Personal Brand: What It Is, Why You Need It, and How to Build One

Yesterday I had the pleasure of kicking off a three-part Women’s Networking series hosted by The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. The theme of “Building Your Fearless Self” is such a powerful topic. We all want it. We’ve all tried. And we’ve all wondered if it’s even possible… can we really ever become FEARLESS? Fear is natural, it keeps us safe! Animals survive because of the power of fear. 

Fear can hold us back. Especially when what we’re afraid of isn’t actually true. When what we’re afraid of are made-up scenarios in our minds.

Fear is a powerful force, and even more powerful when we can leverage it—use it as a tool to expose us to our hidden blocks, reveal our deepest desires, and wake us up to our greatest potential. 

As I stood in front of nearly 80 women yesterday who chose to be there, who wanted to be in a room with like-minded professionals, who wanted to learn more about personal branding… I realized that fear had been part of my journey all along.

I was asked to speak about “Building Your Personal Brand” because 10 years ago I decided to personally brand myself as a brand design expert.

How meta is that?

I quit corporate and started Inspired Studio, a brand design and marketing company, exactly 10 years ago this month! I’ve been obsessed with graphic design and marketing since high school, but for the last 20 years of my career I’ve LOVED being behind the scenes of large corporations, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations helping them identify and design their branding. It was always really important to me that we didn’t just make things pretty. That we weren’t creating surface-level facades. It was really important to me that we got to know the people behind the company, the meaning, the purpose, the fire… the thing that lit them up about the work the company was doing in the world.

Because at the end of the day, people always buy from people. And that’s the power of branding! For companies, branding helps to humanize them. “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!” 

But we’re already human… so why do we need a personal brand? What is branding anyway? And what does it have to do with being fearless?

What is a brand?

Do you think it’s a logo, typography and color palette? Mood board? Tagline? Website?  Social media presence?

It’s all of it. And none of it individually.

Those are all examples of ELEMENTS of a brand. Do they play a part in it? Yes? Are they the only thing that matters? No. They are all VEHICLES of branding—they’re the HOW, they’re not the WHAT.

This is what branding is to the REAL branding experts!

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.”
—Seth Godin, marketing and leadership expert

“Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touch points.”
—Jonah Sachs,  author, speaker and marketing pioneer

“A brand is not a product or a promise or a feeling. It’s the sum of all the experiences you have with a company.”
—Amir Kassaei, chief creative officer, DDB Global

What is a personal brand?

Is it simply about expressing yourself? Yes… and no.

“Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.”
—Jeff Bezos

“Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.”
—Elon Musk

“Products are made in a factory but brands are created in the mind.”
—Walter Landor, world-renowned brand designer

The mind, perceptions, and how people feel are inextricably intertwined when it comes to branding. 

I tell our Inspired Studio clients all the time: We can’t just skip to the fun part and design a logo, collateral and marketing campaign… we can’t just “make something pretty!” Our brand design clients need to be willing to open up about who they are on the inside. If you’re a business owner, your business is definitely a reflection of you.

Brand design is on the outside…the visible, tangible, packaging on a reputation. The meaning of a brand deeply connects from inside-out. 

You already have a brand…

…Whether you know it or not—whether you’ve intentionally created it or not. 

I saw this post recently circulating on social media. It really resonated with me [and I think about it far too often].

"Uno, Nessuno, Centomila" by Luigi

The power of building a personal brand is being able to streamline some of those perceptions… to create some boundaries and guideposts for the way people think about you.

Why is personal branding important? 

I believe the biggest reason is to help you reach a desired goal.

Allow me to use myself as an example. I branded myself as a “brand design expert” because I was launching a business and I wanted it to work! I was less than ten years into my professional career and I was already burnt out. It was a non-negotiable to me, at the time, to make sure I did something I LOVED. At the time, there weren’t any available jobs that I was excited about. I would apply, go on interviews, and was left completely unimpressed.

So when I decided to focus on my freelance clients 100% and turn it into an official LLC, my goal was to create a job opportunity for myself, in the Scranton area, that didn’t already exist. I was going to match my salary and then some.

