When Talyn Rahman-Figueroa moved to Western Massachusetts from the United Kingdom, she brought more than just memories of the Tower of London.
Among the things she packed into her suitcase was a firm mission to chart a new career path where she could define the possibilities and the boundaries.
And she made sure to unpack that mission once she landed.
The former diplomatic consultant had worked with high-profile diplomats and politicians, but when she arrived in the U.S. in 2019, she turned her expertise to a new challenge: empowering solopreneurs.
Her venture, Boss Diplomat, was born from this mission. In five short years, she has set herself up as one of the leading brand specialists in Western Massachusetts.
Building a business & leading a community
Upon landing in Western Massachusetts, Talyn sought out fellow business leaders, joining BNI (Business Network International), one of the leading business networking organizations in the world with chapters all over the world.
Her natural leadership skills quickly shone through, and she became president of her chapter, BNI Mill River, which she went on to rebrand (but of course), as BNI Blaze.
The chapter went on to become one of the best-performing BNI chapters in the region.
Her second year as president just came to an end in September and she remains on the leadership committee, helping set up member businesses for success.
Transforming brands, one entrepreneur at a time
Talyn’s approach to business branding centers on the founder.
She believes in turning the personal stories of business leaders into business assets, empowering entrepreneurs to be their own brand ambassadors.
Her signature product, The Brand Blueprint, is built on this very idea. She describes it this way; “The Brand Blueprint is my signature service designed to transform your business by integrating your personal identity with your brand. This comprehensive approach ensures that you, as the business owner, are no longer separate from your business.”
The Boss Diplomat portfolio includes an impressive array of clients across various industries, all of whom have benefited from Talyn’s expertise. They include interior designers, real estate agents, and business coaches.
Her clients have praised her ability to “put them at the forefront of their own story” and to create brands that resonate deeply with their target audiences.
On her YouTube channel, Talyn shares tips to help businesses nail their branding.
Laura Litwiller, a career coach for teachers based in Northampton MA, worked with Boss Diplomat and had this to say, “…what I did not expect, and what was surprising and super fun to me, is how she helped me rethink the services that I offer and where there’s space in the market for me to be doing certain things I hadn’t even thought of.”
Another client, Makenson Leger, a licensed massage therapist and owner of Equal Bodywork in Watertown MA, said that before he started working with Boss Diplomat, he had no brand; “I was just working as a massage therapist, helping people. People knew I did a great massage, but they didn’t really know much else unless they had been working with me for years… Talyn really took the time to understand where I’m coming from and my background story. She put it all together beautifully.”
Key lessons from Talyn’s success
Over the years, Talyn has honed her approach to business, and she shared these five critical lessons with Inc413:
- Hire professionals and experts over freelancers – it’s expensive at first but you avoid costly mistakes later.
- Delegate marketing tasks that can be used to free your time so you can focus on more important things.
- Learn about tax savings early and put money aside for it as soon as you get paid.
- Be patient because building your brand and business is not a sprint.
- Practice the services you offer clients on your own business, then practice what you preach.
- One thing I would do differently
What she would do differently if she started over
While Talyn has seen her business grow, she acknowledges that building a robust lead-generation strategy earlier in her journey would have made a significant difference.
She reckons this is so important, that it’s top of her list of things she would do differently if she started over. “I would build a more robust lead generation strategy instead of just focusing on my marketing outreach so that I’m rarely in a position where my business experiences a low season.”
Then she ends it off with a line that would save many businesses if they took heed of it, “A good lead generation strategy will ensure that you always have a pipeline of leads even when you’re on holiday.”
CONTRIBUTOR
Fungai Tichawangana
Fungai 'Your Web Guy' Tichawangana is an entrepreneur, web developer, and writer. He is the founder of Artist Dynamix, a digital marketing agency based in Amherst MA, which helps businesses and creative entrepreneurs take off & fly. Artist Dynamix specializes in website development & management and search engine optimization. The agency's projects include Inc413, Valley of Writers, and Literary Massachusetts. When you see him put his hand up, he is reaching for the sky.
