Heroes of Personal Branding (iii): k.d. lang
The chances of a Canadian Tibetan Buddhist, adroginous-looking vegan and out-of-the-closet lesbian making it in the inner sanctum of country music of Nashville, Tennessee seem so remote as to defy belief. It takes the unflinching faith in her abilities, the total love for music and singing and the rare amount of self-confidence found in personal …
Personal Branding Heroes (ii): Dan Balan
If at the onset of the new millennium someone had predicted that a Moldovan pop band would be selling over one million records in Japan and reaching the top ten in the charts of every major European country singing in its native tongue, he would have been accused of being an interested party, insanity… or …
Personal Branding Heroes (i): Jean-Claude Van Damme
Many men and women have successfully built strong and durable personal brands that have catapulted them to success: but few have done so with more gritty determination and ‘fighting’ (forgive the pun) so many internal and external demons as the popular Belgium-born action movie star Jean-Claude Van Varenberg, better known by his artistic name of …
Personal Branding Lessons from the Real Housewives
I admit it: I am addicted to the Real Housewives.
And not just the show with the New Jersey ladies from my home state. I watch just about every edition sans Miami, and I secretly hope there is hope for the Washington, D.C. show to return.
If you keep up on this “garbage,” as my …
Personal Branding Interview: Adam Gilbert
I recently spoke to Adam Gilbert, who is a nationally recognized health, fitness and motivational expert and trainer. He is the Founder and Chief Body Tutor of MyBodyTutor, a company he created to help people stop making excuses when it comes to health and fitness, by providing daily and personal accountability like no other company …
What’s Worse than No Plan?
There are times in life when it’s great to have no plan. Days at the beach, drives in the car, and if you are lucky … the time to be able to spend weeks exploring back roads at your leisure.
Take advantage of those times while you can. However, for most people, they don’t last …
Mistakes of a Lifetime
We all make mistakes: but not all mistakes are of the same nature, carry the same consequences or hurt ourselves and others to the same degree. And to rub salt in the wound, we might add that there are some mistakes – the mistakes of a lifetime – for which there does not seem to …
Oh Canada, Why Did I Say That?
You might think of Canada as a suburb of the USA, after all that is for the most part, the way we treat it. It seems to be moving through space just a bit north of us. Canada has cowboys, entrepreneurs, waiters, teachers and the assortment of “ologists” and others we have.
But on my …
What’s Wrong with Romney’s Personal Brand?
On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” The New York Times’ David Brooks shared a historical perspective that puts Mitt Romney in a unique position. The candidate’s unfavorable ratings are 50%, causing Brooks to pronounce Romney: “the least popular candidate in history.”
David Gregory, host of the show, attempted to define Romney’s personal brand:
“Personally, I think …
Use Your Micro Brand for Extra Perks
Do you have a micro brand? Do you know what a micro brand is?
Your micro brand is that thing you do on the side, but are still known for. If your primary personal brand is what people understand you do and stand for, your micro brand is that sideline or hobby that you enjoy …