say, she’s one of the most professional people I’ve ever worked with. I couldn’t believe the efficiency and determination that she had when working on my project. I told her the ideas I had for my business and how I wanted to grow it internationally, and in 6 weeks, because of her work, I now have clients in the Caribbean, Holland, Norway, Iceland, UK & Ireland. She treats your business as if it’s her own and I whole-heartedly recommend anyone to work with her.” — Declan, Ireland
“Hannah gave me a push in the right direction and the next day, I got 2 clients. I doubled my investment in her coaching within the first day of coaching with her. Hannah is an absolute rockstar when it comes to understanding branding, marketing, message, sales funnels, and overall business strategy.” — Steven, USA