Why You Need a Personal Brand if You Want to Win Big in 2020
In 2019 I started blogging regularly about personal branding and entrepreneurship.
6 months later I became the #1 Personal Brand Strategist on Google.
2 months later I ranked on the first page for “Personal Brand Expert” and “Personal Brand Consultant”
These were some of the first telltale signs that I was getting a return on my personal branding investment.
Now, in 2020 I’ve worked with over 25 new clients, 10xed my income, and have become more than just a one-woman show.
As I look back at 2019 in reflection, I can see that building my personal brand has been of the most transformational experiences of my life.
Not only has my personal brand afforded me countless golden opportunities, but it has also been the most enlightening period of self-discovery. I know myself in a way that I never knew was possible.
Personal branding asks us to look inward, assess our strengths and weaknesses, and identify the principles that drive our decision-making.
I recently read a Harvard Business Review article in which entrepreneur Anthony Tjan writes, “There is one quality that trumps all, evident in virtually every great entrepreneur, manager, and leader. That quality is self-awareness. The best thing leaders can do to improve their effectiveness is to become more aware of what motivates them and their decision-making.”
Numerous magazines from Forbes to Fast Company all say the same thing: know thyself.
As we move purposefully into 2020, I would encourage you to think about the following:
Every Business is a Customer-Facing Business
We live in the digital era where the internet exposes everyone. It doesn’t matter how “private,” you think your personal channels are, I can assure you they are not. It doesn’t matter what your business is selling, in a digital era you are always always customer-facing.
Your last Instagram post, email, and phone conversation are all contributing to the way that people feel about you and your brand.
Your potential clients and customers are evaluating whether they want to do business with you long before they’ve picked up the phone or sent you an email.
This means if you are not working to build your brand, you are missing out on a major opportunity to capitalize on digital real estate and potentially losing out on a lot of business in the process.
People Trust People More than They Trust Companies
A company’s message has a stronger impact when it comes from a person.
We relate to humans in a way that we will never relate to companies. Our minds signal that we can trust this person, he or she looks like me, connects with me, understands me… and because of this, we buy into their message on an emotional level. It actually changes the way we feel.
Personal branding is your unfair advantage, the sooner you step into your role as leader marketer—building the business of you—the sooner your business will be separated from the competition.
Building Your Personal Brand Means Living a Purposeful Life
When I started building my personal brand, I had no idea how it would change the trajectory of my life. It led me to find my ultimate purpose and step into the most authentic version of myself. My clients say the same thing, “Anna, you’ve helped me find my identity.”
The word purpose gets thrown around a lot. And I want to set the record straight, this is what it means to me:
Purpose is your North Star.
It’s the thing that leads you, guides you, and moves you into a more fulfilled way of being.
It’s the legacy you leave behind.
And most importantly, it’s the thing you hold onto when you’re faced with difficult challenges.
In every moment of doubt that I endured through 2019, I clung to my purpose, and it carried me through. Had I not identified what that was for me, I would be in a much different place.
Are you looking towards the future?
Are you asking yourself how you can lead a more purposeful life?
Are you ready to get paid for who you really are and not just what you do?
I believe the key to your success in 2020 lies in the power of your personal brand.
