Whether we like it or not, we are all walking brands.

Your personal brand isn’t just something you create when you decide to “become a brand.” It already exists. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. It’s how your best friend would describe you. That’s your brand.

Now, you could argue this is just giving into capitalism, and you’d be right. Capitalism has forced us to market ourselves: in the job market, dating market, even the friendship market. Some people are more intentional about it, others aren’t. But here’s what’s undeniable:

Your brand matters.

And if you want to get what you want, whether that’s opportunities, connections, or recognition, you have to start thinking about your personal brand, both online and offline.

In the last month, I completely levelled up my personal brand.

For over a year, I was posting on TikTok without thinking much about visuals, fonts, or messaging. I just focused on getting the reps in. But once I had built a foundation of content, I decided it was time to polish the presentation.

Not because superficiality is everything, but because presentation helps you stand out. Especially in a space like finance, where most content looks the same. I wanted to create a brand that not only resonated with people interested in money, but also attracted people from beauty, lifestyle and fashion.

The results?

Here are the key things I did:

I coined and trademarked Frugal Chic. Was I the first person to ever use those words? No. But I was the first to make it trend. My series blew up, other creators made their own takes, and soon it was featured in Who What Wear and Vogue.

Those two words perfectly summed up my content: the balance between finance and fashion, style and substance. And most importantly, it gave people something to identify with.

If you are interested. I registered it with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) with the UK Government. It cost me £270, but I was able to claim it as a business expense.

Your visuals matter more than you think. I didn’t have the resources lying around to do a high budget photoshoot, so I used an older picture with direct flash that aligned with the luxury aesthetic I wanted. (Pro tip: don’t be afraid to reuse older photos if they work. Just don’t catfish!) This was THE profile pic.. and the bonus points, it was just sitting in my camera roll.

I also got creative with opportunities. For example, I offered to create content for a hotel in exchange for a stay. Not only did it save me money, it gave me beautiful imagery I could use as evergreen brand assets. I did a simple pitch (even though I rarely do cold outreach) just stating I would do a video in return for a stay, you’d be suprised how many hotels would say yes. In the future I hope to expand my UGC offering into travel so its a win on both sides - they get exposure, I get assets for my brand and to add to my portfolio. See the picture I took there below:

I also curated my feed to reflect the luxurious element of the Frugal Chic aesthetic that I wanted to push. Sometimes feeling elegant and luxurious isn’t about buying a load of expensive products, it can literally be tweaking your online presense.

This one is inspired by Dan Koe: you are the niche.

For a long time, I thought I had to stay boxed into “finance content.” But that limited my full potential. My background in modelling, my love for luxury fashion, even my personal story, being adopted and growing up in London, these are all parts of me that make my content unique.

The key to being interesting online? Solve your own problems in public.

This meant diversifying into self improvement. The results? A video about 5 habits I did to get hotter, richer and smarter getting almost 1 million views. It literally proves that you shouldn’t box yourself into one category as you could be turning down so much opportunity in other areas.

This was the most important shift.

I stopped asking for permission, “does this post make sense?” or “should I say it like this?” Instead, I started leading with authority. Once I quit my 9–5, something clicked.

If I was capable of taking care of myself without relying on a paycheck, then I was capable of anything I put my mind to. That internal shift gave me the confidence to show up bolder, take risks, and own my voice online.

So I understand these tips are more geared towards those with a public brand, but what about our private ones?

We often think that having an aesthetically pleasing skincare shelf or Tekla bedsheets will suddenly make us cool or interesting. But that’s the consumerism trap: it will never be enough. There will always be something better to buy.

Here are some ways to rebrand yourself, without spending a load of money.

Anytime you’re introduced to a new topic or argument, ask why. Go full toddler mode, “why” everything.

I think the most intelligent people aren’t necessarily book-smart or armed with PhDs, they’re simply curious about the world.

A simple way to action this is to become a better listener in conversation. Ask deeper questions. One I asked recently was: “What would you do if money didn’t matter?” The person paused, thought, and said, “That’s a great question.”

You’d be surprised how much you can learn, and how memorable you can become, just by listening more deeply. An inquisitive mind is always a sharp one.

This relates to your personal brand because when you take steps to learn, you naturally become more knowledgeable and more interesting and you can share the value with others.

You don’t need a £200 course in “public speaking” to get better at expressing yourself. Start with the everyday moments, sharing an idea in a work meeting, telling a story to your friends, even replying to a message.

People remember not just what you say, but how you say it. Improving your communication is one of the fastest, most cost-effective glow ups for your personal brand.

Here are three simple shifts you can make:

When you speak with clarity and confidence, people naturally start to see you as more credible, persuasive, and magnetic.

You don’t need fancy aesthetics to look intentional online. Take an hour to look at your social media with fresh eyes: does it align with how you want to be seen?

For my fellow content creators, please, if you do one thing from reading this, please have a link in bio you are wasting valuable real estate here. Linktree is free or Stan Store is great once you’re more established. This is invalubale.

Delete the posts that don’t represent you anymore. Update your bio to reflect who you are now. Consistency in how you show up, across TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, even your email signature, creates a stronger brand.

The ultimate glow up is when you start keeping promises to yourself. It doesn’t have to be huge. Post the video when you said you would. Go for the run you committed to. Write the one page you promised yourself.

Self-trust compounds. And when you start to see yourself as reliable, others will too. That shift in energy is magnetic, and it costs nothing.

1. Define Your Brand Core
Write down 3 words you want people to associate with you.
Ask a close friend how they’d describe you, see where the overlap is.
Lock those words in as your guiding compass.

2. Audit Your Online Presence
Do a ruthless unfollow: influencers who just push products, someone you knew 10 years ago who never said a word to you, following people just because they’re pretty.
Update your bios so they reflect who you are now.

3. Curate Your Visual Identity
Pick one strong profile picture, stick to 2 fonts and 2–3 colors, and align your feed with how you want to be perceived. Cohesion > chaos.

4. Sharpen Your Communication
Say less. Don’t over-explain.
Drop the disclaimers—skip “I think” or “maybe.”
Be intentional: ask yourself, what do I want this person to feel?

5. Build Self-Trust
Keep a promise to yourself: if you say you are going to take the bin out, take it out.
Make it small and see if you can compound into larger things, like making 1 TikTok or writing on Substack.

So that’s how to have a 360 rebrand this next month. Call it winter lock in or whatever you want, but THIS is the time to change our lives. Summer is over, these are the months to grind quietly so we can reach 2026 feeling our best selves.

On a more personal note - I am now officially a funemployed girly!! Which doesn’t mean descending into degenercy, it actually means locking tf in. I am so excited for you guys to see how I evolve as a creator. September was challenging for me transparently. I can’t complain, I went away twice and made so many memories, I was really present with friends and family. I just didn’t have enough organic content, and that stressed me out - the lesson, bulk film as painful as it is. I feel like a played it out quite smoothly and no one noticed I was secretly crashing out aha. Thanks for your patience this month and investment portolfio updates on my TT will resume in October - I can’t wait :).

That’s all this week,

Mia xxx

Links: https://stan.store/Miarosemcgrath

frugalchic.co.uk