Developing & Branding Your Personal Competitive Advantage

What can we learn from entrepreneurs about personal branding? 

1. Living your values 
2. Teary eyed passion
3. Networking
4. Consistency

You see core values in how they live life.  For some, what they value most may be the reason they choose the path they go down.  You may not agree with what these obvious values are, but you know who you are dealing with.

The teary eyed passion is how they hop out of bed everyday with drive of their mission.  You may not understand the mission, but somehow you are inspired to help. 

They are instinctively networking.  In my experience the people adding value and making connections during good and bad times are those who are passionate and certainly understand the value of building connections. It is easy to find the passion in entrepreneurs, but the corporate type as a group is more likely networking during a job search - while experiencing fear.  The entrepreneur is selling, but understand giving value first.  Even the shy networker is effective...they are at the right places to add value.

You trust and predict how the entrepreneur is going to behave because they are consistent.  Even if that means they are not rational, can't communicate or trust anyone else around their company.  You know what you get.  Some serial entrepreneurs will start a random operation at a weird time...look back and you will find that to be consistent too. 

If you know an entrepreneur who does not seem to fit this brand, ask if they are actually an entrepreneur, or want to be.  Maybe they are while in a job search.  That could be a confused brand.  The classic entrepreneur may struggle with reality, but when they focus a personal brand strategy with outside influence, they learn to define their role and communicate effectively - success!