Today, I want us to look at the impact of using small technologies to enhance businesses, brands, products, and services. Technology is a tool that anyone, in any field, can leverage in some way to increase productivity and profitability. I’ll share a few stories from my experiences, working with people who have utilized basic technologies to improve their games and boost their results. Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in some fun experiences we can all learn from to help push our brands and businesses forward. The key point is this: whatever you’re doing in this day and age, you need some form of technology—often small technologies—to advance your work. With the rise of AI tools and other tech innovations, there are now countless options available. From simple apps, plugins, and scripts, to tools that can quickly streamline tasks, we all have access to resources that can make us more efficient. Let’s not get stuck in old methods just because they still work. If you want to become more effective and efficient, you have to step up your game. A while back, I wrote an article about a vulcanizer in my neighborhood who has been using the same old tools for years. While he’s excellent at what he does, he hasn’t been innovating. Recently, I came across a social media post by Kwabena Peprah of Wonderlust, who shared an experience with a vulcanizer who had upgraded his equipment. The difference in speed and efficiency was remarkable. Where it once took manual effort and significant time to change a tire, this vulcanizer had modern tools that made the process much faster and smoother. It got me thinking—how many of us are still stuck in outdated methods, even though there are tools and technologies available that can save us time and effort? Whether it’s apps, plugins, or simple scripts, there are resources in every field that can help us improve. The PA Taking Minutes Let me start with this. Recently, in one of our meetings, the secretary was assigned to take notes and provide the minutes afterward, along with a summary report. During the meeting, I noticed someone scribbling away, writing everything down. Meanwhile, all I did was plug in my phone, open an app, hit record, and capture the entire conversation. By the end of the meeting, I used a tool to quickly summarize everything. When I shared the summary, I was met with surprise—”How did you do that? I didn’t even see you writing!” That’s the power of using small tools. It was just a simple app, a script, really. Most of these tools are free, and if you want more advanced features, you can opt for the paid versions. These tools make your work easier, faster, and more efficient. Within minutes of every meeting, I have summaries, action points, and details ready to go. There’s no need to waste time re-listening to hours of audio or sifting through handwritten notes. As an author and ghostwriter, these are the kinds of tools I use daily to simplify my work. The question for you is: what tool can you use now? I’m going to share three stories of friends who have used small tools to enhance their businesses—and they’re thriving because of it. As you read, think about what small tools might help you in your field and who you might consult to get access to them. The Carpenter with the Power Tool A professional carpenter was hired to do some work on my house about seven years ago. Daniel arrived with his tools—traditional, mechanized equipment such as nails, hammers, screws, and drills. He did an excellent job with the wardrobe, demonstrating the skills of a seasoned professional. At the time, he was using the same tools many in his trade have relied on for years, and his work was solid. Fast forward to a few months ago, when I hired him again for another project. This time, he came alone, carrying a small, portable device. With ease, he fixed everything in place using this new tool—a rechargeable, electronic drill that didn’t require a power source during use. Within minutes, the job was done, and I was amazed at the efficiency. He had invested in this small, modern tool, which saved both of us a lot of time and effort. I was impressed, not only by the simplicity and effectiveness of the tool but also by the fact that he had recognized the importance of upgrading his equipment. Unlike others who might rely solely on hard work and longer hours, he had found a way to work smarter, not harder. This new tool cost him some money upfront, but it has proven to be a valuable investment. It allows him to complete more jobs in a day, saves him energy, and ultimately boosts his earning potential. He can now charge more for his work because he is more efficient and productive. Daniel Batsa’s story is a great illustration that we can all benefit from investing in small tools and technologies that enhance what we do. These small improvements can lead to significant gains in both time and profitability, allowing us to grow our businesses more effectively. The Power of Forward-Thinking Investments in Technology I met Ernest Kyekye through a mutual friend about a decade ago. Back then, he was in the printing and signage industry, doing the usual—t-shirt printing, stickers, and related work. However, just a year or two ago, he made a significant leap by acquiring a UV printing machine. This advanced machine can print on virtually any surface, far beyond what traditional screen printing could handle. The versatility of the UV printer is astounding—it can print stickers, business cards, and more on a variety of surfaces. I was truly impressed by how Ernest adopted new technology to push the boundaries of his craft. He’s an entrepreneur who refuses to stay stagnant, always thinking ahead and exploring ways to improve his business. Investing in this technology was no small feat. […]

“Masters today, were Starters Yesterday, so begin now.”― Bernard Kelvin Clive Today, I want to share some thoughts on public speaking, drawing from my latest book co-authored with my friend, Samuel Agyeman-Prempeh, on the fundamentals of public speaking. In the book, we discuss the basics for anyone—entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, or professionals—looking to venture into public speaking or presentations, whether for business or sales. These foundational tips will help you kickstart your speaking career. We also share our personal experiences, including the challenges we’ve faced and how we’ve overcome them throughout our 15-year journey in the field. The Debate Recently, when I announced the release of the book on one of the platforms, a friend —Gilbert reminded me of something that happened about 25 years ago. We were in our teens, attending junior high school. The story he shared with me reflects how far things have changed and reminds us that, no matter where we start, we can always rise from our failures and work towards success—especially in public speaking. Let me take you back to that time, about 25 years ago, when I was a student at Calvary International School in Accra. One of our teachers, Mr. Nduom, often organized debates between the boys and the girls on Fridays. On one such occasion, I was selected to participate. At the time, I was a quiet, shy boy, and the thought of public speaking was intimidating. Our team consisted of three boys: Cyril, Gilbert, and me. Then there were the three girls: Vera, Theresa, and Irene. It was a classic showdown—three boys against three girls. But as boys, we loved to play. When the debate topic was given, we didn’t prepare at all. During break time, we played. After school, we played some more. We simply didn’t take it seriously. The Boys Played while the Girls Prepared! The girls, on the other hand, were well-prepared. They had organized everything—each speaker knew her role, from the first to the last. Their speeches and arguments were structured and rehearsed. Meanwhile, the boys? We scrambled at the last minute, jotting a few things down on scraps of paper just before the debate started. Cyril, our first speaker, stood up and spoke based on the little we had managed to write. But it wasn’t much. Then it was the girls’ turn. Theresa delivered her speech with confidence, and it was clear they had the upper hand. Next, Gilbert, our second speaker, did his best to fill in the gaps with what little was left on our paper and added some impromptu comments. Irene, the girls’ second speaker, followed, delivering her part with the same level of preparedness and poise. Now it was my turn, as the last speaker for the boys. But by then, there was nothing left to say. Cyril and Gilbert had already used everything we had written. I stepped up to the podium, but my mind was blank, and my voice trembled. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I stood there, overwhelmed by the moment. To my surprise, the audience applauded—not for what I said, but for simply showing up. It was both humorous and heartwarming, and we all laughed it off. To make matters worse, the entire class had gathered—a large crowd—and there I was, standing on stage with nothing to say, consumed by fear. It was a humbling experience. We lost, I learned! In the end, the boys lost, and the girls won. Looking back on that experience from such a young age, it was my first real attempt at public speaking, and it showed. We were completely unprepared, and our content was virtually nonexistent. Afterward, the teacher gave me a funny nickname, and it stuck with me throughout junior high school. We all laughed, and that nickname became part of my identity for the rest of my time there. Start Somewhere! But reflecting on this story, it serves as a reminder that we all start somewhere. We may have failed in our early attempts at public speaking, but those moments don’t have to define our future success. We can always pick ourselves up and improve. Did we engage in further debates in the future? As a team, we learned from our mistakes, we prepared, and we put ourselves in a good position to succeed. Even though we didn’t win the subsequent match, we performed on par with the girls. We learned, we grew, we moved on! Now, whenever I think back on that experience, I can laugh, because I’ve come a long way. Today, I speak on major platforms, prepare my speeches thoroughly, and even train others in public speaking. Key Lessons: That early experience brought some key lessons for all of us. First, preparation is powerful. If we had prepared as the girls did, we would have had the confidence and energy to deliver our speeches well. Preparation gives you the edge. Your preparation will include, research and writing the speech. Second, content is a command. In public speaking, the kind of content you have matters, and mastering your material is essential. You must know your content well and tailor it to your audience. If you have nothing to say, you have nothing to communicate. No content no command. Third, know your audience. Know the audience and prepare content to suit them, and vary the speech based on the audience: your style, tone etc. We don’t use the same style for all gatherings. We thought our audience was just our classmates, so we could just play around, we didn’t know the entire school would be gathering to witness it. As other students came in to watch, we knew the debate topic, but the girls had mastered their craft, their content, and their audience. They had rehearsed multiple times, while we boys barely gave it any thought. We wanted to play and have fun, not realizing how serious it was. Another important lesson here is that we should treat every speaking engagement as if it’s a world-class […]

It’s often said that the fear of public speaking tops the list for many people. Some would rather do anything else than stand before an audience. However, we can all learn to manage this fear in small, effective ways. Today, I want to share some insights from my latest book, co-authored with my friend Samuel Agyeman-Prempeh, on the fundamentals of public speaking. When I started as a public speaker, I learned by observing my peers and other seasoned speakers. One thing I noticed early on was that every speaker brings a unique energy, style, and approach to delivering their message. Take historical figures like Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara, and Patrice Lumumba—great minds and public speakers from whom we can all learn. J.J. Rawlings, for example, had an extemporaneous style full of energy and excitement. He rarely read from a script, making his delivery dynamic and captivating. Emmanuel Dei-Tumi often started by sharing childhood struggles and local stories, effortlessly mixing humor with wisdom to engage the audience while driving home key points. Albert Ocran, on the other hand, brings a different kind of energy. His speeches are well-structured, often organized into points—whether it’s five or seven—and he ensures his audience remembers these key ideas by having them repeat after him. He masterfully weaves stories into his message to make each point more memorable. Then there’s my friend Ibrahim Mustapha, who opens with high energy, pauses, and reignites his delivery with renewed vigor, keeping the audience on their toes. Finally, Jeremiah Buabeng comes on stage and maintains a solid level of energy from start to finish—keeping everyone fully engaged. Emmanuel Woyome, Terry Mante, and Scofray Yeboah will come in with a soft gentle voice with a deep message that will make you ponder every sentence. Looking at all these speakers and learning from them, one thing stands out: everyone has their unique style, and while the message may differ, they all deliver it effectively. I particularly enjoyed Ps. Andy Yawson’s presentations. He speaks clearly, without filler words—everything is precise and audible. Whether on radio, TV, or while preaching, Pastor Andy’s message is always clear, and that’s something I admire and aim to learn. My colleague Ekow Mensah has a unique style like that of Rev. Lawrence Tetteh, he could deliver weighty and sensitive messages with a touch of humor, making his audience laugh while still conveying the depth of his message. It’s a remarkable skill. Then there’s Samuel Agyeman Prempeh and John Armah, who can memorize almost everything and deliver effortlessly. He engages his audience by weaving in stories and key points, keeping them hooked from start to finish. So, what do you bring to the stage? Every speaker has their way of engaging the audience—their entrance, their core message, and their delivery. It’s important to find your style. Regarding Visual Presentations and Props: In the early stages of my speaking career, I attended a conference where Selorm Branttie presented. We were all used to the traditional PowerPoint slides, but when it was Selorm’s turn, he did something different. His presentation style, coupled with the visuals, left the audience in awe. Afterward, many of us were asking him what tool he used. It turned out to be Prezi, which was relatively new at the time. The presentation felt fresh and dynamic, and it left a lasting impression on me. When you are using slides or props, it’s good to get them right. I sometimes do PowerPoint presentations and, surprisingly, people are impressed by how effective they are, even though it’s a common tool. As much as we prepare the content of our message, we also need to prepare the visual presentation. There are two key aspects to this: the slides themselves and the props you use. For visual presentations, the images need to be large and clear, and the text should be big enough to read easily—no squeezing everything onto one slide. I learned that a good presentation doesn’t mean putting all the information on the slides. Overloading them is a common mistake. There are guidelines for how to do this effectively. Then, when it comes to props, I realized how central they are. Sometimes, you may not have access to projectors, and that’s when props become vital. You might need objects or tools to communicate your message visually. Incorporating props into your presentations ensures that, even without the usual visual aids, you can still engage your audience and drive home your message. This is one of the pointers I picked up along the way: finding your style, your voice, and the tools that work best for you. Learn from Others and Master Your Style While it’s important to learn from various speakers, you also need to find something you can master and repeat consistently. This is what will make you stand out in your presentations. For instance, Les Brown often starts his speeches with a personal story about being labeled “uneducable.” That key story frames his message and connects with his audience right from the start. So, what’s your story? Some speakers begin with a powerful quote, others with an image. These are things you can experiment with in the early stages of preparing your speeches and presentations. It’s essential to find what works best to drive your message home. In conclusion, at every stage of your public speaking journey, you can learn from a wide range of people. I’ve learned from mentors like Albert Ocran, Titi-Ofei, Patrick Oteiku, and Yaw Perbi. On the international stage, there are speakers like Les Brown, Jim Rohn, and Anthony Robbins—each with their unique style and energy. You can observe, learn, and incorporate these insights to craft your approach to delivering a message. Stage Fright and the Fear of Public Speaking Most people experience stage fright or fear of public speaking, but overcoming it requires constant practice. Even those at the highest levels of public speaking occasionally feel a few butterflies, depending on the audience or situation. The key is preparation and training. Mental […]

“Visibility Without Value Is Vanity” — Bernard Kelvin Clive In today’s business landscape, one of the most frequently discussed concepts that businesses, enterprises, and brands focus on is visibility. However, I want to emphasize an important principle: visibility without value is vanity. While personal brands, SMEs, and corporations undeniably need visibility, if the backend—the foundation of your brand—is not properly crafted, harnessed, and prepared to handle the exposure you seek, your brand will fall short, ultimately damaging its image. To illustrate this point, I’ll share two stories. Here’s the first. A few years ago, there was a notable case within an industry in Kenya, where self-proclaimed experts were quite prominent. One individual stood out with widespread billboards, media appearances, and extensive self-promotion, touting himself as an authority in the digital security space. His level of visibility was massive, capturing significant public attention. Because of his loud presence, many assumed that his expertise must match his visibility. So, naturally, people started reaching out to him, believing that his prominence equated to quality. But once they engaged with him, it became evident that he was clueless about the field in which he claimed expertise. Despite his lack of knowledge, no one came forward to publicly discredit him because his confidence and high visibility had created the illusion of competence. However, after about three to six months, he vanished. The billboards disappeared, the media appearances stopped, and he faded from the scene entirely. Eventually, word spread that he was not as competent as he portrayed himself to be. He had been relying solely on visual appearances and self-promotion, with no real substance behind his claims. This example underscores the fact that, while visibility is important for brand positioning, without genuine value and expertise to back it up, that visibility is meaningless. When building your personal or business brand, it’s essential not to push yourself publicly without first ensuring you have the substance to back up your claims. If your products or services are not tested, credible, and valuable, visibility alone won’t sustain your brand. When people engage with you, they should see that your expertise matches the noise you make online and in your promotions. Today, I want to talk to you about a concept I call “visibility without value is vanity.” Here’s the second story. A couple of weeks ago, something quite interesting happened during a board meeting at one of the companies that had hired me. We were discussing an upcoming surprise birthday party for one of the board directors. The topic of providing a cake came up, and various vendors were suggested. We considered using a previous vendor who had supplied a cake for one of the firm’s leaders. One of the ladies mentioned that while the previous cake tasted good, its decoration wasn’t impressive. The men in the meeting said that for cakes, good taste is paramount, and we could simply ask the vendor to improve the decoration a bit. However, the ladies were insistent on finding a new vendor who could deliver something more sophisticated and visually pleasing. They emphasized that the cake’s appearance was more important than its taste. We debated this at length, but the ladies maintained their stance: the visual appeal was crucial. This got me thinking about the kind of people, particularly the Gen Z generation, who prioritize outward appearances over internal values. On social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, we see young people presenting themselves as affluent, wealthy, and beautiful, often using filters and other enhancements to attract attention and fame. However, many of them lack substance. They may have impressive-looking CVs, but when invited for interviews, they fail to deliver. They present an appealing exterior but lack the core qualities that the market needs. This is a concerning trend. As much as we want to push our brands, we should not let visual appearance and superficial aspects overshadow the real substance and value we bring to the table. For example, a beautifully decorated cake must also taste good. The internal quality is more important than the external presentation. Ideally, you should have both: a strong visual presentation and internal attributes that match up in excellence. However, you should not deceptively position yourself, creating an appealing exterior without the skills or values to back it up. A great CV and presentation are worthless if you can’t deliver on the job. Similarly, a visually stunning cake is disappointing if it doesn’t taste good. There is a lot of deception in focusing solely on appearance. Instead, we should take the time to build and groom our brands, working on our internal strengths and qualities. This way, when people engage with our services or products, they will experience true quality and value. As small business owners and personal brands, remember: that visibility without value is vanity. In the long run, if your services and presentation don’t match your quality of delivery, you’ll lose your brand’s lasting value. Pay attention to both aspects, but prioritize the internal quality of your brand—its contribution, service, and products—before focusing on packaging and presentation. Let’s work on these things to grow our brands genuinely, ensuring that we present ourselves authentically to attract and retain trust and respect. Here are 4 Key Lessons and Actionable Steps Lesson 1: Substance Over Superficiality Actionable Step: Conduct regular internal audits to assess the core value proposition of your business or personal brand. This could involve customer feedback, employee surveys, or self-reflection exercises. Lesson 2: Balance Aesthetics and Functionality Actionable Step: Allocate resources to both design and performance. Invest in visual appeal but prioritize functionality and quality. This could involve hiring a skilled designer while also focusing on product development or service improvement. Lesson 3: Authenticity is Key Actionable Step: Develop a strong brand narrative that aligns with your core values. Share genuine stories about your business or personal journey to build trust and credibility. This could involve creating authentic content for social media or writing a blog about your business philosophy. Lesson […]

This week, I would like to talk about what my kids have taught me about marketing and motivation. “What’s in it for me?” is the question we all ask ourselves when patronizing a service or product. Let me share a few stories to illustrate these points. I have two daughters, and here’s the first lesson I learned from them. I realized that anytime I promise them something, they’ll anticipate it with great excitement—just like any kid would. They look forward to receiving what was promised, eager to hold it in their hands. Even if I forget, they’ll keep badgering and reminding me until I fulfill my promise. This taught me an important lesson for brands and businesses: once you promise your audience or market something, they’ll eagerly await it. When you finally ship the product or service, it’s helpful that they receive exactly what you promised, or even more. Now, for the first story: One day, I took their younger brother to get his hair trimmed. I took all of them along, and when the haircut was done, the girls were happy and said he looked good. It was the little boy’s first haircut. But a few days later, the two girls asked me, “Why don’t you take the boy to cut his hair again?” I was surprised—hadn’t it just been a few days? I ignored it at first, but they kept mentioning that the boy’s hair was getting bushy and needed trimming again. Finally, after two weeks, I took him back to the barber with the girls, and they were all happy. But just a few days later, they wanted to go again. I started to wonder—why were they so eager? Did they just like seeing their brother look neat, or was there something else? On the third visit, it clicked: they weren’t just interested in their brother getting a haircut. They also loved going to the barber shop because it gave them a chance to play with other kids. These kids got me there. This taught me a prized lesson about understanding the true motivations of your audience. Sometimes, what they’re asking for isn’t the main thing they want—it’s the experience or the benefits that come with it. What’s in It for me – them? A Key Marketing Insight. There’s always something in it for them—not just for the boy, but for my daughters as well. They weren’t just eager for their brother to get his hair trimmed; they were excited because every trip to the barber shop meant they would get a chance to play with other kids. They looked forward to what was in it for them. This realization is helpful when thinking about marketing. There’s always a motivation behind why people choose to buy a product or service. What drives someone to go out of their way—whether it’s to drive a distance or make a sacrifice—to purchase something? The answer often lies in what they’re getting out of it. As a business, it’s important to consider this when crafting your marketing campaigns. What’s in it for your customers? What’s the benefit that will drive them to take action? For my daughters, the haircut wasn’t the only draw; it was the opportunity to play and enjoy time with other kids. Similarly, your customers are not just buying a product or service—they’re looking for the value and experiences that come with it. So, the first marketing lesson here is to always understand what’s motivating your customers. What are they truly getting out of the transaction, and how can you highlight that in your marketing efforts? Recognize that there’s often more at play than just the surface-level transaction, and tap into those deeper motivations to drive engagement and loyalty. Promises and incentives in marketing: Putting them to work Another important lesson from my kids is the concept of promise value. On one occasion, I promised to take them to the waterpark. Later, while I was busy doing chores in the kitchen, I noticed that they had come in and arranged everything neatly. I was surprised and asked who had done it, and they proudly said it was them. Their first question to me was, “Have we done well?” Naturally, they were looking for my approval. Usually, I guide them or ask them to help me with small tasks to teach them responsibility. But this time, they took the initiative on their own. When I went to check on them, I noticed they had even bathed and organized their shoes and toys, ready for the trip. It then dawned on me: I had promised to take them to the waterpark the day before, and although they had reminded me in the morning, they were now taking steps to motivate me to fulfill that promise. This got me thinking about brands and businesses. What are you, as a marketer, doing to motivate your customers to take action? Just like my kids put in extra effort to encourage me, are you offering your customers something additional—a bonus, a perk, an incentive—to drive them to choose your product or service? In a marketing campaign, it’s not just about the product or service itself. It’s also about what else you can offer to motivate your clients. It could be a special offer, a discount, or any extra value that drives them to take the desired action. My kids taught me that while a promise is important, taking steps toward fulfilling that promise—offering something extra—can make all the difference in motivating people to act. Genuine Offers and Promises Beyond Clickbait Looking at this from a digital marketing angle where some brands overly push content just to make a name or money. It is imperative that we focus on what is beneficial to the end user – our clients and customers. What matters is what you are offering your clients, customers, and the market, not just social media’s sneaky tricks. Do you have something special that sets you apart from others? I’ve noticed that […]

