PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL BRANDING

Everyone has an inherent brand. A personal brand is a name or an entity that reflects the perception of how a group of people, market, or industry thinks of the name or identifier.

 Brands can either be positive or negative. We all have our perception about a product or service that we see or get. When a brand is negative, it is important to re-brand, so as to make the negative brand a positive brand.

  Every Nigeria is a brand. While re-branding Nigeria defines our image, re-branding Nigerians defines the people. Who is an average Nigerian? Is an average Nigerian hunger-stricken, fraudulent, and undisciplined? Who should an average Nigerian be? Answer for yourself. What role do I have play in re-positioning Nigeria?

 Develop yourself. You have to define your personal brand. What’s your mission on planet earth? Who are you? Are you the person you are supposed to be? What are your goals? What motivates you? What do you think about all day long? What can you do to make Nigeria a bettercountry?

 You have to look for how to be an expert in your field. That is the essence of personal branding. To be an expert, you have to always be in the eyes of your customers, especially in your business.

 To innovate, according to the Chambers English Dictionary means to renew, alter; to introduce as something new; to introduce novelties; to make changes. We need new thinking in management. I like the way Toyota puts it when it says “New thinking, new products.” We need new ideas.

 Some people repel new ideas. They are only receptive to ideas that have been proven to work. These crop of people do not have what it takes to seize the future. The present belongs to those who want to follow the proven principles and business practices. The future however, belongs to those who will think outside the box. It belongs to those who want to do something different from what everyone has seen or experienced.

  I am aware that new ideas demand to be tested and tried. They require extra work, extra hassle, extra risk and hey! What if they don’t work? If you have an idea that seems strange to others, don’t give up on it. When your dream is bigger than you, you only have to depend on your instincts and actions to make it work. The fact is this: The people you hold in high esteem in your life will discourage or ignore you when you really begin to think outside the box.

 Take the risk. Taking risk is an important aspect of being anentrepreneur. You need to be positive about risk-taking. Concerning new ideas, the question you need to ask is “What if it works? That is the way forward. Don’t forget that all you need is one sound idea and you will smile to the bank for the rest of your life. It was the idea of running Microsoft on personal computers that made Bill Gates the richest person in the world today.

 A new idea is a disruption. Most people like continuity of what they are doing, not disruption. That’s not the way forward. Doing same of the same thing is like swirling around about a fixed point. Remember the Chinese proverb that says that if you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got. If you are tired of the status-quo and business as usual, then you have to innovate.

Products and services must change or soon end-up without buyers.Churches must adjust, or the pastor will soon speak to a graying audience, with no younger generation for the future. “It doesn’t matter what you did last week to justify your employment; ‘What have you done for me lately?’ is the question within a competitive workplace environment.” (Jeff Key, Real Estate and Financial Analyst).

 Innovation means to change your concepts approaches, and there will be a new result-that’s the out-come. There is a new idea in your mind. You only need to dig it how. Just go to a quiet place every night, and pay attention to your heart desires. Where your heart is, there your
 greatness is.

 Take action. Buy a new book and tag it “My idea book.” Any weird idea that crosses your mind should be etched in the pages of your idea book. Commit to thinking for just fifteen minutes every night about improving your life and the life of others.

 There is something you can do for Nigeria. You can make a difference. You can fill in the gap somewhere. The future of Nigeria is dependent on you, so take charge.


Written by: Agbolade Omowole
 Contact: nigeriaslifecoach@gmail.com