Leila Kigha

HOW TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND THE RIGHT WAY AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 08:31:22 +0000

Branding applies to businesses and people alike. If you’re a small business owner, crafting a personal brand is an important piece on the way to long-term success.

Why you may ask?
A personal brand makes a small business accessible.
It makes the business memorable and discoverable.
It puts a face to a name and affords different promotional opportunities.

Emphasizing who you are, what your personal brand stands for, and how you’re distinctive from your competition is a solid foundation for your business growth. While there are similarities between business and personal branding, there are four essential steps to establishing a strong personal brand:

1. Clarify the Foundation for your Personal Brand
While not a tangible product, you, as a brand, represent something different in the marketplace. To successfully brand yourself, you must be clear on your big why, establish your Values, Visions & Mission, figure out what you are really good at (skills and gifts inventory) and evaluate your Brand Perception.
To clarify the foundation of your brand, ask yourself these questions:
What makes me stand out from my peers?
Who needs to know me so I can reach my goals?
What are my values?
What’s my ultimate career goal?
Who makes up my support system?
What brings me joy?
What’s my superpower – the thing I do better than anyone else?
What’s my favorite way to communicate?
What’s my why?
Your core foundation should be clearly articulated and established if you are to build a solid brand that is future proof

2. Package your Brand Elements
Before marketing it is important to know what we are selling, to who and what the outcome is.
This aspect is also very important in the journey of building a solid personal brand.
You will need to learn amongst others how to craft your Mission statement, define Your Ideal Client, determine the Problem You Solve, design a Visual Identity that represents this and then build your community. Marketing involves creating a desired image across all platforms you choose to be on. Having your brand elements packaged to suit this image will go a long way to establish and communicate your brand effectively.

3. Communicate Your Personal Brand
Getting the word out about your brand and your business will require marketing principles that set you apart in the market.
This is where your communication comes in. Here you want to sell your brand and business to your desired audience. For that to happen you will need an effective Content Strategy. How will you go about sharing your expertise, gift with your audience? Which means of communication are most suitable for you and your audience? What channels will you use to reach them? What different ways can you repurpose your content to reach a bigger audience? How do you network with other industry expert to grow your influence and reach?
All of these are questions you ask when building a brand communication strategy.
This is crucial because it is the place where trust is built. Your expertise and authority in your domain is established and your ideal clients begin to seek you.

4. Cash In on Your Brand Expertise
Next up you want to figure out the different ways you can make money with your brand and business and selling! It is time to turn the fans, followers you have nurtured in your communication to long term paying clients.
Here you begin to consider your monetization strategies. How do you intend to sell your expertise to your audience? Will you have physical or digital products, sell services, Publish books…
Whatever it is that you will choose make sure they are evergreen.

As a small business owner, your business is part of your personal brand. With these steps, you are well on your way to increasing credibility and authority without your industry.

Do you have a personal brand? What stage are you at? I would love to hear from you.
Leave your comments below.

Do you desire to build thriving businesses around the experience, personality and expertise you have acquired over the years?
You know that you are worth the effort it takes to be the best you can be. You’re special, you have a gift the world is waiting for. You are here to fulfill your purpose and lead an extraordinary life but you don’t know how to go about it?
I am here to help you!

and let’s chat to see if the strategy I laid out above is a good fit for you.

WHAT IS PERSONAL BRANDING?

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 08:30:12 +0000

People don’t necessarily pay for your product or service, they pay for your perceived worth.

What is your perceived worth?

Your Personal Brand. What are you worth in the eyes of others?

People are constantly watching you, stake holders are constantly creative a narrative about you based on sheer perception. Now perception may not be the truth but it is stronger than reality. It is your reality as perceived in the minds of your stakeholders. They don’t have the time to carry out rational and thorough investigations about you, all they do is look and judge.
They draw their conclusions or perceptions based on what you project consistently over a period of time. PERCEPTION is a frame of reference from which one can see and judge. It is the way you think about or understand someone or something.
We are over 7 billion people on earth and counting, how do you stand out and retain attention?
Your Personal Brand.
So, what is Personal Branding?

‘It is the practice of establishing and promoting yourself, your expertise, and your experience as a brand.’
Personal branding is consistently, deliberately and intentionally figuring out who you are, what makes you unique and using that to position yourself as an expert in your niche. It is the experience others have of you after the meet you or consume your good or service.
It is an inside out process that will require you knowing of a certainty who you are, what you are good at, how you can offer it to the world, who needs what you have and then how much you are worth in terms of money.
You want to avoid conflict ion signals at every turn because trust me there is nothing as irritating as an inconsistent brand.
What is a Personal Brand?

