If you’ve jumped on the personal branding bandwagon, and you think creating a personal brand that is all about you will make you the next Gary V., you are already down the wrong path. Cuz even Gary V. doesn’t talk about Gary V. Look, I understand. I completely get it. I’ve been there. I wasted time and money. The surprisingly easy way to ruin your personal brand is to think it’s all about you. **SPOILER ALERT*** It’s not.
Every brand coach is out here telling you to just launch your personal brand, create a website, launch a course, give your followers an opt in they can’t resist, so you can get their emails and sell to them
So tell me this: Does everyone you know who has a self- serving personal brand or website, and sales page attract paying clients?
EVERYONE?
But of course not.
But think about it for a second. What does every SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR with a personal brand have?
THEY BUILD BASED ON THEIR PURPOSE, HOW THEY CAN SERVE OTHERS: and here is the kicker: many of them still get to do many of the fun things they enjoy, heck some of them even buy other types of companies that do the other things they love. Talk about Multi-passionate Purposeful Entrepreneur. Yup they exist.
The truth is, they have a focused PURPOSE-CENTERED product or service that they offer to thousands and millions of people.
They have content that is engaging, powerful and customized to their personality yet incredibly valuable to those they SERVE. They all build wealth through this purpose. They all let the world know how they can help it, and then, they took what worked excellently and used it over and over and over again.
Can you think of any successful entrepreneur who has a personal brand who isn’t focused on something PURPOSEFUL?
Can you find me any successful entrepreneur who doesn’t have their message zoned in, with stellar content that converts and engages their ideal paying customer?
Can you find me any successful entrepreneur who hasn’t built wealth from their purpose? Heck If you’re a Mac user, you bought Steve Jobs Product. There is a 50% chance you’re using an iOs Device right now to watch, read or listen to this message. He made wealth from his purpose. Then he figured out what worked (slick design, quality product and a focus on his ideal clients CREATIVES. Yup that’s YOU.) He created this product for you. His message is clear. If you’re using a MAC, You’re a creative.
Here is how you can build your own successful purpose-centered personal brand that attracts paying clients.
First you have to get crystal clarity on what your purpose is. And it’s okay to be a multi-passionate entrepreneur, but a purpose breakthrough session helps you identity what to spend your most valuable time and resources on.
Second creating and developing your outstanding content that makes it easy for you to be loved, respected and paid by your ideal clients.
Third, you’ll need to identify how you want to build wealth through your purpose . Here you get to provide products or services that excite you and excite your ideal paying clients even more
Once you’ve gotten these top 3 core details together, then you’ll want to launch and launch big, with confidence, easily securing media features, blogs, podcasts and radio shows highlighting your story and how your product or service transforms lives.
And finally you take some time to review what worked with your process and perfect that and do just that perfected process all over again to get consistent results.
Remember, if you don’t get crystal clarity on your purpose, you’re going to keep loosing time and money because you’re spread too thin on all your passions. You’re going to keep pumping out content that doesn’t connect or engage with your ideal paying customers, you’re going to be selling the wrong product or service and wonder why you’re not making substantial income from it. You’re going to have a whole noise making launch of what you do that flops with only 0.5% of your ideal paying clients even aware you did a launch. You’re going to keep repeating strategies that don’t work and wonder why they are not working. Chances are you’ve probably experienced one or two of these things, if not all in the past 6-9 months.
So you can either be the entrepreneur who continues to think that having a self-serving personal brand or a personal website a cute opt-in and a sales page will help you attract your ideal paying customers who adore your purpose
You can be the entrepreneur who decides to step fully into her purpose, in spite of any fears, someone who wants to get crystal clear on what she has been called to do on this earth, attract and be attractive to the people she has been created specifically to help, people who will pay her anything she asks, without questions. An Entrepreneur who lives purposefully, earns her profits confidently, is authentically herself and builds status as the top expert in her industry.
And if that’s you. Then you know exactly what to do next. Click the link below and sign up for my Purpose Breakthrough Session I look forward to supporting you in Living through Purpose, Attracting paying clients and being celebrated as a profitable leader in your industry.
No matter what business you’re in and what projects you find yourself tackling, a systematized approach will help you:
• Work faster and produce more • Produce higher quality results with fewer mistakes • Easily outsource the tasks you don’t like to do
The Magic of Templates
How many times do you answer email from potential clients? What about responding to customer complaints? Or saying a polite no to those people wanting you to meet up to pick your brain for a coffee chat?
All of these tasks and more become effortless when you create fill-in-the-blank templates that can be repurposed for specific cases/people. Templates can be as simple as a “canned response” in your email client or help desk, or you can use software such as Text Expander (for Mac) or Phrase Express (for Windows). You might even create a template document in Evernote, Mac note or Google Drive to house all your templates for easier access.
While templates will undoubtedly save you time, the real beauty is that once they’re created, you can easily outsource things like email and even sales. Simply instruct your Virtual assistant on the proper use of your templates, and you’ll be free to do other, more important things.