Today, we are focusing on the importance of staying top of mind in your industry. In this particular age, time, and season, whether you’re a brand, an SME, or an MSME, operating in small niches and circles, it’s crucial to consistently maintain your presence. If you’re positioning your personal brand or business, staying top of mind is essential. Even when the worst happens—when you lose clients, business, or even become forgotten—your brand must endure. Competition is fierce, and people will gravitate toward other brands if you’re not top of mind. I’ll share a few stories to illustrate the necessity of staying relevant, and to emphasize that being preferred today doesn’t guarantee you’ll be preferred tomorrow. The Story of the Complacent Tailor Let me start with the story of a Member of Parliament (MP) I knew in a local community years ago. Before he was elected, he dedicated time to helping people in his community develop skills that would help them trade and earn a living. Among those he helped were future fashion designers, tailors, and seamstresses. One particular gentleman stood out—he became so skilled that he started designing and sewing all of the MP’s outfits. His work was exceptional, so much so that the MP recommended him to his colleagues. As his clientele grew, he began tailoring for well-known figures, and the pay was good. However, success got to his head. He started to slack off—if he promised to deliver in a week or two, he often missed the deadline. He believed he was irreplaceable, the only one capable of delivering such fine outfits. But as time went on, the MP discovered another tailor and gave him a chance to sew a few outfits. This new tailor did an outstanding job, matching the quality of the first gentleman. Meanwhile, the original tailor continued his work, but his deliveries remained inconsistent. The second tailor, however, was not just maintaining quality; he was improving. He worked faster, learned new techniques, and explored innovative styles. The first gentleman, on the other hand, had become complacent, sticking to the same designs and relaxing his efforts. Every time the MP wore an outfit by the second tailor, people noticed. They asked, “Who made this? Is it the same guy?” The MP would respond, “No, I’ve got a new guy.” Well, over time, his friends gradually began patronizing the new gentleman who was not only delivering quality work but also meeting deadlines. This was saving them a lot of time, allowing them to say, “We need an outfit done in two days,” and actually have it delivered in two days. The new gentleman and his team were reliable, while the original tailor continued to slack off. As time passed, more and more people began to gravitate toward the new gentleman. The old tailor lost customers and clients because he let pride get in his way. He stopped learning, stopped evolving, and failed to deliver on his brand promise. These three things—pride, complacency, and failure to deliver—prevented him from moving forward and staying top of mind. The new guy on the block became the one everyone thought of first because he delivered on his brand promise: excellent work, high quality, and timely delivery. He mastered the three key things everyone looks for in a seamstress—perfect quality, timely delivery, and consistency. Lessons from the Story This simple narrative reveals the essence of staying competitive in whatever field you’re in. Don’t assume that just because you have clients today, you’ll always be their go-to person. If you don’t consistently improve, better yourself, and deliver on your brand promise, someone else will rise from somewhere you least expect, whether it’s a new market trend or a new competitor. Let this serve as a lesson to all of us. The Case of the Vulcanizer Another story I think I mentioned before is about a vulcanizer in my neighborhood. He’s been there for years and is excellent at fixing tires—he knows everything about inner tubes. But I noticed that he hasn’t invested in new equipment to improve his services. Recently, as we were passing by the roadside, we noticed a new, very large vulcanizer shop equipped with the latest technology to make things seamless. My friend and I couldn’t help but wonder—does this mean the old guy on the other street is going to lose his job? We thought about it in two ways: maybe, and maybe not. Here’s why. If you’re a busy person and your car tire needs fixing, you might hesitate to go to the old guy. Sure, he does good work, but it takes him a lot of man-hours to get the job done. On the other hand, the new shop has modern equipment that can quickly remove, fix, and reinstall the tire. Even if it costs a little extra, you’re likely to prefer the new shop because it saves you time and offers good value for your money. This is what the old guy is struggling to understand or embrace. Let me pause here and consider these two scenarios. One option might cost you a little more, but it saves you time, and energy, and allows you to move faster. The other option is more affordable but consumes a lot of your time—unless you’re not in a hurry. For many people, especially those who value efficiency, the faster, more convenient option will win out. So, if you’re reading this today, think about what you might need to improve in your business or brand to ensure you stay top of mind. You might have been doing this for five or ten years, but if you haven’t significantly added value—whether in terms of time, quality, or something else—remember that someone from the back could overtake you. Someone out there is consistently improving their brand and business, and they might soon become top of mind while you get drowned out in the noise. Let this be a reminder to all of us: in our chosen field, whether for our […]

“Embrace failure as much as possible; that’s how remarkable art is created. If you are too careful you kill the creativity” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Today, we’re examining how failure can help us build and grow—whether it’s building our brands or our businesses. The subject of failure is often hard for many people to accept. No one really wants to experience failure in any field, and coming to terms with it can be both daunting and difficult. However, as the quote above suggests, embracing failure as much as possible is essential for creativity. We grow, learn, and develop through these failures, or what we often refer to as mistakes. Let’s break this down further. Failures are a part of success—they can even be seen as prerequisites for it. Successful individuals in any field have likely encountered numerous failures while building or growing their brands and businesses. Failure is a universal experience, but it’s how we interpret it that matters most. Some people might take a single setback and never recover, while others might experience multiple setbacks but continue to rise and persevere. They keep hitting their target, even if it means approaching it from different angles. Developing an inner spirit and a mindset to overcome these challenges is key. Failure, or what I prefer to call mistakes, serves as a milestone for success—a stepping stone toward achieving your goals. The most important aspect of dealing with failure is viewing it as a learning process. Ask yourself: What am I learning from this? I may have believed I was doing the right thing, but if I didn’t achieve my desired outcome, it might be perceived as a failure. However, another interpretation is that it’s a learning opportunity. Your mindset should focus on the meaning you assign to failures, obstacles, or challenges while building your brand or business. Consider what positive lessons you can draw from your experiences. If, for example, your initial approach to your art or content didn’t perform well based on feedback, think about what changes you need to make. Should you tweak your approach, add something new, or further develop your skills? Every mistake is a milestone of learning and growth. Reflect on what you can take away from each experience and how you can enhance your abilities. This process helps build stamina and capacity, allowing you to advance beyond your previous achievements. Taking on Failure: Building Stamina and Creativity Just as athletes build stamina and strengthen their muscles to go the extra mile, we too must build resilience in our fields as we grow our brands. We must have the stamina to overcome challenges that we may initially regard as failures. By reinterpreting these challenges as opportunities, we can view them as obstacles to overcome to achieve our ultimate goals. Failures should be interpreted with a growth perspective. Consider what you can learn and how you might improve your approach. For example, I’ve written several novels, some of which have sold well and others have not. Rather than considering the less successful ones as failures, I see them as teaching opportunities. Did the content help someone, even if only one person? It’s all about shifting your perspective and recognizing that even books or products that don’t perform well offer valuable insights. Celebrate every step forward: writing content, creating videos, or making a single sale. Each small achievement is a sign of progress. By focusing on the positive aspects of your journey and continually refining your creativity and brand, you can foster growth. If you become overly critical of yourself, it can stifle your growth. Instead, allow yourself room to experiment and make mistakes. Some of the greatest discoveries and innovations come from these very mistakes. For example, I’ve found that some of my most impactful content emerged from unexpected places, like a playful experiment with a cover design or a spontaneous idea. Permit yourself to play, to fail, and to explore. This approach will not only build your confidence but also lead to discovering remarkable and innovative solutions. Permission to Play, Permission to Fail: The Creative Journey Permitting yourself to play and to fail is essential for creating great art and fostering creativity. Think of mistakes as part of a creative journey. In many fields, embracing failure is not just acceptable—it’s essential. By making room for these experiences, you allow yourself to grow, learn, and develop. Consider your mistakes as milestones in your journey. They are opportunities to wonder, discover new things, and experiment with unconventional ideas. For instance, trying out new recipes or testing different approaches may reveal unexpected insights. Allow yourself to explore and experiment while accepting that mistakes are inevitable. When creating content or developing your brand, there are established methods and norms, but there is also room for creativity. Consider what you can add or delete, and what fresh components you can bring to the table. Maintain a mindset open to accepting failures and mistakes as part of your journey. This openness will help you create remarkable work through the lessons learned from your experiments. Every day, week, and month, reflect on what you’ve learned from your failures and accomplishments. Embracing this approach will help you be more creative since it allows you to explore, learn, and grow. You’ll notice that your creativity and talent develop over time as you allow yourself to face and learn from your failures in a positive perspective. So today, I encourage you to permit yourself to try new things and to embrace failure. Write that book, create that content, and put your brand out there—even if nothing is happening at first. Keep pushing and learning, and you’ll eventually see great results. Keep moving forward, and remember: growth comes from the courage to explore and the resilience to learn from your journey. Important Ideas and Actionable Steps Key Lessons: – Failures are stepping stones. See failing as a teaching moment rather than a setback. – Mindset matters: Your view of failure will define your progress. – Celebrate […]

“A referred brand is a preferred brand; and a preferred brand is a referred brand.”  ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Today, I want to discuss the handling of business referrals, along with the pros and cons, and how to approach them effectively. Many businesses, particularly MSMEs, thrive on referrals. In my experience as a publishing consultant, brand consultant, and ghostwriter, approximately 70% of my business comes through referrals. Interestingly, a recent SignPost article (“Referral Marketing Statistics – Everything You Need to Know in 2024,” signpost.com) aligns with this observation, noting that 65% of new business opportunities come from referrals and recommendations. When you consistently deliver quality work, you are often recommended to different circles of people who refer their colleagues to you for business. This is how many businesses, according to my findings, succeed—through the cycle of doing good work and being recommended. However, it’s good to know how to handle these referrals, especially third-party referrals. Let me explain. The Importance of Handling Third-Party Referrals with Care There’s a referral network that works like this: A friend who runs a similar business might recommend someone to work with you on a project. For example, as a publishing consultant, if someone wants to write a book and I’m too busy to take on the project, I might refer them to a colleague. Either I can do the job myself or I can pass the project directly to my colleague. Regarding payment, it can go directly to my colleague or through me, but we should have a clear understanding that a certain percentage of the payment comes to me, and the rest goes to them. This setup works fine as long as the client is satisfied, and both parties are clear and content with the arrangement. The challenge arises when the client, for subsequent business, directly approaches the third party without going through the original referrer (the first person). This can lead to problems if not handled properly. For the second person (the friend I referred the client to), the client is not originally theirs. If the client returns, they should either be rerouted through me or have a clear agreement to handle things differently. If I discover that several projects have been completed between the client and the third party without my knowledge, trust can be broken. This breach of trust could prevent me from referring further business to that colleague, damaging our professional relationship. Maintaining Trust in Business Referral Relationships Several clients may try to cut corners by going straight to the third person you brought on board. If you are that third person—or even if you’re in a similar position—you must be very careful not to break business relationships over such issues. I’ve seen several friends lose business because of these kinds of dealings. Whenever a situation like this arises, it’s essential to maintain the integrity of the referral process. If a client contacts you directly after being referred, let them know that they should handle all financial matters and communications through the original referrer. Once the referrer gives you the go-ahead, you can proceed with the work. This approach ensures that everyone’s role is respected and that trust is maintained. For example, if someone says, “This person referred me and asked you to do this work,” you should respond, “Okay, please go back to them, finalize everything, and then I’ll take care of the project.” When you do so, you keep the relationship secure and pave the way for future referrals. Just because someone subcontracts work to you doesn’t mean you should bypass the person who originally brought you into the deal and go directly to the client. That’s not the best way to conduct business or handle relationships in the context of referrals. The client should continue working through the original referrer. Disregarding this process and pushing your colleague aside is detrimental to both the business relationship and the trust that underpins successful referrals. The Dangers of Over-Involvement in Business Referrals Another important aspect of referrals that I want to address is the issue of people who refer business to others but then want to be overly involved in every aspect of the process. This behavior can be detrimental to the success of the referral system. The fact that you referred someone to a business doesn’t mean you should be involved in every detail. You might not even fully understand the specifics, but you know that the person you recommended can handle it. There may be a gentleman’s agreement, a percentage, a share, or even just a thank-you—whatever the arrangement, that’s fine. However, it’s inappropriate to constantly look over the person’s shoulder, asking how much they charged, what’s involved, and how they’re managing things. That’s not your business. Your role was to recommend someone, and that’s where your involvement should end. All you need to ensure is that the job is being done well, the business is thriving, and everyone is fulfilling their brand promises. Trying to dig deeper into the details, asking about referral charges, or probing into how the client is being handled is neither ethical nor polite. If you tend to do this or know someone who does, it’s important to recognize that it’s not the best practice. Once you recommend a service or product, and the person is handling it well, your job is done. Everyone being satisfied is what matters. For example, I’ve had situations where someone referred a client to me, but they continually wanted to know what was happening in the business. This kind of behavior can kill the business relationship and erode trust. Eventually, you might even question whether the recommendation was worth it. It is critical to leave the situation as it is once the recommendation is made. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years. I lost business because I sent colleagues directly to my clients, and those colleagues then went against my back to deal with them. I’ve heard similar accounts from others, […]

A couple of weeks ago, a friend called to discuss his desire to start a business. As we talked, he mentioned the need for funds to get his venture off the ground. I explained that this particular business didn’t require much capital to begin; he could start immediately. However, he remained insistent that money was necessary. This conversation prompted me to revisit my book, “100 Ways Get Your First Paying Client in 24 Hours.” Many startups or small-scale businesses don’t require significant capital to begin. There are different levels of business, some needing substantial investment, but many can start with little to no capital, especially when it comes to securing your first paying client. Let’s explore how to get a paying client starting from zero, without any money. Preferably, you should have a basic foundation or some skill sets to help you get your ideas off the ground. Having done this numerous times, I’ve learned that the most important factor in running a basic business or selling products and services is clients, not money. You need clients who are willing to pay for your product or service. Money is important, but what’s most fundamental is having clients ready to purchase. They need to be eager and see the value in your offering. First, identify a real need or gap in the market. Sometimes the need is superficial, but if there’s a genuine gap, your product or service can fill it. People buy products and services for two main reasons: to avoid pain or to gain pleasure. They might purchase something to avoid a problem or difficulty they’re facing. Alternatively, they might buy something because it offers them enjoyment, fun, fulfillment, or convenience. When marketing your products and services, you must address these motivations: avoiding pain or seeking pleasure. You need hungry clients who are not only willing but also able to afford your product or service. It’s crucial to adapt your offerings to meet the needs of these potential customers. Once there’s a need, you must effectively communicate how your product or service fulfills that need. If you can’t convey its value, your audience won’t buy it. So, you identify a gap, find an audience or market that truly needs your product or service, or create a need for them. Your second responsibility is to market and promote your product or service to these ideal clients. For example, you might want to offer a service to nursing mothers with toddlers aged two to five, helping them with math assignments or language lessons (French, Latin, Spanish). These nursing mothers are your ideal clients. To define and find your market, consider where you might encounter such people—perhaps in certain schools or communities. They may be willing to help their children learn and overcome educational challenges. Once you find them, you must effectively market your teaching service to make it appealing. This is where copywriting skills come in. Your content should appeal to their emotions and needs, making them more likely to purchase your product or service. When you match hungry, needy clients with your capacity to market effectively, it becomes easier for people to patronize your offerings. Another key aspect is having the skill and ability to market your product or service. But what if you don’t have a product or service? In this case, you can leverage someone else’s product or service that meets the client’s needs. If you identify a real need but lack the expertise or product, find someone who does. You can then connect with that person and recommend their product or service to the clients you’ve identified. This approach is common in affiliate marketing, where you promote a product someone else has created. You must sell or refer the product to a third party, earning a commission when someone makes a purchase. Just like earning basic commissions from selling bread as a child, you can earn commissions without being directly involved in the product or service through methods like drop shipping. We’ll discuss drop shipping in detail later. For now, understand that your role is to link hungry customers to those who have the solutions they need. Mastering the art of connecting these two, selling the product, marketing it effectively, and then taking your share is key. You can start with zero capital. Imagine you have no product but know people who need baby products and services. You also know someone who sells these items at an affordable price. You can negotiate with the seller, agreeing to sell their products on your online store, WhatsApp status, or Telegram status. When someone asks for the product, you link them to the seller, earning a commission for each sale based on your referral. The thing is that you can start earning money by mastering the craft of finding a hungry market or audience in need of a product or service and linking them with someone who has what they need. This process requires skills in marketing, copywriting, and negotiation. If you don’t have a product, find someone who does and link them with your identified market. For example, if you know someone who needs a book written but can’t write it, you can connect them with a writer like BKC. Negotiate a deal where you earn a percentage for facilitating the connection. Your goal is to find a market with a need and connect it with someone who can provide the solution. If you do this, even without capital, you can start earning money. Focus on developing your marketing and selling skills to effectively match clients with providers. If you’re reading this now and want to get your first paying client in 24 hours or less, here’s a simplified approach: 1. Find a hungry market or create a need. 2. Identify people who already have the solution if you don’t have the skill or product. 3. Master the skill of marketing and selling that product to those who need it. 4. Link the clients to the providers and […]

Today, I want to share some lessons I learned regarding the power of consistency. It’s not just about the often-repeated mantra of “be consistent,” but about recognizing the deeper impact of consistency on our brands and businesses. Whether you’re an MSME or looking to grow your brand, consistency is imperative. Early in my career, I organized several events, pushing the same type almost every quarter. Recently, someone who used to attend these events asked when the next one was happening, noting it had been a while. I explained that we had moved on to different, bigger ventures, though the foundational principles remained the same. This highlighted the importance of consistency—not just in doing the same thing repeatedly, but in continuously improving and adapting. Consistency involves consistently improving and bettering your best. It’s not about sticking to actions that don’t benefit your brand or business. If you’re not seeing growth, improvement, or positive feedback, maintaining the same course can be detrimental. Regularly reviewing your path, progress, and feedback is crucial. Ask yourself: Am I making the desired impact? Reaching the right audience? Is it profitable? If the answers are negative and there’s no noticeable progress, you need to pivot. Consistency should lead to progress. While some tasks require persistent effort until breakthrough, you must gauge if there’s increasing tension or vibration indicating progress. If there’s no growth, proper feedback, impact, reach, or profit, you’re being consistent without being progressive. This realization led me to re-strategize, review the market, and pivot to approaches that reached more people, made more impact, and ultimately, generated more profit. Consistency is vital, but it must be accompanied by continuous improvement and growth. For brands and businesses today, consistency must involve continuous improvement, audience expansion, and impactful service. To achieve this, follow these steps: 1. Personal Growth and Capacity Building: As a personal brand, invest in yourself. Build capacity for the next level because what worked yesterday won’t necessarily take you forward. Enhance your skills, mental toughness, and knowledge through training and education to move your brand or business to the next level. 2. Building the Right Team and Partnerships: You need the right people to help you grow. Without the right team and partnerships, reaching the next level of growth and maintaining consistent improvement is challenging. Networks and partnerships are crucial for support and shared development. 3. Developing Effective Strategies and Systems: Having the right strategies and systems in place is vital for growth. Properly planning and executing your strategy ensures you can reach more people, make a significant impact, and become more profitable. Learning from Successful Leaders and Brands Recently, I heard a profound statement from the founder of ICGC. He shared that after decades of preaching and growing his congregation using specific strategies, he realized the need for a new approach to reach a new generation and make a massive impact. He emphasized during the recent Greater Works conference in Accra, that moving forward in business and ministry required new partnerships and strategies to continue growing and impacting lives. This lesson is helpful for any brand or business. Even if you’ve seen progress over the years, reassessing your vision and mission is essential. Determine where you want to go in the next stage of your brand or business. Identify the audience you want to reach and how you want to impact them. If you’ve exhausted one area, consider moving to a different field or adding new elements to your current area while dropping ineffective ones. This is still consistent—in growth and adaptation. Big brands exemplify this. They don’t just stick to one product or service. Look at major companies in the food chain or automobile industries; they diversify, owning multiple brands and products across different niches, yet they maintain growth and strength. The idea is to always change, improve, and do your best to ensure your brand or business grows and remains relevant. Consistency in the context of brand growth entails continually analyzing and realigning your initiatives to match shifting market demands and audience requirements. Apple, for example, does not limit its offerings to a single product. They began with computers and later extended into music players, phones, tablets, and services such as iCloud. This diversification ensures continuity in growth and innovation, allowing them to remain relevant and lucrative. Successful companies share a common trait: the capacity to evolve while keeping their basic principles. Coca-Cola, for example, has existed for more than a century. They have continuously delivered their core product while also introducing new flavors, and healthier options, and expanding into other beverages. This capacity to evolve while remaining faithful to their fundamental character has helped them stay at the forefront of the beverage business. For smaller firms and personal brands, the message is clear: don’t be scared to pivot and adapt. If a strategy or product isn’t producing the desired outcomes, it’s time to rethink and adapt. This does not imply abandoning your basic principles or mission, but rather identifying new ways to communicate and achieve them. Consistency in this context is remaining steadfast in your dedication to growth and improvement, even if it necessitates considerable adjustments. Another facet of consistency is the requirement for ongoing learning and development. The founder of ICGC didn’t rest on his laurels after decades of success. He recognized the need to keep learning and adapting to remain relevant and impactful. For brands and businesses, this means investing in training, staying updated with industry trends, and being open to new ideas and innovations. How to Achieve Sustainable Development There are several vital measures you should take to achieve continual growth and impact in your business or personal brand: 1. Individual Development and Capability Building: Investing in oneself is crucial for building your personal brand. What worked yesterday might not propel you to the following level, therefore you need to develop the capacity for that. Develop your knowledge, abilities, and fortitude through education and training to advance your brand or company. Maintaining your relevance and effectively taking […]