It is your reputation
It is your calling card
It is what you are known for and how people experience you.
It is what the world to see of you. It’s how you’re perceived; what people think and feel about you.
IT is YOUR promise of value, performance and the reflection of your true identity.
It is about bringing who you are to what you do and how you do it.
Delivering your brand clearly and consistently will create a memorable experience in the minds of those you interact with.
What makes the personal branding journey a unique experience is that it is an opportunity to get in touch with and learn more about the real you so, you can identify your unique skills, strengths and talents.
Tap into your values and passions to find your purpose.
Ready to start your Personal branding Journey?
Book a free strategy session with me

let’s talk about how I can help you create your personal brand, raise your visibility and differentiate your business,!

HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS AROUND YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 08:28:55 +0000

Your Personal brand is about managing your reputation, even if you don’t own a business or have a career. It is what differentiates you from others
You won’t be director or manager at X company forever and you probably won’t be running a business forever but you will always be YOU for the rest of your life.
Each of us have a unique Personal Brand that exists in the hearts and minds of our target market(s).

“A critical point to keep in mind is that strong brands are managed outcomes—they are never happy accidents. The good news is – you control to a very great extent that quality of your brand in the minds of your target market(s).” – Susan Hodgkinson

It’s never been easier to build a brand because the barrier to entry has never been lower. The internet has allowed us all to be on equal footing. The online business space offers complete and total justice.

Building the brand of YOU

As entrepreneurs we do pretty well with the technical aspects of our business. Writing blog posts, creating lead magnets, and building an email list are pretty straightforward once you know the mechanics. Unfortunately, on their own, these marketing activities do little to differentiate our business from competitors or to attract premium clients.

There is another crucial component that many entrepreneurs or professionals are missing or avoiding. And that piece is YOU.

Let’s take a look at people who have millions of social media followers like Richard Branson or Oprah Winfrey. Know why they are so popular?

It’s because they infuse their company brand with themselves.

Your personal brand is the differentiating factor that can set your company apart in your industry.

This is crucial because if you aren’t doing something to differentiate your business, you quickly become a commodity.Here you are stuck with competitors who all look same to your clients

And whether you are a solopreneur or billion dollar company, this is not a place to be.

Your personality differentiates your business

Anchoring your business around your personal brand will draw ideal clients to you, make your business more memorable, and completely differentiate you from your competitors. Your personal brand is what will showcase your unique and authentic personality.

And when you leverage the brand of YOU, there can be no competition.

So how exactly do you do your build a personal brand?

The first thing is to get really clear on your core purpose. This is the soul of your brand or your Why. It is the very reason that you do what you do. Your vision always reminds you of where you are going, what you are doing, and why you are doing it.

‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.’ Simon Sinek

Secondly, write more personal posts on your blog, create videos, give interviews, record podcasts, etc. Tell your audience about your successes and your failures. Tell people about your vision and your purpose. The purpose of all of this is not to share your life with the world but to give enough information that can create a connection and build trust with you prospects.
This will draw people in to you. It will also keep them loyal to your company.

‘Owning our story can be hard but not as nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy, the experiences that makes us the most vulnerably.’Brene brown

By being YOU, you develop a brand that is absolutely unique.

People will get really excited about what you are doing because all of a sudden, you aren’t a faceless company. You are a real person with whom they can forge a relationship. They start to see similarities, discovering that you share similar values and interests.

Once people feel like they know, like, and trust you, they will spread the word to their friends. They will more readily sign up for your services, and they’ll take the time to comment on your blog.

And best of all – you are having more fun than ever before because you are in absolute alignment with your Why. You are clear on what drives you and you are attracting clients that share that same belief.

It takes courage to share more about YOU

Fear is the number one thing that holds entrepreneurs back from showing more of themselves in their marketing.

I understand that you don’t want to get on video or do a livestream because you think you’re too whatever your latest story/excuse/fear is yelling inside your head right now.

But here’s what you don’t understand about building the brand called YOU.

You are the only YOU in this world of over 7 billion people.

Your knowledge, experiences, skillset, reading lists and network, are yours and yours alone. And that makes YOU amazingly unique.

Your audience want to build a relationship with a ‘person’. They want to learn about you.
Show your beautiful, brilliant, awesome, unique self with all of your amazing, fabulous, uniquely perfect quirks,weird habits and imperfections.

