Personal Branding

13 Tips to Starting your own Business

Sometimes I need a good kick in the behind to get a blog post up. This one is thanks to People Magazine who have asked me to contribute to the January 2012 edition with some tips on starting your own business. I’m not convinced that people Magazine readers are my ideal target market (never be too hasty, I hear you say), and the tips, as I see them, apply to all aspirant entrepreneurs. They asked for 12 and I couldn’t help including 13 (for luck!). So here they are, ala Michelle; 13 Tips to Starting your own business in 2012; […]

I work with only a select number of clients at any time. If you think we are a good fit, please email me on motivcoach@gmail.com

Keep Walking! and other techniques for moving beyond the limitations in our heads.

Although I’m not a whisky drinker, for some years I have adopted for my own inspiration the slogan from the Johnnie Walker Advertising campaign that encourages me to just Keep Walking! It’s my habit to look for personal motivating slogans (from within and without the advertising world) to use as personal prompts to help me to stay focused on implementing my ideas. Thanks to Nike— I ‘Just Do It’! Thanks to the Olympic high-jump coach, I ’Throw my heart over the bar and the rest will follow’. Thanks to my yoga teacher, I ‘Go there and make that effort’. […]

I work with only a select number of clients at any time. If you think we are a good fit, please email me on motivcoach@gmail.com

Personal Branding – Own It!

We all have an idea of ourselves that we’d like the rest of the world to see, whether it is perfectly authentic or not. The problem is that for a large number of people, this idea that we hold in our minds, is often where it stays. Getting this version of yourself out to the rest of the world is where the problem begins to manifest, and take on a life of its own. The person we believe we are presenting to co-workers and potential business partners turns out to be someone else entirely, someone you didn’t think you were at all. You find yourself asking: “How did my employees get the idea that I had no hobbies or social interests?” or “Why would potential business associates go with my competitors when I clearly charge a lower fee and deliver on promises?” The answer is this: the person you know you are, is not the person that others see you as. In other words, your internal brand and your external brand are not congruent. This means just one thing: your personal branding needs some attention. […]

I work with only a select number of clients at any time. If you think we are a good fit, please email me on motivcoach@gmail.com

Coaches: Do your actions speak as loud as your words?

“After all is said and done, a lot more will have been said than done.” ~Author Unknown This month I was contacted by a coaching colleague in Kwa-Zulu Natal (a coach I do not know – isn’t it wonderful when your marketing systems draw the right contacts to you?). She asked that I contribute to an article request from Weighless Wellness Magazine inviting coaches to expose their own personal habits. The editor wanted to turn the table on 3 Coaches, asking them to share what it is they DO in their own lives. “Walking the talk” and “actions speak louder than words” are 2 clichés they wanted to put to the test here. Quite rightly, since coaches and mentors are in the business of helping our clients to inspect their habits, not so? The magazine wanted to evaluate whether we are indeed living up to Benjamin Franklin’s credo of “Well done is better than well said” […]

I work with only a select number of clients at any time. If you think we are a good fit, please email me on motivcoach@gmail.com

What are the most important elements of making a good first impression?

With 14 000 unique users, the mentorship programme on Ndalo Media’s website, www.destinyconnect.com, is proving a valuable partnership as a source of inspiration to ambitious African executives and professionals focused on accomplishing their prospective career goals. From Feb 7th to June 5th 2010, I’m on the on-line mentor on this site, representing the theme “How to make a great first impression”. Here are my initial responses to the questions put to me by the DestinyConnect team; do they leave you with a great impression? What are the most important elements of making a good first impression? Here’s the all-inclusive phrase – be charismatic – it’s that personal quality that gives you influence, power and authority (in good ways). Charisma does not relate to your body design – you can be short, tall, thin or fat – nor to your jewellery, or car or position in life. Charisma isn’t tangible, it’s a spiritual notion – it’s about allowing others to meet your spirit – the most powerful part of your personality. Charisma is developed through personal awareness and spiritual intent and, as the saying goes, if you haven’t got it yet, it’s OK to fake it until you make it! Consider these five important steps toward developing the qualities of charismatic people: […]

I work with only a select number of clients at any time. If you think we are a good fit, please email me on motivcoach@gmail.com