Branding Yourself
For entrepreneurs, branding and marketing can take on a far more personal note than any other form of business. For entrepreneurs, we are the brand. The way we market ourselves greatly affects our daily success. Ultimately deals are made and deals are broken on the way in which we present ourselves. We don’t have a multi-national, globally recognizable brand behind us giving us instant (not always warranted) credibility we have to create our own.
One of the most gratifying things about entrepreneur-ism is being able to think big, to put into motion ideas and concepts big businesses can’t afford to. We are able to take risks but as such we must market ourselves as someone worthy of investing in. Regardless of what idea you are selling, if you’re not sure what your brand, ‘You’, can offer then somewhere along the line you will run into trouble.
For most entrepreneurs their personal profile and business accomplishments are already well noted by potential customers and investors. They know your strengths and weaknesses from previous projects and past successes. But when you start branching into International markets you will have to be able to translate that into something more tangible.
So what’s the easiest way to brand yourself, thereby creating a strong sales pitch to market, resulting in more exposure and ultimately more business? It’s always tough I’ll admit that, as you have to remain objective and examine yourself from someone else’s point of view. You have to be honest with yourself, which has the potential to unleash all sorts of insecurities but I think in the end identifying your strengths and weaknesses will only create positive results. Let’s face it, to be an entrepreneur you have to have a thick skin, now’s the time to put it on.
I think one of the best ways to brand yourself is to write down your past accomplishments and see what elements were needed to make it happen. What did you do specifically? Maybe one of the most appealing features of ‘You’ is your ability to see the things you can’t do - the things you always outsource. Therefore when marketing, you can highlight the dream team you have on board. Highlighting your ‘people’, allows you to boast about your brand without specifically talking about yourself.
Another way is to ask business associates or well respected friends. Ask them what they like the most about the way you do business or delve into your memory to recollect comments they have made in the past. But don’t take any comment as negative, it’s market research designed to create the best brand possible. I wish you luck.
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