The bullshit that is personal branding...

It struck me the other day that the whole idea of "personal branding" is bullshit, and also so very marketing — and this is coming from someone who has spend a fair bit of time in the "field of marketing". Although, I would also be the first person to say you need to develop your "personal brand" (and yes a bit of a contradiction is presenting itself).

Before you call bullshit, hear me out — and believe me I shall be brief.

The Internet has given rise to many things in such a short period of time; 50 % good and 50 % not so good — and we have all adapted. One of things that has taken off is the concept of personal branding, and although not a new concept, it has very much accelerated because it is next to simple to get a great photograph of yourself, create a YouTube channel, and set up as many social media feeds as you can handle — and if you are reasonably calculated, present yourself in the perfect light, and with the perfect personal branding. Sadly, most will be taken at face value if it looks great and if it's entertaining. Sadder still though, there's also a collective understanding that under the thin veneer that is the internet, there lives an expectation that not everything is really as truthful as portrayed — and we seem to be alright with it. Another example of the adaption to the Internet I suppose.

Becoming lost is the word reputation (and maybe even the concept); you know, the overall quality or character as seen or judged by people. Reputation is a word of substance — something that takes a long time to build, and sadly if you are not careful, can be lost quickly (and maybe never recovered). Your reputation is built upon your character and abilities, and although sometimes masked for a little while, will always truly represent who you are. The personal brand is forever nebulous and changing based on the environment that fosters it, while reputation is solid and built on your character and capability.

Maybe all I am really trying to get across is that if your personal brand is not built upon your character and abilities (your reputation if you will), then it simply is all just bullshit.

iamgpe

PS — For those who may not be familiar with the term

bull·shit [ˈbo͝olˌSHit]

NOUN — stupid or untrue talk or writing; nonsense.

VERB — talk nonsense to (someone), typically to be misleading or deceptive.

Moments — käməˈrädərē

"Graham!"  

"It's <insert name of brother>. I'm at Pearson airport and I'm hammered — so of course I thought of you." 

"I just wanted to say I love you very much and I hope everything is going really well. I'm just coming back from Kansas City after seeing the total eclipse... and um, tomorrow I'm off to France, and then Venice for a cruise, and then, ah Croatia, and then L.A., and then Tokyo... and then Berlin. So, I'll call you in a couple of months... and... and believe me, I'm deadly serious when I name all these places." 

"Of course I had nothing to do with all of this... it's all <insert name of brother's wife>'s work, but as a passive aggressive rider of life like all good Canadians are I salute you, and hope you have a fantastic evening — and give me a call when you can, leave a message, or email me... bye for now."

I tell this for no other reason than to share how blessed I am to know such friendship — and that when I heard the message I laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

I hope you are so blessed,

iamgpe

Questions to Help You Mind Your Business — A Summary.

A little while ago Renée Cormier and I were discussing business opportunities, the evolution of business, and the natural transition of start-ups and small business to keep pace — somewhere in all of this the idea of ten questions that should be asked was born. Over ten weeks we diligently posted our thoughts on each question and shared it with our various networks.

Part of the exercise was to develop our answers independently and post them together; something unto itself that was important because we wanted to offer two separate perspectives on the same question. This was a subtle reminder that people see things differently, have different ideas, and that the whole is almost always better than the parts. This was definitely apparent when people engaged with comments, thoughts, and perspectives we hadn't considered  — something which offered even a better answer to the question.

For your convenience I have listed the 10 questions and links to the answers — I'm directing you to the social media platform beBee because quite frankly the comments and engagement are the best; again, adding to a better answer

1)  What is the nature of your business? (How can I create a fuller picture of the nature of my business?

2)  Where should I spend my money?

3)  Do I need a plan for my business?

4)  Should I hire a sales person?

5)  How can maximize the value of my employees?

6)  Why can’t employees just do what I tell them?

7)  How do I build a team?

8)  How can I manage my business and still have a life?

9)  How will I know if I am successful?

10)  Do I need to be using social media and how much do I really need to do?

Thanks again to Renée Cormier for collaborating on this, and I very much appreciate those who took the time to read and engage with what we posted.

As I mentioned, it all led to coming up with better answers.

iamgpe