Where are you on your personal branding journey?

So many things in life are a journey. A personal brand is no different. As you grow and change, your personal brand changes with you. And, there’s different support you need at each stage.

Here’s a brief scale of what type of support can help best at each stage of your personal branding journey.

Stage 1: Believe in Your Personal Brand

Just like anything else in life, if you don’t believe that your personal brand is worth investing in, then you won’t. The best thing you can do in this stage is surround yourself with other people who: 1) are working on believing in their personal brands, and 2) are supportive in you believing in your own. In other words, surround yourself with YOUR PEOPLE.

Who are your people?

Check out this blog post for more information on that.

Either look for a space where your people already hang out, OR create your own and invite your people into it!

If you’re looking for a great starting point, check out Your Business Peeps :)

Stage 2: Explore Your Personal Brand

Once you’ve found a space where you’re confident you can be yourself, then you can start working on exploring the things that feel authentic. In this stage, education is an important factor (looking at what’s possible), as well as starting to eliminate practices that DON’T work for you.

For Entrepreneurs: There are ZERO things that you MUST do in your business to make it work BESIDES the things you want to do. Don’t want to post everyday? Don’t. Don’t want to have a Facebook Group? Don’t? Love chatting and want to start a podcast? Great, do it!

For Leaders: There are some leadership skills that will come more naturally to you once you can see how they are aligned with your personal brand. And when that alignment is obvious, the learning and growth come much faster ;)

For both groups, I like to relate it back to energy.

When do you show up in your best energy? And how can you do THAT more often?

If you start to feel overwhelmed in this stage, it’s a great time to work with a coach. Whether you are an entrepreneur/business owner or a leader in someone else’s organization, having a guide along on your personal brand journey can be extremely helpful. Not only have they been up the mountain before, but a GOOD coach falls into the category of “your people”.

Stage 3: Embrace Your Personal Brand (as it is today)

Exploring is fun, but can get tiring if you never get any where. So, in this stage it’s important to make some decisions based on where you are today (and keep in mind that there is a Step 6).

Many people fear committing to something in this space, as they are concerned they can’t change it. But you can only possibly be the person you are today.

This doesn’t mean you don’t have growth plans, want more, or even are in the process of transitioning to something else. All it means is that you work on the mindset to accept where you are and embrace it as great.

This is the final step in the foundation of your personal brand…until you feel like you can truly OWN your personal brand, you can’t move on to the next steps. Mindset is key here, so if you aren’t feeling confident in your personal brand on your own, lean on your community (from step one) and/or your coach (from step two).

Stage 4: Harness Your Personal Brand

Here’s where it gets fun. NOW, you’re in a place where you can take what you’ve learned about your personal brand and use it to make decisions.

For Entrepreneurs: Whether that decision is about what marketing channels to choose, what your sales funnel looks like, how you show up in your messaging, or even outsourcing things outside your zone of genius, your personal brand can lead the way. At this stage, some strategic coaching resources, marketing service providers, or employees can support you, but ONLY if you select them with your personal brand in mind. Specifically if you are looking for support with messaging and you want to create your content yourself, check out the Amplify Your Personal Brand Mastermind.

For Leaders: In the workplace, it’s important to remember that we’re ALL dealing with personal brands. Your CEO, manager, and all your employees. By using what you have learned in steps 1-3, you can embrace the leadership principles that match your personal brand, and support the people surround you in being able to connect with THEIR personal brands. It’s an all-around win. And if you are looking for support in doing precisely this, check out the Lead With Your Personal Brand Mastermind (opening soon).

Stage 5: Live Your Personal Brand

Here’s the thing about a personal brand…it’s NOT just for business. Wherever you show up in life, your personal brand does too. And once you have practice harnessing it for business, you can harness it in life as well.

In a romantic relationship.

As a parent.

With your friends and family.

Your work self and your personal self are NOT two different people. So don’t save all the good stuff just for the work folks ;)

Stage 6: Evolve Your Personal Brand

As I mention at the beginning of this article, personal branding is a journey. As we learn and grow, we will discover new things about ourselves. New passions. New skills. And this may force our personal brand to evolve.

It’s important to embrace this evolution. And the great news is, at this stage, we don’t have to start back at 1. All we have learned allows us to give ourselves the permission to re-brand whenever it’s necessary.

And, as always, it’s easier if we’re not in it alone. Talk it out with someone who knows you and is ready to embrace the new version of your personal brand. I’m always here for that if you’re looking for a listening ear :)

Permission to DO YOU on Your Personal Branding Journey!