Every gifted person needs a guide! Many are gifted but not guided! Today, we set our sights on a story that recently shattered the internet in Ghana – the tale of a popular chef who attempted to conquer the prestigious Guinness World Record (GWR) title in the cook-a-thon category. Months ago, this chef started an interesting expedition, pushing himself to the limit by cooking for over a hundred hours straight. It was a feat of incredible endurance and dedication, and rightfully so, he received widespread praise and applause. Social media buzzed with admiration, and he basked in the well-deserved recognition. However, recent news revealed a shocking turn of events: he had fabricated his victory in the competition. Everything – the win, the record – was a complete fabrication. This incident serves as a potent illustration of the importance of brand reputation within the context of our theme – gifted but not guided. The chef in question is undeniably blessed with exceptional talent. He possesses the stamina to cook for extended periods, his culinary skills are undeniable as evidenced by the drool-worthy dishes he creates, and social media is a treasure trove of videos showcasing his impressive talents. He’s not a one-trick pony either; he can even hold his own on the dance floor and perform other feats, showcasing a certain undeniable flair. He can even blindfold himself and expertly chop vegetables with the precision of a seasoned surgeon. The skills are demonstrably there. Yet, his talent, like a beautiful diamond left unpolished, lacked the necessary guidance to shine truly. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s entirely possible to be incredibly gifted and create a fantastic brand, if the driving force becomes an insatiable hunger for fame, recognition, and the constant need for applause, a dangerous path emerges. When one prioritizes fleeting popularity and the validation of the masses over established rules and the importance of gradually building a foundation, a fall from grace becomes a tragic inevitability. The brand crumbles under the weight of its ambition. This is precisely the predicament our gifted chef finds himself in. His immense talent and honed skills, developed over years of dedication and practice, are being overshadowed by his inability to manage his character and the way he presents himself publicly. The lack of guidance has left him vulnerable to the seductive whispers of shortcuts and the allure of instant gratification. Without proper guidance, one remains ungrounded. When the storms of negativity or criticism hit, the foundation is shaky. Every passing comment, every rumor, can become a tempting validation to chase. It’s a vicious cycle – the need for validation fuels the pursuit of shortcuts, which in turn erodes the very foundation of credibility, leading to a desperate scramble for more validation to plug the gaping holes. This is exactly the situation our chef finds himself in. The desire for fame is a natural human yearning. Every chef wants recognition, at least to be known to be a good one, even in a small niche, to have their name synonymous with exquisite flavors and innovative techniques. But chale, if he had followed the established rules, and sought proper mentorship and coaching, could have built his success the right way. He could have honed his skills further, learned the intricacies of the culinary world, and built a reputation based on genuine talent and dedication. He could have organically attracted recognition and endorsements, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the culinary landscape. Instead, he’s fallen into a trap of his own making. His character is being called into question because he chose to fabricate achievements to gain notoriety. He craved fame, celebration, and recognition, and in that pursuit, he compromised the very essence of what makes a chef truly great – integrity. He took a shortcut, a path paved with deception, and in doing so, eroded the trust he had painstakingly built with his audience. So, if you’re reading this now, possibly starting on your journey as a gifted individual with a burning dream within you, follow this advice: Do not seek fleeting validation. Don’t become obsessed with getting more likes, shares, admirers, and follows. Let it go. Concentrate on refining your craft. Build steadily and consistently, adhering to the established principles and norms in your chosen field. Immerse yourself in the learning process, view setbacks as chances for growth, and work tirelessly to improve your skills. If you perform solid work, stick to your profession, and value genuine improvement over empty validation, you will eventually receive the acclaim you seek. You’ll establish the type of reputation that will catapult your company and brand to the heights you seek. Remember, talent is a gift, but direction is the key to realizing its full potential. Make sure both are in your toolset. The chef’s narrative offers a useful lesson. True, skill is important, but without good supervision, it may be a double-edged sword. It can take you down a path of initial glory that ends in a stunning disaster. Here’s the thing: shortcuts are enticing. They provide the illusion of quick victories and immediate delight. In today’s Ghana, LOL, filled with the pressure to succeed, it’s tempting to succumb to societal schemes. But shortcuts are like mirages in the desert: they give you a false impression of progress while dragging you further away from your genuine destination. The chef’s narrative is an exemplary saga, but it also illustrates the power of redemption. He chose the wrong turn, but it doesn’t mean the end of his journey. He can still save his reputation, but it will take tremendous effort, humility, and a real desire to regain trust. Here is what he or anyone in such a state can do. First, a sincere apology is necessary. He must admit his mistakes, accept full responsibility for his conduct, and apologize to his fans, the cooking world, and everyone he misled. Transparency is essential; a full explanation of what happened and why he made those decisions […]

Perception and its Impact Are you a storyteller? The average person might instinctively say, “No!” However, the truth is that we all are, in our unique ways. Every day, we weave narratives in our minds, conversing with ourselves. These internal stories are not trivial; they are the subtle levers that can steer significant changes in our lives and businesses. Think of it this way, the narrative we create internally impacts our perceptions, influences our decisions, and, ultimately, determines our success or failure. It is not just about the stories we tell others, but also about the stories we tell ourselves. These internal conversations can be empowering, instilling confidence and propelling us ahead. On the other hand, they can be restrictive, causing us to doubt ourselves and feel gloomy. In business, this self-talk is important. Entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals encounter several challenges that necessitate strategic thinking and a resilient mindset. The stories individuals tell themselves about their abilities, values, and potential can either propel them to new heights or keep them stuck in mediocrity. Today, I want to share with you the stories we tell ourselves, our perspective, and perceptions, and their impact on our lives. When my kids were quite young, my two girls had storybooks to read. The older one, who was learning to read more fluently, would take her time to read the words, trying to absorb, understand, and enjoy her book. She would sit by me as I walked her through the reading process. She was excited about reading but needed time to pronounce each word correctly, often looking at the images only after reading the text. She would then tell me the story, flipping through the pages and recounting what she had read. The younger one, on the other hand, had not yet started learning how to read words but was familiar with her letters. She was captivated by the images in her books. She would flip through the pages, crafting her own stories based on the pictures she saw. Even though her stories sometimes had no bearing on the actual narrative of the book, she was excited and imaginative, interpreting the images uniquely. She would tell these stories with enthusiasm, flipping the pages and sharing her versions with everyone around her. Her stories, though different from the book’s, were more exciting to her, and she enjoyed sharing them with her mom, siblings, and me. This experience with my daughters made me take a step back and reflect on what it teaches us as adults in life and business. The stories we tell ourselves could be more important than what is happening around us. My younger daughter’s stories were not about the actual content of the book but about her perception and imagination. She crafted a narrative that excited her, regardless of the original story. This teaches us that our perception of situations, our interpretations, and the stories we tell ourselves are paramount. As adults, the situation around us might differ from our perceptions, but how we interpret these situations impacts our lives significantly. What stories do we tell ourselves about our current circumstances or future aspirations? The stories we create shape our thoughts, destinies, and lives. Just like my young daughter, who crafted her tale to excite herself, we should do the same in our lives. Despite the challenges we face, in business or personal life, the stories we tell ourselves can empower us and shape our future. In business, for example, the circumstances might be tough, but what story do we tell ourselves? Do we focus solely on the current hardships, or do we project a more empowering narrative about the future? Just like my older daughter, who took her time to map images with words to understand the story fully, we sometimes focus on one aspect of our business or brand without considering other exciting possibilities. We should look beyond the immediate challenges and craft a positive, empowering story about our brand’s future. When facing difficult times, let’s not be dictated solely by the current situation. Instead, let’s enjoy the process, find joy in the journey, and project a more positive outcome. The journey might be tough and challenging, but by crafting an empowering narrative, we can navigate through the hardships more effectively. Our perceptions, the stories we tell ourselves, and the narratives we create about our lives and businesses are vital for our future success. Now, let me share with you four key unique lessons from this story: 1. Hone Your Unique Perspective: My younger daughter saw the images and created her own story. Similarly, in life and business, we should craft our unique perspectives and create narratives that resonate with us, and that will provide more hope. This personal touch can add excitement and motivation to our journey. 2. Find Joy in the Process: You see, life and business can be very tough, so we should deliberately make time to find joy amidst all that. Watching my daughters enjoy their storybooks in their ways reminded me of the importance of finding joy in the process. Whether it’s in business or personal growth, enjoying the journey makes the challenges more bearable and the successes more fulfilling. 3. Adapt and Innovate Along the Journey: Things may not always gas planned and expected, so learnt to tweak, adjust, and innovate along the way. My older daughter’s method of learning by focusing on words before images teach us the importance of adapting and innovating. In business, we might need to change our strategies or approach to better understand and navigate our circumstances. 4. Talk to yourself – Tell Empowering Stories: The most important lesson is to tell ourselves empowering stories. Be your cheerleader, your encourager. The narratives we create about our lives, businesses, and future aspirations can either uplift or hinder us. Choose to tell stories that empower you, fuel your passion, and propel you towards your goals. So, take a moment to reflect: What story do you tell yourself about your brand, business, […]

A Customer’s Account and a Brand’s Opportunity “Feedback is ways brands can look back” – Bernard Kelvin Clive. Today we will explore the power of customer feedback through a personal story. It highlights the positive and negative impacts feedback can have, not just on the customer experience, but on a brand’s overall success. There is an Akan proverb that states, “Deɛ ɔtwa sa no nnim sɛ nakyi akyea.” that is to say “He who cuts the grass doesn’t know its trail is crooked,” which gives an analogy about the importance of feedback. Consider someone carefully cutting a route through tall grasses, unaware that their efforts result in a twisting, uneven trail. So, like the grass cutter, we can become so concentrated on the task at hand in our lives and enterprises that we lose sight of the overall picture. This proverb underlines the importance of seeking feedback, taking a step back, and asking yourself, “Is my path truly straight?” It’s a call to action, encouraging us to see feedback as a valuable instrument for improvement. Without feedback, we risk continuing on an unsuccessful path, unconscious of our mistakes. In the context of consumer feedback, the adage takes on a new interpretation. Brands, like the grass cutter in the proverb, may devote their work to developing products or services while remaining unaware of how their efforts are regarded. Consumer feedback serves as a mirror, displaying the genuine “trail” that their actions are leaving – a path that may be filled with discrepancies or fail to meet consumer needs. As you can see, consumer feedback is critical to the success of any brand or business. It’s the voice of the people who choose your product or service, and it speaks directly to their needs, desires, and frustrations. But how often, as customers, do we take the time to provide feedback? And how well do brands listen and act on it? A Sip of Disappointment: A Customer’s Perspective My local Bissap juice seller, known for her refreshing Sobolo (a hibiscus-based beverage), was a frequent stop. The initial taste was a revelation – a perfect replica of the comforting, home-brewed version. I became a regular, enthusiastically recommending it to friends. We all reveled in its familiar, delicious flavor. However, over time, a subtle shift occurred. The once-balanced taste became overwhelmingly spicy. The ginger content, seemingly intended to add a kick, had transformed into a fiery onslaught. My friends and I jokingly wondered if it was meant for “drunkards” – an exaggeration highlighting the drink’s extreme heat. Here’s the key turning point: instead of voicing my concerns, I stopped patronizing the kiosk. The seller, oblivious to my unspoken disapproval, continued with her business. We’d exchange glances, her questioning my absence with a silent stare, but communication remained absent. It was like two rivals in a compound house. LOL. A Turning Point: The Value of Open Communication A month later, drawn by her delicious pastries, I found myself back at the kiosk. This time, I decided to address the issue directly. “I love your pastries,” I began, “but I stopped buying the Sobolo because the ginger became too overpowering.” Relief washed over her face. My feedback wasn’t unique; apparently, others had expressed similar concerns. She confided that she’d recently adjusted the recipe, and with a warm smile, offered me a sample. The first sip confirmed it – the ginger had been tamed, the balance restored. She had listened to customer feedback, a testament to her commitment to customer satisfaction. This simple act of open communication not only brought me back as a customer but also strengthened my loyalty. I enthusiastically spread the news to my friends, and we returned as a group, the atmosphere a joyful celebration of a brand that valued our input. The Positive Impact of Customer Feedback This experience beautifully illustrates the positive impact of customer feedback. Here’s how it benefits both parties: The Negative Impact of Silence: Why Feedback Matters My initial silence, while convenient, ultimately hurt both myself and the seller. Here’s why feedback is necessary: Building a Feedback Loop: How Brands Can Listen As the customer story demonstrates, creating a feedback loop is essential for brands to thrive. Here are some ways brands can actively encourage and collect customer feedback: Now, is your turn. Put his into practice and send me some feedback. I’m your personal branding and publishing consultant. Recommend Books on Amazon (buy) Quick Guide to Public Speaking 5 Minutes Habits (Audiobook) (buy) Retreat: Reflections for Busy Businessmen (Audiobook) download

A Metaphor for Growth in Life and Business Today, I want to share an interesting lesson I picked up from my kids a couple of months ago. Kids are really interesting to be with and if we pay attention to them, we will pick lots of teachable moments. Here’s one. You see, there are tools for every stage of development in life and business. The tools a preschooler uses at that early stage of development are different from those a senior high school student uses. This principle applies to every profession as well. There are basic tools and advanced tools for each level. Until one becomes conversant with and masters one level, the next level will not be granted. Even if you have advanced tools but are not prepared or practiced with them, you are likely to mess up yourself or your assignment. Today, let me take you back to some of these lessons from our preschoolers at home. My wife had returned home from work with some used notepads and a couple of new pens. Naturally, our young daughters were excited to use the new pads and pens. They eagerly picked up the pens and began scribbling and writing sentences and numbers. We were impressed to see their enthusiasm and enjoyment as they engaged in this simple activity. Interestingly, what happened next was quite revealing. As they continued writing happily with their newfound tool, one of them misspelled a word. When I asked her to correct it, she looked up at me with a puzzled expression and said, “But I can’t erase it.” This is where the real lesson began. I explained to her that, unlike pencils, pens cannot be erased easily, so she would need to rewrite the entire sentence. She looked down, clearly frustrated by this revelation. Initially, it didn’t sit well with her, but she nodded quietly, and off she went. You will be sure that she will be more careful in her next steps, knowing that if she makes mistakes, it won’t be easy to erase them. Thereby learning to build confidence while balancing it with care. This simple scenario took me back to some lessons about growth and development. Just like my daughters, we all go through stages in life where certain tools and methods are more appropriate than others. For young children learning to write, pencils are the ideal tool because they allow for mistakes to be corrected easily. They enable the learning process through trial and error without the fear of permanent marks. However, when we are handed more advanced tools like pens, which are designed for precision and permanence, we must be adequately prepared to use them. If we skip the foundational stages of learning and development, we may find ourselves making irreversible mistakes that could lead to frustration and setbacks. This lesson extends beyond childhood learning into the landscape of personal development, business, and branding. In business, just as in life, there are no shortcuts to success. Each stage of growth is crucial and builds the foundation for the next. Trying to rush through these stages or skipping essential steps can lead to difficulties when more advanced challenges arise. To build a successful brand or business, it’s essential to respect and fully engage in each stage of development. This means understanding the current level of your skills, knowledge, and capacity, and ensuring they align with the tools and platforms you are using. For instance, a new entrepreneur should focus on mastering the basics of their trade before attempting to scale their business or adopt advanced strategies used by seasoned professionals. The experience with my daughters and their pens and pencils is a practical reminder that growth is a process. Each stage, from the initial scribbles with a pencil to the polished writing with a pen, is valuable and necessary. As we develop personally and professionally, we must be patient and diligent, embracing the learning and growth that each stage offers. Here are some branding-building lessons: Building Your Brand: Don’t Rush the Process As we saw with my daughters and their newfound pens, there’s a vital lesson for building a strong brand: respect the process. Just like children need pencils to learn and experiment without fear of permanence, new businesses need a foundation built on mastering the basics. This might not feel glamorous, but it’s essential. Mastery before Magic. Think of it this way: a new entrepreneur wouldn’t hand their child a calligraphy pen before they’ve learned to hold a crayon, right? The same goes for branding. Don’t try to implement advanced strategies used by seasoned professionals before you’ve mastered the fundamentals of your trade. This is where the concept of a solid foundation comes in. A strong brand is built on a base of knowledge, skill, and the capacity to handle the tools you choose. It’s about ensuring there’s a good fit between your brand and the platforms you’re using. Finally, remember that gradual development is key. Just like our daughters progressed from scribbles to polished writing, brands need time to develop. Each stage of growth is valuable, from those initial shaky brand messages to the refined communication that comes later. Go through the learning process at every step. Take the time to develop your skills, choose the right tools for the stage you’re in, and enjoy the journey of growth! In conclusion, the pen and pencil lesson teaches us that preparation and gradual development are key to handling more advanced tools and responsibilities effectively. Know that, we equip ourselves to move to the next level with confidence and competence by mastering each stage of growth, ensuring that our brand or business is built on a solid foundation. So, today as you reflect on your journey, consider whether you are adequately prepared for the next level and take the necessary steps to grow through each stage fully. I’m your personal branding and publishing consultant, talk to me. Recommend Books on Amazon (buy) Quick Guide to Public Speaking 5 Minutes Habits (Audiobook) (buy) […]

As usual, I was at home on a Saturday morning, balancing chores with preparations for the week ahead. My schedule included various training sessions and speaking engagements. While organizing my notes for a personal branding workshop aimed at young entrepreneurs. I began observing my children as they played. Their natural communication flow struck me, and it became clear that we often lose these innate skills as we grow older. Here are some key observations and lessons we can learn from children to enhance our personal brands. public speaking and communication skills. Eye Contact One of the first things I noticed was how my children, all under six years old, maintained eye contact while speaking or playing. This came naturally to them; no one taught them to do this. Eye contact is necessary for effective communication because it allows you to connect with your audience. As adults, we frequently forget this basic but effective technique. Maintaining eye contact becomes more difficult as we age due to societal expectations and the fear of being judged. However, making eye contact indicates confidence, honesty, and involvement. It enables speakers to measure audience reactions and tailor their speech accordingly. To strengthen your eye contact in presentations, try speaking to a mirror or filming yourself. Focus on different sections of the audience, making brief eye contact with individuals to create a sense of personal connection. Use of Gestures Children use gestures instinctively. They point, wave, and use their hands to express themselves. These gestures help them communicate more effectively and clearly. As public presenters, using gestures can assist us to stress our remarks and maintain the audience’s attention. Gestures give visual appeal to your message, making it more dynamic and memorable. They can emphasize key ideas, demonstrate concepts, and convey feelings. For example, when describing something enormous, spread your arms wide to assist the listener in visualizing the magnitude. To be effective, your motions should be natural and pertinent to your message. Avoid overusing gestures, as they can be distracting. Practice in front of a mirror or with a trusted buddy to perfect your motions and incorporate them into your communication style. Physical Touch Occasionally, my children would use touch to gain each other’s attention, like holding hands or gently tapping one another. While not always acceptable in public speaking situations, this highlights the significance of utilizing a variety of strategies to interest our audience. In a figurative sense, we can “touch” our audience by addressing them directly and personalizing our message. Physical touch in conversation can convey warmth and trust. While direct touch is rarely possible in public speaking, you can create a comparable impression with your demeanor and approach. To build a sense of community with your audience, use words like “we” and “us.” Tell personal stories that make people feel something. Share personal stories or anecdotes that elicit an emotional response. This strategy helps to establish rapport and makes your audience feel appreciated and connected to your message. Asking Questions Children are naturally curious and ask questions repeatedly until they get a response. This persistence ensures their queries are addressed. As speakers, we should encourage interaction by asking rhetorical questions or inviting the audience to participate. This keeps them engaged and ensures our message is received. Questions are a great tool in public speaking. They provoke thought, stimulate interest, and encourage engagement. Rhetorical questions can highlight key points and make the audience reflect on the topic. Direct questions can invite audience participation, creating an interactive atmosphere. For example, asking, “How many of you have faced this challenge?” can prompt a show of hands and make the audience feel involved. Use questions strategically to guide your narrative and reinforce your message. Animated Expression When children communicate, their whole body is involved. They are animated, their faces light up, and their excitement is palpable. This kind of energy can be incredibly effective in public speaking. We can make our message more memorable by being expressive and passionate about our topic. The animated expression conveys enthusiasm and passion, making your message more compelling. Facial emotions, body gestures, and voice variation all add to this dynamic performance. Smiling, raising your eyebrows, and widening your eyes can help emphasize your points and show your emotions. Changing your tone and pace can keep the audience interested and highlight important parts of your speech. So practice in front of a mirror or record yourself to see where you can be more expressive and enthusiastic. Reliving Our Natural Communication Skills Reflecting on my observations, it became evident that social pressures, fear, and anxiety often cause adults to lose the natural communication skills they exhibited as children. As public speakers, we can enhance our effectiveness by consciously reintegrating these behaviors. Here are practical steps to help you revive these natural skills: 1. Practice Mindfulness: Pay attention to your body language, eye contact, and gestures during conversations and presentations. Mindfulness can help you become more aware of your communication style and make the necessary changes. 2. Seek input: Request feedback from friends, family, and colleagues. Constructive criticism can provide useful information about your abilities and opportunities for progress. 3. Observe and Learn: Pay attention to how skilled presenters employ eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. Learn from their techniques and apply them to your style. 4. Engage in Play: Spend time with children and observe their communication methods. Engage in playful activities that encourage expressive and dynamic interactions. This can help you reconnect with your natural communication abilities. 5. Rehearse Regularly: Practice your speeches and presentations regularly. Repetition builds confidence and allows you to refine your delivery, making it more natural and effective. No doubt observing children can teach us a lot about effective communication. Their natural abilities to maintain eye contact, use gestures, engage physically, ask questions, and express themselves animatedly are skills that we can harness to become better public speakers. Our communication can be enhanced and our audience can feel more connected when we revisit these innate behaviors. So […]