Checklists Prevent Mistakes
I have multiple checklist. One for even writing this blog post, one for going live, one for recording my videos and writing articles. It might seem counter-intuitive, but when you perform the same tasks over and over again, it’s easy to miss a critical step. You might think you did all you needed or that live-stream this week— you might even remember doing it—only to look back and you missed two steps that affected your post promotion.
But when you implement checklists, it’s suddenly much more difficult to miss an important task.
You can easily create checklists for all your common tasks and projects using nothing more than a text document. I do the most so I use Apple Pages and make it look all fancy lol. If you’re managing a team, checklists in your project management system allow you to see exactly what tasks are complete, and which are still outstanding. Think of it as a to do list for each task
Templates and checklists turn smart business owners into productivity Queens, and it’s easy to get started. The next time you answer an email you’ve answered before, save your response. The next time you set up a new product in your shopping cart or create a new opt-in page, take the time to record the steps. These documents will make future projects easier and faster to complete, and best of all, you can hand them off to your assistant to do instead.
So, tell me which tip would you implement to work for you?
On this #internationalwomensday I want to celebrate the power of collaboration. For many years, there has been a prevailing notion that women like to compete, compare and undermine each other. Though some of these traits may exist, there is more #collaborationovercompetion especially among women entrepreneurs! Something magical happens when women support each other. Some of the best brands, campaigns, organizations, and businesses have been birth through the partnership of two separate entities.
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As women, we can help other women shine their light and still shine on our own and there is so much power when we come together for a greater good. This is one of the reasons my PR sis Dorcey of @gazelle_strategist and wrote “Collaboration is the New Black: How to Identify the Right Collaborations, Increase your Brand Power and Get Money”. I have facilitated over 50 partnerships and collaborations with Grammy award winning artists in classical music media and entrepreneurs that have reached over 10million + people over the years, for Dorcey, with15 years of PR & Brand Management experience, brokering some lucrative collaborations, I can tell you emphatically that this book is loaded with substantial and benificial information!. In honor of today, I would like to invite you to join this collaborative experience and tag 3 women you would love to collaborate with. I am also excited to share that our book is now available for pre-order!!!!
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The first 50 people who pre-order the book today will get the CITNB Workbook for free!!!! This workbook will guide you in identifying red flags and increasing your social media influence and power with the RIGHT COLLABORATION. Click here and reserve your copy.
Your POWER LIST should have the full names, phone numbers, emails, websites, social media links etc. of 15-20 of your top influencers/6-7 figure earners in your network. These are people you should have or be cultivating a relationship with. Look into your LinkedIN, take the time to sit and think about people you hang out with. You’re probably connected to powerful and influential people. You need to learn to tap into and foster relationships with your power list. They have skills that you don’t have and you can be of value to them if you are more intentional about the connection you build.
WISH LIST
Your WISH LIST should have the names of at least 5 people that you want to meet, learn from or build connections with in the next year. Write their names down, follow them on social media, and spend the time to engage them on things that are of interest to them. Respond to their feeds. Share thoughtful insights on their post. People remember people who engage their interests. It’s about sincerely engaging them. As you build those online relationships, your wish list can cross over to your power list or even to real true friendships where you both provide value to each other. No one is too big for you to wish to meet. NO ONE. Get on it.
TRIBE LIST
Your TRIBE LIST is one of the most powerful lists you will ever have. Your tribe list should have 20 -10,000+ people who love, like, engage are interested or are fans of yours. They are champions for your cause that you should engage with frequently, to build your “tribe culture”. They see you as a leader in whatever it is you’re great at. They have the same values or close as you do. They may not be related to you by blood, but they are related by virtues, ideals and a sense of culture. Your tribesmen and women will be the ones to buy your book, come see you talk at a live event or toot your horn to the world even if you never asked. They are the ultimate village.
noun: tribe;
1. any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.
These top lists require you take the time and sit to prepare them. Spend those 60 minutes to brainstorm on them. Have an excel sheet for the Power List and Wish list and you can use a mail service (awber, malchimp etc.) for the tribe list.
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I am the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
If you knew why you were on this earth, would you do what you are supposed to do?
Ask yourself, What is my why?
That is one question I wish I had the answer to before I began this entrepreneurial journey. We are so busy doing the WHAT, that nobody tells us understanding the WHY can make all the difference in the world. For a long time in building my experience in Public Relations, Branding and Marketing. I was always about the doing, doing the work, doing the shoots, doing the media events, doing, doing, doing.
It wasn’t until 2010 that I began to understand my WHY. My why was Love. I love meeting people with unique skills and talents and helping to tell others about them. I love making sure they look so good, (brand packaging) so that when people connect to them, their product or service tells a story in a way that is fun, engaging and relate-able. I love the power of food to bring people together. Hey, we all have to eat.
I am in the business of doing what I love and helping others do the same, in a way that is easy, fun and inspiring. As a Serial Entrepreneur and owner of ICY Public RelationsICY STUDIO and AFROPOLITAN CHEF , I understand now that I work to cheer others on to live fully in their purpose, because seeing others thrive at what they do best that represent their highest self is inspiring all on its own. And now, I teach inspired entrepreneurs how to create and build a life around their purpose with my teaching program, ICY ACADEMY.
