Caring About Your Personal Brand

It is a safe assumption that when one delves into the business world (no matter its size), you would care deeply about your company. After all it is your brainchild. All the hard work you put in, the sleepless nights, not to mention the frequent attacks of stomach ulcer because of unforeseen incidents which may wreak havoc on the business, all of these are signs and symptoms that yes, you care about your company. You want to succeed and with that goal in mind, there's no place for a devil-may-care attitude.
There's one other thing that you should focus on: your personal brand. Your personal brand is different from your company although it is related. As a business owner, you may have plans in place for branding your business but what about your personal brand? If you can market your company brand to others, should you still market yourself? Is it important?

According to an Inc.com interview with Dan Schawbel, the "Personal Branding Guru", personal branding is a timeless concept. In today's world, engagement is very important. In my opinion, that's why social networking sites are famous worldwide. Like-minded individuals are given the opportunity to be drawn together, to be connected wherever they are. And when you see the updates on their Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media accounts, you would see that they are more personal. Interaction is a two-way street and this is part of personal branding. It is about giving voice to who you are as well as what you do.

Personal branding is all about your reputation, your network reach and what you can contribute. Not only should you build your company brand but you should also make sure that you build your personal brand as well. I have mentioned that both are related and it is because they both contribute to your overall brand. Your personal brand is how people see you as an individual, as a business person and your company brand is how people see your business and both have a direct impact on your influence especially with your target market. If you're just busy building up your company brand, it's about time for you to start personal branding as well. Otherwise, as Dan Schawbel mentioned in his interview:

If you don't brand yourself first, someone else will brand you.