Your three-second answer to the question “And what do you do?”
A couple of weeks ago I gave a talk at Scanners Night, an event for people with multiple interests run by John Williams, author of Screw Work, Let’s Play (also published by Pearson). What follows is an adaptation of a blog post he wrote beforehand on www.screwworkletsplay.com. Your three-second answer to the question “And what do you do?” By John Williams Most of the people I meet who...
Read MoreHow personal branding is viewed in the UK
Here’s an interesting video made by our friend Jorgen Sundberg. He’s an expert on social media and gave us some useful advice while we were writing the second edition of Brand You. I believe our book will provide the ‘packaging’ that Jorgen is calling for, so readers have a clear sense of how the various elements of personal branding fit together. (NB: Jorgen is Swedish...
Read MoreHow your personal brand and your business’s brand can work together
Self-employed people and entrepreneurs are usually quick to understand the importance of personal branding. In many cases, the founder is the business – at least at first. However, even when the company employs many other people, the founder’s and the business’s brands remain intertwined. There are ways of ensuring that your personal brand helps your business to grow, rather than...
Read MoreHow a personal website can help you
What happens if someone googles you? I google most people before I meet or interview them. The results are often patchy. In many cases there’s a LinkedIn page, often with other people of the same name. Maybe there’s a bio on a company website or something about a tennis club or planning application. If you want people to find you quickly, and get a clear impression of who you are and...
Read MorePersonal branding for financial and professional services
When David Royston-Lee and I began working on Brand You* seven years ago, many people asked us what we meant by a personal brand. Since then, personal branding has become an industry on both sides of the Atlantic. We have recently worked with a number of clients who are using the principles explained in Brand You to expand their businesses. Here are some examples from financial and professional...
Read MoreWhat archetypes can do for your business
In our book Brand You* we use archetypes to help people build strong brand identities based on the talents they love to use in a particular way. If you aren’t familiar with the archetypes, you can download a short explanation when you join our mailing list. (See the right-hand column of this blog.) Archetypes are extremely useful in business. Here are some ways you can use them: Once you...
Read MoreLatest news on Brand You
We had a great meeting with our marketing manager at Pearson today. ‘Brand You’ will be Pearson’s Business Book of the Month when it is launched in September 2012.
Read MoreHow to be Self-confident with a capital S
Many people lack self-confidence. It can hold us back and prevent us from fulfilling our potential. But how do you become self-confident? There are plenty of techniques and exercises designed to boost your confidence. I tried a few of them, but it was a big effort. If I didn’t keep telling myself how great I was, then the mask would slip and I would feel exposed. Fortunately there’s...
Read MoreFinding your flow is more important than setting goals
At this time of year we tend to think about what we’d like to happen in the year ahead. Many people set goals and make a big effort, only to be frustrated by the lack of progress in their careers, relationships or finances. In some cases their health isn’t too good either. I experienced this for several years. Then, just over six years ago, I started working with David Royston-Lee, who is a...
Read MoreMeditation, juggling & chocolate
On Saturday I attended a Headspace one-day event as a guest of the founders, Andy Puddicombe and Richard Pierson. Around 200 of us trooped into Jerwood Hall, home of the London Symphony Orchestra. Their mission is to get as many people as possible “to take 10 minutes out of their day to sit in the here and now”. I’m all in favour. If everyone did so, the world would be a much happier,...
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