Your personal brand will stay with you, while your company brand may not. Today’s business world changes constantly and, for you to become highly valued, you should focus on your personal, rather than corporate branding.

Company loyalty no longer exists. People are hired and fired often. New companies start and old companies fail every day. A strong personal brand will follow you wherever you go. Most importantly, your personality belongs to you and you don’t need to reinvent yourself when your life changes.

Even if your ventures are successful you will probably have many. Donald Trump has many projects, so does Richard Branson. Dick Smith started National Geographic and now his focus is on Dick Smith Foods. My point is, while most people may not know every project Richard Branson is involved in, they know his name.

Here are 7 great reasons to create and nurture your personal brand, regardless of your industry or type of work role.

1.       Your reputation will follow you, whether you work on your personal brand or not. People talk, so you might want to focus on how to make your personal image better. Some people don’t care what others think but, if you want to become highly valued in your industry, it’s a good idea to start caring.

2.       You take pride in your work, so you should show that to your fans, colleagues and potential employers. Showing that you care about your work also shows any potential employers or clients that you love what you do.

3.       You take accountability for your actions. If a project fails, you shouldn’t run and hide. You should stand and face it. People will expect you to be human and make mistakes but they won’t trust you if you deny accountability.  Taking responsibility, for both successes and failures, earns trust.

4.       You will change companies more than once in your lifetime. Just because you change companies does not mean you need to start over each time. Focus on learning new, transferrable skills and taking them with you. You will command more respect (and a better pay) when you can clearly articulate your unique personal value.

5.       You might change your job, your career or even your industry more than once. Just as you should learn skills that are transferrable from company to company, you will benefit from learning skills that are useful in more than one job, career or industry. Create a personal profile, which clearly communicates your transferrable skills. You never know when a prospective employer or client might be searching for you.

6.       Your personal story is unique and you can offer real value. Your value is created from your unique upbringing, class, family, friends, education, life experiences and work experience. Don’t limit yourself to telling a story just about the jobs you’ve had. Life is full of learning experiences, so if you know more because you are ‘street smart’, or your personal experiences are different from everyone else’s, write that down on your resume or profile.

7.       Keep your friends and family informed of your current projects. I have changed jobs and started new businesses a few times. Consider creating a personal website if you are a serial entrepreneur, make life changes often or if you’re always trying something new. Your best supporters will be those closest to you. Start a personal blog, website or both and your friends and family will always be able to keep up with what’s going on.  

I hope by now you are starting to realise the value of building your personal brand. To keep up with my personal brand, please feel free to connect with me on Twitter or follow my business, Entrepreneur Names on Facebook.