It may come as a complete shock to some of you, but you - yes you - have a brand. I’m not referring to the worldwide, mass market, global domination kind of brand. I’m referring to the everyday, regular person and business kind of brand.

Whether you are self-employed, an employee or unemployed, it makes no difference. Every single person has a brand. Your brand is everything that people see, think or say about you and/or your business. It is what you are known for. In other words, it is an indication of who you are, what you believe and what you are capable of.

So what does your brand say about you and/or your business? What are you known for? What are people saying or thinking about you? More importantly, does it fully reflect and align with your intentions and goals? Let’s take it one step further. Do you even know what your intentions and goals are?

If you’ve never thought about yourself or your business in this manner before and would like to, it’s time to reflect and identify your brand. Ask yourself the following questions:

What do you want out of life, your career or your business? How you would like to be seen? What are you good at? What are your skills or strengths? What can you offer others or what value do you provide? What sets you apart from others?

Now that you have your answers, you should have a good idea of what you want your brand to be. The next step is communicating it - letting others know what it is.

With regards to your personal life, you convey your brand in a variety of ways: your mannerisms, the words you use, your actions, your appearance, etc. You let other people know who you are by what you say and do.

If you’re vying for a job, your resume reflects your brand (both personally and professionally) and identifies who you are, what your qualifications are and what skills you have. You also convey this during your job interview in the way you conduct yourself and how you interact with the interviewer.

In the workplace, you communicate your brand when you interact with other individuals such as your coworkers, clients, etc. You also communicate it while you perform your various duties on the job, whether you are writing a report, creating a product or providing a service.

As a business owner, not only are you a reflection of your business’s brand, but so is your staff, office space, business cards, website, marketing material, correspondence, products, etc. Everything that is associated to your business represents that which your business is or that which you want your business to be.

So you see, no matter who you are or what you do, your brand or your business’s brand is merely an expression of who you are or what your business is. The key to a successful brand is the thought and effort put into identifying it and then consciously communicating it with the intention and goal in mind