The Impact of Parenting, Modelling, and Mentoring on Kids Bernard Kelvin Clive here. Today I want to share with you how pairings, careers, or passions influence us in diverse ways in terms of who we become, and even the career paths and decisions that impact our lives in the later years. Story 1: Kobby Blay and His Son I visited my friend Kobby Blay, who is a practicing nurse and also passionate about digital media and photography. He had a professional camera, and anytime I visited him, I noticed he would take some shots around. His son, observing his father, developed a desire to play with the camera. One day, the boy picked up the camera. Instead of shouting or screaming, Kobby used it as a teaching moment. He showed his son how to strap the camera around his neck and hold it properly. Although the camera wasn’t meant for the boy, Kobby’s consistent guidance helped nurture his son’s interest. The boy began taking family pictures, developing his skills by mimicking his father. This hands-on experience allowed the boy to understand the basics of photography and potentially sparked a lifelong interest. Story 2: My Kids and Books My kids often wanted to play with the books I had at home. Despite my initial concern for the well-printed books, I noticed they would always find and play with them. Seeing me write and type on my laptop, they began mimicking these behaviors. My books, which were tools of my trade and passion, became objects of fascination for my children. They would try to write inside the books, play with them, and even pretend to read them. As an author, I realized that my children were naturally picking up my interests. Though they were young and just playing, they were beginning to develop a sense of what they might enjoy in the future. It wasn’t about directing their future but giving them a path to explore their passions and talents. This playful engagement with books was laying a foundation for their appreciation of reading and writing. Story 3: The Charcoal Seller’s Daughter So the other day, I visited my local charcoal seller and noticed that her young daughter was mimicking her. The girl would pick up a small cold pot and pretend to cook, just like her mother. This observation reinforced the idea that children often imitate their parents’ actions, picking up their interests and skills indirectly. The daughter was not only learning about cooking but, also about the daily routines and responsibilities involved in her mother’s work. This imitation game was a crucial part of her learning process, helping her understand and appreciate her mother’s efforts and potentially guiding her toward similar interests in the future. Story 4: My Wife and Cleaning My wife does a lot of cleaning at home, especially on weekends. Our kids observed this and one day, I found them in the bathroom, sprinkling water and soap, attempting to mop the floor. They weren’t told to do it, but they wanted to mimic what they had seen their mother do. This revealed how children internalize and replicate the behaviors they observe in their parents. These cleaning activities, though simple, were teaching them valuable life skills. They learned about maintaining cleanliness and the importance of taking care of their living environment. This also instilled a sense of responsibility and independence in them, as they were eager to contribute to household chores. Thinking about Parental Impact These legends show how our daily actions, interests, and professions affect the next generation. Parents, business owners, and mentors must be aware of our actions and the beliefs we impart to others who look up to us. Exposing kids to good deeds and possibilities will enable them to find their passions and skills. Let us reflect and consider our background. Which factors helped to define our choices and career routes? Knowing this will enable us to guide the next generation more deliberately. For example, our children should witness us reading often if we wish them to grow to enjoy reading. Should we like children to be conscientious and hardworking, they should see us engaged in our laborious efforts. Instilling  Good Values It is about inculcating values, not only about copying our behavior. For instance, your children should witness you praying if you want them to be pious. They should see you treating people with respect and kindness if you wish them to be polite and friendly. These daily acts and habits become the guide for their behavior. From personal experience, I have seen that my kids pick up both positive and negative behaviors. This has sharpened my awareness of my behavior and possible influence. In my private relationships as much as in my professional life, I try to be a good role model. Generating Opportunities for Development Children need chances to pursue their interests outside of daily contact. This could involve signing them up for extracurricular activities, pushing them to follow interests, or simply allowing them the liberty to experience and grow. If your youngster, like Kobby Blay’s son, displays an enthusiasm for photography, for instance, think about giving them a simple camera and some direction. Give them notebooks and pens if they like to write; also, inspire them to write independently. Regarding their personal and professional growth, these little expenditures in their interests can pay off handsomely. Take a step back and consider what you are exposing your children, mentees, and those around you to. Ensure it’s something positive and enlightening, as these influences will shape their career paths, businesses, and brands. Let’s be intentional, impactful, and purposeful in spreading good values and positively impacting the next generation. If we deliberately become conscious of our actions and the environments we create, we can help guide the next generation toward fulfilling and successful lives. Whether through direct teaching or simply leading by example, our influence is profound and lasting. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and leave me a positive review. […]

In your quest to prune, be careful not to cut so deeply that you destroy the plants. Let me share an experience with you. Today, let’s talk about the impact of employee turnover on brands, particularly MSMEs. Over the weekend, an incident occurred that can help address this issue and explore what brands can do about it. During a recent board meeting with one of our subsidiary companies, we analyzed and reviewed our performance over the past month. We identified some areas and staff that needed attention. A key discussion point was whether to call these employees to order, ensure they are performing their tasks effectively, or ultimately decide whether to retain or fire them. I strongly advocated for holding the directors responsible for their subordinates’ performance. Directors must ensure that their teams are working efficiently, and they need to be held accountable. If necessary, they should be replaced to foster organizational growth and business success. Though it seemed harsh, that seemed the best course of action at the moment. However, be patient! Those of you who are in senior management or key decision-makers like HR in your organization most likely have experienced many such situations. Hmmm! We cannot afford to retain staff who are ineffective, especially directors who fail to ensure that operations are running smoothly. We explored several strategies to address these issues, including reviewing training programs and other supportive measures. At the end of the discussion, I emphasized an important point. As directors, while we aim for growth and must be firm in our decisions, including firing underperforming staff and rehiring, we also need to consider the human aspect. It’s easy to terminate employees who are not meeting expectations, but we should evaluate their overall contributions and the potential costs associated with firing and rehiring. If there are genuine issues that can be resolved through support and training, we should prioritize those solutions. Employing emotional intelligence and empathy is crucial. We should provide the necessary resources and training to help employees improve. After giving them the tools and support they need, we can then review their performance in the next quarter. If they still fail to meet expectations, we can consider letting them go. Acting out of frustration and hastily firing employees can lead to more losses for the company. My colleagues were initially taken aback by my stance because I had been firm about the need for accountability. However, I explained that our approach should be balanced. We need to prune to encourage growth, but if we’re not careful, we may cut too deeply and damage the organization. As much as we want to drive growth and efficiency, we must also consider the human element of our business. This includes understanding the needs of our staff, providing necessary support and training, and ensuring that our leaders relate well to their teams. Focusing on these aspects will contribute significantly to the overall growth and success of the organization. You see, until we’ve exhausted all efforts to create the best work experience for our staff, fostering their growth and productivity, termination shouldn’t be the first option when they underperform. Employee turnover, the rate at which staff leave a company, is a significant concern for businesses worldwide. In Ghana, this issue seems particularly acute, with businesses experiencing an average loss of around 30% due to turnover. Mary Anane Awuku’s book “Entrepreneurial Success” explains that businesses invest considerable time and resources in training employees. However, many employees leave shortly after gaining new skills, resulting in a frustrating cycle of investment without reaping the anticipated benefits (Awuku, 2024). We can see how businesses are impacted by this high turnover rate in the following areas: 1. Financial Strain: Replacing employees is expensive. According to Gallup, it can cost anywhere from half to twice an employee’s annual salary. A 2017 report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) puts the average cost even higher, at six to nine months of salary. These costs include recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity during the transition period. 2. Disrupted Operations: The departure of employees, especially those with critical skills or institutional knowledge, can disrupt workflows and ongoing projects. New hires take time to learn the ropes, leading to decreased productivity in the short term. 3. Reduced Morale: High turnover can create a sense of instability and uncertainty among remaining employees, leading to decreased morale and motivation. Tips for Creating a Supportive Work Environment Employee Development: 1. Regular Performance Reviews: This is critical to the success of any organization. Many times we turn to overlook until there is a major hit. Conduct regular (quarterly or bi-annual) performance reviews to discuss strengths, weaknesses, and development goals. 2. Skills Gap Analysis: Identify the skills and knowledge needed for success in each role. Compare this to employee skillsets to identify areas for development. 3. Learning opportunities: One of the most important aspects of organizational growth is training and development. Offer training programs, workshops, or online courses to help employees develop new skills and refine existing ones. This can include internal training, external courses, conferences, or mentoring programs. 4. Stretch Assignments: Give employees challenging assignments that push them outside their comfort zone to learn and grow. 5. Coaching and feedback: Individuals and organizations do grow, and technology changes can significantly impact both. We should constantly provide ongoing feedback, both positive and constructive, to help employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Offer coaching opportunities to help them achieve their goals. Performance Improvement Plans 1. Focus on the Root Cause: Identify the underlying reasons behind performance issues. Is it a lack of skill, knowledge, motivation, or resources? 2. Set SMART Goals: Establish Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals for improvement. 3. Collaborative Development: Work with the employee to develop the PIP. This promotes ownership and increases the chances of success. 4. Provide Resources and Support: Equip the employee with the resources and support they need to achieve their goals. 5. Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins to track progress, offer […]

Have you ever been so engrossed in a task that the world fades away? That is what happened to me this morning. Lost in a document on my laptop, I barely noticed my daughter zooming in. But here’s the surprise: she wasn’t just riding her bike—she was balancing a tricycle on her handlebars while engrossed in a book! It was a display of effortless multitasking that left me awestruck. Just a short while ago, she struggled mightily with mastering the bike itself. Now, she’s reached a point where cycling is second nature, freeing her to tackle other challenges simultaneously. This remarkable transformation got me thinking: this journey of acquiring a new skill—the path from initial struggle to seemingly effortless mastery—perfectly mirrors the stages of building a strong brand. Both require dedication, growth, and a willingness to learn. The 4 Stages of Learning: A Model for Brand Building. The concept of competence, which was first examined in Noel Burch’s Four Stages of Learning Theory in the 1970s, provides a solid foundation for comprehending the journey. Using these four critical steps to demonstrate how they apply to the exciting realm of brand building. Stage 1: Unconscious incompetence: You do not know what you don’t know. The first stage is known as “unconscious incompetence.” It’s that initial stage when you have no idea what you don’t know. Think about my daughter before she learned to ride. The bike existed, shining in the corner of the hallway, but she was unaware of its capabilities or the skills required to run it. In the area of branding, someone at this point may be actively reading through social media, blissfully oblivious to the great potential that branding has for themselves or their business. They may not even perceive the necessity for a brand. It’s a case of “ignorance is bliss,” with no awareness of the disparity between their current situation and the possibilities that a great brand could uncover. Stage 2: Conscious Incompetence: An Awareness Spark Now, imagine the moment my daughter first saw a bike. Perhaps a friend whizzed by, leaving a trail of laughter and wind. Maybe she saw a picture in a book. This spark of awareness ignites the transition to the next stage: “conscious incompetence.” Here, the individual becomes aware of the knowledge and skills they lack. In branding terms, this awakening might come from: Observing a competitor with a captivating brand identity. A conversation highlighting the importance of brand building in today’s marketplace. Realizing your brand (or lack thereof) does not attract your desired audience. This stage can be a turning point. The individual becomes actively aware of the gap between their current situation (no brand strategy) and their desired destination (a strong, recognizable brand). This newfound awareness often leads to a surge of curiosity and a desire to learn more. They might start researching branding basics, exploring successful brands, or even attending workshops or webinars. Here is what is key about “conscious incompetence”: This is the stage at which you recognize your limitations in branding. You understand that you need to learn and develop new skills. This awareness opens the door to actively seeking knowledge and resources. By addressing the explanation in this way, we emphasize the core aspects of “conscious incompetence” and its role in the brand-building journey. Pitfalls of Unconscious Incompetence and the Need to Evolve Still, the danger of getting stuck in the “unconscious incompetence” phase must be acknowledged. The significance of branding is completely lost on many individuals and companies. It could seem like a pointless expenditure or a pointless task to them. A major obstacle to progress can be ignorance. It is difficult to stand out, attract consumers, and cultivate loyalty in a crowded market when the brand is weak or nonexistent. Consider this: if my daughter had never spotted the bike, she would have missed out on the thrill and freedom that cycling brings. Similarly, a firm that ignores the power of branding would miss out on the numerous benefits it provides. It’s like having a powerful engine sitting idle; the potential for expansion remains untapped. Stage 3: Conscious Competence: The Power of Knowing Now, let us delve into the exciting stage of “conscious competence.” Here, the rubber meets the road, and the learning from the previous stage is put into action. You have enrolled in a branding course, devoured eBooks, and actively sought mentorship. You have identified your brand values, crafted a compelling message, and developed a cohesive visual identity. This newfound knowledge empowers you with a sense of confidence—the feeling of “knowing that you know.” It’s like my daughter, who can now confidently navigate her bike, using two hands or just one, while carrying a conversation or enjoying a book. This brand-new confidence translates into your brand interactions. You approach potential clients with a clear understanding of your value proposition and how it benefits them. Create marketing materials that resonate with your target audience. You exude authority and expertise in your field. This stage is about consistently delivering on your brand promise. You’ve put in the hard work, addressed your early mistakes, and refined your brand message. Now, you can confidently say, “Yes, I can deliver on what I promise.” Stage 4: Unconscious Competence: The Mastery Stage Now, let’s reach for the pinnacle–the stage at which we’ve all been striving for unconscious competence. This is the realm of effortless mastery, where your brand actions become second nature. It’s like my daughter this morning, effortlessly gliding on her bike, a picture of focused calm among multitasking. Remember the initial struggle to learn how to drive? The white-knuckled grip, the constant fear of stalling, and the stress of navigating traffic? Now, imagine getting behind the wheel and driving almost on autopilot. You handle the controls instinctively, leaving your attention free to focus on conversation or enjoying the scenery. This is unconscious competence in action. Characteristics of Unconscious Competence Effortless Excellence: Actions that formerly needed conscious effort to become automatic. Deliver your brand promise […]

We live in a world dominated by digital connections. Billions scroll through social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram daily – that’s over 3.96 billion daily active users on social media alone [DataReportal]. And let’s be honest, we’ve all been there: watching a captivating video, seeing an influencer rave about a new product, and suddenly feeling the urge to click “buy.” This, my friends, is the power of influencers. These online personalities have carved a niche for themselves, shaping trends, opinions, and yes, even our purchasing decisions. A charismatic influencer promoting a new beauty product can spark a buying frenzy, while a tech reviewer’s glowing endorsement can turn a new gadget into a must-have. But the influencer landscape isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a dire need for critical thinking before blindly following the herd. In a recent engagement with students at Central University, Ghana, I discussed the deep effects of social media influencers on consumer purchasing decisions. So, today. we’re diving deep into the world of influencer marketing, exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly. We’ll learn how to work around this persuasive space, develop a healthy dose of skepticism, and ultimately, make informed decisions as savvy digital citizens. Truth be told, social media has fundamentally changed how we consume information and make purchasing decisions. Gone are the days of relying solely on traditional advertising through television, radio, and print media. Today, a new breed of tastemakers has emerged: social media influencers. The influence of celebrities and athletes on consumer choices has existed for decades. Remember Abedi Pele, the iconic Ghanaian footballer, promoting Fan Ice in the 80s and 90s? His endorsement likely swayed many a child towards the product. Social media influencers operate in a similar vein. By building a loyal following, they establish a sense of connection with their audience. When these influencers endorse a product or service, it can feel like a personal recommendation from a trusted friend. Unlike traditional celebrities, influencers are often seen as more relatable and down-to-earth. A study by Tan et al. found that consumers perceive influencer marketing as more authentic than traditional celebrity endorsements. This perceived authenticity can be a powerful driver of purchase intent. The Three Cs of Influencer Power Research suggests that three key factors determine an influencer’s power over purchasing decisions: Bond: A strong bond between influencer and follower translates to greater influence. Regular engagement and relatable content foster a sense of connection, making the influencer’s suggestions more persuasive. For instance, Michelle Lewin, a fitness influencer with over 14 million followers on Instagram, has cultivated a strong bond with her audience by sharing her workout routines, healthy recipes, and personal struggles. This sense of connection makes her followers more likely to trust her product recommendations for fitness apparel or supplements. Trust & Credibility: Consumers are more likely to be swayed by influencers they perceive as genuine and trustworthy. A history of honest and transparent content builds trust, amplifying the impact of endorsements. Influencers who consistently disclose sponsored content and avoid misleading claims build trust with their audience. For example, Chiara Ferragni, a fashion influencer with over 27 million followers on Instagram, has been lauded for her transparency in labeling brand partnerships. This transparency fosters trust, making her followers more receptive to her fashion recommendations. Authenticity: Does the influencer seem genuine in their endorsements? Can you see their flaws and vulnerabilities alongside their successes? Authenticity fosters a deeper connection and makes their recommendations more believable. Influencers who share their personal experiences, both positive and negative, with a product or service come across as more genuine. This authenticity resonates with consumers and makes their endorsements more believable. For example, Manasseh Awuni Azure, a reputable Ghanaian journalist, shares a lot of verified and researched content on his timelines. Occasionally, he also shares products and services he has found useful. He likely does this not as a form of advertising, but as a way to help both his followers and the businesses whose efforts have been beneficial to him. Content from such a person comes across as authentic and not pushy. Another example is the makeup artist Jackie Aina is known for her honest reviews of beauty products, regardless of brand sponsorships. Her authenticity has earned her a loyal following who trust her recommendations. The Positive Power of Influencers Influencers aren’t only about persuading you to buy the latest product. They might be an excellent method to find new items and services that you may enjoy. • Trusted recommendations: Influencers who share their honest experiences might be like buddies telling you about something interesting they discovered. You get a sense of whether it’s a good match for you. • Influencers often support small businesses. Following these relationships allows you to discover unusual products from firms you may not have known about otherwise. • Keeping It Real: Influencer Marketing Rules There are laws in place to ensure that influencer marketing is honest. The FTC, a consumer protection organization in the United States, compels influencers to disclose sponsored content. This means that if an influencer is paid to advocate something, they must openly disclose it. Look for terms such as “ad,” “sponsored,” or “partner” in their posts. This transparency allows you to better understand the influencer’s motivations and make informed decisions. The Dark Side of Influencer Marketing This is where several bad things happen online. Pay close attention! While influencers hold considerable sway, consumers must approach their endorsements with a critical eye. Here are some tips for responsible consumer behavior: A 2020 study by Cheung et al., 2020, found that while influencer marketing can be effective, consumers who engage in more elaborate information processing (researching the product) are less susceptible to its influence. The rise of influencer marketing has also led to the emergence of “fake influencers” who purchase followers and engagement metrics. These fake influencers can mislead consumers into believing a product or service is more popular than it is. Influencers are often compensated handsomely for promoting products, regardless of […]

