Start Here • Leslie Friedman Consulting: Fashion, Personal Branding, and Communication Resources

Leslie Friedman is an author, speaker, and image consultant based in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is passionate about helping individuals leverage their appearance to be more successful.

bio, biography, about section, who is Leslie Friedman, University of Georgia, Parsons school of design

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It’s the spring of 2008. Stocks are crashing, credit is limited, and the financial aid office of my college calls me in.

The conversation went something like this:

Financial Aid Officer: “Your scholarship won’t be renewed for the 2009/2010 school year”

Me: “What? It’s an academic scholarship. I have the best grades in the class! How is that possible?”

Financial Aid Officer: “Sorry, that’s just the way it is.”

I was just finishing my sophomore year at Parsons School of Design in New York City and without that scholarship, I couldn’t continue.

It was devastating.

I remember riding the subway to class after that conversation and thinking through all my options. I had worked so hard to transfer to Parsons to become a fashion designer and now that dream seemed like it was melting in front of my eyes. I spent the first 20 minutes of my next class crying in the bathroom.

After a lot of thought, I forwent taking on tens of thousands of student loans, and returned back to The University of Georgia to get a more versatile degree in fashion business.

Turns out, it would take a lot more than leaving design school to ruin my dreams of becoming an apparel designer.

Posing with my dress form and a 'dress in progress'.

A year and a half later (plus an insane amount of more hard work), I was fresh out of college and had just landed my dream job: women’s wear designer for private boutique.

Every week, I had the chance to create new outfits, market the collections to other boutiques and the consumer, and oversee all business and manufacturing aspects of the label.

It wasn’t an easy job, but getting to talk to customers about what they loved about my pieces made it all worth it.

It also opened up doors I never thought were possible.

While spending time talking to my customers one on one, I realized that most of them had trouble putting outfits together. They also hated their closets and always had ‘nothing to wear’.

That’s when I realized I was doing it all wrong. The majority of women don’t need more clothing options (no matter how cute), they need assistance finding the clothes that look best on them and creating great outfits!

In the past, I had scoffed at ‘consultants’. “What do you actually do? Are you providing any real value?” Then, all of a sudden, I had people coming up to me in bars telling me that they would pay me to go through their closet (a service I didn’t realize could even be a service). That’s when I realized that I could really provide real value and help a lot of women.

When my consulting business took off, I did something I never thought I would: left my design business behind.

That’s when I got insatiably greedy. Not for money, but to see how many people I could help.

I integrated personal branding into everything that I did, so my clients wouldn’t just look great for the day, but have a foundation in how they wanted others to perceive them.

I was addicted to using as many avenues as possible to reach people and help them take control of their appearance.

I transformed this website into a resource bank for fashion, personal branding, and non-verbal communication.

I started talking about the importance of your appearance and personal branding at colleges, women’s groups, and large special events.

I wrote a best-selling book explaining what it actually means to dress like someone who is intelligent, funny, or dedicated.

In late 2016, I started thinking of a way to give fashion advice to anyone anywhere.

the ultimate style and fashion online course

I’ve lived in a lot of small towns, and I know that women in rural areas don’t have the same fashion help as those in urban areas.

So, I hatched a plan.

Why don’t I take all the biggest questions and issues I get from clients about fashion and create an e-course?

Anyone who has an internet access and can speak English could learn all the tips and tricks about dressing your best that I give to my clients one on one.

Thus, The Ultimate #STYLE Guide was born…and women loved it.

I started getting emails from women all over the world saying things like…

This course is amazing! I loved how I could do the lessons at my own speed and didn't have to even leave my couch. -Katie H.

As a stay at home mom to two little ones, I want to look good but I don't have time to go to classes or hire someone to fix my closet issues. Leslie gave me all the tools to look great without having to sacrifice a ton of money or time. -Kelley P.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for creating this course! It's exactly what I've been looking for! -Adrienne S.

Then I decided to do something bigger

The Ultimate #STYLE Course was such a hit that I made a second e-course: How to Create a #TRADEMARK WORTHY Personal Brand.

Your appearance is the packaging on your brand. If you have no idea what your brand is, you’re packaging is going to be all over the place. In an effort to help people dress better, I realized I needed to go deeper and help them discover their personal brands.

This time, I included a 20+ page workbook that follows along with my step by step videos to help you understand what a personal brand is, why it’s important, and how to develop one that’s going to make you successful.

Unlike the #STYLE Course, this one is directed to both men and women, and I’ve been blown away by the feedback.

I wanted to write you to let you know how much this course has impacted my career. I feel like I'm living up to my true potential and I'm not getting passed over for promotions anymore. -Sarah S.

I recommended this to all my friends. I don't know how anyone can achieve their goals and be successful without a personal brand! -Casey B.

I had no clue what a personal brand was, but I kept hearing I needed one. This course was everything I needed! Leslie starts at the beginning and makes personal branding easy for anyone to understand. -Patrick A.

Here’s what it all comes down to.

When I was crying in a bathroom stall over the demise of my future 10+ years ago, I never thought that I would have the opportunity to help others in the way that do.

Through personal experience, hardship and triumph, and genuinely listening to customers, I discovered this dirty little secret:

The way you look tells the world everything…

…if you’re going to be a good hire.

…if you’re going to be a terrible CEO.

…if you’re kind, loving, and compassionate or rigid and curt.

…if you’re going to be a good significant other.

Here’s another little secret no one tells you about…

You have almost full control over your appearance and your personal brand.

Don’t leave it up to fate.

Don’t just put on ‘whatever’ in the morning because ‘it doesn’t matter’.

It does matter. The key to your success at work and in life revolve around how others perceive you.

Make sure they see the YOU, you want them to see.

Take control of your personal brand and dress it in a way that allows you to dictate your own reputation, not someone else.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing incredible change in people’s lives when they take the time to do this.

It’s not easy. I learned that from talking to lots and lots of women. It’s not easy to dress the ‘way you want to be perceived’. It’s not easy to find time to ‘cultivate a personal brand’. These things aren’t easy, but that’s why I’m always in the process of creating more resources…to help you look fantastic and rock this little thing called life.

Don’t wait, take action today!

I want to:

Look better

Are you ready to start looking and feeling as good as you deserve?

Yes, Please!

Be heard and understood

The secret to getting what you want is good communication. Start discovering the ins and outs of becoming a master communicator, today.

Let's do it!

Boost my brand

Do you want to make more money, have better job security, and increase your self esteem? Creating a personal brand can do all that and more.

Tell me more!