I use my experience in Image building (from modeling) Branding, Public Relations and Marketing to help them create a purposeful and profitable brand.
The truth is when it comes to personal branding, there is overwhelming information about this subject.
With over 15 years of experience and over 100 businesses and personal brands I have worked with over the years, I have the clear steps to create a purposeful, powerful, result driven personal brand that will make you profits.
I hope to inspire you, to tap into WHO YOU ALREADY ARE at your core and provide you with the tools you need to create a purposeful, powerful and profitable image/brand.
I look forward to this journey for you and about you.
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I am the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
3 POWER MOVESTO HELP YOU BUY A HALF BILLION NAIRA HOME LIKE LINDA IKEJI.
From Surulere to Banana Island. You can either feel envy or join in on the excitement. Linda Ikeji purchased her dream home for half a Billion Naira. If you haven’t heard the news, you’re so late for it. It’s an inspiring story of International Blogger Linda Ikeji. We choose to join in on the excitement and inspiration. Over the years, Linda Ikeji has done 3 key things that have positioned her for success.
And if you’re ready for it, let’s look at the steps she used, you can get in on the action too.
1. Authenticity: No one is telling you that your authentic self is what people will tune in to. Authenticity is that special something that only YOU have. Love her or not, Linda Ikeji has remained true to her image. She loves to gist and be engaged in social happenings, current affairs and international news. She found a way to do it so that millions can join her in gisting daily. Those who enjoy the gist get in on it action and she built a community of millions based on what feels true to her. Curating social news so that we can all go to her for our need for gist.
The truth is, everyone has it, but we are too busy trying to be packaged like everyone else, or
packaging the “idea” we have of us that we forget the gem that is already in us. Start trying to be you and less like others. Linda Ikeji makes no apologies for who she is. You are an original, being a copy or like anyone else is a dis-service to what you have to offer the world. How do you tap into your authenticity? Be true to your gut, your style, your thoughts, and your truth, even the medium to share your “thing”. Doing it because it is the norm is very different from doing it because it works and it feels like you.
If you’re great at making people laugh, organizing, analyzing, writing or talking, photographer etc., that special gift is your moneymaker, plus there are people waiting for you to step into it so they can pay you for it. The bonus is doing the work to make your authenticity valuable. And you can only do that when you master YOU. Practice, take time invest and do your part to be the master of your authenticity. Be your best self often and un-apologetically. When you get comfortable with you, it encourages others to do the same. You may not be the next Linda Ikeji, but you could be the one everyone wants to be like. Blogging is not for everyone. Find your thing, and then bank on it.
[NOTE: Want to Know The #1 New Way You Can Be The Next Virtual Superstar? click here]
2. Purposeful: No matter how much drama goes on online about any of the stories Linda Ikeji shares on her blog, it is clear that she understands the value of her information to the world. So it’s one thing to be authentic, it’s another thing to know why your authenticity is important to you, your family and the world.
To be “purposeful means: [pur-puh s]
1. the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
2. an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
3. determination; resoluteness.
She uses that platform to do many of the things that are important to her. She inspires a lot of young women, pisses off a lot of celebrities and shares news also about their successes. We find intrigue, excitement or sometimes disappointment in some of the stories Linda Ikeji shares. No matter how outrageous the stories, she is intentional about the stories she shares. Linda spends hours doing the thing millions tune in for.
Your time is your most valuable asset. It is non-refundable, you can’t pay for more of it and you can’t get an iota of it back. You can however maximize it and be intentional about how you use it.
According to Forbes, Oprah has 10 self-made sources of income. Probably more by now. She spent years daily, doing the thing that is her purpose that she loves and helping people, building profits and daily she became a master at it, at HER.
She is a billionaire and she, just like you and Linda Ikeji have the same time in a day- 24 hours.
Committing to purpose means stepping fully into your Why. “why is this important for the world, to you” then spending your time doing the important stuff. The good news is, in-spite of the
challenges that you will face (designed to help you become a master at YOU), it will be more fun because you are doing the thing you love, helping people and building profits. Linda Ikeji gets to do what she loves, help people with her various non-profit endeavors and making millions. It’s a win, win.
[NOTE: Ready to learn the 7 Easy Steps to Creating a Purposeful and Profitable Brand Image? click here]
3. Profitable: Linda banked on her community. She built a community of readers that spends with the advertisers on her site. She made a business out of her passion. There are 7.3 billion+ people on this earth. If even 0.001% (that is 73,000) of them are the people you are meant to help and you charge them ??100 a month for what you’re great at, that they need, that they will gladly pay for, you will make ??7,300,000 a month and ??87,000,000 (that is 87 million) a year.
Here is the truth “the whole world is not your market”. Linda knows this. Not everyone reads her blog. Yes, you may have a product (in this case social information) that everyone could enjoy, but accepting and understanding that only the people that value your product or service will pay for it. Why not market to those people.
