Bend It Like Beckham

Like her or not, Victoria Beckham is one of the icons of our age. A woman with no particular socio-economic advantage, education or qualifications, her remarkable rise to wealth and fame, and her ability not only to stay on the right side of the press but to continually reinvent her image in a positive way, is no mean feat.

Whether you are a woman who wants to juggle family life with a successful career, to build a respected business from scratch, or to inspire a generation of other women with your style, there is a lot that you can learn from Victoria Beckham.

7 Career Lessons from Style Icon Victoria Beckham

1. Do What You Love

Victoria Beckham knows better than most that you have to do what you love if you are going to be a success: if your heart isn’t in what you are doing, you won’t be able to inspire others either.

Although the Spice Girls were the most famous girl band on the planet in the late 1990s, Victoria Beckham and her fellow group members knew that unless they could put their all into the band, it would falter.

When they no longer had a passion for singing, they called it a day, and Victoria Beckham instead pursued her other great love in life: fashion.

If your heart isn’t in what you are doing, you won’t be able to inspire others. Click To Tweet

2. Build the Right Team

No woman is an island, and especially when you are starting out in a new field, you need to have the right people around you.

Victoria Beckham was fortunate to be catapulted to fame by the best people in the music business, and when she transitioned into the fashion world she made sure that she was supported by people of similar calibre.

By identifying and hiring the best designers, manufacturers and marketing team, Victoria Beckham avoided falling into the trap of being just another celebrity with a clothing range: she was able to create a high quality product that is loved by fashion journalists and customers alike.

3. Reinvent Yourself

There is no need to stick at the same job all your life, or to keep the same look. Victoria Beckham has demonstrated time and again her capacity not only for changing her own style (the barely there dresses and breast implants of the Spice Girls’ era are long gone) but also her professional image.

Whether as a pop star, WAG or, latterly, force to be reckoned with in the fashion world, Victoria Beckham has worked hard to keep her personal and professional offering fresh and relevant to a contemporary audience.

4. Keep Your Private Life Private

In the nearly 20 years since Victoria Beckham first made her public appearance, there have been remarkably few scandals about her private life. Yes, allegations have been made about her husband’s infidelity, but nothing has ever been proven.

Unlike some other celebrities, Victoria Beckham has maintained a healthy relationship with the press, offering them just enough insight into her family life to satisfy them, but not so much that images of her children are plastered across every tabloid.

She has therefore been able to live, and raise her family, beyond the media glare, choosing what to share with the public and what she wants to keep private.

5. Invest In Your Image

First impressions count: they inform how people view us, and are almost impossible to overturn. Victoria Beckham understands that how you dress, hold yourself and wear your hair are hugely important, and you really can’t scrimp on your look.

You needn’t have a huge wardrobe of clothes and accessories to choose from, but you should look purchase a few, high quality pieces that are versatile. Invest in the right little black dress, a well cut jacket, a pencil skirt, and good looking heels.

Spend money on getting the right haircut. You can then dress up or dress down your look as the occasion demands.

6. Know What Is Important To You

For Victoria Beckham, three things are important: her marriage; her children; and her work. She has these things clear in her mind, and works hard to ensure that all three priorities are balanced.

When David Beckham was signed to LA Galaxy, there was no question that Victoria Beckham would follow him with their children to the US, even if it meant an upheaval in her own professional life. Sometimes compromises have to be struck so that your team can move forward together.

We cannot all have Victoria Beckham’s jet setting lifestyle, or David Beckham on our arm, but we can learn from her success.

If you are dissatisfied with where you are in your life and want to achieve something more, ask yourself two questions: What can I do that love? Who do I need, personally and professionally, on my team to make it happen? And you will on your way to your to success.

7. Focus on the Bottom Line

To be successful in business you need to focus on what makes you money so that your company can grow sustainably.

It’s no good just handing responsibility for this over to your accountant: you have to take a personal interest. Victoria Beckham has paid close and constant to the number crunching, with the result that she has been able to stimulate sales growth of 2,900%, and grew a 30m business in just six years.

No wonder Forbes magazine named her Britain’s most successful entrepreneur of 2014.

To be successful in business you need to focus on what makes you money so that your company can grow sustainably. Click To Tweet

Your Turn…

What’s the most valuable career lesson you’ve ever learned? Leave your comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

(Image: Jingdianmeinv)

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