Branding. It’s a word we hear thrown around a lot these days.

I would define “brand” as being your business’ personality. It can include, among other things (depending on whether your business is online or bricks-and-mortar):

• Your name
• Your logo
• Tagline
• Colour choices
• How you deal with customers
• Your overall tone: formal/informal, positive/negative, luxury/accessible

With businesses, we love consistency in branding. If I walk into a Starbucks, for example, in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, I would expect to have a very similar experience there as I would at the one that is a block from my house. Starbucks are masters of their brand.

When it comes to your own personal brand, it’s actually a little easier than branding a corporation or even a business. And that’s because your brand, very simply, is defined by what you stand for. What moves you. Where your passions lie.

This series is really dedicated to those of you out there, like me, who make a living by being their own business. Your business may have a separate name, but if, at the end of the day, your clients are purchasing you, then you have, and need to build, a personal brand. Or maybe you want to move away from your current job or business, and more into the realm of being a rockstar in your niche. If either of those two things are why you are here, then you are in the right place.

Our goal over the next few weeks is to put together a plan to help elevate you to that status in your own area of expertise or your niche.

So…. let’s start to explore what your personal brand looks like:

Passions: what kinds of things get you really juiced? If you’re having a hard time thinking of something, think about the kinds of things that you get lost in–an activity where you’ll be doing your thing, and suddenly you look up and realize several hours have gone by.

Happiness: what kinds of things make you feel happy?

Purpose: what things do you do that make you feel like a better person? Like someone who has something to contribute to the world, like someone who is able to make a difference.

Mastery: what things do you do really well?

Attitude: what’s your overall attitude towards life? Positive and upbeat? Cynical and negative? Quirky? Twisted? Pollyannaish?

If you think about and answer these questions, what you might find is that there are some answers that overlap on multiple questions. That’s a great sign. Because it means that you are clearer about what your personal brand looks like.

If you’re still struggling with what your personal brand looks like, ask some people who are close to you (your spouse, girl/boyfriend, a close friend, your kid) what the key words and phrases are that pop into their head when they think about you and who you are. It’s kind of like doing market research, and incredibly eye-opening.

See if you can narrow it down to three words that really resonate with you. Hang on to these. We’ll revisit them next week, when we talk about goals.

Who wants to share theirs in the comments section below?? Anyone? Bueller?

By the way, if you want to get on the mailing list for this series of posts, including a weekly exclusive task to help you build your personal brand, sign up here.