The Importance of Building a Personal Brand Beyond Social Media Hey! “The branding job dey ground” too o! In a recent workshop I conducted, I kicked things off with a thought-provoking question designed to highlight the importance of building a brand that extends beyond the confines of social media platforms. Here’s how the conversation unfolded: I posed the following question: “Imagine waking up one morning to discover that your entire social media following, all 100,000 strong across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, has vanished completely.” This imaginary setup resonated deeply with the participants. One attendee, in a moment of realization, exclaimed, “Ei nanka mete ate,” a Ghanaian expression that translates roughly to “That would be a big loss!” This perfectly captured the sense of devastation one might feel after losing a painstakingly built online community. Not to even mention what if your account get hacked, as it does happen to a number of influencers. To further emphasize the vulnerability of relying solely on social media platforms, I brought up the case of former US President Donald Trump. Despite his immense power and influence, he was banned from Twitter, demonstrating that even the most prominent figures are not immune to the whims of these platforms. This stresses the dire need to develop a brand that transcends the limitations of any single social media channel. As I keep saying you don’t need to build permanent structures on rented plots. The first lesson to learn is to avoid making social media platforms the sole foundation of your personal brand. They are fantastic for visibility and engagement, but they should be part of a broader strategy – which I will talk about shortly. Many other questions that should be running through your mind are. What if tomorrow, these platforms no longer exist? Do you have a plan? Chale, you need a backup plan to stay connected with your audience if you don’t have one now. So this realization should lead us to focus on building a more sustainable and independent way to reach our followers beyond social media. So then, why is it critical to establish a brand presence that exists independently of social media? · Platform Dependence: Social media platforms are constantly evolving, with features, algorithms, and even entire platforms coming and going. Building your brand solely on a social media platform leaves you susceptible to their changes and dictates. · Loss of Control: As the Trump example illustrates, social media platforms can restrict access or remove content at their discretion. This lack of control exposes you to the potential of losing your entire online presence overnight. · Limited Engagement: Social media interactions tend to be fleeting. Likes and comments often don’t translate into meaningful brand loyalty or lasting connections. Here are some strategies to cultivate a robust brand that thrives beyond the social media platforms. You see, Social media has become a powerful tool for building personal brands, but it’s not the only game in town. What happens if the platform changes its algorithms, your account gets suspended, or the platform itself disappears? A robust personal brand thrives independently of these external factors. So let’s get into some ways you can build your personal brand in addition to your social media presence, to thrive when the unexpected happens. Own Your Digital Home: Your Website Imagine your website as your personal storefront in the digital world. It’s a space you completely control, allowing you to craft your brand story, showcase your products or services, and establish yourself as a credible authority. Move beyond just informing people about you; actively engage your audience. Create landing pages where they can subscribe to your newsletter and offer exclusive content as an incentive. This not only builds your community but also ensures you have a direct line of communication, independent of social media whims. Email Marketing: Building a Loyal Community Think of email marketing as your personal communication lifeline. Building an email list allows you to share regular updates, promotions, and valuable content, fostering deeper relationships with your audience. Emails have a proven track record of reliability, unlike social media algorithms which can drastically change overnight. Encourage your social media followers to subscribe to your email list or share their contact details in exchange for exclusive content. This creates a secure and engaged community, ready to receive your message directly. Content Marketing: Establishing Yourself as a Thought Leader Creating valuable and informative content, such as blog posts, videos, or infographics, positions you as a thought leader in your industry. This content can be distributed across various platforms, including your website and social media, attracting a wider audience. But don’t just throw content out there – develop a strategic plan! A clear digital content strategy is crucial for building trust and recognition. Define your target audience, their needs, and the problems you solve for them. Take inspiration from successful figures like PG Sebastian, a relationship coach known for his consistent and engaging content. His blend of professional insights and humor makes his brand both trustworthy and relatable. Strive for consistency in your messaging and content type. By consistently delivering valuable information that addresses your audience’s specific needs, you avoid being seen as scattered or unreliable. Building a Community: The Power of Connection Cultivating a community around your brand fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty. This can happen online through forums, social media groups, or even collaborative projects. Consider hosting online events, webinars, or Q&A sessions to further engage your audience. Don’t Forget the Offline World While digital platforms are essential, don’t neglect the power of face-to-face interaction. Hosting workshops, attending conferences, or participating in relevant community activities can significantly enhance your brand’s visibility and credibility. These offline interactions provide opportunities to connect with your audience on a more personal level, building stronger relationships. You can decide to host an offline networking event in your locality to engage some of your audience off the digital platforms. Here, you can even bond better. Leveraging Feedback and Metrics: Continuous Improvement […]

A little Story of Patience and Brand Recognition in this episode The power of a well-developed brand can’t be overstated. Over time, focusing on a specific niche and consistently delivering value establishes you as a trusted expert. So let me share a story that exemplifies this principle. This happened just today Years ago, as a young speaker, I aspired to invite a renowned speaker to an event. The challenge? His high-profile status made him expensive, especially for an unknown organizer like myself. Plus so many gatekeepers that prevented me from getting access to him. Ultimately, we couldn’t secure him. Sad but we moved on. Fast Forward! A decade later, I received an unexpected call. It was from the very same speaker I’d tried to invite a decade earlier! My consistent work and expertise in digital publishing had preceded me. They’d found me through an online search, impressed by my brand and books on Amazon. My brand opened the door. 😉He needed some digital branding and publishing services from me. You see the importance of building your brand over time. Consistent effort in a specific niche allows your work to speak for itself.You gain leverage, access to valuable opportunities, and increased value perception, thereby translating into higher potential earnings. Chale it takes time to build a solid brand, let’s begin today! So, what brand are you building? Don’t underestimate its power. Be consistent, patience, and focus on building credibility. When the time comes to showcase your expertise, people will recognize your value and be willing to pay your worth. I’m Bernard Kelvin Cliveyour personal branding coach Recommend Books on Amazon 5 Minutes Habits (Audiobook) Retreat: Reflections for Busy Businessmen (Audiobook)

Have you ever noticed that many people who have diligently climbed the corporate ladder for years reach retirement feeling a strange emptiness? They wonder, “What do I do now?” after spending decades engrossed in a job that never truly sparked their passion. The truth is, it doesn’t have to be this way. Financial security and fulfillment aren’t reserved for the post-work years. We can cultivate both throughout our careers by taking a proactive approach and reevaluating our skill sets. Today we will explore how to repurpose your expertise to create a fulfilling and financially secure career path, regardless of your age or current experience. Unearthing Your Passions and Making Them Profitable The first step is to identify what truly ignites your fire. Is there a hobby you’ve always cherished but never considered pursuing professionally? Maybe you have a hidden talent or a cause you’re deeply passionate about. The key is to bridge the gap between your passions and potential income streams. Don’t be discouraged if turning your passion into profit doesn’t happen overnight. Almost any skill can be made marketable with a little creativity. For instance, a love for photography can translate into freelance work, online courses, or even workshops. Here are some ways to identify the financial potential of your passions: ·Research existing business models: Mostly the difficult part, a reason many ignore and do anything easy. Explore how others in your field are monetizing their skills. Are there online platforms where you can offer your services? Could you create and sell instructional materials? ·Network with like-minded individuals: Connect with people who share your interests and see how they’ve turned their passions into professions. ·Consider freelance opportunities: Freelancing allows you to test the waters and see if your passion can translate into a viable income source before taking a full leap. Remember, the key is to be creative and persistent. There’s almost always a way to bridge the gap between your passions and financial gain. Lifelong Learning: Staying Relevant in a Changing World The world of work is constantly evolving, and the skillsets that were once in high demand may quickly become obsolete. To stay relevant and marketable, lifelong learning is fundamental. Here are some strategies to continuously upgrade your skillset: ·Online courses: There’s a wealth of knowledge available online, with platforms offering courses on virtually any topic imaginable. Many of these courses are affordable and self-paced, allowing you to learn at your convenience. ·Industry publications and conferences: Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in your field by subscribing to industry publications and attending relevant conferences. ·Mentorship programs: Seek guidance from experienced professionals in your field. A mentor can provide valuable insights and help you navigate the ever-changing job market. Utilizing the Rise of AI and Automation: Friend or Foe? The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation may seem like threats to your expertise. However, they can also be powerful tools. Accept and embrace AI as a way to streamline repetitive tasks and free up your time to focus on higher-level strategic thinking and creative problem-solving. Invest in learning basic AI concepts and how they might be applied to your field. Building Your Brand: Standing Out from the Crowd In today’s digitally saturated world, a strong and authentic online presence is essential for career success. Develop a website or online portfolio showcasing your expertise and experience. Actively participate in industry forums and social media groups to establish yourself as a thought leader and connect with potential clients or collaborators. However, building your brand goes beyond the digital realm. Networking in person remains equally important. Attend industry events, volunteer your skills, and connect with people at your current workplace. Building strong relationships can open doors to new opportunities you might not have otherwise discovered. Repurposing Your Expertise: A Continuous Process The key takeaway is to be proactive. Don’t wait until retirement to figure out what’s next. The secret is in continuously developing your skills, exploring new opportunities, and repurposing your expertise, you can create a fulfilling and financially secure career path that keeps you engaged and passionate throughout your working life. The ever-evolving world of work requires constant adaptation, just like the shift from typewriters to web processing applications. Those who resist change and cling to outdated skill sets are at risk of being left behind. The good news is, regardless of your age or current experience level, there’s always an opportunity to learn, grow, and reinvent yourself. Here are a few strategies to help you construct your impressive career: Celebrate each milestone: Every new skill you acquire or meaningful connection you make in your field is akin to discovering an exceptional, great haven. These achievements, however seemingly minor, propel you closer to your ultimate career goal. Get your support team: Constructing a fort, much like building a career, is more enjoyable and effective with companionship. Surround yourself with individuals—be it family, friends, educators, or online communities—who support your career aspirations and celebrate your successes along the way. Savor the journey: The process of building your career, much like your fort, is integral to the experience. Relish the hurdles you overcome, the knowledge you gain, and the sense of fulfillment that comes as your abilities—and your career—flourish and expand. The Final Takeaway: Don’t let your expertise go to waste after retirement. Use it to create a positive ripple effect, empower others, and leave a lasting legacy that benefits generations to come. Remember, the value of your expertise extends far beyond profit; it can be a powerful tool for positive social change. Ready to Take Action? Consider attending workshops or webinars focused on personal branding and marketing your skillset. These resources can equip you with the tools and strategies necessary to thrive in today’s competitive job market. Remember, a fulfilling and financially secure career path is within your reach. So do take a proactive approach and make learning a lifelong habit, to help you design a work life filled with purpose and passion. A Gift for you […]

Today we’re diving headfirst into the power of exceptional customer experience.  I will share with you why prioritizing your clients, especially in the realm of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), is the secret weapon you’ve been overlooking. “Often times consumers, clients, and customers are not just buying a product or service, they are buying an experience, a feeling, a perception, a person(YOU)” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Let’s face it, customer service in some parts of the world can be, well, let’s just say lacking. And for many SMEs, the focus often lands on simply getting the job done. But what if I told you that by shifting your mindset and truly prioritizing the customer experience, you could unlock exponential growth for your business? Intrigued? Then buckle up, because we’re about to explore real-world examples and practical strategies to make exceptional service your competitive edge. Here’s the first Story Two Designers and the Power of Going the Extra Mile Let me illustrate this concept with a recent experience I had. A few weeks back, I needed some new signage created for one of my clients. Knowing the importance of a visually appealing and functional design, I contacted two graphic designers specializing in sign-making and posters. Both were familiar faces, having worked with me on previous projects. To ensure a well-informed decision, I briefed them on the project’s specifics and requested they visit the location to assess the space and gather inspiration. Both designers readily agreed and promptly scheduled site visits. Up to this point, everything seemed on par. However, the story takes a fascinating turn when we look at their follow-up approaches. The first designer, let’s call him David, returned with a straightforward email containing an invoice outlining the estimated cost for the project. It was a clear and concise message, but it lacked something crucial—a spark of initiative. David had completed the bare minimum; he’d assessed the space, formulated a price, and presented it without further engagement. Now, don’t get me wrong, a clear estimate is important. But in this competitive landscape, it just wasn’t enough to stand out. The Art of Exceeding Expectations The second designer, Sarah, took a distinctly different approach. Following her site visit, Sarah not only sent a detailed quote, but she also went above and beyond by creating three unique design samples for the signage. These weren’t just generic mockups; each sample showcased a distinct visual style and layout, catering to different aesthetic preferences. This thoughtful gesture demonstrated not just her design skills, but also her understanding of the importance of client input and collaboration. The impact was undeniable. When I presented both options to my client, their reaction was clear: Sarah’s effort to personalize the experience by providing design choices instilled a sense of confidence and partnership. They felt valued and understood, not simply handed a price tag. In contrast, David’s impersonal approach, while competent, failed to capture their imagination or create an emotional connection with the project. How Going the Extra Mile Benefits Everyone Now, Sarah’s proactive approach wasn’t just about winning this specific project. It’s about understanding the ripple effect exceptional service can create. Think about it this way: The Value Proposition of Exceptional Service Some might argue that exceptional service comes at a cost, but hey what doesn’t cost? Yes, and that might be true in terms of time and effort. However, the intangible value it creates far outweighs the initial investment. Here’s why: Here is the Second Story A month or two ago, I needed to take my kids somewhere via Uber. The first driver arrived, and as I was helping my children into the car, he launched into a series of complaints. He questioned whether I was alone (despite clearly seeing my kids) and expressed frustration about the potential trip duration. Now, I understand drivers have quotas to meet and time constraints to consider. However, his tone and approach were completely off-putting. I reassured him I understood the fare structure and would pay based on the meter, regardless of any delays caused by settling my kids comfortably. Despite my attempts to de-escalate the situation, his negativity continued. Chale, I was getting furious but had to let this slide calmly. Ultimately, I decided to end the trip and find another driver. Not only did his behavior affect my experience, but it also meant he lost out on a potential fare and wasted time driving to my location. How Positive Interactions Create Lasting Impressions Fortunately, my wait for the next Uber was short. The second driver’s approach couldn’t have been more different. He greeted us warmly, offered assistance with getting the kids settled, and reassured me not to worry about taking time. His calm and accommodating demeanor instantly transformed the atmosphere. It was clear that he understood his role as a service provider, prioritizing my comfort and satisfaction. This positive interaction not only made the trip more enjoyable for myself and my children, but it also prompted me to leave him an additional tip in recognition of his exceptional service. Every Lead Matters: Building Relationships for Future Opportunities These contrasting experiences highlight an important point for all business owners, personal brands, especially those in the SME space: every lead matters. It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of immediate sales, but neglecting the potential value of every interaction can be a costly mistake. The client who doesn’t buy today might become a loyal customer tomorrow, or they might recommend your services to someone else in their network. Building Trust and Rapport: The Seeds of Long-Term Success The key lies in building trust and rapport with each interaction. Treat every lead with respect, offer them your time and assistance, and genuinely demonstrate your commitment to their needs. Even if they don’t make a purchase right away, these positive experiences keep your brand top-of-mind. When they or someone they know eventually needs your services, your exceptional service will have left a lasting impression, making them more likely to choose you […]

Encounter with a Vulcanizer: Branding Lessons for MSMEs Every business has its ups and downs, but learning how to maximize each moment can help the business thrive and grow. You see, the ability to adapt and embrace new technologies is not just an advantage—it’s essential for survival and growth. This realization came to me vividly during a seemingly mundane visit to a local vulcanizer because of a car tire issue. The vulcanizer, an expert in his field, impressed me with his knowledge and skill. I had learned that he has been doing this for the past decade and he is the go-to guy in the hood. However, despite his expertise, I noticed his reliance on outdated technology and traditional methods in his operations.  A critical lesson for small business owners can be learned from this experience: investing in modern tools and technology will enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and ultimately, business success. The vulcanizer, with nearly a decade of experience, was proficient in his work. His business was thriving, with a steady stream of customers benefiting from his expertise. Yet, his reliance on old systems and methods, such as a gas system for tire repair, reflected a broader issue many small businesses face. Despite having access to modern car tires and understanding current market needs, his equipment remained traditional, mirroring what many Ghanaian artisans use.  Considering this situation, I wonder why he hadn’t invested in modern equipment such as hydraulic jacks or other advanced gadgets that could have created further revenue opportunities. This reluctance to embrace new technology is not unique to him but is a common trait among many small business owners who become complacent with their current success and expertise. Many fail to realize how technology can streamline traditional processes, increasing efficiency and competitiveness. In today’s digital age, where advancements like artificial intelligence are revolutionizing various sectors, failing to keep up with technological trends can leave businesses at a significant disadvantage. The truth is that investing in new technologies and tools is more than just an upgrade; it’s a strategic move that can dramatically enhance a business’s operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Modern equipment can speed up service delivery, improve the quality of work, and attract a broader customer base looking for quicker, more reliable services. The thing is that adopting modern vulcanizing tools can significantly transform the vulcanizer’s business by making tire repairs and changes faster and more efficient. Hydraulic jacks, for instance, speed up the process of lifting vehicles, allowing for quicker service, while impact wrenches make removing and tightening lug nuts much faster than manual methods.  This efficiency means a vulcanizer can serve more customers in a day, increasing business turnover. You see their tons of them, tools like modern tire changers and wheel balancers ensure that tires are fitted and balanced with precision, enhancing the quality of service. Such efficiency and accuracy not only boost customer satisfaction but also reduce the likelihood of errors, making the service more reliable. Here again, the use of advanced equipment like high-quality air compressors for inflating tires to the correct pressure and vulcanizing machines for effective puncture repairs ensures that the job is done right the first time. This level of professionalism and quality attracts customers who value their time and vehicle safety, potentially allowing the vulcanizer to charge a premium for superior service. Safety is another critical benefit, as modern tools are designed to protect both the worker and the vehicle during repairs, minimizing the risk of accidents and damage.  Just by delving a little bit deeper one can find so many ways of stepping up their business in ways to be more efficient and profitable. However, the challenge for many small business owners lies in recognizing the need for such investments and overcoming the inertia of satisfaction with the status quo. It’s crucial to understand that expertise and traditional methods, while valuable, need to be complemented with innovation and technology to stay relevant and competitive. This is where the importance of continuous learning and networking comes into play. Joining industry associations, attending workshops, and participating in networking groups can provide small business owners with insights into new technologies and trends in their field. These platforms offer opportunities for learning, sharing experiences, and getting advice from peers and experts who have successfully integrated new tools and methods into their operations. Such engagement can inspire and motivate owners to explore and adopt technologies that can transform their business models. Moreover, business owners need to surround themselves with advisors, mentors, and colleagues who are knowledgeable about technological advancements and can provide guidance on strategic investments. These relationships can help identify which technologies will be most beneficial for their specific operations and how to implement them effectively. Reflecting on the future, small business owners must ask themselves: What tools and technologies have I overlooked in the past few years that could enhance my business? And what investments are necessary to take my business to the next level? Whether it’s upgrading equipment, adopting new software, or leveraging digital marketing strategies, the key is to identify and invest in technologies that will drive growth and sustainability. As the business landscape continues to change, documenting processes and regularly reviewing business strategies become imperative. This practice helps in identifying areas where technology can make a significant impact, streamline operations, and create new avenues for revenue. It’s about rethinking how things have been done and being open to changing them for the better. In essence, this is a call for small business owners to up their game. And not only rely on their expertise and traditional methods but actively seek and embrace technological advancements that can propel their businesses forward. It is my belief that small businesses can succeed in today’s dynamic market if they invest in the right tools and create a culture of continuous learning and innovation. As we move forward, let’s embrace technology not as an option but as an integral part of our growth strategy. So, thinking through the vulcanizer and the […]

“Where you plant your feet determines your feats.” — Bernard Kelvin Clive Let me share this with you.  One morning, while I was cleaning my car, I noticed something interesting. I had worked hard to make the car’s body look shiny and clean, even though there was a lot of dust around because of the Harmattan season. But when I stepped back to look at my work, I saw that the tires were still dirty. This made the whole car not look as nice as I thought. This situation reminded me of a lesson from my childhood. When we were kids, my uncles would tell us to make sure we washed the tires of the car really well, not just the body. They said that a car doesn’t look completely clean if its tires are dirty, even if the rest of it is spotless. They kept reminding us that this was important, showing us that we often focused on the parts that were easy to see and forgot about the rest. This lesson is not just about cars; it’s also about life. A car needs good, clean tires to move properly, just like we need to take care of all parts of our lives to succeed. It doesn’t matter how good something looks on the outside; if the parts that really matter, like the tires on a car and the engine, aren’t in good shape, then it won’t work well. So, washing my car and seeing the difference after cleaning the tires made me think about how important it is to pay attention to everything, not just what people see first. Just like the car, we need to make sure we’re taking care of the important parts of our lives, not just the ones that look good to others. This teaches us to be thorough and to remember that every part, no matter how small or hidden, counts in making something complete and ready to go. Just like people spend a lot of money on nice rims for their car tires to make their cars look great, we should also take care of our feet because they carry us around. This is kind of like saying that in life, our feet are super important because they help us stand and move. If you’re into bodybuilding, you know that every part of your body needs to be strong to carry yourself, especially your feet/legs. It’s the same with our feet in real life. Our feet are like the base or foundation of everything we do. When we’re doing anything in life, having strong feet (or a strong foundation) means we can handle tough times, carry heavy loads, and go to amazing places. So, it’s really important to think about how we take care of our feet and what we’re asking them to do. It’s like asking, “Have I made myself strong enough to take on new challenges in my work, my personal goals, or whatever I’m trying to build?” Think about what you wear on your feet and what kind of load you’re expecting them to carry. Building a strong foundation, or making sure our feet are ready, is super important. It helps us be ready for the next step in whatever we’re doing, like moving up in our jobs, growing a business, or making our brand better. Investing time and effort into making our foundation strong means we’re ready to take on what we dream of doing. So, it’s all about making sure we’re ready and strong from the ground up. Just like a car with fancy rims stands out, making sure our foundation (our feet) is strong can help us stand out and succeed in what we’re aiming for. Our feet play a central role in how we present ourselves, both as individuals and as brands. When people see us, one of the first things they notice is our feet. This makes our feet a key part of our foundation, something that supports and holds us up. It’s really important to wear good shoes, as they say a lot about our appearance.  You might be dressed really nicely, but if your shoes don’t look good or don’t match your outfit, it can mess up how you look overall. This is even more true during the Harmattan season. You can dress up as nicely as you want, but when you walk on dusty roads, your shoes get dirty. If your shoes are dirty, it doesn’t matter how nice the rest of your outfit is; it won’t make you look your best. So, we should really focus on our feet, which are like the foundation, stronghold, and pillars of our life. We need to think about our foundation – what supports us, what we are holding onto, and where we are going in life. By looking at our feet and making sure they’re well taken care of, we can find the strength, favor, and energy we need to reach the next level of success in our careers and as a brand. Taking care of our feet and what we wear on them is more than just about looking good. It’s about making sure we have a strong base to stand on as we move forward in life. Let’s pay attention to our feet, and our foundation, and make sure they’re ready to take us where we want to go. In conclusion, just as the cleanliness and condition of a car’s tires can significantly affect its overall appearance and functionality, our personal foundations—symbolized by our feet—hold the key to how we navigate the challenges and opportunities life presents. Our feet, both literally and metaphorically, represent our base, our point of contact with the ground that supports and propels us forward. The attention we give to our feet, through the shoes we choose and the care we take, reflects our respect for the journey itself and the paths we choose to tread. This concept extends beyond mere aesthetics; it’s about acknowledging the […]