I started with joy. I knew that my favorite things to do—the things that REALLY lit me up—were talking to visionary entrepreneurs and designing logos. I loved the complexity of it, I loved the meaning behind it, and I loved creating something completely new every time after having an inspired conversation with an entrepreneur.

I also knew I was good at it. When I was in design school my advisor and professor said to me… “Maria, you’re pretty good with advertising but you’re an amazing graphic designer.”

I knew what I loved, I knew my strengths, and I knew my goal.

Now… was I the best designer to ever live in Scranton? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Did I knock it out of the park every single time? I tried like hell! But no, not every single time. 

But looking back, I did have courage. I had a positive outlook. I learned as I went. I become a ferocious problem-solver. And I was consistent!!! I went on to win 8 American Advertising Awards. Quadrupled my business in three years… and then continued to grow. Hired an awesome team. Watched companies grow. Worked with the most amazing people. And have had opportunities pop up out of thin air. Branding myself as a brand design expert was definitely a contributing factor to helping me achieve my goal!

The main reason to have a personal brand is to help you achieve a goal. 

• If you’re an employee, is your goal to become a partner in your company?
• Or to learn as much as you can, network as much as you can, knowing this is a stepping stone?
• If you're just starting a company, where do you see it in 5 years? What role do you play now, what role do you want to play in the future? 
• If you’re a seasoned business owner, what’s your exit strategy? Where do you see yourself afterwards?
• If you’re in a non-profit organization, how do you see your personal values aligning to the organization’s mission? How can you take it further?

Once you know your big goal and begin intentionally building a personal brand, you’ll also experience some pretty incredible byproducts on your way:

1. Increase your authority—You become KNOWN for the problem you solve! All of those different people out there, with their own versions of you in their minds, will start to see you as the person you want them to see you as. The person they think of, recommend, and connect others to when that problem arises. In short… you get to be known for your greatest contribution! And building your authority will mean making more money.
2. Grow your network—When you’re KNOWN for something—when people know what you stand for and what you stand against—you will attract a network of people who feel the same. “Your vibe attracts your tribe.” Your vibe is being YOU!!
3. See more opportunities—Hello! Isn’t this what we all want? My dad always said that success is when preparation meets opportunity. Building a personal brand is preparation. Everywhere you go, everything to do, no matter who you meet… you are always being interviewed for a future, unknown opportunity. This is where intention comes in. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had, where I share what’s on my heart, and someone calls me back a few days later and says, “I’ve been thinking… you should work with this person!” Or, “we should work on this project together!” Your intention will plant seeds in the minds of others which CREATES OPPORTUNITIES!
4. Build your FEARLESSNESS–Do you wish you were more confident? I know that’s something that I’ve always struggled with. The second we have it, we feel like we lose it… and the cycle continues. But when you begin to focus on self awareness, when you dig into the absolute miracle that is you, and start to see the beauty in what makes you YOU, your confidence will grow. You will realize that because there is only one you, you don’t have competition. That is because no other person ever has or ever will have the same exact combination of skills, interests, experiences, beliefs, personality, and so on… that you are perfectly imperfect… you are in a category of your own. The value you perceive in yourself will be reflected in the value you give to others. And THAT is something to be excited about!

The dark side of personal branding.

Before I go too far, I need to be MY authentic self and tell you what I believe is the dark side of branding. I’ve shared with you the positives, but it would be an absolute disservice if I didn’t address the potential negative side.

The purpose of branding is to humanize corporations. But we’re already human. So when we try to apply the same principles to humans, we do the opposite: we can DEhumanize ourselves. We can get too wrapped up in what we think others think about us. If we’re not careful we can lose ourselves in the persona we create. And when life throws us a curveball, which it will, if we’re too closely tied to our “brand” we don’t allow ourselves to grow and evolve, we ignore our intuition, and we can end up exactly where we DON’T want to be.

