Your personal brand is the reputation you have built over time. It is what people say about you when you are not in the room.
Did you know that your personal brand travels with you as you journey through life becoming more refined and defined through your life experiences?
If you review your past, you can notice that the various chapters of your life have different themes. The commodity you call “you” will be continually changing and adapting with each new life chapter.
Each chapter of your life builds on the last, and past experiences can offer helpful perspectives for handling new situations. You experience childhood dreams, youthful passions, family relationships, important friendships, and entrepreneurial goals as you travel through life. With each set of circumstances, you find yourself confronted with fears of the unknown and worries about the “what ifs.”
During your lifetime you may experience financial pressures, death of loved ones, moving to a new city, getting married, raising kids, and facing health challenges. This journey is punctuated with significant changes which usually define a new chapter in your life. With each new chapter, there are new joys, new challenges and new concerns.
So let’s talk about building and protecting your personal brand. Why do you need a personal brand?
Expanding Your Network
Building your network is especially important for business success and it opens up opportunities you never thought of. However, it also is instrumental in developing personal relationships and friendships. People are attracted to like-minded people, and your personal brand will help you attract like-minded people. Networking with these like-minded people can help your career, business, and personal life. In return, communicating through your personal brand can be useful for others who want to understand your values, likes, and dislikes.
Networking is about helping others and allowing them to help you. This could be helping with business referrals, joint venture opportunities, or joining you with personal life activities. The more people you touch, the more relevant opportunities avail themselves. In this chapter of your life, consider what networking strategies fit most comfortably with your daily schedule, with your life focus, and with your personal goals.
Establish Credibility to Yourselves and Others
Your personal brand reflects your unique identity. It promises specific qualities that you offer to others. As long as you consistently communicate these attributes such as personal talents, skills, or business services to others, you are gaining their trust and building your reputation. This trust is your most effective and most affordable marketing activity. Consistently communicating your best assets also helps you build self-confidence. In various situations, you know you can rely on your unique abilities to come through.
When you notice your friends mentioning you or your clients referring you to others, you can be assured that your personal brand is being clearly communicated and you are establishing credibility. People know they can rely on you. Let your customers, friends and fans become your brand ambassadors.
Ann Gatty
Dr. Ann Gatty is a business development strategist with 30 years’ experience, who believes that everyone has the capabilities to get where they want to go if they are enabled with the right strategies and tools. As a business consultant she builds businesses to work brilliantly. She is the co-founder of StrategicPeopleSolutions.com, an organization that helps businesses develop strong leaders while creating a culture where self-improvement is an intrinsic part of the organization’s value system. Ann works with clients to develop a strategic path towards the life they’ve always imagined. Ann can be reached at 855-284-4448 or [email protected].
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Ann, this article is perfect timing for me, it was our topic of discussing today in Leadership Academy for Women. Thanks for re-affirming that our personal experiences and challenges that we’ve overcome are a part of establishing our credibility and building our brand. Great article!