It’s to take your brand to the next level. Regardless of the current stage of your brand, if you desire to stay top of mind and in business, you will need at least one of these milestones/goals to reach in the coming year. 1. Raise the bar on yourself All is about having a growth mindset to demand yourself to go higher and do better. Let me draw your attention to this simple observation: I know quite a number of brands in my circle that offer the same services and products of high quality and standard, yet they are underpaid by their clients. Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback: lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve. Let me break it down this way. The Psychology of Pricing with Confidence: Listen, if you don’t place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity. Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented, and skilled. Yes, you, you have to believe that. It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one’s abilities. Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business. No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things. Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand. If you’ve been doing well, great! It’s time to step up your game, go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity. In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft. 2. Invest in a professional coach One of the secret ingredients to success is spending money on a skilled coach. One common thread throughout successful people’s routines is that they know the benefits of coaching as a tool for personal and professional development. If you want to take your brand to the next level, hiring a coach is a must. Some individuals fail to take this into account since they naively think they can handle all the challenges that come with running a business and building their brand on their own. It’s vital to understand that there are fields where knowledge reigns supreme, and aiming to be a jack-of-all-trades may limit your brand’s potential. The necessity for professional advice becomes more obvious at various points along the path to creating a successful and lucrative brand. To achieve one’s goals, one needs a strategic partner, and that’s exactly what a coach is. By sharing their extensive knowledge and expertise, they will help you avoid common mistakes and face obstacles head-on. Asking for a coach’s assistance is seen by successful people as a sign of strength, not weakness. A coach functions as a catalyst for progress, pushing you beyond your comfort zone and unlocking your entire potential. In a world where average performance is just not enough to stand out, having a coach motivates you towards excellence. They provide tailored assistance that is designed to address your specific goals and obstacles. Whether you are a young entrepreneur or an established business owner looking to expand, a coach delivers the specialized guidance needed to accelerate your brand’s trajectory. The potential return on investment in a coach for your brand is priceless. 3. Build partnership There’s strength in numbers and unity of purpose. In building and growing your brand, forming strong alliances offer you great leverage you can’t have doing things all on your own. There are times you need to partner with other successful and big brands to grow your business. Therefore, I advise you to seek mutually beneficial connections. In partnering, consider what you can offer your partners and vice versa, what they will be bringing to the table. Once all is set, always remember to have a partnership agreement signed before you go on with any task. If possible, seek legal advice. Effective partnerships grow Brands. Make it a major goal to build a partnership in the coming weeks, months, and years. 4. Scale – enlarge your territories Too often many people settle too soon when they attain what they may seem successful in their own eyes. The temptation to settle could be so high when praises come from all corners. Yes, you may be doing well. It is good to celebrate but even greater to make the most of the situation at hand – repeat that which worked and scale your brand. When the season to grow comes don’t rest on your past fruits, there are more lands to conquer. Grow your brand beyond your current comfort zone. You may be doing well considerably in your niche. Sometimes your niche may become your comfort zone when you fail to recognize the season to expand. Take a well prepared and calculated giant step with your brand in the coming weeks, months, and years. The world is your oyster. 5. Work on your feedback As I always say “feedbacks are ways brands can look back”. I know of brands that have failed and have dimmed out because they took lightly the feedbacks of their clients and customers. Perhaps, you’ve lost a fortune over the years because of your indifference, but in moving forward you can do better to restore that which you lost. It’s time to review and evaluate your brand, where you flipped and flopped. The good, bad, and ugly. Every great brand and leader takes reviews and feedback seriously. These are important data to help make better decisions, products, and services, you discard and disregard it at your peril. 6. Develop a working brand guide and strategy Knowing exactly what you want and desire would help you achieve your goals faster. Sometimes, you may have a plan for your brand but if it’s not well documented, you wouldn’t be able to reach your brand goals. One way to make this […]

How to Grow Your Personal Brand in 2024 It’s to take your brand to the next level. Whether you’re a new brand or an established one, you need to achieve at least one of these milestones/goals in the upcoming year to remain relevant and competitive. 1. Raise the bar on yourself It is all about having a growth mindset to place a demand on yourself to go higher and do better. Let me draw your attention to this simple observation: I know several brands in my circle that offer the same services and products of high quality and standard, yet they are underpaid by their clients. Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback: a lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve. Let me break it down this way. The Psychology of Pricing with Confidence: Listen, if you don’t place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity. Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented, and skilled. Yes, you, you have to believe that. It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one’s abilities. Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business. No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things. Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand. If you’ve been doing well, great! It’s time to step up your game and go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity. You can do more. In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft. 2. Build Capacity for Growth Any brand that does not grow fades away. The competition is fierce, and the noise out there is loud. If you don’t build yourself up and create significant capacity for growth and expansion, you will fade out faster than you think. This demands consistent improvement, exploration, charting new terrains, and pursuing bigger goals. Over the past year, many interesting things happened, and some went viral on social media – from Nigeria’s Hilda Baci breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time to Afua Asantewaa Aduonum of Ghana attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest singing marathon by an individual. A few things stand out. Firstly, the desire to break a record – that audacious attempt is worth commending. The second thing is that these records were way beyond their capacity, but they had to build the capacity to get it done. It stretches them, it challenges them, and it also gives reason for others to attempt breaking other records, be it in public or private. It gave enough people a reason to pursue larger goals and bigger dreams. My question for you is this: What bigger goals, dreams, and aspirations would you attempt in the coming year? Go for your big wins! The best is yours! Recommend Books 5 Minutes Habits (Audiobook) Retreat: Reflections for Busy Businessmen (Audiobook)

How can you enhance your content creation and branding with these five productivity tools? Enhancing Productivity in Content Creation and Branding In today’s podcast, I discuss five productivity tools that can significantly enhance content creation and branding. So, I’ll share some insights from that episode, focusing on the importance of finding the right tools to boost productivity and maintain your unique voice while creating content and building your personal brand. 1 The Power of Audio-to-Text Tools The first tool I discussed was Swellai.com, a powerful tool for recording and transcribing audio. What sets Swell Icon apart is its ability to generate titles, summaries, article formats, and even social media shareable content based on the audio message. This feature is particularly useful for podcasters, as it allows us to maintain our unique voice while using AI content-generating tools. 2 Proofreading and Editing with Grammarly Next, I delved into the world of proofreading and editing with Grammarly. This tool quickly spots grammatical errors and provides corrections, making it an invaluable asset for content creators. Other tools like Quillbot and ChatGPT can also be used for proofreading, but Grammarly stands out for its ease of use and accuracy. 3 Simplified.com: A One-Stop Content Creation Platform I also discussed Simplified.com, a platform that offers various features like graphic designing, image generation, video editing, and social media content creation. It’s a one-stop platform for generating extra content in different formats and also allows for sharing and promotion on social media. 4 The Versatility of Canva Canva, a popular platform for creating graphics and text, was another tool I highlighted. Canva is an AI-integrated tool that allows users to create various types of content, such as infographics, social media posts, and document formats. The free version of Canva is highly versatile and can be used for writing content, designing book covers, and creating social media posts. Canva provides a wide range of templates to assist users in their content creation process, saving them time and energy. 5 Selling Digital Products with Gumroad Finally, I discussed Gumroad, a platform that helps users market and sell their digital products. After going through the content creation process, users may have something they want to sell, such as a digital product or a recording. Gumroad provides an easy-to-use platform for selling various types of products, including courses. The Importance of AI-Powered Tools In today’s digital age, using AI-powered tools to work faster and more efficiently is crucial. By combining these tools effectively and positioning oneself in the market, users can achieve significant productivity gains. Whether you’re a podcaster, a blogger, or a digital marketer, these tools can help you streamline your content creation process and build a stronger personal brand. The right tools can significantly enhance your productivity and help you maintain your unique voice while creating content and building your personal brand. Whether it’s Swell Icon, Grammarly, Simplified.com, Canva, or Gumroad, each tool offers unique features that can help you work faster and more efficiently. So why not give them a try and see how they can transform your content creation and branding process? Recommended Reading Market-in-g!: Conversation with a Marketing Guru – Seth Godin Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

In this episode, Bernard Kelvin Clive, a personal branding consultant and host of the Personal Branding podcast, shares valuable insights on why personal branding is essential in today’s marketplace. Don’t miss out on his expert advice! #Branding #Podcast Personal branding for profit and impact. Personal branding has become increasingly important in today’s digital age. With the rise of social media and online platforms, individuals have the opportunity to showcase themselves and their expertise to a global audience. Personal branding is the process of creating and maintaining a unique and consistent image that represents who we are and what we stand for. It involves carefully curating our online presence, including our social media profiles, website, and professional portfolio, to convey a specific message and attract the right audience. One aspect of personal branding that often gets overlooked is appearance. As humans, we are naturally drawn to visually appealing things. Our brains are wired to process and respond to visual stimuli more effectively than any other form of communication. Therefore, how we present ourselves visually plays a significant role in how others perceive us and our personal brand. In the podcast, the conversation revolves around the cover of a book titled “On Becoming an Authority” by Bernard Kelvin Clive. The host expresses admiration for the cover and acknowledges that it immediately signifies that the book must be authored by Bernard Kelvin Clive. This example highlights the power of visual branding in creating a recognizable and memorable personal brand. The cover of a book, like any other visual representation, serves as a first impression and can influence whether someone decides to engage with the content or not. In this case, the host’s familiarity with Benad Kelvin Clive’s personal brand influences their perception of the book and their interest in it. This demonstrates the impact that personal branding can have on attracting the right audience and generating interest in one’s work. However, it is important to note that personal branding goes beyond just appearance. It is not about creating a superficial image or trying to fit into a specific mold. Instead, it is about authentically representing oneself and aligning one’s personal brand with their values, goals, and expertise. Personal branding should be a reflection of who we are and what we have to offer, rather than a facade or a means to manipulate others. Building a strong personal brand requires consistency, authenticity, and a clear message. It involves identifying our unique strengths, passions, and values and communicating them effectively to our target audience. This can be done through various channels, such as social media, blogging, public speaking, and networking. By consistently sharing valuable content, engaging with our audience, and demonstrating our expertise, we can establish ourselves as authorities in our respective fields. Personal branding is not just about self-promotion. It is about creating a positive impact and leaving a lasting impression on others. When done effectively, personal branding can inspire and influence others, build trust and loyalty, and open doors to new opportunities. It is about using our personal brand as a platform to make a difference and create meaningful change in the world. The truth is that personal branding is a powerful tool for individuals to differentiate themselves, build trust and loyalty among their audience, and establish themselves as leaders in their respective fields. Appearance plays a crucial role in personal branding, as it is the visual representation of who we are and what we represent. However, it is important to strike a balance and present ourselves in a way that is authentic and aligned with our values and goals. By doing so, we can build a strong personal brand that attracts the right audience, generates interest in our work, and creates a positive impact in the world.

Building your brand in challenging times Growing in times Like These! The acronym for GROWTH is a great tool for personal and professional growth. Each letter represents an important trait or action that can help you navigate the different stages of growth. Let’s go through each one: G- Grits & Guts: Grit is a combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It means having the determination to see something through to the end, even when things get difficult. Guts, on the other hand, is the courage to take risks and try new things, even if you’re not sure you’ll succeed. Together, grits and guts can help you take on new challenges and overcome obstacles in your path to growth. R- Reason & Research: Reasoning and research are essential for making informed decisions and setting realistic goals. By being logical and analytical, you can evaluate different options and choose the best course of action. Researching and gathering information also allows you to have a more well-rounded understanding of the situation and can help you to make more well-informed decisions. O- Objectivity and Oscillating: Objectivity is the ability to look at things objectively and to see them for what they are, rather than getting bogged down by emotions or biases. Oscillating, or being flexible and adaptable, means being able to adjust to change and to see things from different perspectives. Together, objectivity and oscillating can help you to be adaptable and make the most of new opportunities. W- Work: Of course, no growth can happen without putting in the work. Consistent and deliberate effort is key to achieving any goal and making progress. T- Tenacity: As previously discussed, Tenacity is the ability to persist in the face of adversity and keep going despite obstacles. It is the willingness to keep pushing forward even when things get tough, and the determination to not let setbacks and failures defeat you. It is this persistence and determination that allows people to achieve great things, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. H- Humility: As previously discussed, humility is an important trait for growth because it allows you to acknowledge your limitations and areas for improvement, and to learn from others. When you approach new challenges and experiences with humility, you’re more open to learning, feedback, and critique, which can help you grow and develop in new ways. Recommended Reading Market-in-g!: Conversation with a Marketing Guru – Seth Godin Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

13 years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Kobby Blay, a driven and passionate young nurse. It was at the peak of my first book launch and blog and I was doing multiple radio and TV interviews. We all felt passionately committed to driving positive change in our society through our gifts and passions. Kobby was on a mission to fill the gap in health information through his blog and medical photography. His unwavering passion led to the creation of the highly successful Ghana Health Nest, which has become a trusted source of health information. Kobby’s passion project has taken him on a journey around the world, and it can happen to you too! I have seen firsthand how several of my friends have transformed their passions into profitable ventures. Today, I am thrilled to share my knowledge and offer tips and strategies to help you kickstart your own passion-driven business. It all starts with taking that first step and starting today! Are you tired of working in a job that doesn’t fulfill you or align with your passions? Are you ready to turn your passions into a profitable business? If so, you’re not alone. Many young professionals dream of turning their passions into a successful career, but often struggle with knowing how to get started. That’s where this guide comes in. Turning your passions into a profitable business is not only a way to make a living doing what you love, but it’s also a way to live a more fulfilling life. By pursuing your passions, you can bring your unique talents and skills to the world, and make a positive impact in the process. So, how do you turn your passions into profits? Here are some key steps to get you started: Let’s quickly look at some cost-effective ways for establishing a system and effective processes: To provide excellent customer service, here are some tips to follow: In a nutshell, monetizing your passions and skills requires a combination of identifying what you are good at, packaging your skills and passions into a product or service, getting it to market, establishing systems and processes, and providing excellent customer service. It is my hope that by following these simple steps and taking action, you will be able to turn your passions and skills into a profitable business. Get started and let me know how it’s going for you; I wish you the best! Recommended Reading Market-in-g!: Conversation with a Marketing Guru – Seth Godin

The Top 5 Myths about Goal Setting – And How to Ditch Them for Good Are you trying to make changes in your life but feeling stymied by goal-setting myths? Do you ever wonder if setting goals is worthwhile? You are not alone if this sounds familiar. Goal setting is a popular topic, especially during this time of the year, but it can be fraught with misconceptions. In this article, I will debunk the top five goal-setting myths and offer practical advice on how to get rid of them for good. Continue reading to learn how setting goals can help you achieve your dreams and realize your full potential. 1. Your Goals must be in writing! Not entirely true, you can have unwritten goals. You know what? When I wrote the last book – Bruwaa, which I published last year, I didn’t have a goal of writing it, but once I thought about it, I wrote it and published it! You should have a goal, but your goal doesn’t have to be in writing. For achieving goals, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You can still make your goal, even if it isn’t written down. 2. Goals Have to Be Big to Be Worthwhile One of the biggest myths about goal setting is that you need to have big, lofty goals for them to be worthwhile. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hey, smaller goals can often be just as effective and sometimes more achievable. Big goals can seem intimidating and overwhelming, which can prevent us from even starting. Breaking down our goals into smaller, more manageable steps can help us stay on track and make progress. Plus, achieving those smaller goals can give us the confidence boost we need to keep going. Rather than setting an ambitious goal like “start a business” or “get a promotion”, set smaller goals that are related. For example, if your ultimate goal is to start a business, your smaller goals could include researching potential business ideas, writing a business plan, or finding a mentor who has experience in the field. Each of these tasks should have a specific time frame attached to them so you can track your progress. By breaking down your goals into smaller steps, you’ll still be working towards the same end goal but without feeling overwhelmed. 3. You Need to Know Exactly What You Want Setting goals can often seem intimidating because you feel like you have to know exactly what you want before you even start. But that’s not the case at all! You don’t have to have a perfect plan for achieving your goals in order to start the journey. Truth is, it’s perfectly normal (and recommended) to start with a general idea of what you want and then build from there. When you don’t have all the answers, don’t let that stop you from getting started. You can always adjust and refine as you go. Start by writing down the outcome that you want. What do you ultimately want to achieve? Once you’ve identified that, ask yourself some questions: What resources or skills do I need to reach my goal? What steps do I need to take to get there? Who can help me? These questions will help you develop a clearer picture of what you need and how to get there. As you answer each question, jot down any ideas or insights that come up. You don’t have to have all the answers right away. This is just an opportunity to gather more information so that you can move forward. Your goal doesn’t have to be perfectly defined when you start. As long as you have a clear idea of the outcome that you want, that’s all you need. The rest will come together as you go. 4. You Need to Set a Deadline. Goals Must be Time-Bound! One of the most common myths about goal-setting is that you need to set a deadline for achieving them. Many people think that setting a goal without a deadline just isn’t enough and that there needs to be a specific time frame within which you must reach your goal. However, this is not necessarily true. It’s important to understand that deadlines are just one part of the process of goal setting, and they are not always necessary. Having a rigid timeline can actually hinder your progress in some cases. When setting goals, it’s important to take into consideration the time and effort it will take you to achieve them. If you have an unrealistic timeline, then you are more likely to become discouraged if you don’t reach your goal as quickly as you had hoped. Furthermore, if your timeline is too restrictive, it could also lead to burnout or even frustration as you try to cram too much into too little time. On the other hand, having a loose timeline can be beneficial. Having an idea of when you’d like to achieve a goal gives you something to work towards, but it also allows you to adjust your plan if something unexpected comes up or if you realize that the timeline needs to change for any reason. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that deadlines should not be a source of pressure when it comes to goal setting. Rather, deadlines should be seen as a helpful tool for keeping you motivated and on track. Whether or not you decide to set a deadline for yourself depends on what works best for you and your situation. 5. Once You Set a Goal, You Can’t Change It What has become of your childhood dreams and High school goals? One of the most common misconceptions about goal setting is that once they are set, they cannot be changed. This may appear to be logical, but it is simply not true. Goals are intended to be fluid and should be revised as needed. Life does not always go as planned, and goals are no exception. Your […]

Building your Personal Brand as a Student Here are a few quick tips to help! “Personal Branding is the combination of one’s SKILLS and TALENT to produce VALUE for others, that creates an IMPRESSION, PERCEPTION, and REPUTATION…” – Bernard Kelvin Clive 1. Start with a clear vision for who you want to become and what your goals are. (Find yourself) 2. Be innovative and think outside the box when it comes to marketing your brand. (Find your power, Get Skilled!) 3. Develop an effective social media strategy that will help you connect with your target audience. (Find your place) 4 . Think about ways in which you can monetize your brand, and make sure all of your strategies are legal and ethical. (Find a need) 5 . Stay true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to experiment – this is how you’ll find out what works best for you and YOUR brand! 6 . Keep track of trends so that you know where the industry is going, and adjust accordingly! 7 . Make use of technology resources available online to amplify the reach of your brand. (Pay to Play) 8. Stay humble – no one succeeds alone! Collaborate with others in order not only build a better yourself but also strengthen relationships across different industries/disciplines/geographies…etc 9. Don’t forget networking events; these opportunities provide excellent opportunities to network with potential customers as well as professionals within related fields. (Network) 10 Always remember: be your best self and live your commitments in line with what you believe. Your brand is as important as the value you consistently bring to the marketplace, don’t lose your worth! Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Books Q.EST. Building a Reputable Presence Online On Becoming An Authority

And How to Overcome It Social media has become a huge part of our lives—and it’s also created some problems we need to address. Social media addiction is increasingly common, and it affects more than just younger generations. If you feel as though you’re spending too much time on social media or that it causes problems in your life, this episode will help you understand the issue and give you ways to overcome your social media addiction. What is Social Media Addiction Social media addiction is the idea that one’s use of social media is negatively impacting their life. Research has shown that social media addiction can result in a feeling of time wasted. Although your online connections may have close and casual relationships with each other, most likely there will be more time spent with friends in person. With this lack of proper communication and interactions, comes a society that is being swallowed by its devices. Are You Addicted? Signs of Social Media Addiction One of the most common signs that someone is addicted to social media is when they feel like their life would be better if they spent more time online. This may mean the person is living vicariously through other people’s photos or doesn’t know how to spend time outside. Others have found themselves neglecting relationships with friends and family because they are so consumed by their social media life. One study even says that social media users are at higher risk for depression than those who don’t use it. Although most think these issues only exist among teens, as social media usage has been steadily increasing in adults over 50 years old, addiction rates in this age group are on the rise as well. The Signs of Social Media Addiction are Social media is the first you check when you wake up and the last before bed, then you are addicted or geting addicted. If tou can’t spend a day wothout checking your social media pages and apps. If you feel you are spending too much time on social media, and you are worried about how it may be affecting your life, it’s important to get support. Try talking with a close friend or family member first. They can help you determine whether your use is problematic, and if so can help you decide on steps to change your habits. Talking with a therapist or counselor can also help overcome social media addiction, as they can teach useful coping strategies for building better habits when using social media. What Are the Risks? Social media addiction may seem harmless but there are many risks involved. One is that people could develop anxiety or social anxiety as a result. If someone spends their entire day scrolling through their phone, they don’t have the chance to be a part of reality and interact with other people. Another risk is that it makes someone too self-conscious, almost in an obsessive way. They will constantly compare themselves to others on social media and become overly critical of their appearance and life achievements. In other words, many times what you see on social media isn’t real, but it can make you feel like your life is worthless and that nobody likes you or cares about you. How to Overcome Social Media Addiction Social media addiction is a very real phenomenon that has been studied extensively in recent years. Many people log onto their favorite social media sites in the morning and don’t even realize how much time they’ve spent until they look at the clock. The addiction goes beyond just browsing and can lead people to become preoccupied with their timeline, often neglecting other tasks like work or personal responsibilities. Social media addiction can also cause feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Luckily, there are ways to overcome this condition. One study found that spending more time away from screens can increase physical health benefits and reduce mental fatigue ̶, especially for teens who spend as many as nine hours a day online on any given day! Stay Away From These Sites/Apps Most importantly, avoid using social media when you’re feeling low. They’ll only make you feel worse, and they will hinder your recovery. If you’re serious about overcoming your addiction, there are many great programs out there that can help! To get started, start by restricting the time you spend on these sites each day, and don’t engage with them first thing in the morning or before bedtime. If temptation gets too high and you need some extra help, add an app like Break Free from Any App or App Detox for extra support. It’s important not to compare yourself to others on social media and stay off these sites whenever possible because they just show us what we want to see—most of which is unrepresentative of reality. Dealing With Friends’ Posts As we scroll through our feed, posts from friends that have gone on exciting vacations or had a baby start to blur together with sponsored posts. Suddenly, scrolling through our feed seems like a never-ending competition. Have you liked enough friends’ statuses? Are your photos as good as theirs? This can lead us down a dangerous path of addiction if we do not take the time to assess what is important in life and what should not be concerning. More importantly, we must develop an attitude that social media isn’t everything and that it cannot define who we are in reality. We must be selective about what is worthy of our attention to combat social media addiction. Here are five helpful tips for how you can cope with this growing issue: Get Out Of ‘Fomo’ If you are reading this, then you are not just experiencing FOMO. But by acknowledging the reality, you can start taking steps to overcome it. Here’s a six-step process that will help: 1. Identify your triggers 2. Figure out when and where you engage with social media the most 3. Designate specific […]

