How’s YOUR Curb Appeal?

In almost every consultation I have with a client, I remind the individual how important service, a useful product and great content is to their brand.  Equally important to any brand is its image.  In using the example of a house for sale, If the curb appeal isn’t impressive at first sight, it’s then harder to entice a potential purchaser to buy or invest in your real estate.  The same concept applies to us as professionals in any industry.  Would you confidently sit in the chair of hairstylist whose hair is long overdue for its own styling?

In a move to test my services strengths and areas of needs improvement, I have decided to become my own client.   <- – – There’s a LOT to be said about that last sentence, because if you wouldn’t use YOUR product or service, why would …. Ok, that’s a different post for a later time.

My first area of self-inspection for my personal brand was my image.  Not bad, but now WOW, I could do better.  To make sure my “curb appeal” is in keeping with the rest of my brand worth I did an assessment, set achievable goals and researched healthy meal replacements and supplements to get started on this personal challenge.  I settled on 310 Nutrition who by the way have some   rave online reviews.

What better way to set a goal and expect be held accountable?  Do it publically!

What better way to achieve your goals than to get started …. NOW

 

And So It Begins!!!!

With products in hand, today … not the first of the month, or a new year’s resolution … TODAY I will start.  Join me as I share my journey of the good, bad, and ugly but determined successful outcome of my 50 pound weight loss goal.

Interested in setting a personal image, weight loss goal and joining me?  Make a comment, share your updates, photos and we can support and blame one another J

 

*** PLEASE NOTE,  I am NOT a personal trainer, health or nutrition specialist.  Any product information, photos and videos are my own opinion unless specified.  Please consult your own professionals before starting any physical lifestyle changes.  BUT, don’t let that be your excuse, get checked out and let’s pull it together.

Until then … Live Out LOUD!

Endorse Others With Caution

Much like signing off on a check, endorsement of another speaks as much about you and your brand as it does about the benefactor of your endorsement. 

The old sayings, “birds of a feather stick together” and “Perception is everything” is  especially true when it comes to your brand.
You are judged by the company you keep, and referring or suggestions about the use of a product or service conveys that you share mindset, standards and more.  Choose  wisely before doing so to insure:
Your endorsee is professional, consistent, and is an enhancement to your brand with the relationship

Engage Opportunities not Opportunists

In your quest to reach your goals as an entrepreneur,or the everyday fly girl* or guy you will without a doubt meet people who you will engage with that will help to advance you directly or indirectly to the next level. Stay prepared, you never know when an opportunity might present itself, stay aware, an opportunist is waiting for an opportunity.  Know the differences:

SIMILARITIES:

The short list of how they can be confusing when you come upon them

• They both sound similar in theory, but they have different agendas and end results.
• They both look appealing, sound like a good idea, and show promises
• Both require your all in effort but aren’t geared towards any real benefit for you.

 

DIFFERENCES:

Opportunity Driven People (O.D.P.):

ODPS see the holes in your vision but also see the value and unrealized it’s greatness, they come to the meeting of the minds with their  own “hole fillers” and help to create a win-win situation for all parties concerned.  A person committed to an opportunity with you wants to see you do well because it impacts them too. They look to build relationships with you, and grow with you often times, even past the completion date of your joint venture

 

Driven Opportunist People (D.O.P. – Let’s just add an e & s and refer to them as DOPES):

True to the online definition, a D.O.P.E is a person (or group) who exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans. I often see people who in the infancy of their endeavors who struggle to “get put on” by those who have arrived <~ (My thoughts on those who have arrived in a later post) to be turned down, ignored, or put on the back burner.  When the shine on your star starts to glow a little brighter … low and behold .. you’ve got a host a people who now want to partner with you.  Even in an opportunistic situation, sometimes things can work out in your favor, more times than not they don’t.  Opportunist require a fast turnaround, are often doing you a favor, and tend to look out for the bottom line, their own.

We all get burned in our excitement to advance to the next level in our industry, but do yourself a favor and look at the facts before you leap with your heart in hand.  If you’re going to go all out with your efforts, make sure it’s beneficial to you by way of monetary, exposure, or experience exchange.

BE

• Great at what you do, it builds confidence and set’s you apart as an expert
• Confident … you put your own self on by Just showing up!
• Consistent & Visible, more people are paying attention than you realize
• Be known for having and maintaining high standards for your brand lowering them only get’s you level with the ground
• Believe in your Brand and its worth, if you don’t .. who will?

 

*All my old school people will get the fly girl reference. 

 

Until next time ..

Continue to Rock Your Greatness!

 

 

 

Brands that AM: Lose Those Poundz

We here at I AM la Brand Media have become what some might term stalkerish…. we’d however prefer to go with the words intense follower for lack of another way to describe our complete and utter fondness for our favorite new brand Lose Those Poundz.

Our initial contact was via twitter where they have a HUGE following.  We watched for a while, and made note of all of the great content provided about all things weight loss and healthy eating.  In the name of consistency, can we just be honest and say we’ve gone on to connect with this brand on Google plus, Pinterest, Instagram, and their website (still not admitting to stalking) .

We were excited to have the rare opportunity to chat with the owner of Lose Those Poundz who shared with our team that they don’t frequently do interviews.  Their preference is to keep a low personal profile to focus on the brand and it’s objective to help others lose weight and stay healthy through diet and exercise conditioning.

The motivation for Lose those Poundz was a seed nurtured early in childhood and matured by the parents of the founder whose mom was the example who lead by eating healthy and enjoying a very active lifestyle.  The motivation to share that engrained lifestyle started on twitter.  With inquiries, and lots of feedback the follow numbers increased quickly, and so did the demand for more information which required the implementation and launch of the website and blog.

