GRADUATE ENTREPRENEURS

So, you want to work for yourself or you’ve got an idea for a business or you’ve already set up on your own. Maybe you’ve written your business plan, maybe you haven’t got round to it yet. Maybe you’ve already started doing work for people and got a bit of money coming in. Perhaps, you’ve talked through your ideas with a business mentor or people you know who already run small businesses or just a group of friends who are interested. Or maybe you haven’t but you still want to be your own boss, one way or another. So how can Personal Branding help you. A lot, actually.

Businesses nowadays, no matter how small, have access to global markets thanks to the internet and the e-commerce technologies which have developed to support it. Whether you’re selling stuff on ebay or advertising yourself via a website, it has never been easier to showcase your business offerings to a wide audience. The trouble is, what works for you also works for your competitors so the key to being successful as a solopreneur or a small business is to:

• Understand what is unique about you and your business so that you can differentiate yourself from your competition.
• Build a business which reflects your values and passions – that way it will excite you, keep you going through the low spots, and attract an audience that shares your enthusiasm.
• Understand that you are your brand. Nowadays people like to like the people they do business with so it is incredibly important to understand how you are perceived in the minds of others. It is also important to manage that perception to ensure you build strong relationships with the people you want to work with.
• Identify a small target audience – a niche. People you want to work with, who want what you have to offer.
• Build a brand identity which reflects your unique offering.
• Manage your brand environment so that it clearly communicates your brand consistently.
• Identify the most effective communication tools for you and your personal brand. Unless you have a huge marketing budget and lots of time to devote to marketing you need to get yourself in front of your target audience in the most efficient and effective ways possible for you. High visibility is not always about mass mailing!

In small businesses you don’t want customers, you want fans. Personal branding can help you to build a business which you love running and which your fans rave about!

Contact me to find out more or sign up for a training course. It might be the best investment you ever make in your business!