Why do authors lie to themselves?  It’s because they think that telling them these lies will help them write, edit, publish, and sell their book.  Unfortunately, the opposite usually happens – some authors waste days of their lives with lies and empty promises. Every author writes to fulfill their dream of seeing their work in print, but many get swept up in the day-to-day business of publishing and forget why they started writing in the first place. The result? Author burnout, writer’s block, and more unfinished manuscripts than published books.  Today, I will share with you three lies that authors tell themselves and explain how to avoid these self-destructive mistakes. #1 My Book Will Become a Bestseller One of the many lies authors tells themselves is that their book will become a bestseller. Especially if the book is published on Amazon. In reality, only a few books become bestsellers – Yes! There is a science and strategy to it. We’ll save that for another time. The problem is that many authors and books do not become best-sellers, regardless of how well-written or interesting their content is. I’ll go over strategies for becoming a bestseller later, but let me say that factors that can influence whether a book becomes a bestseller include competition from other similar titles by authors, the timing of the release, and marketing effort. I advise authors not to make becoming a best-selling author a major goal in their publishing journey, as this can potentially derail their writing. I’ve met several authors who were disappointed because their books didn’t sell even ten copies or become a bestseller as they had hoped. #2 My Content is Just Perfect One of the most common lies that authors tell themselves is that their work is flawless. This lie is mostly believed by religious people, who are so glued to their ideologies and interpretations of their faith. From the title of the book to the cover design, they would never give in to opposing opinions. This belief may cause them to avoid making any changes or adjustments to their manuscript, even if it isn’t working well. It may also prevent them from seeking feedback from others, which would aid in the improvement of their work. This can stifle your creative writing and render you unsuitable for professional criticism. Constructive criticism is necessary for the development of a good piece of writing. Receiving feedback on your work will help you identify areas for improvement and how to implement those changes to ensure that the final product meets all expectations. Relying solely on self-evaluation can result in stagnation and decrease writing quality over time. #3 I can do this alone it’s Easy Another lie authors tell themselves is “I can do this alone, without any help.” If you think that you can do everything by yourself, then you need some help.  Getting your work published through self-publishing is often portrayed as an easy and quick process, but it isn’t always that simple. As a result of the tremendous amount of work necessary to publish a book, self-publishing may be harder than going through traditional publishing houses. To turn a manuscript into a paperback or hardcover book, you need an editor, beta readers, proofreaders, designers, and printers. Setting up your website can be difficult enough without having to deal with all of the logistics of actually publishing a book. It’s not an easy task, and it takes a dedicated team of experts to pull it off successfully. The author may sometimes want to be the writer, editor, and expert, but this is not always the case. In my experience, most writers and authors who act in that manner produce crappy content that doesn’t deliver on their promises.  To publish your book successfully, you need experts in a variety of fields to assist you. Even if you want to self-publish, you won’t be able to do it all by yourself. You simply need to concentrate on what you do best: writing. To make significant progress and achieve success in the publishing industry, you must hire people whose skills complement yours. This will allow you to complete the task faster and better than if you attempted to do it alone. Let me mention that several local authors do not want to pay experts to assist them in the publishing process, so guess what happens? Yes, I believe you are correct. There’s nothing to write home about! In conclusion: Writing and publishing are two separate businesses. Until authors understand this and play by the rules of the game, they will forever live in deception and be consumed by their lies. For authors who seek to make money from their books, here are two things to note: Build a solid system that can help you scale and sell more books. Look at other avenues of making money than just your book, example could be events, courses, souvenirs, etc. As a self-published author, you need to think like an author who writes quality content that people want and need as well as an entrepreneur to establish a marketing system that aggressively markets your books to succeed.  Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Books Q.EST. Building a Reputable Presence Online On Becoming An Authority

Do brands last a lifetime? What makes some brands survive while others fail?Think about this question as it relates to your own life. What brands and products do you remember from your childhood? Are those brands still existing?If so, what could their main secrets be? If they are no longer around, what could have led to their extension? So, perhaps you already know the answers to these questions. My favorite childhood car brand was the French-built Peugeot. The Peugeot company was founded in 1810 by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, who began making coffee mills and bicycles.Despite not having seen my grandfather’s functional Peugeot 504 (Peugeot’s first Saloon Car), I did see the spoilt immovable car kept in the garage. The car’s round headlights and sunroof caught my attention at the time. On occasion, he gathers his young children and tells them stories of his car-related antics. From Ho to Hohoe and Aflao to Accra, he traveled.It was the most adored vehicle in the 1970s and 1980s. I used to only consider traveling by the Peugeot. All this time I was hoping for a meaningful experience that I would be able to talk about with my grandfather. Was his account of the car similar to my personal experience, in other words? Brand’s perception vs customer experience.Admirably the Peugeot still exists today with different models made, and the company has evolved. Today, I will share with you three key secrets among the many that help brands thrive over generations. There are several ways brands can survive and thrive. The key to success lies in understanding these strategies and applying them to your business. Let’s get started… Customer-focused: if your goal is for your customers to feel satisfied and you put your all into it to achieve that result, your customers will come back to serve you in many ways. Some may become your unofficial brand ambassadors. Brands that attain iconic status are people-minded. They take pride in their work and they go the extra step to ensure that their clients and customers are satisfied. Brands that last know that they’re in business because of people. They realize that these people will be spreading the good word and image about the brand, which will bring in more clients and more money. Brands that last put a premium on their customer acquisition and retention processes and don’t let it happen by chance. are the ones that succeed over the long term. The key to creating enduring customer value is to figure out how to build sustainable competitive advantage, not just for individual companies but for entire industries. Be value-driven! Communication: Brands that last keep their communication channels open all the time. Lasting brands use both new and old media to promote your business. Social media is used to engage with people, listen to them, provide feedback, and promote products and services. Listening helps provide avenues for bettering your products and services and strengthening your brand’s presence Lasting brands have a strong digital presence and constantly improve their digital presence to stay top of mind for their target audience.These actions help to strengthen the bond between the brand and its customers Consistency: Consistency is key. Nothing remarkable can be achieved without consistency. It’s the value, the voice, and the brand that drives home the message. Brands that last are always improving, always innovating, and always marketing their products and services Follow Coca-Cola’s lead. They’ve improved, even their formula, packaging, and messages, and constantly market themselves.Returning to the Peugeot brand, one of their success secrets has been their ongoing commitment to innovation and improvement. They never gave up, and today it’s one of the most sought-after cars in Europe by tourists.In addition to nine other Car of the Year wins in Spain, they have won five Car of the Year awards in Italy. I will summarize it all by ending with the words of James C. Collins from His Book, ‘Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, “The good news is that one of the key elements of being a visionary company is strikingly simple: Good old-fashioned hard work, dedication to improvement, and continually building for the future will take you a long way… The bad news is that creating a visionary company requires huge quantities of good old-fashioned hard work, dedication to improvement, and continually building for the future. There are no shortcuts. There are no magic potions. There are no workarounds. To build a visionary company, you’ve got to be ready for the long, hard pull. Success is never final” To remain relevant, brands must continuously reinvent themselves to attract new customers or retain existing ones. This requires constant innovation and adaptation. In conclusion, note that lasting brands are not built on autopilot, when it comes to building lasting brands, it’s important to understand what makes your brand different from others, and then find ways to leverage those differences to create lasting value for your customers. Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended books visit https://www.amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin

The Power of Video Content for Marketing Your Business Image source As a business owner, you’re always looking for ways to reach more customers and grow your bottom line. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to use video content. Video is one of the most effective marketing methods available and it’s only getting more popular. In fact, Cisco predicts that by 2022, 82% of all internet traffic will be video-related. If you’re not already making use of video content in your marketing strategy, now is the time to start. So, what makes video such a powerful marketing tool? Here are some benefits it can offer your business: 1. Increased Engagement Video is an incredibly engaging medium. In fact, humans are hardwired for visual information. Our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text and we’re able to retain 95% of a message when we watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading it in text form. This means that video content is much more likely to capture and hold your audience’s attention. Whether you’re displaying an explainer video on your website or sharing a branded video on social media, people are much more likely to watch the entire thing and absorb the message than if you were only communicating with them through text. 2. Greater Brand Awareness Video content can also be a fantastic way to build your brand, helping to put your business front and center in your audience’s minds. When creating video content like explainer videos or tutorials, it’s important to ensure that they feature your brand prominently throughout. Whether this means using your logo at the start of the video or simply mentioning your business name a few times, the video can help increase brand awareness and make your business more recognizable. 3. More Social Shares Another great benefit of video content is that it’s highly shareable. In fact, social videos are 12 times more likely to be shared than text and images combined. This means that when you create video content, your audience is much more likely to share it with their own followers and help spread the word about your business. As a business owner, you know how important word-of-mouth marketing can be. Video content is one of the most effective ways to generate buzz and encourage people to talk about your brand to their friends and family. 4. Improved SEO Video content is also a great way to improve your search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website. Google, in particular, puts a lot of weight on video when it comes to determining where sites should rank in the search results. This means that by including videos on your site, you can help boost your SEO and improve the visibility of your website. 5. More Time Spent on Your Site Another benefit of improved SEO is that it can lead to people spending more time on your site. As a result, people who find your site through a search engine are more likely to stay and explore if they see that you have relevant and interesting video content themes. This means that they’re more likely to take the next steps in your funnel and become a customer, rather than just leaving after quickly scanning over some text. 6. Reduced Bounce Rate In addition to increasing the amount of time people spend on your site, video content can also help reduce your bounce rate. This is the percentage of people who leave after only viewing one page on your site. A high bounce rate indicates that people aren’t finding what they’re looking for on your site and are quickly leaving. Video content can help reduce your bounce rate because it gives people a specific reason to stick around and keep exploring your site. They are much more likely to watch a video if it is interesting to them. They’re also much more likely to continue looking through the rest of your site rather than just bouncing back to the search engine results page. 7. More Leads and Sales Of course, video content is also great because it can help increase the number of leads and sales you generate. Whether people simply click to watch a video on your site or they end up subscribing to your channel, utilizing video in your marketing strategy will give you more opportunities to connect with potential customers and drive them further down the funnel. Ending Note By this time, it should be abundantly clear that video content is a powerful marketing tool that you can’t afford to ignore. If you’re not already using video to market your business, make sure to start incorporating it into your strategy as soon as possible. And if you are using video, be sure to keep these benefits in mind and focus on creating high-quality content that will help you achieve your business goals. Let us all learn to love, nurture and utilize the power of video content for marketing your business. Recommended Books www.amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin on becoming an Authority

Tips for Building a Reputable Online Presence Tips for Building a Reputable Online Presence “We must be careful not to let our current appetites steal away any chance we might have for a future feast.” ~ Jim Rohn Let’s look at some factors to consider while developing a great online presence: 1. Branding Branding is the first step towards building your online personal brand. You will be perceived based on how you present yourself, so make your brand worth every glance. Make use of both visual and verbal content. Your content is your digital currency, and the value you provide determines how much it appreciates and depreciates over time. You need to decide what type of content you want to create around your niche. Do you want to focus on creating videos? Or maybe you are more interested in writing articles? Once you know what kind of content you want to produce, then you can start thinking about how you can make this content better than anyone else out there. 2. Social Media Social media is another great way to connect with people who share your same interests. This is a great place to get started if you are looking to build your own online personal brand. If you have never created any social media profiles before, then you might want to consider starting with Facebook. You should always use a platform that makes you feel comfortable and happy. Don’t stress too much about trying to figure everything out right now. Just start somewhere! Don’t create an account only to leave it idle; instead, be consistent with your content and provide value to your audience. That’s how you get your message out while also keeping your brand at the forefront of people’s minds. 3. Email Marketing Most essential, use your content to develop a list and then grow your business from there. Your email is your powerful connector for establishing rapport with your audience and even sell your services. Email marketing is something that you can do from anywhere at any time. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. So, don’t wait to sign up for an email list. Start sending out emails today to help you build your own online personal branding. Above all stay trustworthy! Recommended Books www.amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin on becoming an Authority Above all stay trustworthy!

The Rise of the Gig Guys, Are you in? “You have no idea how many people may require your services if only you could muster the confidence to put your skills to use” – Bernard Kelvin Clive I’d been up all night trying to memorize a slew of notes for a mid-semester exam. My eyes were heavy with sleep at 3 a.m., and my head couldn’t take it any longer. As I contemplated whether to go to bed or go for a walk to get some fresh air, the door flung wide open with a boom! He was hot and sweaty, and his clothes were dirty with clay from his ceramic work at the Art Shed. KKD, my roommate, rushed in and yelled, “chale, we have to go to town; Asafo Market, Kumasi, this morning at six o’clock and back for early morning classes at seven o’clock.” “Huh!?, I am tired!”, I replied. “Believe me, it’s a good deal!” he retorted! When he announced the news, sleep fled my eyes and my energy was quickly restored… The concept of side gigs and freelancing was extremely popular among students at KNUST’s College of Art & Social Science. Particularly in the Rural Art Department(IRAI). The course’s innovative and robust nature not only provides individuals with academic information to earn diplomas and certificates but also prepares them for the world of work. The course was challenging and rigorous, requiring students to study six main art disciplines in addition to other necessary semester courses. Other extracurricular activities would be difficult to fit in. Perhaps this is why I graduated ‘4 – 0’ no ‘intɛ’ (girlfriend).LOL. As difficult as the course was, so was the delight and satisfaction that came with the side gigs where students get to sell the products they created. We dubbed it ‘comɛ’, after the word “commercial.” ‘Man must survive,’ is a common slogan we chant during the gigs. Several of my classmates were ‘comɛ’ experts. Sandy Gyimah, often known as Toa, bursted with enthusiasm and versatility. Toa could sell anything, including the jute ropes used to make Macrame goods. (Toa is a serial entrepreneur at the moment.) George Preko was a brilliant carver and designer; I still have one of his sculptures at home (he now operates a creative advertising agency). Saka was a natural entrepreneur who saw money practically everywhere. (Saka, now a real estate mogul of Saka Homes). My roommate Kwame Kyere Diabour(KKD) was multitalented and creative; just give him an idea and he’ll make it a reality, be it wood, clay, or whatever. (Dr. KKD, now a senior lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba (UCEW)). These individuals had the potential to generate money right on campus. I recall KKD landing a big gig back then, manufacturing citation plaques for one of the municipal assemblies. That’s why he dragged me to town that morning to obtain some supplies for the work. We had a feast that weekend when we delivered the completed work. Chale, the feeling was gooood! Later, using my leatherworking skills, I began making stunning backpacks out of ‘tye&dye’ leathers. (The first of its sort on campus.) I remember making one of these backpacks for my Massdrama colleague, Michael, aka ‘Pocho’ (now CEO of Team1000words). Instead of the inscription ‘pocho,’ the words turned out to be ‘poche,’ a story for another day. The point is, in all of these situations, I noticed a common success factor running across with these guys: their ‘comɛ’, side-gigs were in areas where they were talented and had some degree of competence. [What are your present skills?] The lesson here is that there is always something extra to do, whether it is a side gig, freelancing, or running a full-fledged business. The catch is to rely on your natural abilities and things you are proficient at or can potentially develop, this, then becomes the first point of entry. All of my friends mentioned were gifted in some way, and the course had also helped them develop their talents, making it quite easier to monetize. The second point is that there existed a demand for their services, and they generated that demand. ‘Man must survive,’ was the driving force. If you are thinking about living a luxurious and exciting life, or if you need to survive the pressures of life, have expenses to pay, and numerous needs, you would not minimize your talents – your expertise. You have no idea how many people may require your services if only you could muster the confidence to put your skills to use. Are you prepared to start a side hustle? Here are some Benefits of Freelancing 1. Work from home or anywhere in the world Asabea refers to herself as the nocturnal guru. She enjoys staying up late to write. Early mornings are not her thing, and she battles with it all the time. So working a full-time job in Accra’s city center is hell for her. Freelancers are free to work from home or anywhere in the world at their own pace. You are not obligated to work from a particular location within a particular time frame. You choose your schedules. It’s also possible to freelance as a part-time job, which makes it easier to balance with a full-time role. While flexibility is key for many workers, so is working with people you enjoy and trust. Remote jobs allow you to build your reputation by working on small, personal projects before moving on to larger ones. Plus, since the other person isn’t in your office or in the same state or country, you don’t have to worry about office politics or being disliked—the only things that matter are the quality of your work and relationships. 2. Build your portfolio and proofs Bellerin wanted to pitch corporate institutions for photography jobs, but he didn’t have any references —portfolios, or endorsements to display. This is why portfolios are so important—your portfolio serves as proof of your expertise. And when you’re a freelance writer […]

Why do you want to write a book? The recent boom of interest in self-publishing has led to an explosion of books being created. While there are positives to this new market, it could also have negative impacts on book quality. Writing a book can be a daunting, time-consuming task. However, it is one of the best things you can do and leave as a legacy. There are many benefits to writing a book. Writing helps you better understand your thoughts and who you are as an individual. It also allows you to contribute to the world by adding to the vast body of knowledge that already exists on the subject. One of the most common reasons people write books is to share experiences, teach lessons, or inspire others. That said, not every idea will make it into books. Some ideas and write-ups are best kept as blog posts and articles. Blog posts and articles are the perfect media for publishing content on a given topic. Blog posts are a great way to share insights and tips for readers, while articles provide in-depth analysis of specific topics. Sometimes these articles and blog posts serve a better and more timely need than if they were written in books. As much as I advise people to write books, I also place a caveat that not everything can turn out as a book or for that matter a great book. This is because the task of writing a book has several pitfalls that need to be avoided. For example, some people don’t have the time or discipline to write a book. Others have an idea that isn’t likely to sell well in the market. The first governing principle on writing books is the reason for the book. Now, it may seem like an obvious starting point, but many people forget about it or neglect to consider it. If you don’t know what your book is about or what you want your readers to get out of reading it, then how can you expect them to buy and read your book? That serves as a precursor for publishing. It informs the option of the right audience, the market, and the specific need. In my book publishing classes, I always assert my belief that authors should clarify their reasons for writing a book before beginning the publishing process. This will give them a clear vision of their goals and what they want to achieve. If they would like to write a book for profit, they can use this information when choosing how much time and effort to put into writing. For authors who are not looking for monetary gain, it helps know if this is something they are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and money on it. It is clarity that will set the direction of the book publishing project. People write for so many reasons, either to make money, inspire, educate, or gain social status. In a recent Facebook post by the Zimbabwean telecommunications mogul, Strive Masiyiwa, who also founded and presides over Econet in Zimbabwe, Canada, and Zimbabwe respectively; he had this to say “I wanted to reach people who don’t usually read books. I ended up reaching more than 100m according to Facebook!” He believes that a book would have limited him in reaching out to a large number of people. Additionally, he didn’t want people paying for his content, he said: “I did not want people to pay for this material.” So he resorted to using Social Media as a means of sharing his content. He’s the go-to guy for entrepreneurs seeking to learn more in the field. He offers deep insights and openly engages with his audience on Facebook. I highly recommend every young entrepreneur follow his page on Social Media to learn more. His ‘why’ was crystal clear, so he chose the appropriate channel that would help him achieve his goal. There are some people just like Strive, experts in their various fields without a book in their name yet they share insightful long post content on social media. Perhaps, they may write a book someday. Something I always encourage them to do, however, for now, they believe the best medium to reach their audience is through their blog or social media posts. Take a look at the following people in my social media circle and get some insights from their content: Selorm Branttie is an ICT Business Specialist, Raymond Ablorh is a Communications Specialist, Nana Kwame Snr. is a Chartered Banker and Entrepreneur, BigGodwin is an IT Entrepreneur, and Kojo Akoto Boateng is an Entrepreneur and Broadcast Journalist. I have benefited a lot from the content of these people. So, for upcoming writers and authors be guided by your ‘why’? Once you are convinced, then do it! Remember that why you do what you do is more important than what you do. The question is, is a book the best medium for you? Think through again! To conclude let’s look at some benefits of writing a book: Increased Income: As technology makes advancements, there are new ways to make money. One of these ways is through self-publishing an e-book on sites such as Amazon. When you self-publish a book you can earn up to 70% royalties per sale of the book. This is a great way to make money without having to go through the hassle of submitting your book idea to traditional publishers. Your book may become a source of residual income. You write and publish it once, then it returns keeps coming. Increased Exposure: Some people think that writing a book is a waste of time, but in reality, writing a book increases your exposure. This is especially true for authors who are just starting out. The more books you write; the more people you reach. As people read your books, they will often be interested in finding out more about you and your other works. So if you have been considering writing a […]

