As a Sexy Boss, developing your personal brand is key to everything you do. It shows the world who you are and what your business is about.
In a world that’s filled with a constant flow of information, you must make your ideas known in order to stand out. Many people make the mistake of confusing their idea with their business but it’s so much more than that.
Your ideas are what make you a Sexy Boss. They’re what make you, you! It doesn’t matter if you are an entrepreneur or working for a large corporation. Your ideas make up who you are, how others perceive you, and gives people a sense of what to expect from you as a person.
Unique You, Successful You
Creating your personal brand shouldn’t be taken lightly. No one else can create your personal brand for you because it really comes from within. That’s not to say that there aren’t resources out there to help you develop a personal brand. What matters is through using those resources, you can tap what’s inside of you to find it.
Ever notice when you’re looking online for a specific product or business? You look at a few of the websites that come up and what happens? Just about every single one looks and/or says the same thing. Does that help you decide on what company you should go with? Of course not!
The problem is that those companies haven’t developed their brand. Instead of sounding like everyone else, they should be stressing what makes them different. For instance, say you have a consulting business. There’s a lot of consultants out there so why would someone want to use you specifically?
This is one of the many questions you must ask yourself in order to create your own personal brand. On a daily basis, you should be looking to discover what exactly sets you apart from everyone else. This will help people decide why they should buy from you instead of the average person.
The best place to start developing your personal brand is through creativity. As we get older, we stop allowing ourselves to be creative and we forget how to access it.
Remember how we used to draw and paint as kids? It was practically a part of our every day lives. Then as we develop into tweens and teenagers it somehow isn’t as cool to do that kind of stuff and if we do it opens us up to criticism.
Maybe you’ve had someone in the past tell you that something you created sucked or was stupid. Screw them! Whatever you created was a direct representation of you and how you express yourself. No one can take that away from you as long as you don’t let them.
By allowing yourself to be creative, you allow what’s inside of you to come out and be a part of who you are. As much as being creative is important, you must also realize that it does take work. Because we have been subject to criticism in the past and being creative makes a part of ourselves public, we have to train ourselves that it’s okay. It’s what makes us unique and allows others to see what you’re all about.
Branding You First
Forbes recently published an article titled, “Entrepreneurs Need to Brand Themselves First.” In the article, the author stresses the point that when you start a business, it’s important to find your uniqueness as part of building your personal brand.
While the article goes on to state how the same concept applies to your actual business, I completely disagree with the positioning strategies the book referenced in the article.
One of these strategies is to dominate your category. In no way does this work! You can’t dominate a category by simply being unique. If you try to dominate, you’ll only end up being frustrated and ready to give up. Being unique is about being you and how that applies to everything you do, not dominating a category.
Another ridiculous idea that the author suggests is putting “growth agent” in everyone’s job description. What the hell does that even mean? What if you’re an accountant? You spend your days doing taxes or analyzing a company’s financial statements. There’s no such thing as a “growth agent” for that type (and many other types) of work.
The last strategy listed in the article says that you should take advantage of good luck and bad. What? There is no “taking advantage” of bad luck. Yes, you will have bad things happen to you in life but it’s not about taking advantage of the situation. It’s about learning how to move past those mistakes or situations and keep moving forward.
If you truly want to know how to create your personal brand, the best thing you can do is look within and discover what is unique about you. How your ideas and your thoughts shape your everyday life will help you develop your brand.
Taking Creative Steps
We’ve already talked about how creativity helps you to develop your personal brand. But how do you do that if you’re not used to tapping into your creativity? By taking the time to do creative things on a regular basis, you will start to see positive results.
While tapping into your creativity may take work, it will start you down a path to success that you wouldn’t have reached without it. Think about an athlete who trains to be in the Olympics. They may be an outstanding athlete but yet they have to practice and work hard to get the results to win.
The best way to start being creative is to allow yourself to think freely. You could be in the shower, driving, reading a book, journaling, or wake up in the middle of the night and discover an idea that you may not have thought of before. It’s important to not forget these types of ideas that come to you. Place a notepad by your bed or make notes in your mobile device so that you don’t forget the ideas. Just remember that you will still need to remind yourself to go back and review your ideas so you can cultivate them into your own personal brand.
Final Thoughts from a Sexy Boss
Use your creativity to create your own personal brand. Being a Sexy Boss means using that creativity to realize your full potential and your capacity for success.
Your ideas will guide you into branding yourself and will turn into something tangible that you can use to make yourself visible to the world. There’s no time like now to start branding yourself today!