Lose Those Poundz was started by targeting anyone who wanted simple instructions and motivation, however, as time has progressed, this brand has somehow carved a niche that seems to get the attention of more women followers even though men still frequent the various social media platforms.

The content providers are consistent in their message to others to start by envisioning themselves a certain way physically and consistently work (even when you don’t feel like it) toward obtaining it and maintaining it well into old age.  They know they are successful in their reach by the overwhelming number of success story reports received via email and comments on their timelines.

So, why are WE so taken with Lose Those Poundz and what makes them so different from some other brands in the same industry?

• The information provided is simple to follow, to understand, and accomplish.
• The photos are inspiring, funny, and sometimes even challenging.  They make us want to reach just outside out grasp to try a little harder for our individual goals.
• The level of engagement on all the sites is amazing.  Often times brands who have a large following and by the nature of the business they become too busy to engage.  Lose Those Poundz member(s) respond, engage, and offer feedback pretty quickly as it relates to their industry.
• The brand is consistent with information, updates, and ease of use on all platforms.
• Our favorite reason of all … they don’t try to pitch their followers.  We’ve yet to experience the need to buy, sign-up, or pressure associated with some other sites. Way to go, Lose Those Poundz, you are the example of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweeties) with great content.

Near the close of our interview we asked the one question everyone dives into; meal replacements, pills, gyms, infomercials, and all the other get thin quick plans wants to know … WHAT IS THE SECRET TO EFFECTIVELY LOSING AND KEEPING WEIGHT OFF?

Lose Those Poundz’ response was a shocker … you won’t believe it … wait.. for… it …. Ready?  “Consistent healthy eating habits and regular workouts”  yep, we have to do it the old fashion way, burn it and earn it!  Now that you’re in the know .. head over to Lose Those Poundz  site for more information and tell em I AM la Brand Media sent ya.

 

Enjoyed this post, be sure to like, share and comment. 

 

Until then,

Brand Responsibly

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Get Caught With Your Services Down

Our business was considering sponsoring another company’s* event and because my brand is on the line we of course had to check them out to see if it was something we wanted to pursue.

Since this only a sponsor consideration, there is no need to do a thorough look-see, so the following short check list of things will suffice:

Website – It’s up, running, gives the gist of what’s going on, and there’s a contact number.  Okay grade

Facebook – There are a fair amount of likes, they post often even though actual engagement is low. Great grade

Phone call – They answered, but the conversation goes customer service flat from there.  Substandard grade

 

We inquired about two specific services that were listed on their website, the representative didn’t seem knowledgeable about their services and spoke more about what they didn’t offer.  While she was nice enough to ask what stylist we wanted, she never asked my name, how we heard about their business, or attempted to get us in for a visit or schedule an appointment.   Hopefully it’s apparent at this point that I AM la Brand will not be lending its brand name to endorse or sponsor this company.

 

DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES!!!!!

Brand Tip

Your logo, website, or social media platform makes a first impression, your service and how important you make potential and current clients feel leaves a lasting impression.  Your brand includes how you interact with EVERYONE at every encounter.  Answer that phone or respond to that email each time, with great service like it’s a million dollar deal.

Brand Must

ONLY associate your brand with brands that maintain the same values, work ethics, vision and yes, service appreciation that you and yours delivers.

Business 101  

Don’t leave money on the table, let it walk out the door, or get off the phone without attempting to provide service.  Ask inquirers how they’ve heard about you or your business.  Doing so gives you an idea of which marketing platforms are the most effective for getting the word out about your brand.  They are already interested, turn an inquiry into a sale.  Always be selling!

What are some of the things your team does to help with customer service and sales? 

*Company name not disclosed to protect the under-delivering party.

 

Until then … Brand Responsibly

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#GIRLBOSS by Nasty Gal CEO Sophia Amoruso seems to be all the buzz with lady business owners, entrepreneur’s, and future entrepre-gonna-be’s alike.

While we here at I AM la Brand Media haven’t actually read the book yet,  we snagged the following insert from Amazon:

“A #GIRLBOSS is in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it.”

The first thing Sophia Amoruso sold online wasn’t fashion—it was a stolen book. She spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two, she had resigned herself to employment, but was still broke, directionless, and working a mediocre day job she’d taken for the health insurance.

It was there that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later, she is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online fashion retailer with more than 350 employees. Sophia’s never been a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is winding as all hell and lined with naysayers.

#GIRLBOSS includes Sophia’s story, yet is infinitely bigger than Sophia. It’s deeply personal yet universal. Filled with brazen wake-up calls (“You are not a special snowflake”), cunning and frank observations (“Failure is your invention”), and behind-the-scenes stories from Nasty Gal’s meteoric rise, #GIRLBOSS covers a lot of ground. It proves that being successful isn’t about how popular you were in high school or where you went to college (if you went to college). Rather, success is about trusting your instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break.

A #GIRLBOSS takes her life seriously without taking herself too seriously. She takes chances and takes responsibility on her own terms. . She knows when to throw punches and when to roll with them. When to button up and when to let her freak flag fly.

As Sophia writes, “I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t let The Man get to you. OK? Cool.  Then let’s do this.”

 

This is the start of what looks like a good read, there will be more from us once we’ve scoured the pages.  

If you’ve read it, do you now identify as a Girl Boss?  Was there helpful information for you included?

 Share your comments in this feed.