Brand yourself: whether you work for a corporation, run your own business, or freelance, use your name to gain significant power and influence - Career Management

Black Enterprise, March, 2002 by Ann Brown

LITTLE DID TAVIS SMILEY KNOW that being fired, after five years, as the host and executive producer of Black Entertainment Television's (BET) BET Tonight With Tavis Smiley, would turn out to be a major career transition. In fact, it was the start of the branding of Tavis Smiley.

"I didn't realize my value because I hadn't gone outside [of BET] to find out," notes the author, lecturer, TV-radio personality, and political analyst. Even though Smiley had interviewed some of the world's top personalities, and snagged President Bill Clinton's first interview following the Monica Lewinsky incident, Smiley wasn't prepared for the flood of offers he received.

Within weeks after leaving BET, Smiley sealed an unprecedented trio of deals--as a correspondent on both ABC's Good Morning America and CNN's Primetime Live; and as host of a one-hour syndicated talk show for Buena Vista Television. "We did this all within eight to nine weeks," says Smiley. "And it only took that long because of all the paperwork."

The hot streak kept blazing. Smiley renewed his contract with ABC Radio Networks to continue his popular political commentaries on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, along with his syndicated spots, The Smiley Report, to air afternoons on black radio stations nationwide. National Public Radio tapped him for a daily one-hour morning show to air on 600 stations. Add to this, a two-book publishing deal with Doubleday and a product deal with Hay House Inc., a self-help book publishing company in Carlsbad, California. The result is a multimillion-dollar package of contracts.

Smiley made his name work for him and you can too. Whether you're a corporate exec, business owner, or freelancer, you can gain power and prestige by branding yourself. Branding means equating your name to a certain topic, product, or service. Through branding, your expertise is transformed into a valuable commodity. So brand yourself by following these steps:

STEP 1: FIND YOUR NICHE

First, you have to find your brand. Do this by "looking at the patterns of your life," Norma Thompson Hollis, founder and CEO of Black Speakers Online (www.blaekspeakers.net; 310-671-7136), which represents Smiley, success expert George Fraser, professional orator Patricia Russell-McCloud, and businessman Stedman Graham. "There are themes in your life that keep popping up." This could be your brand. Fraser, for example, used his love of networking to teach others how to schmooze with the best of them. Today, Fraser is considered one of the foremost authorities on networking and building effective relationships. His SuccessGuide: The Networking Guide to Black Resources has been self-published in 20 versions in nine cities.

Before presenting your brand image to the world, reassess your life, career, and what you want to achieve. "What are your strengths? What are you already known for? What are you passionate about?" asks Bob Baker, author of Poor Richard's Branding Yourself Online: How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field (Top Floor Publishing, $29.95). "Done right, you'll be promoting your brand for many years, so make sure you choose an identity you'll be able to live with for a long time." But don't just pull an "identity" out of the air, cautions Baker. "Never look at the market, see a void, and then mold yourself into a personality that fills it."

Instead, your brand should be a natural extension of yourself--but not every aspect of yourself. A brand identity that displays your every interest rarely works. To pursue other interests, start a new brand, complete with a separate Website, newsletter, etc. That doesn't mean you have to change your name. Consider using a new business name.

Once you settle on an image, you'll want to describe it to others. "Create what I call a Brand Identity Statement (BIS)," advises Baker. "A BIS spells out who you are and what you do. The ideal BIS should be short and specific, while indicating a clear benefit."

When choosing your brand, don't let your job describe you. "One mistake people make is that they identify their job title as who they are," notes professional executive coach Max D. Ellzey, Ed.D., owner of Culver City, California-based The Ellzey Group and president of the Los Angeles chapter of Professional Coaches and Mentors Association (www.pcmanonline.com). "Look at your purpose in life. What do you want to accomplish? What impact do you want to have on others? Once you are clearer about who you are and who you are becoming, you can move forward."

That's how Yvonne White started building her brand. Twenty-one years ago White catered events to make extra money during school breaks from the University of Colorado, where she majored in journalism. Now the 39-year-old entrepreneur puts on corporate functions for clients such as BMW, Ford Motor Company, Columbia Tristar Pictures, and MTV.

Although the Los Angeles-based Yvonne E. White & Co. (www.YEWandCo.com) was launched to provide catering services, along the way the company narrowed its focus and found its niche. "My godfather, Boy Schultz, a celebrity chef who counted Frank Sinatra as a client, got me started in catering, but I wanted to plan events; so today we do event planning and organizing parties. We do have a catering division," says White.