I’ve been thinking a lot about categories. Am I in the Marketing category? Sales? Advertising? The answer is None of the Above. I’m in the Brand space, Personal Brand Building, to be exact.
And it’s the first stop on your brand journey. It comes before all that other stuff. In fact, it’s the factory where your brand is built.
It is equal parts creativity and strategy.
But more important than the classification of my role is the ROI I deliver for my clients.
Have businesses increased revenue as a result of working with me? Of course.
Have people raised their rates within their industry and beyond? Absolutely.
Do my clients ask me to “3x” or “10x” their income?
No. Because revenue – while important and affected – is not a deliverable in the Personal Brand Building space.
At this juncture, the next figure extends beyond revenue and may be measured in terms of: Influence, Impact, and Personal Legacy.
I can tell you this, however: if reaching “the next level of business” is a goal of yours, we should take a look at your Personal Brand and make sure it’s Clear, Consistent, and Incomparable.
THAT is a deliverable in the Personal Brand Building space.
And if your vision for Return on Investment is to achieve greater impact and wield greater influence by dint of your Personal Brand,
That, too, is a deliverable in the Personal Brand Building space.
I share this because I’ve observed something lately:
People often mistake CERTAINTY for CLARITY.
They know WHAT they want to accomplish, but they are not clear on WHO they are as a brand and HOW they should go about it.
And they press ahead on the assumption that this intention will manifest itself in their endeavors. As though BRAND is part of marketing. Or sales. Or advertising. That it can be shoehorned in, or packaged like an all-inclusive vacation. Well, I believe that a vacation package is only as good as the people I bring with me. And that’s not a decision I leave to the Front Desk.
Like it or not, your Personal Brand is basecamp on the mountain you intend to climb.
“Founder of This.” “CEO of That.” “Director of Suchandsuch.”
Those are titles, not identities. And if they feel like more than titles, you’re experiencing an identity crisis. Even “Inventor of the Thing” is just a role or a credit. It’s NOT THE BIG PICTURE.
So, if you’re hungry for that next zero, we’re gonna get along just fine. But making you rich – or richer – is not my primary function.
If, however, the “next figure” you want to hit is in terms of those impacted by your efforts…
If your goals will be be aided by gaining influence…
And if it’s time to move your Personal Brand from the backburner to the hot seat…
Then by all means,
It’s still early, but it’s already 2025.