As William Shakespeare once wrote in Hamlet (I, 5), “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
We live in a world where image and reputation are everything, especially if you are a business leader. It starts at the beginning of your career, where social media gradually builds to define our personal brand, in the best and worst ways. Then, as you transform into a successful entrepreneur, your brand becomes everything. It defines your work, leadership, partnerships and customer relationships from every angle.
Learn to use your life stories and challenges to create a personal brand and a resilient, … [+]
In fact, the Harvard Business Review and PR News Wire found that customers who feel fully connected to your brand are more than 50 percent more valuable than happy customers and emotionally connected customers have a 306% higher lifetime value.
No matter what stage your career is at, these essential and engaging books will help you reevaluate and redefine your personal brand for the new year.
Contents
1.Anthony Butler- Tell original stories
Humans are naturally drawn to the archetypes of storytelling. The images passed through social media and the poignant words read in a good book naturally grab people’s attention.
Anthony Butlers Tell original stories uses vivid and poignant stories about a fire in Montana, as he traveled the streets of Fallujah, Iraq, and the story of how his digital content competed with 1.5 billion other websites worldwide.
Butler uses these stories and its advanced Primal Storytelling content system to teach readers how to create high-quality digital content that outperforms competitors and helps you build authentic connections with your audience. Finding a voice that permeates the vastness of our digital realm and ensures your messages reach their target audience is a critical skill for building your brand.
2.Mila Grigg – Forged by fire
Everyone has a lasting story to tell and incomparable value to share with the world. The question is, “How are you going to share your story – and value – with the world? If everyone else is trying to separate personal passion from professional drive, how are you going to show that your brand doesn’t represent you – it’s you?”
As a nationally recognized brand consultant and author of Forged by fireMila Grigg tells her own story of resilience and recovery, sharing how to create an unshakable foundation of core values, purpose and similar experience that will set you apart from the crowd.
Whether you’re just starting your career or you’re a Fortune 100 entrepreneur, consider this book your brand bible and a clear resource to show the world what you’re capable of and what you’re worth. Learning to differentiate your brand from an endless sea of competitors will help you communicate messages that align with who you are… and who you are not.
As a startup business owner, having lighthouse customers who are quick to embrace your service or product can be a huge indicator of the company’s eventual success. The same goes for other early adopters of your company, whether angel investors or international partners.
With more than two decades of experience as a top technology executive who has made a career building successful tech startups in Silicon Valley, Europe and Asia, Kurt Davis is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to executing global deals.
In his second book Navigate to the lighthouse, Davis takes readers on a journey to learn how to execute a lighthouse deal to catapult your startup and build a sustainable business. At the end of the process, you can confidently answer two key questions: Should I invest the time and resources to pursue impossible deals? If so, what is the road to get there – strategically and tactically? Effective branding becomes possible only after you learn how to separate the best opportunities from the ‘only good ones’.
4.Brian Slade – Hot cleared
Former Commander of the United States Army and United States Air Force, Brian Slade, is no stranger to the brutal traumas of life, love, and leadership. His new book, Hot cleared, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the life-changing lessons he learned while serving in Afghanistan and a deeper understanding of why he believes a prepared mind can help soldiers avoid PTSD.
From a closer look at the mind it takes to navigate the ugliness of battle to learning how to deal with the challenges of love and marriage, Hot cleared provides readers with an exciting experience and the devices necessary to endure the suffering and shocks of their own lives. The result is more resilient and effective leaders in life and business.
Many brand builders start with a plan A and leave it at that. When the unforeseen and unexpected happens, the disruption can even go off the rails altogether, which is worth it. Slade can help brands minimize the impact of unplanned issues by preparing for setbacks.
5. Daniel Cleland – 12 Laws of the Jungle
The Covid-19 pandemic has left countless entrepreneurs and business leaders stranded in a relentless jungle of uncertainty and competitiveness. Daniel Cleland, the CEO of Soltara Healing Center, was one of many who suddenly saw their seven-figure startup company racing against time and struggling to survive in 2020.
12 Laws of the Jungle tells the story of how the man known as “The Indiana Jones of Entrepreneurship” hacked through the jungle to survive during the global lockdown and reveals the primal laws of entrepreneurial survival he followed to avoid extinction.
While you may not think of your online business branding as a “jungle,” the fact is that there are at least thousands of brands in the global marketplace vying for the same customers in your niche. Agility and the ability to improvise will serve any brand builder well in adapting to changing circumstances.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.