When you do this, your audience will fall in love with you, you will get noticed by the
and you’ll sell more of your products and services.

Get yourself out there in spite of your fear

Being an entrepreneur is about constantly stepping into the fear. It’s about being comfortable with discomfort.

Technology has made the world a global village It has created so many ways to get your personal brand and story out in front of people. This allows them to get a sense of who you are, what you offer, how you add value, and whether they like you.

YOU makes your brand unique and special.

You are in charge of building your brand.

Ready to start your Personal branding Journey?

Book a free strategy session with me

let’s talk about how I can help you create your personal brand, raise your visibility and differentiate your business,!

BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND AS A FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 07:25:01 +0000

Succeeding as a female entrepreneur in this day and age will require building your personal brand.
The struggle for gender equality is gaining grounds as many movements emerge and more people are getting engaged. Recently the #Me-too campaign swept across Hollywood and that spurred action across the world. The phrase “Me Too” was first used by activist Tarana Burke 10 years ago. She did so in a grassroots campaign to reach underprivileged girls dealing with sexual abuse. But it became an overnight phenomenon. After actress Alyssa Milano encouraged victims of sexual abuse to tweet #MeToo as a way to show the world a “sense of the magnitude of the problem”. This following the Weinstein scandal. By the time she woke up the next day, thousands had responded. Within weeks it was more than a million.
While the campaign for change has opened up discussions, the several issues faced by female professionals and entrepreneurs in the workplace still remain very present.
For women looking to move their careers forward in spite of gender-biased obstacles, it can be difficult to create the right opportunities to ensure your talent is noticed.

The Way Forward
One way to achieve your career goals and make sure that your potential isn’t overlooked is to develop your own recognisable personal brand. We have over the years seen women develop very strong brands that have made them indispensably visible in the market. Women like Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Princess Diana, Winnie Mandela etc are examples of women we have in one way or the other heard or seen or read about their influence.
While a personal brand may seem not so convenient, it’s incredibly important. Having a clearly defined brand helps you make that all-important first impression, formed within eight seconds of meeting. Research has shown that it can take as many as 20 further interactions to change someone’s first opinion so it’s vital that you make every second count.
Your brand affects how people perceive you professionally; having and projecting a strong personal brand can give you greater confidence and open up more career opportunities. It also has important business benefits too. These include more productive teams, more effective relationships with clients and improved customer service.

So,how do you go about creating one?
It’s important to identify what makes up your personal brand. Assess everything from your motivations, style, body language and tone of voice, to how you communicate in person, on email or by phone.
When crafting your brand, it’s essential to focus on your key strengths. Once you have identified these, build on and make the most of them by seeking out opportunities to demonstrate your skills in these areas. That may means putting yourself forward for a specific role on a project or working with someone who brings out your strengths.
Decide exactly what you want people to know about you. A good place to start is to think about why someone would want you in their team.
Ask yourself:
what are my values?
Do i know what motivates me?
What are my key skills, strengths and achievements?

Focus on your Differentiation as a Female Entrepreneur.
Focus on the things that make you different and concentrate on the positives on a personal and professional level. Consider the way you react in everyday situations, from how you manage people and deal with stressful situations, to your creativity and the way you think and process information. Write your answers down so you have a clearly defined set of objectives.
Finally, Look back at what you’ve written and remove any irrelevant or unnecessary detail and make sure that you’re using simple, language that has impact – no jargon. Once you’re happy, seek feedback from others. Talk to friends or family, or if you’re comfortable, other colleagues. It’s important to ask people who will be honest.
Once you have identified what makes up your brand identity, you need to put it into practice.

Here are some tips:

• Use networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook to make connections with new people and build your network of influence or tribe. Do this by joining groups – or set up a group if there isn’t one already – and participating in online discussions.
•Who do you admire for their personal brand? Could they mentor you to help you build your brand, without becoming a replica of theirs? that is the very first thing i did. i knew i needed people i admire and so i sought them and asked to be mentored.
• It’s important that you keep reviewing your brand at regular intervals. Are you portraying yourself the way you want to, consistently? Are you achieving your goals? What skills/knowledge do you want to be known for?
Regardless of the role you play or the stage you find yourself in your career, the way you project yourself at work will go a long way to getting you noticed for all the right things –your expertise.
Cheers to your branding success!

Ready to start your Personal branding Journey?
Book a free strategy session with me

let’s talk about how I can help you create your personal brand, raise your visibility and differentiate your business.