As the world becomes more and more digitized, it’s important to create and cultivate your own digital home and space. Personal branding has become increasingly popular over the last few years and is set to stay.
With a few clicks of a button and a Google search, it is so easy for anyone to find out about you and who you are. It’s essential you are aware of how you are showing up and being presented online.
Your personal brand is extremely powerful. It tells the world who you are and what you’re about. It enables you to connect with others and opens you up to a world of opportunity.
As I continue to cultivate and grow my personal brand, here are 5 of the things I have learnt along the way:
1. Find your Tribe
Being part of a community is vital to your success when building your personal brand. When you are surrounded by like minded people you instantly feel more inspired and empowered. Being part of a mastermind is the best thing I could have done for myself and my brand. It keeps me accountable, motivated and inspired, plus I have a tribe of people who get me and understand the journey.
Not everyday is easy when you are building your own business, especially if you are a solopreneur, and the journey can be lonely and sometimes rocky, by being around others who are on a similar journey it makes a huge difference to how you feel and having that support is priceless.
Spending time with the mastermind group has also had a direct impact on my mindset, I get fired up when I am with other like minded people who are also building their own personal brand, I get ideas, I get motivated and inspired to be better.
2. Take the next best step
In the beginning of creating my personal brand presence I really didn’t have much idea what I was doing, I was just trying things out and finding my way. What I realised is that building an online presence and business requires patience and tenacity, learning to take it step by step, trying new things and not being afraid to fail.
I know in my case I often look way too far ahead into the future and can get overwhelmed with goals and dreams and this can sometimes paralyse me. I’m sure that this is true for many of us! So, whenever I feel like that I just ask myself, what is my next best move?
Step by step, stay present and take the next right step without letting yourself get distracted and overwhelmed by your bigger goals and dreams, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
3. Allow yourself to evolve
As you grow and evolve as a person, so will your personal brand. After all, it’s an extension of who you are.
Getting stuck in doing the same thing and not feeling aligned happens to us all, I don’t know anyone on this journey who has stayed the same!
As I grow my personal brand I have learnt to not be afraid to evolve, and to allow myself to continue to grow and change over time. Who you were when you first started your personal brand journey is not the same as the person you are now or the person you will be in 10yrs time.
I started off as a personal stylist and now I’m a sustainable fashion expert, things change and so do you. Evolving as a person is not just going through the phases of life, but rather it is changing and growing to become more of who you are.
4. Be YOU
Being authentically me I think has been one of the biggest challenges, why do we find it so hard to be ourselves? Societal programming and being told we should do things certain ways stops us from being who we truly are and stifles our creativity and uniqueness.
It took me some time to understand that authenticity is one of the most important parts of growing a personal brand. The more authentic and true to yourself you are, the more inner peace and self-acceptance you will have. You will feel a greater sense of purpose and this will shine through your personal brand.
Each of us are on a unique journey and what you have to offer the world is completely different to anyone else, even if they are doing the same thing and I have learnt along the way to stop worrying about what others are doing, and to focus on my path and what makes me come alive and find my own rhythms and ways of doing things.
Remember,
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken”
Oscar Wilde
People buy from people that they like and trust and they want something real and authentic. They want to see and know the person behind the product and service, so show up, share and BE YOU.
5. Share Value
Many think sharing a photo on Instagram in a bikini or sipping on an oat milk latte is enough to keep their audience engaged and obviously people want to see and know the more relaxed and personal side of you, however the key to cultivating your personal brand on and off line is to share valuable, interesting and educational content.
Share with your audience stories, tips and information that will add value to their lives and inherently make their lives better in some way.
Your personal brand is a perception and an energy, it’s not just your Instagram feed, it’s everything you do and say that transmits who you are. When someone hears your name, see’s you or thinks of you, you want them to have a good positive and uplifting feeling. Your name and personal brand have VALUE.
Lou Stokes is one of our Brand YOU Creator clients and is a Sustainable Fashion Expert & Educator, Published Author & International speaker. She dedicates her time to inspiring and empowering individuals to change the way they get dressed and consume fashion to have a positive impact on the planet.
