Personal Brand

Hi all, as I’ve been learning lots in college, I’m at a point in my life where I’m confident to start talking about what I’ve learned. My background involves 4 years of studying business management, so let’s say I’ve been around the block.

This year I’ve worked a lot on my personal brand. More specifically, learning how to re-brand myself. I would go as far to say I’ve gone from 0 to 100 in relatively a short amount of time. Before I get carried away though, let me define personal brand. Simply put, personal brand is who you are and how you sell yourself to others. My favorite example of a great personal brand is Abraham Lincoln. Everyone has heard of “Honest Abe”, but where did that nickname come from? Abraham Lincoln himself. And guess what? Abraham Lincoln is remembered as one of the greatest U.S. presidents of all time, known for having high responsibility and making the right choices in the face of adversity.

Sounds appealing, right? So where do you even begin? That’s where I step in. Keep in mind I am speaking from my own personal experience and this is not a definitive guide to developing a successful personal brand.

1. Create a plan of action – Simple yet often overlooked. Your Personal Brand will fail if you don’t know where it’s going. Take the time to figure out your passions and learn your strengths by doing. Once you have a grasp on what it is that makes you, you,   start to figure out how you want others to perceive you.
2. You are always building your brand, whether you know it or not – Personal Brand is every where. The instant you step out the door from the safety of your house, you are building your personal brand. Every smile you give to a stranger while walking, every handshake you make, every mundane conversation you have builds your image. Watch what you post on Facebook and be sure to put time and effort into a LinkedIn.
3. Be Genuine – take time to look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful, smart, and funny you are. You must believe what you are selling. If you tell yourself you’re ugly, stupid, and will never be good enough, then you are probably right. But if you keep telling yourself you are good enough, then you can watch the magic unfold.
4. Be Patient – Building your personal brand takes time. The best advice I can give on the matter is that it’s the little things that count. Watching what you post on Facebook, listening to another person talk, or simply hanging out with other people, it all adds up. So take the time to invest in the short-term and it’ll pay off in dividends in the long -term!
5. Don’t try to be something you’re not – This is by far the most important. You are you for a reason and when you try to be something you’re not, you’re wasting your time. That’s not to say don’t try new things, all I’m saying is find out what you’re good at (and enjoy) and work on selling that. Strive to be your ideal self, not someone else’s version of what you should be!

Thanks for reading, now go out and build your brand!