Developing & Branding Your Personal Competitive Advantage

I was at the event as well. Michael Gerber is a fascinating and passionate entrepreneur, and he exudes and shares his passion with his audiences.

If you get a chance to see Michael Gerber live, or are able to attend one of his seminars, such as "Awaken the Entrepreneur Within" I highly recommend that you go. You will not regret it.

Gerber is a pioneer, a legend, a visionary, and an inspiration to us all. I was fortunate to see him speak at Bryant Park in NYC last year.

My father, my business partner, has taken his courses. Personal branding is a way to focus professionals to work ON their practice, not just in it.

By developing the right personal brand marketing systems, we can duplicate success through brand ambassadors and protégés.

~ Vikram
PersonalBrandMarketing.com

Glad to read about your experiences at the lecture. I'm looking forward to hearing him on Startup Story Radio on the 4th, and seeing him in person at his event at the Omni Hotel on the 6th.

Good question there at the end, David. Not sure exactly how to answer it, but I would say that for me at least, my brand is to some extent the feeling or vibe people get from my blog, BusinessBlogWire. If they come away deciding I'm worth returning to for info/help, then I've succeeded to some extent. A lot of people hear a brand name and there's a snap judgment or feeling associated with a personal experience or seeing something on the news, either good or bad.

Your brand is the way people will remember you and perceive you. You should strive to build a brand around you not your company. Your brand is so important for relationship building. Be careful with what you do because you want to make sure that your brand is perceived as positive. Look at what Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan have all done to their brands. We all will remember the negative things that they have done more than the positive.

I couldn't agree with Michael Gerber more. Your brand is your image. It's what you make it. You need to present a consistent message about your brand and live your brand 100% of the time. Ad agencies and marketers can only highlight that brand with tools like logos. The brand comes from you.