Your brand is what defines who you are. It can be impacted by the way you were raised, how you dress and the circle of people that you surround yourself with. Your brand is the representation of who you are all the way down to the core values that drive your actions. Let’s expand the scope, and look at how your personal brand correlate with your company’s brand.

In the beginning stages of starting your business you need to think about what sets you apart from the competition in the particular niche your are contending for. Your brand is your commitment to yourself to maintain your personal values, to your company to devote efforts to grow your business and care for your employees, and to your customers to offer them quality service and products that will always put them first.

Your Personal Brand
What do you sets you apart and drives you to succeed? The world is at your fingertips if you work hard enough and you can design a business and brand for whatever industry you are involved in to maximize your potential to succeed. When you begin to recognize your own core values and the personal brand that you portray as an individual you can then, and only then, focus on how you develop and evolve your company’s brand.

Your Company’s Brand
The time and resources you dedicate to your brand will change the face of your company. As the famous saying goes, “sometimes you have to give a little to get a little,” applies not only to personal matters but directly to your business. This is something that easily falls by the wayside, but it is essential to spend the extra money to create a strong design for your brand. This means creating a visual identity starting with a logo, website and other necessary collateral design. By caring about your brand’s appearance you will not only boost your credibility but you will create lasting value that follows you.

Outside Perception
Warren Buffett stated, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” How the general public sees your brand can make or break your business. This is represented by a plethora of things, such as: the way the phone is answered, the atmosphere when customers walk in, and most importantly the interactions customers have with your employees with is a direct correlation with how your employees feel they are being treated. As stated earlier, it is important to set a brand standard that upholds the values and core believes that you and your company stand for. Making an employee customer feel truly welcome and appreciated will create lasting value that you might not see immediately, but over time will be the foundation of what you stand for. And, as unfortunate events are bound to happen, when there is a bad review or encounter, take the necessary steps to remedy the problem that aligns with your values, mission statement and purpose.

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Have you become stale with your design efforts? Start being proactive now and devote the time and resources to keep your brand fresh. This will ensure your business has room to grow and will generate a return in the years to come.

“Great brands aren’t built in a day, but they are being created everyday.” -Lewis Howes

I will gladly take a look at your current branding and provide feedback on areas where improvement can be made, for free.

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