Tag Archives for " business brand "

The #1 one thing that is holding you back from becoming well known, well paid and wanted is….You!

If you question whether you are really that good or simply delusional, or consider at times that you are tricking people out of their money because they don’t really need you or that you’re not that good and not worth that much, you are holding yourself back.

And if you believe that there are way better experts out there and that you can’t really charge $$$ for what you do because you don’t have any expertise, you’re nothing special and everyone already knows how to do what you do, then you are only swindling yourself.

Fear is a funny thing. It’s possibly one of the most powerful influencers inside the entrepreneurs brain.

The fear centre of the brain, or Amygdala, works on memory and emotion, it generates that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, the fluttering butterflies and sweaty palms.It’s not all bad though, the Amygdala is there to keep you alive, so that’s pretty useful.

It stops you from making bad decisions and reminding you of pain or suffering to avoid repeating mistakes.

Fear also stands for False Expectations Appearing Real though, and that can have serious consequences for your personal brand.

One of the things we really love about Thailand is the amazing food. Eating is a way of life here and there are so many fresh dishes to try, of course you wish you could replicate them at home.

There are lots of Thai cooking classes you can attend. We found one nearby called Aroy-Aroy which means “delicious” - literally it translates as “I like-I like” (you can say this to the chef after a meal and it means “It was delicious, I liked it a lot”). I highly recommend this class if you are in Chiang Mai, it’s so much more than a cooking school.

While in Thailand, we spent two fantastic days at the Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation centre for pachyderms, in the Chiang Mai provence, and yes, they taught us some valuable lessons in Personal Branding.

Initially all the elephants look the same and although the guides share each animal's story (many of which told of torture from the now illegal logging industry, landmine injury and ongoing abuse from tourist trekking where they carry almost half a ton of chair and human weight for days on end) it was at first, hard to remember each elephant individually.

We started to identify them by their physical appearance, like Lucky who endured forced breeding programs and cannot control her bladder, or Kabu who manages to get about quite swiftly with her disabled leg which was crushed by a log when she was a baby. 

Very quickly however, we discovered that each elephant has unique characteristics and personality. The guides even recognise the noise each one makes, one elephant being called a “drama queen” because of the ruckus she starts with her trumpeting.

The lesson of course is that we are all unique, we all have our differences, our quirks and idiosyncrasies which make us instantly recognisable to others, but there's much more to learn from elephants about personal branding than that...

Do you currently do what you do best?
Ironic I know, but you might think you have nothing to teach anyone...it's probably because you have forgotten just how much you know!
If you've been doing what you do for 5 years or more, chances are you do plenty on autopilot, you get it done without even thinking about it!
It's all part of the learning process:
Whenever you learn something new you begin with Unconscious Incompetence - you don't know what you don't know, you are just excited because it's all new.

The Entrepreneurial Brain is amazing, with it you have overcome the fear of failure and decided to start your own business, telling that "itty-bitty-shitty-committee' in your head to be quiet and let you just get on with it.

Trouble is, now that you have the superhuman power to be in control of the fear centre in your own brain, you are also incredibly wide open to opportunity.

Having a tsunami style flood of ideas on the go is typical of the entrepreneur, an effect otherwise known as 'bright-shiny-object-itis'.

It's a powerful thing to have all these great ideas, however it can lead to having called FOMO - the fear of missing out. when you suffer FOMO, you try to be everything to everyone, stopping you from standing out as different.

Of course standing out from the crowd will always help you attract more of your perfect prospects and the first step is to decide what you want to stand for.
Most brands have something they are known for - Nike is action, Apple is Imagination, Cadbury is a luxury treat, Volvo is safe...

There is an affliction service providers and consultants are suffering from and it’s killing their businesses.
It’s called FOMO. The Fear Of Missing Out.
And it's becoming an epidemic...If one more person tells me that their target audience is “everyone” …I will scream!
I believe FOMO is one of the main reasons why most service providers struggle to find and communicate their point of difference.

They don’t want to ‘miss out’ on all those potential clients out there by being specific about the distinct type of person they help. They try to be “everything to everyone”.
As a service provider or consultant it can be difficult to narrow down your “inch wide, mile deep” niche, because you believe your service can help almost anyone.

Trouble is, going after everyone is virtually impossible, especially on a zero marketing budget, and it’s detrimental to your brand.
FOMO could be stopping you from becoming known for a specific service, with a specific clientele.
Why is it so important to become known as a specialist?

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The term Personal Brand has become very popular.

It is tossed about in social media, discussed in HR departments, posted on LinkedIN and presented at marketing conventions all over the world.

• Exactly what is a personal Brand?
• Why have one?
• How do you get one?

Learn the basics about Personal Brand in a few seconds with this very helpful infographic:

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I love the idea of exercising, it’s the actual doing of it that I find difficult.

Once I had a goal to lose about 10kg and decided that I would go for a bike ride every morning. I found a nice flat circular route of about 10kms and set my alarm to go for it first thing in the morning.

All my clothes, hat and shoes were ready by the bed so there was a seamless action as I jumped out of bed and got dressed, out the door and on the bike before my brain had really woken up and started telling me how crazy I was to be cycling while it was still dark.

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When you have a personal brand, your marketing decisions become very simple and easy.

The latest news that !2 Years A Slave Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong'o is now the face of Lancome is a true example of this.

Lupita recently spoke at Essence, the Black Women in Hollywood organisation where she told the heart wrenching story of her own desire to "whiten" her skin, praying to God to do this for her as she slept because she believed it would make her more beautiful. Of course her Mother told her she already was beautiful, but the magazines, media and world around her didn't give her the same message. It wasn't until she saw a stunning (and very dark skinned) model in the media that she began to develop her self confidence and acceptance that she was indeed, a very beautiful person, both inside and out.