Do I need a personal brand? (yes and here’s why)

So I’ve been a bit quiet lately on the blogging front, because I wanted to take a step back and do some work on my ‘personal brand’. I had never really thought about it much before. I just cracked on, did the work, shared things online that I resonated with and that was that.

But after six years now of running my coaching biz (can you believe it?) I’ve realised that I definitely gravitate towards particular kinds of work, particular clients, and particular issues that feel important and where I want to help to make a difference.

I have a niche that feels good, I want to be known for certain things, and in a crowded marketplace it’s REALLY important to communicate that clearly. So with the help of some fabulous experts in this area (Check out Olivia Bath and Katie Carr if you're interested), I now understand what that ‘thing’ is that helps me stand out and I know how to communicate it clearly to the world. More on that over the next few weeks and months…

In the meantime, if you think that you’d like to do some work on your own personal brand and help yourself stand out in the workplace, here are 3 simple tips for getting started:

1. Think about what matters to you most. What drives you forward? These are your values, and ideally you want to align your personal values with the work that you do. For example, if one of your values is ‘fun’, how can you introduce that into your work? Could you organise social activities for your colleagues? Could you use it as part of your presentation style in meetings? These little tweaks will help you stand out.

2. What’s unique about you? What do you differently from others? A great way to find out is to ask for feedback from colleagues and friends. What do they love about working with you? Can they think of a time you made a big impact?

3. Don’t be afraid to make it personal. You don’t have to reveal or share anything at work that makes you uncomfortable, but we all have a personal story about what led us here and things that we’re passionate about. Think of some anecdotes that tell people a bit more about who you are and why you do what you do.

It really is worth spending some time thinking about your personal brand, in order to build your reputation and credibility, get noticed, and attract the success you rightly deserve. Let me know how you get on!

4 steps to overcoming your fear of visibility

I was chatting with one of my lovely clients the other day and she was struggling with something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She is building her amazing new business alongside her current job, has recently launched her website and then…. hmm. Crickets.

And so we discussed some ways that she could begin to spread the word about her new business and raise her visibility, and that’s where it became clear what her main struggle was:

How can I overcome my fear of being more visible?

Becoming more visible in your business can be a scary leap, especially if you’ve spent years in a corporate job where there was always a boss or team to hide behind. But the reality is that if you and your business aren’t visible to your potential customers, then you won’t have a business. It’s as simple as that.

Believe it or not, your customers want to connect with YOU and your story, and people are often attracted to brands where they get a sense of the real person and the journey behind them.

So if you don’t feel comfortable about promoting yourself, then how can you improve your confidence and visibility in your business, in a way that feels natural and authentic?

1. Work on your mindset. Becoming more visible can trigger all sorts of fears, confidence issues, ‘imposter syndrome’, feelings of self doubt and overwhelm. We work a lot on these issues in my Career Coaching Programme because if you don’t have the right mindset, then starting your business will be much harder than it needs to be (and if you’re asking yourself “Do I need to be an expert to start a business?” then read this blog post).

2. Make yourself accountable. If you’re an introvert like me, then you can probably find 100 excuses to avoid getting out in front of your audience! But finding an ‘accountability buddy’ and letting them know what you plan to do can make a huge difference. Set yourself some ‘visibility’ targets e.g go to a networking event, do a Facebook Live, send an email to your mailing list, post in a LinkedIn group etc, then schedule them in your diary and share your plans. It can make a huge difference if you ‘go public’ with your plans rather than keeping them to yourself.

3. Focus on being of service. If you’re struggling with sales and worrying about coming across as ‘pushy’ or ‘salesy’, then consider how it would feel if you approached your potential clients from a place of genuine service and desire to help them? That takes the focus off you and frees you up to do what you do best, which is to reach out and offer valuable solutions which will help people using your particular set of skills and strengths.

4. Give yourself time to build genuine 1:1 relationships. Just like in the ‘real world’, building relationships with your audience and potential clients will take time. So make an effort to show up regularly, be visible to them and engage in genuine conversations. Let them get to know you, ask them what they’re struggling with and build a connection. It will make running your business much more enjoyable and pay dividends in the long run.

So now over to you. Do you struggle with being more visible in your day job or in your business? What has helped you the most? I’d love to hear!

My 3 favourite work podcasts

Have you got addicted to podcasts yet?

I TOTALLY have over the last two years, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because they have allowed me to fill my brain with the best and most up to date career, business and life advice, wherever I am. Whether I’m cooking a meal at home, riding the bus into town, or going for a run around the park.

And whilst binging on the latest Netflix series can be fun and relaxing, it's not directly feeding your brain with the knowledge it needs to navigate that tricky situation at work or reduce your stress levels.

I’ve tried and tested quite a few recently, to whittle them down to the ones that really add value to my life or my work, and now I couldn’t be without them. They have helped me come up with many new creative ideas, grow my business, and navigate all kinds of personal challenges too.

So I thought I’d introduce you to some of my favourite podcasts, some for work and some for wellbeing and good mental health, and see if you’d like to join me in making listening to podcasts a regular habit of yours too.

So here are my current top 3 work and business podcasts:

WorkLife with Adam Grant

This new podcast sprang to life last year and actually made it to #1 on the podcast chart. It’s hosted by organisational psychologist Adam Grant, and he chats to all kinds of fascinating people doing unusual jobs, in order to understand some of the science behind, in his own words, ‘making work not suck’. Some of my favourite episodes have been ‘Faking your emotions at work’, ‘A world without bosses’, and ‘Become friends with your rivals’. This show is always guaranteed to bring fresh ideas and make you think differently about the world of work.

The Janet Murray Show

Janet is a former journalist turned online PR and marketing expert for small business owners. What I love about Janet is that she’s very straight talking, and gets down to brass tacks straightaway! Her podcast episodes are always highly practical, and she isn’t afraid to say what doesn’t work or where you might be going wrong. If you want to learn about the basics of marketing your business online and making more sales, this is a great starting point and I learned loads from her when I was a newbie business owner.

Uncomplicated Your Business with Racheal Cook

For those of you who are a little further along your business journey, but feeling overwhelmed or like you’re not hitting your goals, Racheal is a godsend. She’s incredibly relatable and inspiring at the same time, running her six figure business from the basement of her home in Richmond, Virginia and has managed to do all this whilst only working 25hrs a week, retiring her husband from his job and raising their 3 kids! I just love her simple, actionable and effective advice on productivity, goal setting, streamlining, increasing your income, leadership and loads more.

So those are my current top 3 favourite work podcasts. What about you? Do you have a recommendation? Let me know in the comments below if there’s a show you think we should all be checking out!

Next week, I’ll share 3 favourite podcasts for wellbeing and good mental health.