5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BUILD A PERSONAL BRAND

Hello, hello, hello, it’s that time again and I’m back with another little blog. I hope you’re having a kick-ass September and using that famous reset moment to look at everything you’ve achieved so far this year and all the things you want to tick off before the fireworks start on New Year’s Eve. It’s been a massive year so far for me, and in this blog I want to chat to you about something that’s been a real focal point for me – something that I’m super-passionate about. And as the title suggests, this week’s blog, 5 reasons why you should build a personal brand is all about the power and impact it can have.

Before we get into the individual reasons, I just want to say that one of the key things that a lot of my clients don’t realise is how putting themselves at the heart of everything they do can supercharge their business. I mean, imagine if you could get more clients just by being yourself. Or accelerate your business by writing words that sound like us. Or if you could show up every day without thinking twice because you’re just being you. Well I’m here to tell you that it’s all possible. 1,000,000%. No doubt about it. 

But it doesn’t just happen. You have to build that personal brand. You have to live it 24/7, 365, and if the reasons above haven’t convinced you, here are 5 more…

 

#1 YOU ARE YOUR SUPERPOWER

I say this a lot, but to be honest, I don’t think anyone can say it enough. There are so many inspirational ladies out there, so many entrepreneurs doing their thing and making waves. I’ve met them on my courses, at retreats and worked with them 1:1 this year and you know what, it’s a bloody exciting time to be in this business world right now. But one of the most common things I’ve noticed is that these incredible ladies don’t give themselves the credit they deserve. Not even close. We have to switch our mindset and stop letting those negative thoughts pull us down.

Why? Because we are the ones that got ourselves into this position. We stepped up. We actioned things. Not the board above us. Or the team below us. It was us. And we are the ones who can take things to the next level. We are the X factor in our business. The secret ingredient that no-one else has. The USP that no-one else can trademark. Our passion, our energy and our determination is what our clients love. So why would we not harness that? Why would we not use it to our advantage by building our personal brand around it? It’s what makes us, and therefore our businesses truly unique, so we have to nurture it and most importantly, fuel it.

 

#2 PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE

This is one of my favourite quotes because it absolutely nails what being a modern day entrepreneur is all about. And it’s true in every single sense. Firstly, every client you work with is investing in you. They’re not just buying a product or a service. They’re investing in YOUR time, YOUR skills and YOUR expertise. So they have to believe in you. They have to trust you. They have to know you will deliver. It’s that simple. 

Secondly, there is a lot of noise out there in the world. There’s a lot of blah, blah, blah on social media. A lot of big, corporate, faceless companies who just care about the transaction and not customer. So modern day consumers are looking for more human interaction. They don’t just want a digital experience, they want to buy from someone they connect with. They want things to have more meaning. They want to get to know the face behind the brand. They want to get to know you and think, ‘hell yeah, she gets me,’ I’m going to invest in her. And that can be in any industry. So you have to show up as that person. Let people see that face. Build those emotional connections with your clients and create a loyal tribe of followers.

 

#3 GET KNOWN AS THE GO-TO EXPERT

There are more and more entrepreneurs popping up every day. And you probably don’t need me to tell you this, but I bet there are a lot of people out there doing what you do. Some of them might have been doing it for a while. Some of them might be new. But whoever they are, you need to find a way to stand out in the sea of sameness. Yeah, you have your niche, but it’s YOU that really stands out. As I said above, YOU are the superpower than no-one else has access to.

But when you create a personal brand, and when you show up as that brand day in, day out, then your name becomes as big, if not bigger than the name of your business – if your name isn’t your business name already. People will start to know what you’re about. What you stand for. What you can do for them. And they will want to work with you. They will come to you so you no longer have to ask for the sales. You will have that consistent stream of clients and orders that we’re all looking for, you will grow your network and you’ll be able to scale your business to whatever you want it to be.

 

 

#4 IT MAKES YOUR LIFE EASIER

Authenticity and honesty are huge for me. Both of those values are right at the core of what I offer and what I do on a daily basis. So I could never show up as something I’m not. That just ain’t me. I mean, I’ve even got ‘be you’ tattooed on my arm. So a work persona, or a phone voice just wouldn’t work for me. And to be honest, I don’t think it works for anyone. If that’s your vibe, what do you do when you meet face to face? Or when you’re writing the 150th email of the day? How do you keep that up? Living that life every day must be absolutely exhausting. It’s not for me, no way, never.

So imagine if you could become fully booked just by being you. Or if I told you the secret to getting where you wanna’ be, is just being yourself. It almost sounds TOO simple and TOO easy, right? But often, in business, it’s the simple things that are the most effective. One of my fave acronyms is this…KISS. It’s a design principle, and it stands for KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID. So why is it important? Because our clients, our audience are overwhelmed with messages. Bombarded with noise. And we have so many plates to spin, that the simplest way to connect with our audience and run our businesses is by being ourselves.     

#5 MAKE PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU

There’s another famous quote that goes a little something like this, ‘branding is like falling in love.’ At first glance it just sounds absolutely crazy, but let me tell you why it’s not. You could say that to love someone, you have to know them, like them, and trust them. Those are some of the basics, right? And does that sound familiar in business? I mean, I know I talk about it a lot, and I know I’m not the only one. But more than that, just like falling in love in real life, it takes time to reach those stages with a brand. You have to be convinced, and you don’t appreciate it when either the person, or the brand tries too hard, right? Something just doesn’t feel right. 

That’s enough of the analogy, let’s get serious. So how do you get someone to know your brand? You show up. You say something new. You share your personality. You grab their attention. And how do you make them like you? Firstly, you don’t make them do anything. You’re just you. You know your ideal client and what they’re about, and you and your brand are just naturally their vibe. So all you have to do is be you everyday. Simple. Now how do you get them to trust you? You’re consistent. And that means doing it across every single touch point, all 21 of them. By doing that you don’t let them down. You don’t make them think you’re one thing and then reveal the true you – you’ll lose them forever.

Now ask yourself, what has more chance of making all of that happen? What has more chance of making you fall in love? A kick-ass logo on it’s own? A beautiful Instagram feed? Or, a confident, passionate entrepreneur who gets you and what you’re all about? I know what my answer is.

So there you have it, 5 reasons why you should build a personal brand. And as I sign off, I’m going to give you one more bonus reason. It’s what I did. It’s what got me here. And I’m nothing special, so if I can do it, you definitely can. I just worked hard, put strategies in place and lived my brand. It’s how I smashed my money goals to become a six-figure business in 9 months, and how I created the opportunity to be featured in places like The Metro and Stylist. It’s also how I managed to speak on the same stage as Google. But enough about me, the point I’m making is that if you build your personal brand, you can do anything. 

You can get exactly where you wanna’ be, just by being you, which sounds pretty great, right?