I talk a lot about the power of personal brand – I’ve been talking about it for over 15 years, and for the last 10 of those as part of bringing you, your brand and your business into alignment and heading in the direction you want them to go.
Personal brand is about standing out.
But it is about standing out for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.
Sometimes, you need to find the right words to make this happen – phrases or taglines that help people identify with you, and relate you to your brand and your business.
I am not known for beating around the bush. This doesn’t mean that I am a bulldozer – forging ahead and driving over everyone and everything – it’s just that I believe life is just too damn short to fanny about.
I should know. As a cancer survivor, it rather makes you look at life as a series of opportunities to be taken, taken quickly, and savoured.
Life is too short to not simply get to the point. To be very clear about who you are, what you want, how you do it etc.
Many people do what I do. Lord knows I am surrounded by business coaches – there are oodles of them – some of them do it in a similar way to the way I do it. Similar. Not the same. But they don’t do it for the reasons I do it. I have built a compelling personal brand by sharing why I do what I do, by giving thought led leadership, not dragging people behind me, by building on the value I deliver through that leadership.
Business coaching is about leading people to make the right decisions for their business. It’s about empowering them to move forward, giving them the encouragement and direction they need to get where they want to go. It’s also, occasionally, about telling them they are being a bloody idiot.
I am known for doing this too.
I am very happy to state on my website that working with me is not about me blowing smoke up your arse. Because that is not who I am. I am of the ‘get up, dress up & never give up’ school of life – and I lead that way
Finding your voice is an important part of knowing who you are, where you are going, and what you want to do when you get there. I don’t suffer fools gladly (well, my Mum would say not at all. And she’s probably right…), have very little tolerance for faffers, and power through my life being the best I can be – for me, for my husband, for my family, for my friends, for my clients.
A year or so ago, I set up my own merchandise store. I was really excited about it. I had STUFF! to sell. But after a while, it became apparent that no one really wanted to buy it. And that’s when I had an epiphany.
Why would they? Why would they want to buy a mug with my logo on it? A hoodie with my logo on it? FGS, why was I expecting other people to promote my business this way?!! Talk about a vanity exercise.
So I had a bit of a rethink. A few online pow-wows with Marie Walker, who is making this all happen, and am about to release a brand new merchandise range which is much more me, feels much more authentic, isn’t a vanity exercise & based on early feedback seems to be much more, well, my brand.
*facepalm*
So – keep your eyes peeled, it’s coming your way soon – don’t be a twonk & miss out…. 😉