Everybody wants to be a brand. We all want to be stars, celebrities and names. You would like to be the one whose any act, of omission or commission, is newsworthy.
What really is a brand? A brand is just an answer to the question of who are you or what are you? The difference is that for brands the answer to that question has been so clearly stated and attractively packaged that it has mass appeal. And at the point where you have public appeal, that is, a following, more people and organizations want to identify.
To get to that place however, you start with answering some basic questions:
Who are you, really?
Take some minutes to think through your answer. Please note that I have not asked what you do, or what you studied or the position you hold. It is not some shallow response that you have used to get by up till now. Not the idea you have of you based on what people said. Who are you? Be completely honest and thoroughly clear as to who you are. If you do not know, most people will not either.
As a person, my impactful living and relevance walk began the day I answered this question. It changed the trajectory of my life.
Next,
What are you about?
What is that thing that is, or should be, synonymous with you?
When people google your name, does Google ask them: "Did you mean...?"
Decide what you want to be known for, pursue it with all your passion and persistence until it produces the desired result. Carve a niche therein, and leave your mark there – that is branding.
One last question to provoke, and galvanize you, into action:
What is your mission statement?
Can you state in one sentence why you should be taking up space and oxygen on terra firma?
Creating and building a solid brand is a tall order, it becomes a herculean task if you do not have a mission statement. A mission statement is a set of guiding principles, defined in terms of outcomes that point you towards your vision. It is not okay live life without purpose: a mission statement is the codification of that. And that is a key move in going from where you are to where you ought to be.
Welcome to your future!
What really is a brand? A brand is just an answer to the question of who are you or what are you? The difference is that for brands the answer to that question has been so clearly stated and attractively packaged that it has mass appeal. And at the point where you have public appeal, that is, a following, more people and organizations want to identify.
To get to that place however, you start with answering some basic questions:
Who are you, really?
Take some minutes to think through your answer. Please note that I have not asked what you do, or what you studied or the position you hold. It is not some shallow response that you have used to get by up till now. Not the idea you have of you based on what people said. Who are you? Be completely honest and thoroughly clear as to who you are. If you do not know, most people will not either.
As a person, my impactful living and relevance walk began the day I answered this question. It changed the trajectory of my life.
Next,
What are you about?
What is that thing that is, or should be, synonymous with you?
When people google your name, does Google ask them: "Did you mean...?"
Decide what you want to be known for, pursue it with all your passion and persistence until it produces the desired result. Carve a niche therein, and leave your mark there – that is branding.
One last question to provoke, and galvanize you, into action:
What is your mission statement?
Can you state in one sentence why you should be taking up space and oxygen on terra firma?
Creating and building a solid brand is a tall order, it becomes a herculean task if you do not have a mission statement. A mission statement is a set of guiding principles, defined in terms of outcomes that point you towards your vision. It is not okay live life without purpose: a mission statement is the codification of that. And that is a key move in going from where you are to where you ought to be.
Welcome to your future!
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