Linda Ikeji knows this and she’s doing it. So is Bella Naija and Ono Bello. This is what we brand professionals call NICHEmarketing.
Close your eyes: imagine your ideal fan, customer or client. What does he or she look like? What do they do for a living, where do they spend time online, what kind of books, shows, audio books do they read? etc. Whomever you pictured, that is the person you need to market to, to help you build profit. Start today.
If you’re’ ready to do this, you have to be committed and put in the work. Expecting results in a year though ambitious is unrealistic. It took Linda 9 years and she’s still building. You need to build your community aka tribe, first, build a valuable product/service and be consistent with it, then bank on your “tribe” to pay for what you are offering.
So, you officially got the details on the 3 power moves that Linda Ikeji made to get to where she is now. Start now, why wait for tomorrow. Be present in your authenticity, live on purpose, be intentional with your time and the people that you need to help and support will pay you.
Have fun being you, Linda Ikeji sure does. Congratulations Linda.
photo by: Kelechi Amadi-Obi
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I AM the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful brand that is profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
#1 Way To Become The Next Oprah, Wendy or Mo Abudu
If this caught your attention, then you must have practiced being the next Oprah, Wendy or Mo Abudu with your own TV show. There is a new app in town that is making people celebrities almost instantly. If you’ve heard of it and haven’t activated it, I hope this gets you excited about it. And if you haven’t heard of it, this is your chance to get on the ground level of what is the new wave of social media. Yes, another new APP to add to our long list of social media connections. THIS ONE IS WORTH IT.
Hello everyone say a big HEY to the new free app PERISCOPE! “Where people explore the world through your eyes”, LIVE!
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS PERISCOPE?
Periscope is a free app that allows you to stream and interact live with your mobile phone or tablet from anywhere is the world, with anyone in the world. Imagine how you watch certain stations religiously; think about your own periscope being a station “Live With Tolu”. I can log in every Tuesday at 1pm and know that you will be on, sharing whatever “your thing is” at that time. If you have great content, you can have viewers who will come regularly for your “program.”
HOW CAN I USE IT?
You can be intentional and strategic about how you use it. Develop your own show idea, Talk show, comedy, daily gist, sight seeing around town, restaurant review, business tips, life of a fashion blogger, relationship advice or as I have, Life of a Serial Entrepreneur. Find me @Yetunde on periscope. I share my experiences, lessons, ups and downs of running my business with the world. All periscopes are only available for 24 hours and you build engagement by accumulating heartthrobs and followers (people simply double tap their screens to give you hearts. It’s the equivalent of likes). With Periscope you can also choose to allow only your followers watch your live feed. It can also be open to the world. It’s your choice.
CAN IT REALLY MAKE ME A STAR?
Yes, in less than 5 months, there are incredible people that have used and are using periscope to build their brand and a name for themselves. If you have a niche with great content and an engaging personality, people tune in to watch your show and people get to spread the word about you. More people know you and engage your content; more people push your star power. Here are 5 people I recommend you follow on periscope.
Alex Pettitt – Award Winning Broadcaster/Periscope Coach
Ebong Eka – Life and Business Coach/Strategist
Danielle Ford – Marketing/Social Media Expert
Krista Jennings – Productivity/ Time Management Coach
Yetunde – Lifestyle Entrepreneur/PR and Branding Strategist
HOW CAN I MAKE MONEY WITH IT?
You can make money by first building your follower base, providing great and compelling content, then taking those numbers and that great content to advertisers to pay you for your power of influence. Product placement is also a great way to get paid. So e.g. if you wear a t-shirt or use a lipstick by a specific company on one of your scopes, they can pay you for that exposure to your followers and many more ways.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT PERISCOPE?
I joined Periscope when it launched in March, but stayed dormant until recently and I have only just begun to activate its power. There is one person I have followed on Periscope from day one and his name is Alex Pettitt. With over 97K followers in less than 5 months, he is #No1 and most loved for sharing periscope top tips. Find him on youtube <<click here to see all his videos on how to tap into the power of Periscope.
Periscope is one of the few live feed apps that has activated more people since it launched on March 26th. It is also tied to your twitter account. The goal with any online venture should be consistency, engagement and providingvalue and people will come.
If you do it right, this new APP can help you increase your star power, build profits as you grow your content/audience and build a life as a “Periscoper”. HAPPY SCOPING!
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I AM the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful brand that is profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
Okay sexy entrepreneurs; let’s get real personal. It’s sex so I know I have your attention lol. ok, ok, let’s focus here. Branding is all about engagement, repetition of what works, gets results and a connection to your target audience, so is sex. It requires participation and gets more exciting the more exploratory you are. Seriously, your personal brand is just the same. There are so many ways personal branding is like sex, these are the top 3 ways.
1. INTIMACY
Whether you have one partner or multiple, the fact is sex requires intimacy. You are your most vulnerable during sex. Just the same, your branding requires you share intimacy of your message with your one client, or the world. Whatever your brand value offers are, being intimate about what you have to share is necessary for how your customers will relate to you. With brand intimacy, you package and share value that you hope will please or impress your audience/customers so they keep coming back to your company.
2. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
As with sex the more you practice, the better you should get. Having sex multiple times can help you learn and get better at it. With your personal brand, you have to keep repeating strategies; practices and lessons that make you better at showing your brand value. If certain things don’t work, you learn from them and try other things. This is how you learn and grow a brand that evolves over time. Keep learning more about your value offer as a brand and how it really helps others, so you can be great at it.
3. ORGASM = RESULTS
Results are what sex boils down to. Yes, the experience is great, the journey to orgasm is exciting, but when you actually get to an orgasm, it feels like everything falls in place. Your brand, when aligned with your intention and your value offer to the audience/target market it’s like a perfect moment. If your brand can provide a positively engaging and memorable experience with great results for your target audience, then you have done your part.
Branding as common as it may seem these days, just like sex is an intimate experience that should be taken seriously. You should be intentional about what message you are sending out about your brand, who your ideal target audience is and how you can build a lasting relationship that is beneficial to you and your target audience.
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I AM the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
It’s official we have stepped into the era of total SELF PROMOTION. Here is however how YOU can stand out this year. These 7 easy steps help you identify what really matters for a purpose driven and profitable brand. One of the secrets to a successful brand is being very clear on what YOU have to offer to OTHERS that adds value to their lives.
You are more likely to be top of mind when people know your brand makes them feel better about themselves. Not about you, but about themselves. Your audience is the HERO of the story. Have that in mind as you step more into this year. Your personal brand should be meaningful. Your AUTHENTICITY is what will make you stand out, and bank on that for a profitable year ahead.
1. IDENTIFY YOUR PURPOSE & AUDIENCE
This is probably the one word that eludes a lot of people. PURPOSE. What in the world is it I am here to do? It’s usually pretty simple. Purpose is almost always about others. There are many ways to identify your purpose. I find that it usually comes from one of these 4 experiences: Promise: you have an experience and then decide and promise yourself to change things for people, Passion: passion is irrational. All you know is that if you don’t do it, life would cease to exist as a happy place for you and those you love. Pain: Something difficult happens that transforms your life and now you want to help transform the life of others. Opportunity: You see/bump into a need in the world and you find yourself wanting to make life better for others. Once you have zoned in on what it is that is your purpose, you should identify who would value it: Age, hobbies, habits, where they spend their time, how to reach them etc
2. TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT
Image goes a long way in making a first impression. There is usually always more to a book than it’s cover. However, you are more likely to open a book with an attractive cover. And if the story matches or exceeds the cover design, BRAVO! Invest in a professional shoot. I promise you it is worth the investment. A good shoot with a good photographer will be able to capture the real you that translates through images and taps into the purpose you have identified. Your image includes all visual collateral that will be a part of your brand image for the next 365 days.
3. CREATE YOUR IMAGE REPRESENTATIVE A.K.A. LOGO
Nike did it best. Their representative is the all too famous swoosh. Your logo is your representative in the brand world. If you pay $20 for a logo, you’ll get a $20 worthy logo. Invest in a customized design that speaks to the value you offer and the audience you are targeting. Your return on the investment is worth that extra hundreds to pay. Invest in your own purpose.
4. DEVELOP YOUR CORE MESSAGING
Content, Content, Content. Be clear and direct about the value you offer. Understand what emotional triggers your value taps into, develop your biography, website content, advertising copy and do away with jargon words. Be clear, concise and engaging.
5. MARKET AND PUBLICIZE THE VALUE YOU OFFER
Most people don’t realize they are almost always marketing. When you’re convincing your friends to go out with you, or telling them how awesome that new hair company or hair stylist is, that is well under marketing and Public Relations. So relax you already have years of practice doing this. Now you have to do it consciously. Decide on what platform you want to publicize your purposeful brand. TV, Social Media, Radio, Podcast, Live Events etc. I suggest you pick your top 2 and build relationships then pitch to the world media why your value is of benefit to them.
6. SOCIALIZE AND MEET THE WORLD WHERE THEY ARE
Now more than any other time in our history, you literally have access to the world. That power that social media has offered must be viewed as an opportunity. An opportunity for you to change and reach the lives of so many people with how you and what you offer, can make their lives better. I know social media can be overwhelming. Relax, pick your top 2 or 3 platforms and be a master at it. Build friendships across the world and capitalize on the power of social media to share your purpose
7. MONETIZE YOUR VALUE
It’s a sweet spot when the thing that you identify as your purpose now serves to help create financial freedom for you and your family and build profits. This is where you have to make a commitment to your purpose and put in the work required to build your purposeful brand. Learn new ways to generate revenue with a personal brand. Understand your finances, operate from a place of abundance and always remember your why. WHY DO YOU HELP OTHERS? Once you understand and accept the value that you offer. Your audience that sees the value you offer would pay your asking price.
All in all, your brand will evolve overtime, and even your purpose might evolve as you grow. The trick is to stay hungry for knowledge, keep learning and keep connecting to how you can be of benefit to others.
