Your Personal Brand

Your personal brand.

• It's how you want others to see you. 
• It's how people know what to expect from you and how you stand out.
• It's a work in progress. Because you're constantly evolving.

Your brand is more than what you put on paper and what you say, but your ability to quickly convey who you are and what you offer needs to be precise, concise, and memorable.  

I see so many employees who forget to craft and hone this for work. You have endless opportunities to meet, impress, influence, heck, just get to know and enjoy people. Be ready for it.

You can learn more about why you need to establish and practice your personal brand and elevator pitch in this video.

 Practice makes progress. So, practice introducing yourself. Practice it out loud and envision a variety of people, colleagues, leaders, customers, and people who you admire.

But what if you've not really honed your personal brand? 

What if you are reinventing yourself at a new company or in an entirely new career?

There are a ton of excellent advisors on personal brand out there. Start by doing some research.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

Craft a brand statement. A catchy and concise summary about yourself.

Identify your expertise or what's unique about you.

Describe it in 2 or 3 sentences.

For example, I might say:

I'm a Boss whisperer. I founded Boss at the Helm, a leadership mindset training company. We're on a mission to eradicate bad bosses by cultivating leaders, so that work isn't miserable.

Or here's an example I stumbled across a few years ago. I love the wording.

Need even more guidance? Over at Acadium.com they have an outstanding and practical article with steps and questions on how to build your personal brand and message. Highlights:

1. What are you known for right now? 
2. What do you want to be known for?
3. Who is your audience? Who are you talking to /selling to /motivating, etc.?
4. Develop your message and be sincere.

Ask AI. Ask AI to craft a personal brand statement after reviewing your website or resume or work products. Though beware. AI has a sense of humor and often needs a little direction. Here's what it suggested for me, which is not quite on point, but it's a start:

I help badass leaders stop running themselves into the ground and start running businesses that actually work for them.

As the founder of Boss at the Helm, I’m all about turning chaos into systems, guesswork into strategy, and burnout into balance. I work with leaders who are ready to step fully into their role — building teams, tightening operations, and scaling smart (not stressed).

If you're done winging it and ready to lead without losing your mind, we should talk.

Consider asking a trusted friend or mentor what they think your personal brand is.

And if you've got the resources, you can hire people to help you with this.

 Okay, okay.  Let me address the elephant.

I hear it all the time. "I'm not sure I know what I'm good at or what I'm an expert it.  I'm tired and not sure what is right for me anymore. How do I know what I'm passionate about?"

Nothing to be bothered about.

Trust me, I totally had this soul search going on for a couple of years. In my youth, I deeply knew the answers. Then Life. You know. And, I wasn't so sure anymore. So, if you're in that spot and you need even more support, head to How To Reflect on Who You Are: Tools for Knowing Yourself, spend some time doing that work, and then come back here.

For even more on how to be memorable and ready to stand out, be sure to also check out:

• Your Professional Bio - Infographic Style
• Why you need to establish and practice your personal brand and elevator pitch in this video.