My ‘One Word’ this week is: HUMANITY

The most successful billion-dollar brands are rooted in the founder’s personal brand.

That’s why personal branding is taking center stage in the business world.

Entrepreneurs are awakening to the fact that in order to break through the clutter, they must become the face of their business venture at inception.

Why?

Because people buy human connection.

Here’s how you bake that humanity into a winning brand.

Tap into the core value that is tied to the entrepreneur to create a brand story that communicates what the brand actually sells. This, in turn, creates a story that sticks.

Look at Steve Jobs and Apple.

After Jobs’ return in 1997, he shifted the entire focus to build the brand around the idea that Apple makes technology effortless enough for everyone to be a part of the future. Every product, from desktops to iPhones to AirPods to music players, was designed with SIMPLICITY in mind.

Now consider Jobs’ uniform: signature black turtleneck, jeans, and grey New Balance sneakers. This deceptively simple uniform made him instantly identifiable.

Jobs’ aesthetic imprinted upon Apple’s very DNA, too—a quiet, pared-down coolness that remains a critical tenet of the company’s products today.

The brilliance of Apple’s SIMPLICITY is rooted in humanity. Jobs’ commitment to infusing the brand with his own core value was instrumental in creating the bastion of simple technology we know and love today.

Steve Jobs mastered the art of intertwining his story, core value, and business venture into a winning long-term brand. Maybe you won’t be Steve Jobs, but you can still follow my model for a powerful personal brand:

Your Story + Core Value + Business Venture = Winning Brand!

Steve Jobs + SIMPLICITY + Apple = Winning Brand!

Steve Jobs is Apple, and Apple is Steve Jobs. The goal when starting to build a brand is for the entrepreneur to take their ‘One Word’ core value and infuse it into the identity of their business venture, so they sell themselves and their business at the same time.

Your personal brand, your core value, and your business venture are interconnected threads weaving a tapestry of long-term success.

That’s why your personal brand as an entrepreneur can’t be a completely separate entity, but should rather be an integral part of your business strategy. The sweet spot lies in integrating your personal brand and business venture brand into one from the get-go.

Remember, your core value is what you’re selling to your customers (Apple sells SIMPLICITY.).

So Founders, what ‘One Word’ core value are you connecting your personal brand and your business venture with?

All it takes is ‘One Word’ to Stand-out Conquer Obstacles Reach Excellence (SCORE)!