I wish you a purposeful and profitable year ahead.
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I am the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
So the great thing about being in the business of “doing what you love”, you actually get to do the things you love. I have a cookbook launching on Saturday, November 2nd. It will be available online for digital download HERE on Amazon ( already a bestseller in its category and it’s not even out yet) whoowhooo! I am so excited. The hard-copy will be available by December 15th. You can pre-order your hard copy HERE
This has truly been a humbling, colorful and exciting experience. It took me 4 years to create, brand and develop this passion. I am looking forward to sharing the process with you all.
below is the Press release my Executive Manager sent out for the cookbook. Feel free to share with friends and family.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Finally, a cookbook about fresh African-fusion meals. The Afropolitan Chef, Yetunde Taiwo set to launch a Trendy Afro-fusion Cookbook this Holiday season.
South Florida based Entrepreneur Yetunde Taiwo launches African-Inspired Cookbook “Love with Food: African-fusion meals made easy”.
MIAMI, FLORIDA (November 2014): – The Afropolitan Chef, Yetunde Taiwo is set to awaken the culinary world with the spices, flavors and distinctive aromas of Africa, with unprecedented execution and an expressively refreshing culinary experience. After 4 years in development, Yetunde Taiwo is launching an African Inspired cookbook- “Love with Food: African-fusion meals made easy”. She has gathered more than 50 recipes that bring people together. People from different cultures, religions, nations and neighborhoods have become friends and family at her dinner table. With these recipes, they connect on a personal level, opening their hearts and love to each other to enjoy Afro-fusion meals together. The spunky and talented model turned successful entrepreneur, who is in the business of doing what you love, Yetunde Taiwo, was born in Chicago but raised in Lagos, Nigeria and now reside in Miami, Florida.
Bisila Bokoko, Founder and CEO BBES, Global Brand Ambassador wrote the foreword for the cookbook. “This book will be very instrumental in changing the perceptions of Africa and also attract tourism to our continent”, said Bokoko. “…To cook, you must understand love. Afropolitan Chef, Yetunde has understood this right”.
An avid traveler, Taiwo is influenced by dishes from various parts of the world including Thailand, Europe, West Africa and North America. Now a resident of South Florida, she has found inspiration and solace in the abundance of culture and the ever-burgeoning foodie scene that Miami has to offer. Noting that West African cuisine has influenced many of the foods across the Caribbean and Latin America, the Afropolitan Chef believes that now more than ever, the world is ready for gourmet African cuisine and she’s ready to share her colorful palette. Stamping her style on the plates of internationally mobile, young food lovers, including the group known as “Afropolitans”. Taiwo is sure to resonate with the new generation of fusion food lovers and citizens of the world, alike.
“For many people, African food seems challenging and I am very excited to tell the world it can be so easy, delicious and a great way to bring people together for the love of food. Plus the nutritional value is spectacular.”– Yetunde Taiwo, The Afropolitan Chef
The Cookbook
The Afropolitan Chef cookbook “Love with Food: African-fusion meals made easy” will be available by November 22nd 2014 on Amazon in digital format. The hard copy will be available in December just before the holidays. Meals inspired by Africa, but infused with ingredients, techniques and flavors from around the world. Taiwo intricately balances flavors of Africa and Latin America in meals like Jollof Rice, made with pureed peppers, some curry, thyme, spices, rice and baked chicken. Though the cookbook is at this time exclusively offered for pre-order on Amazon before the release date, it is already currently top 100 in its category. Afropolitan Chef shares quick, simple, colorful, flavorful recipes. Foodies will learn how to save time cooking African meals directly from Africa’s trend setting, culinary ambassador. Africa has been aptly described as “A world in one continent.” Equally so, an African meal can be described as “A world on one plate.” Yetunde Taiwo as The Afropolitan Chef will stimulate foodies around the world to eat conscientiously with love. Her passion for food has made her a long time supporter of The World Food Programme and No Kid Hungry organizations. She has committed to giving 10 percent of her proceeds from the cookbook for the rest of her life to both organizations in support of their work in eradicating world hunger.
Her goal is to continue to tap into the power of food to bring us all together.
For photos, recipes and more information about The Afropolitan Chef, please call Kimberly Mensah at- 347.574.2589 | E: kimberly@icypr.com | http://www.afropolitanchef.com
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I am the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
1. Know your “WHY” – Your “Why” is your reason for starting your business and the stronger your “WHY,” the more determined you will be to succeed.
2. Develop the right mindset – This requires one to have a tough mental attitude. Not only do successful entrepreneurs have mental toughness, but they also believe enough in their dream to nurture it to great success. Your ability to turn obstacles into stepping stone and having a sound bounce back ability will distinguish you as a winner. A good book to read is The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.
3. Believe in yourself – Know that not everyone will believe in your dream so keep a positive mental attitude. Find ways to incorporate things that motivate you in your daily life – music, exercise, reading inspirational piece/articles, affirmations, listening to Audio CDs that inspire and motivate you.
