I am passionate about learning. This passion generally leads me to immerse myself in ADHD, brain-related, and business-related education. (I also read fiction, but for a totally different reason.)
Podcasts are an easy way for me to consume information. It’s easy to queue up a podcast and listen in what may have been otherwise unproductive time, like driving.
Although most of the podcasts I listen to are ADHD-related, I recently listened to a podcast on a personal brand that I found fascinating.
John Lee Dumas is the narrator and a prolific podcaster that engages with a fantastic group of entrepreneurs who share wisdom. Recently, I was enthralled by the “Brand is Gravity“ episode with Paul Daly.
In this episode, Paul shares 5 elements for building a brand.
- Honesty – understand who you are, what you bring to the market, and your unique selling points.
- Empathy – strive to understand before being understood.
- Attention – do something to get your buyer’s attention.
- Connection – the brand can build relationships, customer loyalty, and a tribe.
- Care – is an ongoing relationship with someone. No one is genuinely loyal who does not care about your brand.
As an entrepreneur myself, I pondered the difference between personality, character, and brand. Since I am my business; they have to be the same, right? Not really. In looking to define each, here’s where I landed:
Personality: a particular way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. (britannica.com)
My personality is the different aspects of my individuality. My essence, traits, mannerisms, and nature. I may embrace bits and pieces of me while I work that I may not want to show to all of my clients. For example, I wear my emotions on my sleeve yet hesitate to show strong emotions during coaching sessions. In addition, I am sometimes hesitant to welcome change, although I ask my clients to embrace change regularly.
Appreciating others and serving my clients with my expertise and empathy is important to me, which is also part of my personality.
Character: the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. (dictionary.com)
My character is a combination of traits where I put place value. Integrity, honesty, loyalty, affection, and accountability are all parts of my character that I strive to demonstrate. If you are looking for an interesting assignment, do this Values and Needs exercise.
Brand: A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. (Wikipedia.com)
Then there is my brand. In my business, my brand is me and the product I deliver.
David Ogilvy defined a brand as “the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.” It is about who I am in the minds of my client audience.
My vision statement sums up the core of my brand:
“To be a reliable and trusted resource for individuals with ADHD. To create a safe, judgment-free environment where individuals can learn about themselves, learn from others, and create the life they want to live.”
The statement also alludes to bits of my character: integrity, honesty, reliability, and loyalty. This is my brand.
When you think of your business or yourself, what do you want your brand to say about you?
Cindy Jobs, PCAC, ACC
Looking for more information?
Click here for ADHD-friendly Time Management Tools
Click here to schedule a complimentary breakthrough session.
For more helpful information, follow me on Facebook.
