You are the CEO OF YOUR LIFE

Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” Jeff Bezos, Founder of AMAZON. Whether you are a chef, banker, teacher, or fitness professional, your personal brand is something that you should take seriously. The problem is, many people either think that they don’t need to brand themselves or they don’t know where to get started!

Building your brand is essential to your career because it helps you stand out from the crowd. When you live and breathe your personal brand, you become a walking billboard for what you believe in. Here are some simple steps to get you started in the process of building your brand:

Step 1: Write down three words that describe what YOU stand for
This step begins the foundation of building a personal brand. Why just three words? Anyone can think of three words to describe themselves. This will begin to get the mind rattling about what represents YOU. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be specific. Just think about this… what is unique about you and then go from there! Examples: Red head, dancer, entrepreneur, mother of 2, women’s right activist, gluten-free cook, accountant, music lover, blogger.

Step 2: Write a three-sentence bio/mission statement
Pretend that you are looking through a dictionary and you come across your name. What would the definition be? Your bio should be approximately 350 characters including spaces. Make sure you use Step One to help with this process. Here is an example of what my bio looks like:

Nikki Pebbles is a hip shaking, hair whipping, Beyoncé loving, entrepreneur. She is the CEO and founder of Power(FULL) Girl, a place of power for women and the COO of the fitness program KERBOOMKA. Her mission is simple: to help establish the confidence that women need in order to pursue anything they want in life!  Head over to her website, follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

Step 3: What does social media say about you?
Take a second and look through your pictures on Facebook and Instagram. What do you see? If you find a trend of party pictures and beer cans, chances are you aren’t representing yourself in the best light. Think about this: If a potential client or employer reviewed your Facebook, would they still want to work with you? So how do you mold your social media around your brand? Here are some examples:

• Take the time to research quotes, pictures, and articles that are relevant to your brand. If you are a fitness instructor, find helpful recipes, record exercise videos, and find new innovative products to talk about!
• Use the websites Buffer.com or Hootsuite.com to help manage and schedule your tweets and Facebook updates.
• Find someone in your field who is an expert and follow them on their social media. See what they are posting and how they are representing themselves. Make it a priority to retweet and LIKE what they put up.
  

Step 4: Here comes the fun part: Your logo and website
Never underestimate the power of a fantastic logo and website. These two things go hand in hand along with social media. A logo is an image that will represent your brand everywhere you go. A great logo will carry your message and convey the emotion and passion of the brand without you ever saying a word. Everything matters: the colors, the font, and the placement of words. I know what you’re thinking… I don’t have the money to get a logo. WRONG! Fantastic websites like Fiverr.com offer professional logo design for just FIVE DOLLARS! YES, YOU HEARD ME RIGHT…. FIVE DOLLARS! Here, check out my logo that was completed by Fiverr

I wanted something that represented my bubbly personally and my passion for business, fitness, and leadership. This logo is on my website, merchandise, business cards, stickers, pretty much EVERYTHING!

Create your website
Websites like Wix.com or Squarespace.com allow ANYONE to create and publish their websites for FREE or for a small monthly price. Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated!! Focus on having high quality pictures, your logo, your bio, and possibly writing a blog! Just like social media, find someone in your field who has a great website and see what content they used! You want your website to be clean, simple, and professional instead of messy and overcomplicated! Personal branding comes down to one question: WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT? Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Remember to take your brand SERIOUSLY. You are the CEO OF YOUR LIFE…..now show the world what you stand for!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Visit my website www.NikkiPebbles.com for more business info!