If you want to grow a successful home based business, you must embrace the idea of building a personal brand.
It doesn’t matter if you are brand new to the online business space, or a bit more seasoned. Whether you are an entrepreneur, home business owner or are just getting started…branding yourself is necessary.
There is no need to get worried because it’s not as hard or complex as you may think.
As a professional in the home business arena, you have to learn to separate yourself from your company. You are an INDEPENDENT business owner. Therefore, you need a way to stand out and represent yourself as an individual.
Personal branding is the way to do that.
Why You Should Build Your Personal Brand
Building your personal brand (Brand YOU), identifies you as a person with experience and expertise in your industry. It also allows you to highlight your ideas, and demonstrates your knowledge. This helps you attract your ideal audience.
Basically, it’s what gives you the ability to stand out from the crowd.
More than likely, there are thousands of people who already “do” what you do. However, that doesn’t matter. The difference between you and them, is the fact that you are not them. Just because they may choose to use a certain social media platform to market their products or services, doesn’t mean you should follow suit.
Remember, you are an individual! Find your groove and do what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Do you have a potty mouth? Don’t stop swearing. If you are religious, don’t hide your faith. When you put yourself out there, you will gain the attention of those who connect with your truth.
Will some people be turned off by you, or disagree with how you represent yourself? Absolutely! But who cares? You shouldn’t…because those aren’t your people. Trust me, the people who resonate with you are looking for you.
The question is…will you be found?
The answer is YES when you choose to build your personal brand.
Define Who You Are
Being an entrepreneur gives you the freedom and flexibility to “come as you are”. Part of establishing a personal brand that is memorable is being fearless. You having the courage to bring your flavor to the party is what it’s all about!
When you are true to yourself, you can represent your industry or company while remaining unique. You don’t have to “act” a certain way, or be more professional than you should. People aren’t stupid. If you aren’t being yourself, people will sense your vibe and feel you aren’t genuine.
Nobody wants to buy from or join anyone who isn’t real.
You feel me?
Always stand in your truth, and stand up for what you believe in. Before you represent anything, you have to represent your authentic self. Know who you are, show who you are, and the people who you are meant to serve will love you for it.
Establish Your Own Platform
Because we are in a “digital” era, the first thing most entrepreneurs and home business owners do when they first get started, is set up their social media accounts. It’s definitely important to create a social presence online, however, don’t rely on it to build your personal brand.
Why?
It’s simple. Because you don’t own it.
Popular platforms like Facebook are free to use, but come with rules and restrictions. Those rules tend to switch up quite often. They certainly don’t benefit those who cannot yet afford to “pay to play”.
Social media is a great way to grow your audience and promote your content. However, you should create a blog or website that you will own. I use this blog to grow my brand, and provide a way for people interested in what I do, to find me online.
Because I own my blog, I can say, do, and promote whatever I want, however I want, without having the risk of being shut down. Plus, having your own platform gives your more credibility.
I use my social media channels to direct traffic here to my blog site. Because I regularly share articles (like the one you’re reading now), that is of interest to my audience. Driving visitors to my site helps to generate more leads, sales and business partners for my business.
Because I’ve built my personal brand on my own platform, people know me. They recognize me, and can find me when they search my name in the search engines.
Most Importantly…Be Patient
So many miss the mark here.
You are not going to become an instant success overnight (or next month or year for that matter). The key to building a personal brand is to be consistent and have patience.
If you are serious about growing a business, and not just making some money, you need to understand that this is a part of your overall marketing strategy. If you plan to be around for the long run, you’ve got to put in work.
Your time and effort are required. Business is earned, and that’s done by serving others first. Give the people what they came looking for – information, knowledge or a solution to a problem.
The same way you don’t like to be sold to, neither do others. Create relationships and establish new connections regularly. You may be a one woman show, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use a little help along the way.
People are the life line of any business. Everyone won’t be a customer, or join you in business. However, there will be plenty of people along the way who support what you do, and respect what you represent. Those are the people who will refer you to their network circles and help you expand into different markets.
When you learn how to brand yourself the right way, your business will grow. The more you be yourself, the more opportunities will come your way. Have patience and remain consistent.
It will all pay off!
“Helping women and moms develop the mindset & skills they
need to be financially independent and self-sufficient!”
Tamyka Washington
