ity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise. Because the corporation benefits from the executives ability to brand themselves, they are willing to pay more for their services and work harder to retain their talent.

Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a

Most entrepreneurs and senior executives completely miss out on one of the most powerful branding strategies available in today’s market…The creation of their own personal brand. Most people in business understand the need to build brand equity at the corporate level or for products, services, intellectual property, etc., but very few understand the substantial benefits that are created from increasing their personal brand equity.

When reading newspapers and periodicals, listening to media interviews on the radio, watching guest appearances on the TV and seeing who gets the speaking invitations you’ll notice that it is usually those professionals who have positioned themselves as innovators and thought leaders through a carefully managed personal branding campaign. These individuals may, or may not, have anything more to offer than their peers other than the fact that they knew how to brand themselves as subject matter experts.

Picture a very successful high profile company in your mind and you will likely find that their executives have not only established themselves as leaders inside their firms, but they are also perceived as industry heavy weights and power brokers to the external world. When a company’s senior executives are viewed as subject matter experts and leaders outside of the company it makes them more valuable to the company. It is a true win-win scenario in that the executive who knows how to manage his/her brand equity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise. Because the corporation benefits from the executives ability to brand themselves, they are willing to pay more for their services and work harder to retain their talent.

Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a

efits that are created from increasing their personal brand equity.

When reading newspapers and periodicals, listening to media interviews on the radio, watching guest appearances on the TV and seeing who gets the speaking invitations you’ll notice that it is usually those professionals who have positioned themselves as innovators and thought leaders through a carefully managed personal branding campaign. These individuals may, or may not, have anything more to offer than their peers other than the fact that they knew how to brand themselves as subject matter experts.

Picture a very successful high profile company in your mind and you will likely find that their executives have not only established themselves as leaders inside their firms, but they are also perceived as industry heavy weights and power brokers to the external world. When a company’s senior executives are viewed as subject matter experts and leaders outside of the company it makes them more valuable to the company. It is a true win-win scenario in that the executive who knows how to manage his/her brand equity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise. Because the corporation benefits from the executives ability to brand themselves, they are willing to pay more for their services and work harder to retain their talent.

Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a

a carefully managed personal branding campaign. These individuals may, or may not, have anything more to offer than their peers other than the fact that they knew how to brand themselves as subject matter experts.

Picture a very successful high profile company in your mind and you will likely find that their executives have not only established themselves as leaders inside their firms, but they are also perceived as industry heavy weights and power brokers to the external world. When a company’s senior executives are viewed as subject matter experts and leaders outside of the company it makes them more valuable to the company. It is a true win-win scenario in that the executive who knows how to manage his/her brand equity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise. Because the corporation benefits from the executives ability to brand themselves, they are willing to pay more for their services and work harder to retain their talent.

Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a

leaders inside their firms, but they are also perceived as industry heavy weights and power brokers to the external world. When a company’s senior executives are viewed as subject matter experts and leaders outside of the company it makes them more valuable to the company. It is a true win-win scenario in that the executive who knows how to manage his/her brand equity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise. Because the corporation benefits from the executives ability to brand themselves, they are willing to pay more for their services and work harder to retain their talent.

Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a

ity in turn increases the brand equity of the enterprise. Because the corporation benefits from the executives ability to brand themselves, they are willing to pay more for their services and work harder to retain their talent.

Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a personal brand which has often times resulted in the creation of modern day empires. Think of Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Sam Walton, Ted Turner, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and a whole host of others and you’ll quickly see just how powerful a strong personal brand can be. In fact spend some time browsing through the Forbes 400 and you find that you recognize far more names than not…View a list of the Fortune 500 CEO’s and you’ll be surprised how many of their names have been converted into strong personal brands. Look at the Inc. 500 or Entrepreneur Hot 100 lists and you’ll see a number of strong personal brands in the making.

The reality is that most of us will probably never achieve the status of icons, nor do most of us really aspire to that end. However increasing your personal brand equity is good for adding value to your company’s brand, leveraging your earning power and improving your job security and/or marketability. Personal branding is far more than an ego-play; it is smart business. If you don’t know how to create a strong personal brand the following tips will start you in the right direction:

1. Make those around you successful. While some personal brands are built at the expense of others, or on the backs of others, the most highly regarded personal brands are built on the success they have created for others. Think “selfless” as opposed to “selfish.”

2. Hire a coach or