4. Clearly define your “WHAT” (Offering) – A business is “find a need; fill a need,” and in transitioning into entrepreneurship, it is important to clearly identify your most marketable skill or product that will provide unique value to people. Clearly doing so would help you stay out of the clutter and keep you focused.
5. Do an extensive research on your idea – It is imperative to do an extensive entrepreneurial research. Talk to people, read some books, editorials, anything you can lay your hands on about your product or service. Then deicide what value your offer provides to the market based on your research. This will help you solidify your offer to the world.
6. Share your plans with your loved ones – Have a conversation about your plan to transition into entrepreneurship with your immediate loved ones. As much as it will be easier to gain their support, but know that you might also not get support. But either way, as long as you believe in your vision, be tenacious and let that fuel your success even more.
7. Get your finances in order – It is very crucial for a transitioning entrepreneur to start early to assess his or her cash flow and investments to determine a plan of action. This is because it may take some time before your business starts making profit. In the interim, create a plan of action that will sustain your household expenses amongst other liabilities. You will have a complete lifestyle change. No more random shopping, or eating out. Every dollar counts. Calculate how much you owe, what your monthly expenses are and begin to live accordingly. It is advised to build six to twelve months emergency fund to help with expenses.
8. Have a plan of action – In developing your plan of action; strategically enumerate the action steps needed to realize your targeted objectives. Create S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed) goals. In addition, making a daily to-do list will help break your goals into bite-size task, which further helps to prevent procrastination.
9. Create and guard your circle of influence – You become like the people you hang around the most! To solidify your circle, consciously surround yourself with dream helpers not dream killers. Find relevant mastermind groups and power partners who come together with the objective of helping each other become better while succeeding in business. Yes, it will be different and new at first, but it is essential for your transition
10. Break bad habits – Discipline- Waking up and starting your day at a certain time can change the trajectory of your day. How much time do you spend watching TV, talking endlessly on the phone with family and friends? There is the need to break such bad habits as they will affect how you run your business which will consequently affect the growth of your business. Every minute counts! Time is officially your most valuable asset. MAXIMIZE IT!
11. Invest in YOU! – Consider spending some time and money on books, courses, seminars and of course, in working with a coach. Investing in oneself is never a waste; while learning should be a continuous exercise for all entrepreneurs, it also helps a startup entrepreneur become better-grounded and positioned to increase success.
12. Get the right tools – Being armed with the right tools will position every entrepreneur, especially a Startup, to run their business more efficiently. Tools from computers, to a vehicle to any specific equipment for whatever service your industry is known for having, remembering to keep your start up cost lean. It’s important to note that in most cases, having an office is not a tool. If you can run your business from your home, it’s absolutely all right to do so.
13. Develop healthy habits – A lot of entrepreneurs are great with multi-tasking and things can get pretty busy. Entrepreneurs wear so many hats, which keep them occupied, and tend to deter them from practicing daily self-care. This will include eating right, doing daily exercise and connecting with people that you care about. Take a break once a day to rejuvenate.
14. Take total responsibility – To take total responsibility of your business requires absolute commitment to your vision. If it’s got to be; it’s up to you! Commit to that responsibility.
15. Have the right mentors – Finding the right mentor involves searching for those people who are succeeding in their area of business. It requires accountability that is a major key to every entrepreneur, startups most especially. Your mentors keep you engaged and accountable for your vision because they have also been there.
16. NO is also an answer – Learn to say NO to additional work tasks, requests at your job and to anything and anyone that interferes with your business growth. Stay laser focused on your goal to grow your business and be quick to identify unnecessary extracurricular activities that are not of immediate value to you. It’s only a temporary sacrifice that will pay off in the long run!
17. Brand yourself /business right – Your Image is probably the most important outside factor and extension of you. It is important that you are your best self as often as possible. Everything from your logo to your pictures, your social media image, and marketing collateral etc. all have to tell a consistent story.
18. Develop a marketing strategy – How are you going to get the word out there about your value to the market place? How can people find you so that you can help them with your offering? Will you use magazines, new papers, live demonstrations, TV, radio, the Internet, a combination of some? Plan it out week-by-week, what your plan is, what results you want, and how you intend to reach your goal. Do not be afraid, take time to really think about this segment of your business and in addition to being flexible, never be afraid of change.
19. Create your tribe – Your tribe-mates are your fans, followers, and customers. As you build trust with them, you can secure them into your tribe. Figure out what you would call them, so there is a sense of identity for people that appreciate the value you offer the world.
20. Stay current (embrace change) – It is a constant learning process. You want to make sure you stay ahead of the curve and trends. Read up on your industry news, technology that affects your business. Your competitors, your customers. Make it a daily ritual. Stay on top of your skills.
21. Hire knowledgeable professionals – Paying for good work is important for any business to thrive, especially a startup. There are 3 key people we recommend you get on your team. An Accountant for your finances, an attorney for your legal needs and a publicist for your public Image engagement.
