Are you intentionally curating your brand?

A little dream I had about being on Jeopardy,

Alex (RIP), I choose the category: 

"How to age myself" for $100. 

The answer is, "Nope."

The question is, "Are you intentionally creating your personal brand?"

Ouch, this was me, until last year.

A brand is not just a color scheme or logo. A brand is how people would describe you. 

The first years of my business I thought, "Hey, people know me. I don't need to promote myself." (Are all my people pleasers giving me a high five?) I even remember telling my coach I wanted to share my top 10 favorite things in pictures on my website and she told me, "No one cares." I now know she couldn't have been more wrong. 

I am a brand.

You are a brand.

Even if you are not intentional, you have a brand. 

Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.

She is so creative.

She is dependable.

She flakes out.

She's a no bull shit kind of woman. 

She is super smart. 

She dresses like she's going to the Met Gala.

She never misses a workout.

She is the first person I call when I am in need.

She is mean as hell on the tennis court. 

She is last minute with everything.

She is funnier than any SNL comedian. 

She is dedicated to her family. 

She always impresses.

She is generous with her time and money. 

She is quick to judge.

She's hard to work with. (dangling prep I know)

She's bad a grammar.

She loves dearly.

She always runs late.

She remembers everyone's name.

She takes care of herself first. 

Get it? 

You are the CEO of you. 

You are, YOUR NAME, INC. 

And, while we women at midlife may be critiquing and wondering about these younguns who are curating their photos and posts, we can also take a page from their book. 

People are noticing. 

People are sharing their observations. 

People are making judgments about you.

So, why not get in front of your audience and be deliberate with your messaging. 

I remember my second business coach, Jim Shopland , asking me if I were a store, which store would I be and then asked me to describe it. He was helping me shape my brand. For you central Virginia's I chose Ivy Nursery in Charlottesville - a bit homegrown, but still sophisticated, relevant, gorgeous scent, consistent, not intimidating, high end products, boutique, inviting, classic, welcoming. 

What a great exercise.  

So, what store would you be?

How do you want folks to describe you? 

What is super consistent about how you show up, set up your office, what you wear, like to gift, do for fun, role you play on a team, speak to others, etc...

If you haven't spent time thinking about this before, I invite you to do so now. 

And think about all of you, not just the professional brand you are building. 

And, if you want to take it to the next level ....

Get a free Canva account and create a visual of your brand. 

Have fun with this. 

It matters.

Go create a magical life, 

K

P.S. Click here if you want me to send you a quick video tutorial about how to make this visual.