Your Personal Brand Isn't What You Say It Is. It's What People Say When You're Not in the Room.

What’s a personal brand? Do I need one? What does that even mean?

Well truth be told, you already have a personal brand! Your “brand” isn’t what you think it is, it’s what other people think it is. It’s how you’re perceived. Your reputation. Your vibe. Your energy. Think about some famous business brands we all know. If you imagine Trader Joes versus Wal Mart, you’re going to envision a different type of experience entirely. A different vibe, a different reputation. A brand is the encompassing essence of a business entity. It’s the set of thoughts and feelings that arise when you think of or engage with a business. The brand is not just the colors, pictures, and fonts, it’s the soul of the business. 

When you are an entrepreneur that wishes to be known for your services, it becomes important to be aware of what your brand is and how it’s being perceived. It’s also important to know that your brand is not a fixed, immovable thing. Your brand can and will change as you change as a person. If you’re not intentional however, your brand will be left open to interpretation and you may not be accurately communicating who you are to who you want to connect with. 

My 5 recommendations for crafting an intentional personal brand:

1. Stop Performing and Starting Showing Up Authentically 

People recognize when something feels forced. If you’re showing up as a caricature of what you think people want to see you will burn out eventually. Your brand should be an extension of who you actually are, not a curated version designed to be liked. Even our best selves still won’t be enough for the wrong people. You have nothing to lose by being you, and the right people will be drawn to you when you are living authentically.  

2. Build Your Brand Based on Standards, not Aesthetics

Most people think they can pick out a color palette, some fonts, design a logo, and boom: brand. While visual identity is important, it serves to complement the heart and soul of your true brand rather than stand alone as representative. What do you believe in? What hills will you die on? What will you not tolerate? Your belief center is critical to the foundation of your brand and attracting clients that are aligned with your core values. 

3. Say Things That Challenge People

It’s long overdue to let go of the people-pleasing behavior. You are not here to make everyone comfortable, you’re here to make an impact, right? An intentional brand disrupts beliefs. It challenges your audience to think about their life, actions, and habits  in a different way and sets you apart as a thought leader. 

4. Tell Stories That People Can Relate To

We are not alone in our experiences. Someone else, even one person, could really benefit from your lived experience. Why do you do what you do? Who do you do it for? What are your greatest challenges? Tell your stories because someone else will see themselves in you. Ram Dass once said that we are all just walking each other home. Share your truth, share your joy, share your pain; you never know who needs to hear it. 

5. Align Your Brand with How You Actually Live

Integrity builds authority, and alignment builds trust. This is another flavor of authenticity; it’s walking the walk and talking the talk. I detest the phrase “fake it til you make it”. I once heard “own it while you hone it” and that’s a much better philosophy in my opinion. Wherever you’re at in life and business, just own it. Your brand should be a reflection of how you live your life.

All this to say, don’t overthink it! Just be you. Don’t be afraid to show up as you are. The more true to yourself you can be, the more of that energy you will attract into your life. If you’re struggling to articulate your brand, work with a brand strategist you admire. And when you have a sense of where your brand is going, make sure you get quality photos that represent the real you and capture that inner confidence. That visual identity is still super important, just not as important as showing up as yourself wherever you are.