Create a Brand for Yourself

When your name comes up what do people think about? How do you come across to others? Take a few minutes to visualize how you want to come across and then begin to implement those items into your daily life. When I came out of college, I knew who I wanted to be but felt like I was on a hamster wheel trying to get there. Sometimes you must do a complete life overhaul to turn yourself into the person you want to be. For me, a lot of my career focuses on creating and developing for major CPG companies. I could turn a cheese slice into something you needed to have in your house like a master but when it came to my own life, I looked like a mess. My work ethic was top-notch, but I appeared to be a shit show. I wasn’t good at time management (meaning I was always a couple minutes late). I bought whatever clothing was on sale without thinking about how it made me look or feel. I didn’t really wear make-up, just some concealer under my eyes and a dab of mascara paired with my strawberry Chapstick. Jewelry was only for special occasions. My desk was always organized but didn’t have a color scheme. I rocked a sock bun because I thought it looked sleek and pulled together. I was more than happy to wear my “fancy flip flops” (because I thought that was a thing) to the office and my heels only saw the day of light when I was getting my review. My cell phone case had floating sparkles and I donned a Jan Sport backpack. Don’t get me started on my pink and white polka dot suitcase. This was just how I appeared at the office, my home life was even worse.

I was a mess, a dumpster fire to say the least.

Here are some of the tips and tricks that I learned when I did my complete life overhaul. Start by looking at a few top professionals in your industry and see what they do and then align your life to mimic that.

 Communication Style:

• You must decide how you want to come across to everyone you work with and then try to focus on maintaining a consistent approach to ensure that your colleagues know what to expect.

 Workspace:

• Keep your workspace clean and organized.
• Have a few items that represent who you are.
• Don’t keep tchotchkes and mementos in bulk. If you want to keep them tuck them away in a drawer. They make you look young.

 Home:

• Design your home so that when you go on vacation, you miss being there.
• Keep it clean and organized.
• If you don’t use something consistently, get rid of it. It’s been proven that clutter can make you tired and depressed.

 Attire:

• If you don’t have money to invest in new clothes, find items that are cluttering up your home and sell them, and then use that money to build your new wardrobe. The better you dress, the better you will feel. I promise.
• Find 2-3 colors that look nice on you and only buy items in those colors. It makes getting ready easy and gives you so many incremental ways to pair and layer your clothing. I recommend neutrals. If you want to add in some color have a few fun accessories that you can throw in.
• Spend more on less. Don’t buy a lot of items that won’t last long. Invest in nice, classic pieces that will stand the test of time.
• Always keep a nice jacket at the office. If you work in a profession where suit jackets are worn at big meetings, keep one there. You never know when you are going to get called to a meeting and want to look together.
• Wake up a little earlier to make sure you have time to get ready. Set out your outfit and accessories the night before.
• Flip flops (no matter how fancy) and not meant for the office. There are more companies that are allowing a casual dress code, but I would bet that if you look at top management, they probably aren’t rocking flip flops daily or to their big meetings.
• Invest in good luggage. Get a suitcase set with the wheels that go in every direction. Stick with black or brown. Your suitcase should not represent anything seen on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire.
• If you use a laptop bag or bookbag, keep it simple and professional. Anything that you would wear in high school or college is probably out of the question.