Discovering (or rediscovering) the essential YOU – who you are at your core – is the most essential step to branding yourself. So while “personal branding” feels like the latest marketing buzz phrase, it’s actually much deeper than that.
As a business owner with an onscreen persona, your brand is a digital representation of who you are. So an important question to ask yourself is, “Does who you are clearly come through on your website, in your blog, in your newsletters and in person?”
If not, or if you’re not sure, keep reading.
The moment you step out the door, unveil a new website (or make changes to your existing site), write a blog post, or send an email, you are speaking the language of your brand.
When women come to me wanting to define their image, they do so because something is missing – and that “something” is more often than not affecting their personal brand more than they realize.
I’ve discovered that it’s likely one (or more) of these three primary pieces that’s missing for my clients:
They don’t give themselves enough credit or authority.
They don’t trust themselves enough to reveal who they are to the world.
They make it more complicated than it really is.
When we work together, my clients often experience significant shifts in these areas.
They take credit for their accomplishments and claim their authority. Going into business for yourself is a big deal – an accomplishment that many professionals don’t or can’t do. Cue the balloons, confetti, and fireworks! My clients learn to celebrate this wholeheartedly. AND we work on creating authority and credibility for them with their clothing. Did you know that a jacket can instantly give you the approachability and authority you need? Did you know other pieces of clothing do not?
They learn to trust themselves more deeply. This means being real and even a bit vulnerable – when speaking and when writing. A key way to trust yourself is to do the work to figure out who your audience is, what they want, and telling relevant pieces of your story that can help them. And by “telling your story”, I am not talking about Miley selfies and party photos but sharing honest obstacles (and how you overcame them) and authentically captured moments. Telling your story starts with the unspoken language of your clothing. Long before you speak, your clothing is talking. Is it saying what you want? Is it authentic and true to your values? Are you allowing your appearance to reflect the real you? That is vulnerability.
They simplify! It only takes 12 pieces to have 30+ days of clothing. Yes, really! Having a great look is not about how many pieces of clothing you have but choosing the best pieces and leaving the “good pieces” out of your closet. Once you know who you are and are clear on your message, true personal branding can begin. Would you believe it can be that simple?
I love helping clients fill in these missing pieces. This essential work, of course, leads to the creation of a closet and wardrobe that reflects who they are. It’s so much fun (and yes it takes some work too) to facilitate change in my clients’ closets, then in their working knowledge of what looks good on them, and finally helping put their authentic image together in a way that is truly unique.
As you lean more and more into your personal brand, you’ll find yourself staying congruent in both your personal and professional life. Ultimately, you need not (nor should not) separate who you are on the street or on the web from who you are in your office. The minute you step out the door, you are speaking the language of your brand. Let it be the real you.