[cue: Jessica Simpson, Miley Cirus, Lindsay Lohan…]

I actually struggled with this myself. After many years of being a designer and marketer I became very passionate about psychology and how the brain works. I became fascinated with how our brains are wired, and how we can leverage that to achieve another level of success. I took trainings, applied them to myself and saw results! Then I realized that I wanted to become certified as a NeuroCoach^TM so that I could help other business leaders do the same. For THREE years I told myself I couldn't follow my heart because too many people already see me as a designer.

What would they think? What would our design clients think? Would they think I’m going to shut down the business and leave them hanging? What would my team think? Would they think I don’t care anymore? And what about me?? How can I change who I’ve been for the last 20 years? How can I turn my back to an industry that I’ve dedicated so much of my time to. The work that I sent my kids to daycare for? The sacrifices I’ve made to keep my business afloat during the pandemic?

If I had allowed myself to stay inside of the BRAND I had created for myself, I also probably wouldn't be where I am today. A certified coach, helping business leaders transform their LIVES from the in-side out, helping them achieve success and the FULFILLMENT that goes along with it. I had to allow myself to grow and evolve… and be brave enough to change my personal brand with it.

Like anything else, there should be a balance… between structure and flow. Between consistency and spontaneity. Between past and future.

Building an AUTHENTIC personal brand—one that DOES help you feel confident, that DOES help you reach your goals—is also one that allows you to be human. So that when life throws you a curveball that doesn’t fit the mold… you feel safe going with the flow.

How to pull out your authenticity.

“Fake it til you make it” is not a story I subscribe to. Most people will try to mimic what they see other personal brands doing because they want to see the same success. I don’t recommend it…. It will lead to burnout and high levels of stress. It’s completely unsustainable! And physically unhealthy. Burnout is real. 

So the most important thing you can do to develop your personal brand is to get to know yourself a little better! 

“Too many people overvalue what they are NOT and undervalue what they are.”
—Malcom Forbes

DOWNLOAD my Personal Brand Exercise worksheets now to help pull out what makes you magically unique. A little self-discovery goes a long way toward helping you discover your Unique Value Proposition. It’s already in there, I promise!

How to share your authenticity.

It’s not what you do, it is who you are. Here’s the thing, no matter where you go or who you meet, you are always on audition for your next opportunity. Always. In the grocery store, getting your tires rotated, at the hair salon, at your child’s friend’s birthday party, at work, on vacation… and yes… on social media. That’s an entire blog post of it’s own but here are a few basic things your social media accounts should have:

• Consistent handles across the platforms you’re on.
• Professional headshot used consistently across platforms. [No weird selfies with weird filters. Please! $75 can get you a nice professional photo or few. Invest. You’re worth it.]
• Be as consistent with your bio across the board. Think about your Unique Value Proposition from the workbook.
• Intentionally network. Connect with people—offer help and solutions. Engage with others’ posts.
• Create and share valuable content inside your zone of genius… more often than you post about other content.

Basically…

“Every interaction, in any form, is branding.”
—Seth Godin

• How you dress 
• What you highlight on your resume
• How you answer the phone / Whether or not you answer the phone!
• How you respond to texts and emails / How quickly you respond!!
• How you approach your boss with a challenge… are you bringing solutions with it?
• How you spend your time, where you spend your time. 
• What you say “yes” to, what you say “no” to.

ALL of that says something about who you are. ALL of those examples are ways you can build and strengthen your brand. 

Because…

Your desires are placed in your heart because you are the only one who can fulfill them.

Your goals are waiting for you. Building a personal brand is as simple as being self-aware and intentional.

You already are AMAZING, believe that.

You already have a brand… be courageous enough to strengthen it.

Be consistent. [Have the courage to be consistent. Once you're consistent, confidence/FEARLESSNESS follows.]

Be honest with yourself and others.

Know who you serve best and why you love serving them.

And when you evolve, when life throws you a curveball, or when you’ve decided it’s time for something new… change it.

Are you struggling to pull out your authenticity? Are you finding yourself procrastinating in stepping into the next version of yourself? Book an introduction call and please get on my calendar. I would love to speak with you directly and get you some immediate clarity on how to take your next step FEARLESSLY.