Founder’s Story

Written By Andrew Ford

Social Star’s journey began with Andrew Ford as a solo-preneur, specialising in personal branding fuelled by his passion for personal development and digital marketing.

Through passion and unwavering dedication, Social Star has evolved from its humble beginnings into a multifaceted organisation, offering a blend of personal branding and business branding utilising marketing strategies based on the e-ttraction inbound marketing ethos.

The business has gone from strength to strength. However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Transitioning from a family business to the corporate world and eventually venturing into entrepreneurship presented its fair share of hurdles but that is where the personal growth is found.

Andrew relates the process of building your own business to running a marathon, “If I wanted to travel 42 kilometres, I could just drive my car. But if I choose to run it what’s the benefit? I don’t get paid, there is some kudos but really it’s the personal challenge of doing something difficult. The satisfaction comes from the training, the discipline and dealing with the pain and not giving up. Business is no different. It’s easier to get a job, but the excitement and challenge is in doing something difficult and succeeding.”

We all want to be successful, however, it's the overcoming of obstacles and navigating through adversities that breeds resilience and fosters personal and professional development.

The Essence of Personal Branding

Since the beginning of Social Star the core essence has remained the same: there is power in personal branding. The people behind brands and products are the most compelling aspect and by integrating personal stories into business strategies, businesses can see a significant surge in engagement and resonance with their target audience.

Empowering the Next Generation

Andrew's vision extends towards empowering the next generation of marketers through his lecturing at Universities and mentoring young professionals in the industry. Social Star serves as a platform for aspiring marketers to gain practical experience, mentorship, and invaluable insights in the realm of marketing. By bridging the gap between academia and industry, Andrew aims to equip young adults with the necessary skills and expertise to thrive in their careers.

A Legacy of Impact and Abundance

For Andrew, success isn't merely measured in monetary terms but in the positive impact he leaves on individuals and communities. His commitment to helping others has not only fuelled the growth of Social Star but has also enriched the lives of countless individuals. As Andrew puts it, "If you help people, and put positive it will come," a testament to the abundance of inbound referrals we receive.

Conclusion

Social Star focuses on the potential of personal branding and the impact it can have on businesses and individuals. Through a blend of authenticity, resilience, and unwavering dedication, Andrew continues to pave the way for a new era of marketing, one that prioritises human connection and empowerment above all else.

Andrew Ford
Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.
http://www.andrewford.com.au/
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