Your Purpose Coach and Cheerleader
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I am the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
I was very compelled to share this with you after a tweet chat last week with my PR colleagues. This is a list I share with my retainer clients. I had to come up with 10 ethical issues that I thought new PR clients have to deal with. Fellow PR professionals, feel free to use this for your clients. And all you awesome emerging entrepreneurs, make your publicists work easier by using many of these tips for your business. I hope you take this to heart and activate some or all of them to help your brand succeed.
STAY ON BRAND:
This means from this day forth, everything you say, do or share has to be intentional about the message of your brand. No more random posts, no more venting on social media. If you feel the need to vent, count to 20 (LITERALLY or wait a day) and then decide if you still want to post that emotion. If you do or do not post, at least you had momentarily think time.
WHAT YOU OFFER YOUR TARGET MARKET:
Your audience/customers are the number one most important part of this process. What you offer them must be at all times the truth about your product or service. It is important that you respect them at all times online or in-person. Yes, even when they may not respect themselves. They are the reason you are in business. Building a relationship with them gets you a lifetime of clients. Take it seriously.
YOU ARE THE 2ND MOST IMPORTANT:
As you step into this journey that is your brand purpose, please understand that you are officially your brand spokesperson. It is important that you be your best self as often as possible. You will have trolls and naysayers; you will also have supporters and fans. The trick is to remain the constant in this relationship process, the constant you, that is about the best part of what you are selling to the world.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
I recommend that you keep your personal stories in the public space PERSONAL. That means: the public does not need to know everything about you. People almost always misinterpret intentions and emotions. You should rather err on the side of not sharing deeply personal issues. Keep things light, relatable and honest. In unique circumstances, you may share a deeply personal story, but only if it is for the greater good, or for a story angle on your brand, not just new information on a “just because” clause. In building personal connections that you will experience on this journey, please follow the same principles of being your best self in those relationships.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS:
It is always important to PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! before any interview, read and re-read any copy that your PR rep needs you to, for clarity and understanding. Should you ever be faced with a question on a live interview that throws you off, it is actually ok to THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. It may be awkward, but we would rather you reply with some thought, than thoughtlessly. If you give a thoughtless answer, well lets just say the crisis management may cost you a lot of money or your brand, and we cannot afford that. So, a couple of seconds of thought is a better choice than any thoughtless engagement.
SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDS:
I would like you to remember that as your social media fan base grows do not underestimate the power of social media. It is important. You now have to constantly remember, whether you like it or not, you are officially a role model
(GLOBALLY, as the internet is worldwide). Stop thinking you are talking to your real life friends. Your fans and your 2000+ fb followers are not your friends. Be intentional about what you say online. Again, just as it is okay to think before you talk or respond to press, it is okay to think before you hit that tweet or publish button.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT:
Should any of the trolls or naysayers start a rumor or escalate a minor misunderstanding, you should at no point in time resort to social media bashing or subliminal messaging online about the situation. In those cases (thought rare), please call your publicist and share EVERYTHING you know about the situation (it helps when we know the whole truth, so we can address it head on professionally, either with a press release, media alert or PR strategy). You can also call your attorney and let them advice you on the next step. But never respond emotionally and publicly without communication with your PR and LEGAL team.
MEDIA & CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP CONFIDENTIALITY:
As your team develops a relationship with you and the media or future partners, please note, at no time are you allowed to discuss dealings in meetings with anyone except your attorney or your PR team. So those random tweets or instagram selfies “live at the meeting”. THINK TWICE and ask for permission. It is important that you build trust with the media and your partners as a brand with integrity. Until they sign on the dotted line, do not blast it off on social media.
INTERNAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:
As we know, integrity is important in building relationships. If at any point you have some partnerships or friendships that appear to be a conflict of interest with your brand, discuss it openly. 9 times out of 10 I would rather eliminate the conflict unless in unique circumstances.
HAVE FUN:
Change is usually uncomfortable, but it is more fun when you are open to it. Have fun being you, have fun with all you will learn. I recognize that some or all of the above messages may seem challenging or new to you, I know it works. I look forward to it working for you to amplify your brand positively in the media, with your target market and support you in being your best self.
SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PURPOSE INSIDER! NEWSLETTER
It’s free. Sign up today and get some free helpful resources to build profits, including my report on the 7 Easy Steps To A Purposeful, Fun and Profitable Brand.
I am the creator of ICY ACADEMY an online program with a network of Inspired GO-GETTERS who are ready to step FULLY into their purpose doing what they love, while helping others in a way that creates financial freedom for them and their families. With my Signature Program: Meaningful Branding Sequence, I help individuals and businesses create a Purposeful and Powerful Brand that is Profitable. And we have a whole lot of fun on our way there.
Hey you. Welcome to my Virtual home here on YetundeShorters.com where I get to support your awesomeness with tools, tips, resources to thrive out here in these world streets. Plus, I get to share with you my life as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur, TwinMom and Wife. A snap shot of the good and challenging. I am on a journey to realize my highest self while sharing the experiences, in hopes that someone else can learn from them, without having to go through it. I look forward to connecting live or online.
