Just an insight...
A few years ago I started trading within the FOREX Market, and as many other "New Traders" I found it very difficult to grasp the concepts behind reading the charts and really being effective in trading this highly volatile market. I attributed this learning curve to the fact that I was natively a Designer working (at that time) within the B2B realm - helping businesses establish their brands through both consult and creative. In my desire to turn the dollars I was making into more dollars I picked (what turned out to be) the most demanding market in existence. Anyhoo - after about 6 months of torture, and TONS of research I started practicing a Eastern trading modality called "Ichimoku Kinko Hyo", long name - brilliant results. To help myself get a grip on it's concepts I began blogging my analysis and charting techniques. I did this for about a year solid... I had a passion for getting great results, and the intrigue behind this Eastern mode of trading.
PROBLEM- BE CAREFUL: Be careful in the brand that you build! You may find that if the brand that you build is NOT within your core passion - then you may find yourself deconstructing or trying to deconstruct a brand that overshadows your desired value proposition!
To make a long story short, on year number 3 not "2" - People from all over the world began contacting me to teach them, not how to design an amazing Logo, or develop a Killer website - but how to trade using Ichimoku Kinko Hyo. My fees were about 175.00USD an hour, and I found myself working with some pretty savvy Professionals - THIS was my first clue to the power of Personal Branding...
Because of my activity behind the scenes, the writing, the analysis, the forecasting, and letting my creativity have dominion of a very technical Profession - I managed to carve out a Niche Market and build a "Personal Brand" within that niche that still resonates today -
Moral of this post (and where the discussion starts...)
In whatever capacity you are working in - it best be your area of "Passion" if you plan on building a Personal Brand around it. You have to be willing to write about, evangelize, preach about, and shout from the roof tops about what it is that you do. It is from your Passion that a Personal Brand is born. DOES this mean you cant build a brand around something you have no passion for? NOPE - you surely can, however; if your passion for that thing is "fleeting" you may find that after a year or so - that you have built a brand that you have to try to dissolve with your true brand identity and this can be cumbersome. I know because I am in the process of it NOW!!
So - Find what your passion is, get enthusiastic about it, and start building your brand around it - you will be suprised as to the results that will come from your efforts! YOUR are an amazing brand, the world is waiting to hear from!
A few years ago I started trading within the FOREX Market, and as many other "New Traders" I found it very difficult to grasp the concepts behind reading the charts and really being effective in trading this highly volatile market. I attributed this learning curve to the fact that I was natively a Designer working (at that time) within the B2B realm - helping businesses establish their brands through both consult and creative. In my desire to turn the dollars I was making into more dollars I picked (what turned out to be) the most demanding market in existence. Anyhoo - after about 6 months of torture, and TONS of research I started practicing a Eastern trading modality called "Ichimoku Kinko Hyo", long name - brilliant results. To help myself get a grip on it's concepts I began blogging my analysis and charting techniques. I did this for about a year solid... I had a passion for getting great results, and the intrigue behind this Eastern mode of trading.
PROBLEM- BE CAREFUL: Be careful in the brand that you build! You may find that if the brand that you build is NOT within your core passion - then you may find yourself deconstructing or trying to deconstruct a brand that overshadows your desired value proposition!
To make a long story short, on year number 3 not "2" - People from all over the world began contacting me to teach them, not how to design an amazing Logo, or develop a Killer website - but how to trade using Ichimoku Kinko Hyo. My fees were about 175.00USD an hour, and I found myself working with some pretty savvy Professionals - THIS was my first clue to the power of Personal Branding...
Because of my activity behind the scenes, the writing, the analysis, the forecasting, and letting my creativity have dominion of a very technical Profession - I managed to carve out a Niche Market and build a "Personal Brand" within that niche that still resonates today -
Moral of this post (and where the discussion starts...)
In whatever capacity you are working in - it best be your area of "Passion" if you plan on building a Personal Brand around it. You have to be willing to write about, evangelize, preach about, and shout from the roof tops about what it is that you do. It is from your Passion that a Personal Brand is born. DOES this mean you cant build a brand around something you have no passion for? NOPE - you surely can, however; if your passion for that thing is "fleeting" you may find that after a year or so - that you have built a brand that you have to try to dissolve with your true brand identity and this can be cumbersome. I know because I am in the process of it NOW!!
So - Find what your passion is, get enthusiastic about it, and start building your brand around it - you will be suprised as to the results that will come from your efforts! YOUR are an amazing brand, the world is waiting to hear from!
