What a lot of people really don’t know and where I believe most personal brands fail the most is the BUSINESS SIDE.
Personal branding is not all lights, camera, action and being in the forefront. Personal branding is 10% talent and 90% BUSINESS. Case-in-point, what’s the name of your company? Do you have an LLC? When was the last time you filed your annual report?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you’ve already lost.
If you are to succeed with your brand, there are business processes and systems you must have in place in order for the branding machine to work and actually make you money. Things like a marketing funnel, sales cycles, lead captures, financial reporting, content editing, web design, website analytics, graphic design, hiring contractors, business logistics, operations, printing, calculating ROI, calendar software, project management… the list literally goes on and on.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you probably don’t have those things in place, therefore you’ve lost again.
My point is this: if you’re a public speaker, you need a speaker’s contract outlining the details of your speaking engagement. If you’re a graphic designer, you need a set price list and contract for all clients. If you’re an author, you need to know how to calculate your profit margin on books. If you’re a musician, you must learn how to independently distribute your music and build a fan base with social media. If you sell products on the Internet, you need lead magnets on your website. Should I continue or do you catch my drift?
PAY ATTENTION to the business and company side of things because it’s always the small foxes that destroy the vine. Don’t just build a public persona, build a business that can stand the test of time.
Don’t just be the FACE of the brand, be the CEO of the company.