Defining Your Fabulous

Developing Personal and Business Authority In the Age of Mediocrity

For a small business, it is almost impossible to separate the personal brand of the CEO from the business brand.  These become indistinguishable given that the CEO is the face of the business, and most likely the primary client-facing representative of the business.  This can have both positive and negative connotations.

Personal image and branding is not solely represented by the outward appearance of the CEO, but also by the values and the professionalism exhibited (or not) by the CEO in the operations and management of a business.  Current and prospective clients will adjudge the credibility and responsiveness of your brand based on the quality of their interaction with the CEO and staff, by the quality and responsiveness of your product, and by the quality and consistency of your service.

For the business owner and CEO, this brings home the need to reflect on, define and articulate your personal and business values right from the outset.  This delivers you your business brand.  Understand and define what you are trying to achieve with your business and what values are aligned with that personal and business aspirations.  Then, commit to live those values – through how you operate your business, how you choose and interact with clients, how you recruit and engage with staff, how you present yourself to the world – presentation skills, oratory skills, networkability, and personal style.

Let’s look at some ‘how to’s’

How to Define Your Personal and/or Business Values.  Know who you are.  Your business, especially if it is a passion, is an extension of you, your personality, your values.  You need to complete the exercise of identifying or defining your values.  What are you trying to achieve with your business and what values are aligned with these aspirations?  What values do you want your preferred clients to have?  Most clients in one way or the other will want a business good or service from a particular service provider because they feel an affinity with that brand.  Whether you know it or not, clients have already sussed you out before the come to your business premises, because you are exuding particular values.  Whether they stay with you or not is dependant on whether or not you consistently demonstrate those values in how you operate your business

How To Ensure that Your Business Values Are Evident In How You Present Yourself To The World.  How you present yourself to the world includes your outward appearance, dress, make-up, but is also includes your technical skills and abilities, how you talk, how you present, how you lead and how you coach etc.  How you present yourself to the world comprises aligning all of these features with your vocation, but without limiting your unique personality.

The CEO is the heart and soul of the small business – when we think of buying your good or service, we usually think of you.  Therefore, you physical outward appearance must demonstrate your brand essence.

Upgrade your presentation and oratory skills – this gives immense confidence and credibility. A lot  of the time CEOs are pitching their business –on the golf course, at the PTA, at a cocktail bar or restaurant.  You need to be able to do this authentically and yet authoritatively so that in 2 or 3 minutes people ‘get’ your business and are persuaded to think and believe that you have a good or service that will be of interest to them.

Upgrade your mentoring skills – your staff and your clients are looking to you for leadership, give them leadership.  Staff and clients want and need to be schooled in how to do things better – that’s why the client comes to you to buy an outfit for that special occasion, and a client comes to you for PR services.  They believe you are an authority in that industry – demonstrate to them that you have that authority.

Get Knowledgeable About Your Industry – nothing demonstrates authority and credibility more than knowledge, insight and creativity.  You need to constantly be a thought leader in your industry so that your business is future forward, future ready.

Network –network authentically – don’t play golf because it’s the cool thing to do.  Play golf because you want to.  Then you can be yourself and talk authoritatively about you and your business on the golf course.

But business values also need to be evident in the operations of your business – how you choose and treat staff, how you choose and maintain clients (client relationships), how you present your business (branding, colour, flyers etc), how you and your staff dress/your business dress code; the code of conduct of your business.  Let’s take the example in an African setting where staff are eating fufu and light soup at their desk at lunchtime. Whilst there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this, if your corporate values include excellence, you will be concerned about the content (credibility) and aesthetics of your business.  So you may therefore push staff hard to deliver excellent work, and you ensure that they have a lunch hour, and provide a small kitchenette where they can rest and eat at lunchtime.

And lastly business values need to be evident in the branding of your business – what is the  corporate identity of your business?  What are your corporate colours and why?  Are staff aware of the brand identity and do they use it?  More importantly, do they use this as they should?  Is this identity easily translated by clients?

Decide today to develop your personal and business values (= your brand) to the level strong enough so that you positively dictate the experience of current and prospective clients with your business, the growth of your business, and the leadership experience with your staff.

Good luck!