Meet Talyn Rahman – Figueroa | Boss Diplomat

We had the good fortune of connecting with Talyn Rahman – Figueroa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Talyn, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Working for yourself can very quickly get out of hand when you don’t have a structure or routine. Being a solopreneur means you don’t have a 9-5, but this can quickly turn into a “work when awake until bedtime” situation which is obviously very unhealthy. So the first thing I had to do for myself was set up a routine and figure out HOW MUCH I wanted to work, when I wanted to work, and decide when I was working directly with clients versus focusing on deep work. Once I figured out this structure, I was able to create boundaries that could be shared with my clients without sounding aggressive or territorial. My clients understand that I only take meetings between set times in the morning and I only check emails twice a day. For more candid responses, they will have to jump on Instagram and leave messages there (HOT TIP: this helps your Instagram algorithm because you are actively engaged). The structure is KEY!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Personal Brand Consultant (originally from London, UK) specializing in turning solopreneur businesses into premium brands in their industry. This means getting business owners in front of their business and positioning to become their very own Brand Ambassadors — because people do business with people they know, like and trust, and the best way to do that is by connecting yourself to your ideal clients. When I moved into the United States, I didn’t plan for this to be my career choice, but I also knew that I was an awful employee for anyone else, and I HAD TO find something to do where I was my own boss. I noticed how American is filled with solopreneurs, individuals who worked for themselves — but their branding was….awful. The more I spoke to entrepreneurs, the more I realized how much they were struggling to attract clients, and if they did have clients, the customer experience and journey were killing productivity and other sources of income for the entrepreneur. Rebranding fixed a lot of those tire-kicker clients because when you have a polished brand that really speaks to your audience, you can charge more, but this needs to be backed up by a tight process. I work on all of this for my clients in LESS THAN 3 WEEKS! And my bread and butter is turning those entrepreneurs into stories that actually connect with people. We are always curious about why someone starts their own business and why THEM! So let’s share that story without it turning into a saga. The sweet spot is sharing enough to satisfy that curiosity before closing that sale.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
.As an expat coming into the US, I still look at my new home with a tourist lens. Coming from a very crowded city, it’s refreshing to be surrounded by farms and mountains. Everything is so seasonal here. We have actual Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winters here, so there is always something new to do depending on the season. I would love to take my friends whale watching, fruit picking farms, hang out with some farmyard animals, cook with local people, attend a playgroup at the local library, discover some new cafe or restaurants within a 20-minute drive, or check out the local parks. I’m still learning things about the area I’m living in because my headspace is still stuck in that pandemic mode – leaving the house can be tricky straight after meetings. But it’s a new year with some exciting new beginnings.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
.When I first moved to the US from the United Kingdom just 4 years ago, I started my network from SCRATCH. And yeah, my government connections did zilch for me (back in London, I was a diplomatic consultant where I helped define the personal brands of public figures!). What gave me a boost in my new life here AS WELL as a massive start to my new business was joining a global network called BNI (which stands for Business Network International). BNI is kinda like Marmite…you either love it or hate it. I visited over 14 local chapters before the pandemic where I met over 200 entrepreneurs from all sorts fo industries. These are individuals I probably would have never spoken to but it gave me a crash course on what kind of businesses thrived in the area, who really needed my help, and where the gaps in the market were. I found out very quickly how popular those realtor, insurance and financial advisor professions were, which I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years!

It took me three tries before I found the perfect chapter for me and now I can’t see my business grow without meeting the awesome members of BNI Blaze. I took over this failing chapter as its President, rebranded it and created a cross-state virtual chapter to include professionals from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and hopefully Albany New York in the future. But BNI gave me everything I needed to grow my personal and professional life in my new country, and I can’t thank them enough for helping me grow so quickly.

Website: https://bossdiplomat.com/about/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bossdiplomat/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talynrahmanfigueroa/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bossdiplomat

Other: PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-your-brand/id1704944122