If you want to succeed in business you need a powerful personal brand. Whether you’re an entrepreneur deep in start-up mode, the owner of a global business or a C-suite executive with big goals to kick, here’s the secret: if you understand who you are, what your purpose is and you anchor your storytelling to your values, you will attract what you deserve.
Scroll on as Tory Archbold, founder of two global brands, and host of the popular Business Attraction Program, breaks down how to build a powerful personal brand.
Know Your Truth
Before we even talk about building your personal brand, it’s important to first spend some time reflecting on who you authentically are. What I’ve learnt (often the hard way) in business is that you don’t have to wear a stiff professional mask to succeed. It’s ok, and in fact much better, to just be you. The first step in doing this is to know your truth.
How do you do this? Well, I recommend that all the women I mentor through the Business Attraction Program adopt a practice that allows them some quiet stillness each day to just be with themselves. This might be sitting in meditation, if that’s your thing, but it could also be walking in nature, diving into the ocean, or taking a mindful shower each morning where you set your intentions for the day, as I like to do.
This practice will allow you to listen to your inner voice – or your intuition, your inner guide, or whatever you like to call her. When you connect with your inner knowing, the external noise fades away and everything that’s authentically true for you becomes clearer.
Know Your values
Now that you are tapped into your personal truth, it’s much easier to distil your values. These are very important, because people will not connect with you unless they feel you’re in alignment with the values of your business. Personally, my core values have always been passion, integrity and delivery. How this plays out in real time is that I love being around people who are passionate, I want to be aligned with brands and people that speak their truth, and I know you’re only as good as the last piece of work you delivered.
For somebody else, their values might be creativity, community and thought leadership – or for another person, altruism, compassion and growth may ring true. Whatever your values are, take the time to single out your top three, and write them down above your desk, or somewhere else you will see them on a daily basis. Then, be sure the embody these in every facet of your business. Your personal brand needs to showcase what you want to attract into your life or your business, and when it does, it will draw people who resonate with that towards you.
Know Your Purpose
It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of knowing your purpose in creating a powerful personal brand. Earlier this year, I had a beautiful conversation on the Powerful Stories podcast with Lisa Messenger, who famously disrupted the Australian media landscape when she launched Collective Hub magazine, about how to understand your purpose. I love Lisa’s story – she went from being fired in her twenties to a mega-successful entrepreneur, thanks to the power of finding her purpose. Lisa says that this one thing changed everything for her.
Not sure how to find your purpose? There are different ways to go about this, but one thing I suggest people do is to start at the end. What do I mean by this? Consider this: in 50 years, what would you like to have changed in the world, thanks to your place in it?
Going one step deeper into distilling your purpose, the next step is to find the sweet spot where your talents, your passion, and what the world needs intersect. THIS is the spot you need to marinate and begin creating magic from so that you’re living your true purpose.
Know your story
A core part of the work I do with my amazing mentoring clients is to help them take ownership of their personal and professional journey. I know from first-hand experience how important it is to know and own your story, because this is when you will feel at ease in the world, and when people will genuinely resonate with you.
For years, I wore one mask at work and another in my personal life – and it was exhausting. I had been dealing with stalking and harassment from my ex-partner behind the scenes, yet for the outside world I was projecting a purely glossy image of successful PR firm owner. After a near-death experience in 2013, I came into alignment with my truth and decided to own my story. I partnered with Marie Claire magazine to tell my full story, including the truth of what was happening in my life behind the scenes – and when I did this, I was met with so much support and understanding. I felt like a weight had literally been lifted off my shoulders.
Taking ownership of your story doesn’t have to involve sharing it via a national media outlet (although it absolutely can!) – it can be done via your own social media platforms or even among your inner circle at first, the point is in the intention of owning and taking back the narrative. You’ll find that when you’re brave enough to share openly, you stand in your power, and more and more people resonate with you and want to support you in achieving your purpose.
…And tie it all together in a powerful bow
Now that you’ve got all the building blocks to craft a powerful personal brand, make sure that you communicate them loudly and proudly. Every touchpoint of your brand should be anchored in your truth, values and purpose. Be sure to weave them in whenever you share messaging around your brand, and the magic will follow.
Want to join Tory Archbold’s community of likeminded female entrepreneurs seeking to thrive in business and in life? Sign up to the #coffeechallenge today, right this way. Interested in being guided through creating your own powerful personal brand? Find out about the Business Attraction Program here.