How to Transform Your Past Success into a Powerful Personal Brand

I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and to start a business, but I never thought about it as a personal brand … until I came to realize that my business is more than just a business, it is my vessel of self-expression. My means to create impact in the world.

That’s when I realized that my brand is more than just a brand. It is a personal brand.

“So, what is the difference between personal brand and simply brand?”you may ask.

Many people define a personal brand as something that literally has your name as the brand name.

I think that’s a fair definition, but today’s brand world has evolved and personal brands are more than just brand names.

In fact, I believe that personal brand does not necessarily need to have your name on it. It is all about the brand personality and values, that unique aura that your brand emanates – ‘the brand essence’ that is YOU.

1. Don’t just create a brand, create a personal brand

Personal brands are so much more powerful! They have personality, they have the power to connect with your audience, to build relationships, create experiences, and invoke emotions. Personal brand is constantly fluid – it grows and evolves with you but it also always has that authentic core and distinct personality that is YOU.

Just think about it, as a person, you may change your career, your point of view, your look, the place you live, etc. Yet you are still the same person. If you are my friend whom I haven’t seen or spoken to in 10 years, our looks, experiences, things we do and places we live have probably changed. Yet, we still are the same people, we still have this amazing connection and I’m so super excited to see what happened in your life over the last decade and what you are up to now. I bet that when we see each other, we will feel like 10 years ago was just yesterday.

It’s the same with personal brands. They create that lasting connection and impact.

That’s why today, personal brands are more important than ever.

2. Five essential elements of a high-quality personal brand

In order to be able to make such impact, it is necessary for your brand to include the following five elements:

Be truly unique, just like you are
Connect with people’s hearts and minds
Have high-quality visibility
Build high-profile connections and collaborations
Be a profitable brand/business

Essentially, you want to create a high-profile, high-quality, reputable brand that has the power to reach and impact people around the world. Your brand is your vessel for expressing your values and your greater purpose in the world. It is your way of contributing to the betterment of this planet.

And here is the good news. Whether you are just starting to think about creating your own brand, or you are a seasoned entrepreneur or brand owner, you already have a personal brand, so you are not starting from scratch.

3. Your brand is YOU.

Now, many of you may say, “I am thinking of creating my personal brand but I want to
create something totally new and fresh.” That’s awesome! There are no constraints in
creating your personal brand, so the sky is the limit! Be creative!

And remember …

4. You don’t need to start from the bottom

You have a huge advantage that will allow your brand to really start closer to the top, not the bottom of the ladder. Many entrepreneurs overlook this advantage and that’s why they start from scratch and have to put a lot of time and effort to climbing up the ladder.

But you already climbed (or half-climbed) one ladder, the ladder of success in your academic, corporate, creative or entrepreneurial career. So why would you need to start climbing another one from the bottom?

Here is the trick – wherever you are in your journey, you have the ability to cross over to the personal brand ladder. The one that doesn’t end in a glass ceiling but the one that takes you to new, unprecedented heights of success and creativity. The one that allows you to work, live, and create in your ultimate zone of genius. The one where the sky is the limit!

Only a brave few have climbed that ladder. Will you be amongst the brave ones?

If you have the guts and determination, I will show you how to do it.

First, I want you to remember one thing.

When you are making that shift between ladders, you need to make sure to take with you the right tools that will help propel you up that personal brand ladder and leave behind the things that would weigh you down.

Think of the new ladder as your future and the old one as your past.

You have worked hard to accomplish all your success so far, so make sure to take those accomplishments with you as you climb the new ladder. Because why would you throw away those hard earned treasures? They are great building blocks that will put you many levels ahead.

As for the elements that would weigh you down, I’m sure you know what they are! So I’m not going to focus too much on those here. The good news is that if you take too much with you, you can always throw out some as you go.

5. Start building your high-profile, high-quality brand TODAY

My goal is to show you that you can begin to form your high-quality, high-profile personal brand TODAY without having to start from scratch or wait any longer.

Precisely, here are the few things you can do today:

Create your ‘real deal’ expert statement –– because in today’s highly saturated
online and offline markets, people are looking for experts with real experience and expertise – that’s the foundation of your personal brand
Define your ‘unique factor’ — because you possess a unique brilliance that nobody else has
Find your ‘super niche’ — your next level of partnerships, collaborations, and clients

I created a complimentary, step-by-step guide that will walk you through defining those three key elements for your brand. It is my signature ‘High-Profile Personal Brand Starter Kit’ and you can download it here so that you can get started right away.

Whether you already have your personal brand or are thinking of creating one, I encourage you to go through the set of specially designed exercises in the kit. Personally, I revisit the kit every 6 months and always find new ideas, dimensions, and inspiration for my own personal brand.

And don’t feel like you need to get everything right from the start because you will continue revisiting this kit and discovering new nuances for your brand just like I do. So even if there are things you can’t quite define yet, that’s fine. Don’t get stuck, just move on to the next step. Just the fact that you are thinking of those things and going through the kit is your first step up on the personal brand ladder.

So make sure you download your kit here: http://training.insights-studio.com/brand-kit

And if you would like more help from me in going through the kit and taking your next steps, like creating media visibility and high-level partnerships and collaborations, I invite you to visit my website www.insights-studio.comand sign up for my newsletter to receive exclusive insights and tips that will help you create your own high-quality personal brand.

I wish you great success in taking your personal brand to new heights of success. You have been and always will be a successful personal brand!

Author Bio

Aleksandra Lacka is an award-winning business strategist for entrepreneurs who desire to create their own high-profile, high-quality brands with global prestige and visibility. Having worked with world’s top luxury brands like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Armani and Lancôme, Aleksandra has developed unique expertise and connections in the sphere of luxury. She founded Insights Studio where she fully dedicates her time and expertise to what she loves most: helping ambitious entrepreneurs create their own iconic brands with global visibility.

In 2016 Aleksandra was named The Iconic Woman in Women Empowerment by Women’s Economic Forum in New Delhi, India and in 2015 she received a prestigious Young Leader Inspire Award from the International Advertising Association in London. She also is a contributing writer for a high-end print publication Downtown Magazine dedicated to all things downtown Manhattan.