Tips to grow your brand FInd your unique audince Feed them value – over deliver Generate ‘Word of Mouth Marketing’ – Power referrals Feedbacks – get them and use them properly Stay Consistrent Stay Creative – Be diffirent Branding Resources

12 Things to Dare in 2022 “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― Andre Gide There comes a time in our lives that we must step out of our comfort zones and prisons and get into new territories.  We all have some areas that we need to Dare to venture into in the coming year. So, today I present to you some ideas for daring discoveries. Go through and give it a shot. 1. Dare to Break mental strongholds It all begins in the mind. Your mind is either your prison or palace. Several people have been stopped not by demons but by their own beliefs: self-limiting believes. So many “I can’t” block the flow of possibilities. To do and have more, one must first believe. Expand your capacity to receive. Sometimes we place a cap on what we can achieve based on our past failures, which ought not to be so. Until one breaks self-imposed barriers in the mind, success becomes a wild goose chase. Believe you can and work towards it. See it first in your mind then work towards it.  “Don’t let mental blocks control you. Set yourself free. Confront your fear and turn the mental blocks into building blocks.” ― Dr. Roopleen 2. Dare to Raise the bar on yourself Truth be told, unless you deliberately upgrade yourself and see the worth in you, people will always treat you less than you deserve. They will devalue you and underpay you. You must dare to make a conscious effort at all costs to work harder on yourself, become a better person in your niche. I believe you are capable of achieving more. Place a demand on yourself, sacrifice more and stretch to reach for great heights. Self-worth is your first wealth.  “I dare you, while there is still time, to have a magnificent obsession.” ― William Danforth 3. Dare to Write a book Writing may not come easily for everyone, however, everyone has a story, an experience, lessons to share. This may be the best time to write that book for you. Your story needs to be heard. Whether aiming at becoming a bestseller or not, make it a goal to share your story, lessons, strategies, and thoughts with the world. Listen, you may be helping someone you may never meet or know. Just start writing. At best hire a ghostwriter to professionally help you with your book. 4. Dare to go on a date If you’ve been postponing the idea for the date, now might be a good fit to give it a shot. Yeah either married or single, you can just pick a location to go spend some quality time with yourself, your spouse, fiancée, or family. It makes a lot of difference. Hey, why don’t you dare ask that person you’ve been admiring all this while for a date? You may be lucky, dare, go for it! 5. Dare to Travel/ tour/ retreat/ vacation Travelling opens are a new world of possibilities, to meet people of diverse cultures, lifestyles, and beliefs. It offers you an opportunity to learn and have fun. Perhaps, you have never traveled outside your village, town, city, or country. This may be the time to do so. Plan for that trip today. Additionally, Dare to Go on a retreat! You also deserve some vacation. Go out of town, find a serene place to meditate, have deeper soul searching, pray and commune with God. 6. Dare to learn a language Language is a very powerful communication tool, if you are at least multilingual the better. Learning a new language can be empowering, just add one more you your list. 7. Dare to go back to school/ learn a Skill Dare to go back to school, either online or offline. You may think it is too late but hey! No! You can still take that course.  Learn something new. Upgrade yourself. Find out what skills are needed in your industry and learn. It offers you more opportunities in life. Skills get you hired. If necessary, make it happen this year. Make inquiries and pick a form. 8. Dare to Start a business (side hustle) It is a good practice to have multiple streams of income. It makes life worth living and lightens the pressures of life. Starting a side gig may not be for everyone, but the idea of trying something on your own has many wells of lessons one can draw from. You may need an extra income or may have plans for a startup business. Just begin, get the needed resources and launch out. 9. Dare to hire an expert Yes! You cannot do it all on your own and certainly cannot master everything in your lifetime. So to save you some time and money, you must hire experts in areas that can help complement what you do. Dare to delegate and focus on the things you can handle effectively and efficiently. Successful people leverage experts to help them succeed. 10. Dare Start to foster a child You may want to start a family and possibly raise children or perhaps just want to foster a child. Whatever your family goals are, Dare to make it happen. If you’ve been planning on settling down and the right time is up, go ahead don’t keep postponing it. Prepare for wonderful family life. If adopting or fostering is the best option for you, go for it. Your adoption may just be to cater to the needs of someone’s child. Do it! 11. Dare to own properties – Dare to acquire some lands, if you have land, you can have more. If you have none, now it’s a great time to secure one. Invest in lands, it always appreciates. – Dare to start a backyard garden A backyard farm would be an ideal starting point if you have space for it. Be it plant or animal farming, cultivate this as a hobby or […]

“If you don’t prepare you will repair” – Bernard Kelvin Clive The Power of Brand Preparation. In this episode I talked about the power of preparation in brand building. Preparation is a critical process in the brand-building journey. If you don’t prepare you’ll repair. So start right and build right, prepare!

“Find a balance between the art of writing and the business of publishing“ As an author, the question that has been asked on countless occasions has been ‘How do you find inspiration to write?’ Today, I will share with you some simple truths and challenges faced by writers and authors alike. Listen, there would be days you have the drive and internal motivation to write, the flow will be natural and uninterrupted. And well there will be other days that regardless of what you do, the inspiration and flow will not be there. Yeah, that’s life, don’t let the not-so-good days discourage you. The recent pandemic (Covid-19) took the world by surprise. While it shut down some businesses it also reshaped the minds of others. Before this, many thought to themselves they were too busy to slow down to enjoy the simple pleasures of life or pursue the list on their bucket list were awaken to the realities of life. For the last 12 months, I have seen several people writing and publishing books, yes! Surprised? Suddenly, they’ve got the time to write and share their stories and ideas with the world. Truth be told, sometimes it takes an uncertain tragic situation to turn men towards living their dreams. The thing is that, if one desires to write, every day presents an opportunity to do so, it might not be as fast as one desires, but there will be progress. That simple action and habit will lead to many creative ideas being birthed. We are all sometimes slack, slow, and lazy about taking simple action, but when we commit to it, a whole new world of possibilities is born. So, here are simple tips and tweaks to help you in your writing and publishing journey. 1. Block some time off your daily schedule to write. It could just be 30minutes.2. Write when you are inspired or not. It’s the habit that counts.3. Treat your first draft as such, it’s a draft, don’t try to polish it during the writing process.4. If you are writing a book, make it a great one. Put all your all into it. That’s the beginning of your success.5. Invest in a professional editor6. The secret has been to always start promoting your book before it’s ready. Promote before publishing.7. Great writers are readers as well. So read other books, build yourself up.8. Join a network of writers and authors, this helps greatly.9. Quality design sells. Get a professional cover and book layout designer to do your book cover and typesetting.10. No matter how great a writer you are, never try to do everything on your own. Engage the expertise of others, it pays!11. Don’t stress yourself over who should write the foreword for your book12. If you desire to stay in the game for a long time then, consider writing multiple books(series) than trying to make a killing from just one book.13. Book tiles do change. Your current book title may need to change before publishing14. Publish on Amazon and other platforms. Sometimes smaller platforms may offer you more royalties. Don’t be limited, spread!15. Make friends with bloggers, publicists, and book reviewers, if not hire them when necessary. They help create buzz around your book.16. Blogging and podcasting are great marketing channels. If you can, consider guest blogging and podcasting. They are a prodigious book promotional avenue.17. Get reviewers for your book online. Reviews help to drive sales for your book.18. Prepare to be a guest on TV/Radio, Podcasts, etc. An avenue to market your book.19. Get an author website or landing page for your book. Giveaway some content!20. Be consistent and committed to writing. Craft your writing style. Write for your ideal audience and grow!21. Learn well the art of writing and the business of publishing. Book Publishing is a big business, do all you can to stand out! Bernard Kelvin CliveAmazon bestselling author of over 50 published books. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

In this episode, I discussed the subject of branding and rebranding with Susan Meier. Susan Hamilton Meier coaches business leaders on how to position their brands with clarity and impact. An alumnus of Harvard Business School and the Boston Consulting Group, Susan has helped the world’s leading brands understand their customers, evolve their strategic vision, and create effective communication. Based on her experiences, she developed a workbook that equips entrepreneurs and small business owners with the same tools her Fortune 50 clients use to identify their brand’s unique niche and craft their key messages. RESOURCES: Books by BKC www.Amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin

“Branding is more than just a creative name and cute logo…” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Building a brand is about much more than coming up with a brand statement, logo, and colors. And still, too many businesses seem to think that’s all there is to it. This is why so many of them end up getting lost in the sea of other competitors and can’t seem to stick with their audience. But if your goal is to get your brand out there and attract the right people, you have to know how to build a brand strategy and avoid some crucial mistakes. Here are a few of them. Not Starting with a Brand Strategy The biggest issue is not coming in with a strategy. You should always start with your biggest competition and see what they’re doing. This will inspire you as to what you can do and how you can differentiate yourself. You also need to have a clear audience of who you’re catering to. Remember, this is all about your customer and aligning yourself with their experience. If you start from this angle, you’ll realize that fonts and colors have very little to do with your brand. It’s about being as persuasive as possible to your core audience. Not Delegating This is another major issue for many companies. They might want to put their in-house marketing team on the job when they might not understand all the aspects of branding. Branding online and offline are two completely different things, and people who do not have the expertise to build a brand online cannot be expected to learn on the fly and get good results. You need to hire a team for the job and find one with significant experience working on this type of project. People like main-rose.com are a perfect example. Outsourcing online branding will result in better results and will allow you to save time and money. You’ll also be able to allocate your team to asks they are better at. Cutting Corners A lot of people try to build their brand on the cheap. The issue is that a cheap brand will become synonymous with who you are, and it will be very difficult to shake off. This is why you need to invest all that you can into a proper design at first. While the logo isn’t everything, it is still a very important part of branding, so don’t make the mistake of hiring someone on Fiverr to do the job. What you’ll get is a mishmash of overused stock photos and cheap fonts. While you can get away with a cheap site at the beginning, make sure that the colors and logos are consistent and that the logo is professionally made. One of the big issues with having a cheaply made logo is that you might have difficulty transposing it to different formats. You don’t want to have to redesign the logo so that it looks the same on print and online. These are a few examples of mistakes people make when building their brand. Make sure that you avoid these, and understand what makes a strong brand to begin with. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

If you have a desire to write a book or you have a book written and want to generate more revenue from it, then this is the right episode for you. In this episode my guest Dr. Angela, shares with us, secret strategies of writing a book and making a 6 figure income out of it. Dr. Angela E. Lauria is the founder of The Author IncubatorTM and creator of the Difference ProcessTM for writing a book that matters. The Author Incubator was ranked #275 on the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies and #60 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur 360. Dr. Angela won the Stevie Award’s Coach/Mentor of the Year Award and her program, The Author’s Way was named Coaching Program of the Year and was named, by entrepreneur Magazine, as one of the top 10 most inspiring entrepreneurs to watch –one of only 2 women on the list. Dr. Angela has helped over 1,000 authors-in transformation write, publish, and promote their books. Her clients have been responsible for over $100 million in cumulative revenue. She has a B.A. and an M.A. in Journalism and Media Affairs from The George Washington University and a PhD in Communications from The European Graduate School. She is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of: Make ‘Em Beg To Work For You: How to Find, Hire, Manage, Reward, and Release All-star Players to Help Make your Dream a Reality Make ‘Em Beg to Be Your Client: The Nonfiction Authors’ Guide to Selling, Serving, and Funding a Movement Make ‘Em Beg to Publish Your Book: How To Reach A Larger Audience & Make A Full-Time Income In The Extremely Overcrowded World of Personal Development The Incubated Author: 10 Steps to Start a Movement with Your Message The Difference: 10 Steps To Writing A Book That Matters. She lives at The Author Castle in McLean, Virginia with her husband Paul, son Jesse and their Castle cats Princesses Feathers & Foxy McFuzz Bucket. RESOURCES: Download FREE books by Dr. Angela www.TheAuthorIncubator.com/freebooks Follow me on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/TheAuthorIncubator Books by BKC www.Amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin

3 Proven Brand Strategies that Global Brands Employ How to Stay in the Game “Leads are seeds not harvest; cultivate them gradually” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In the new age of marketing, advertising, branding, and sales promotion, the ancient landmarks of success cannot be overridden with fanciful marketing schemes and sleazy sales tactics. Although these strategies can help up to some degree, overly using advertising to grow a brand won’t cut it, you will need a more robust approach, proven and tested. While certain brands may thrive for a season, others transcend generations. The difference between these two parties most often is not that much. Research and study of brands over the years have revealed some truth about successful and unsuccessful brands. Here are three pivotal differentiators that serve as the pillars of successful branding strategies of great brands. 1. Growth Strategies “Companies that invest more in digital transformation actually outperform their peers over time. These companies are more prepared for disruption, better able to monetize new digital channels, and better able to build a bigger user base. What’s more, this phenomenon exists regardless of industry.” — Geoff Cubitt, CEO, Isobar US Brands that succeed over a long time are deliberate about their growth and development. Their success never happens by chance but by choice. They are determined to grow and expand into new products, services, and markets. They believe that any brand that does not grow dies. Seams and times do change, and that which worked yesterday may not work today. So brands must consistently learn new ways of operating to keep the wheels of fortune turning in their favor. They become intentional about employing the use of technology to their advantage; by focusing on the tools that will help them deliver better and quality results. Every growing brand rides on the winds of technology and innovation, from Brands such as Apple to Tesla and the basic WhatsApp messenger on your phone. These successful brands employ innovative measures to ensure that their products and services meet the ever-changing needs of the market. In moving forward, key areas brands must put more into for research and development to grow are data science and artificial intelligence. As rightly put by Vitaly Gordon, Vice President, Data Science and Engineering, Einstein, Salesforce  “You don’t need to know how the technology of a microwave works to use it — it is simply a tool. We’re now entering the same phase with AI, thanks to the huge influx of no-code, point‑and-click tools. AI will become a widely used utility by everyone, regardless of technical background. As a result, most of the AI applications in the coming years will be built by people with little or no AI training.” 2. Customer Care – People centered “We’ve been talking about the importance of ‘customer-centricity’ for some time. But until now retailers have lacked both the technology and the mandate to connect marketing, sales, service, and commerce systems to enable a 360-degree view of the customer. Now that relevant and personalised engagement has emerged as a key differentiator, retailers will finally make the investments to deliver on the promise of putting the customer at the center of everything they do.” — Rob Garf, Vice President, Industry Strategy & Insights, Salesforce In competitive marketplace brands that genuinely care about their clients will outlive and outsell their competitions. Brands that succeed purposefully care about their customers. They are not in business just to make money, they are driven by the needs and wants of their market. Consistently feeding the market. Great brands understand that their competitors are just a click away and that loyalty only exists to the point that the satisfaction of the customer is met. If the need of a customer is consistently and deliberately overlooked brands fall is imminent. 3. Value-Driven “Money is one of the rewards you get for adding value to the lives of others.” — Paul McKenna Brands that have stood the test of time and still stay top of mind deliberately work on the value of products and services they offer. In doing business today, most especially in the digital landscape the two most important success factors have been the ability to drive traffic and secondly the ability to determine the right audience for your brand. Although one may employ many triggers just to get the needed traffic and attention of the market, a brand will fail if it leaves the most important thing – that is Value. If you get the attention you seek and you are not able to deliver the quality desired, you destroy your brand. In conclusion, remain creative, be consistent and deliver on your brand’s promise. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

Digital Growth Strategies In this episode I outline steps and strategies to help you build an authority. On Becoming an authority areas discussed Who’s an Authority Value of an Authority Strategies to Become an Authority Niche Finding – Investments — study, teach Establishing your voice Platform Building Key principles to be employed consistency commitment creativity (branding, simplify) Obstacles to overcome Legacy Recommended books: GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies for Achieving your Goals While Enjoying Life. DOERS 12:52 CEO Branding

“Masters today were starts yesterday, begin now!” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Let’s dare to do more this year! Now is the time to spice up and step up your personal brand! Becoming a better you! Life gets better when you get better. Pick and do what you can, challenge yourself. This might not be for everyone, however, everyone can find something worth daring. 1. Write a bookThis may be the best time to write that book in you. Your story needs to be heard. Just start writing. 2. Go on a dateYeah either married or single, you can just pick a location to go spend some quality time with yourself, your spouse, fiancée or family. It makes a lot of difference. 3. Travel/ go on a tourPerhaps, you have never traveled outside your village, town, city or country. This may be the time to do so. Plan for that trip today. 4. Learn a languageLanguage is a very powerful communication tool, if you are at least multilingual the better. Learning a new language can be empowering, just add one more to your list. 5. Go back to schoolYou may think it’s too late but hey no! You can still take that course. If it’s necessary, make it happen this year. Make enquires and pick a form. 6. Start a business (side hustle)You may need an extra income or may have plans for a startup business. Just begin, get the needed resources and launch out. 7. Adopt a childIf this is the best option for you, go for it. Your adoption may just be to cater for the needs of someone’s child. Do it! 8. Start a familyIf you’ve been planning to settling down and the right time is up, go ahead don’t keep postponing it. Prepare for. a wonderful family life. 9. Plant treesContribute to a greener world and save lives by simply planting a tree. We need fresher air and a better environment. Be a tree planter. 10. Run a MarathonYou may just decide to do this for the fun of it not necessarily for a medal. Experience it! 11. Go on a retreatGo out of town, find a serene place to meditate, have deeper soul searching, pray and commune with God. 12. Start a farmA backyard farm would be an ideal starting point if you have space for it. Be it plant or animal farming, cultivate this as a hobby or business. The returns are worth the effort. 13. Acquire a landIf you have land, you can have more. If you have none, now it’s a great time to secure one. Invest in lands, it always appreciates. 14. VolunteerService to others is service to God. Offer to serve freely in any capacity that you can. Be of help to others. 15. Compose a songYeah! You don’t need to be a musician or songwriter to write a song, you just need to appreciate life and nature to begin. Do it in your way. Sing your song. 16. Start a personal libraryYou need not be a lover of books to start a library. For posterity sake, have a resource of books that can help generations after you. It could be a great way to transfer knowledge and impact lives. 17. Grow your assets (invest)It is a good practice to have multiple streams of income. It makes life worth living and lightens the pressures of life. 18. Read more booksAnd one more book to your reading list, then another, then another. Read as much as you can. Get enlightened. 19. Learn a skillLearn something new. Upgrade yourself. Find out what skills are needed in your industry and learn. It offers you more opportunities in life. Skills get you hired. 20. Give anonymouslyIn a society where people take pleasure in the public display of alms, do the opposite. Give and give quietly. You don’t need to publicize your act of kindness. 21. Quit: Disengage the DysfunctionalYes! Winners do quit and quitters do win. There comes a time that you must stop doing things that are not working and no longer saving it purposes – quit ridding the dead horses! It’s okay to quit that dysfunctional relationship, quit that job, quit that association, and move on. Life is too short to keep riding dead horses, there are more oceans to conquer more dreams to achieve. Step put boldly and pursue you dreams. Dare to be a difference-maker, standout with your brand.Make your year count. Recommended books: GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies for Achieving your Goals While Enjoying Life. DOERS 12:52

“Any brand that does not innovate and grow, dies!” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Brands evolve! Regardless of the current stage of your brand, if you desire to stay top of mind and in business, you will need at least one of these milestones/goals to reach in the coming year. Go through this list and be challenged to take your brand to another height. 1. Raise the bar on yourself I know quite a number of brands in my circle who offer the same services and products of high quality and standard yet they are underpaid by their clients. Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback, lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve. Listen, if you don’t place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity. Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented, and skilled. Yes you, you have to believe that. It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one’s abilities. Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business. No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things. Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand. If you’ve been doing well, great! It’s time to step up your game, go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity. You can do more. In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft. 2. Invest in a professional coach Truth be told, successful people hire coaches. They don’t try to figure everything out on their own, they ask for help and support – coaching. To move your brand to the next level, a coach is imperative. Coaches guide you on paths they are more knowledgeable and have proven records of their success. Hire a coach to help you in selected areas of your life and brand. It saves you time and money. The potential return on investment in a coach for your brand is priceless. 3. Build partnership There’s strength in numbers and unity of purpose. In building and growing your brand, forming strong alliances offer you great leverage you can’t have doing things all on your own. There are times you need to partner with other successful and big brands to grow your business. Therefore, I advise you to seek mutually beneficial connections. In partnering, consider what you can offer your partners and vice versa, what they will be bringing to the table. Once all is set, always remember to have a partnership agreement signed before you go on with any task. If possible, seek legal advice. Effective partnerships grow Brands. Make it a major goal to build a partnership in the coming weeks, months, and years. 4. Scale – enlarge your territories Too often many people settle too soon when they attain what they may seem successful in their own eyes. The temptation to settle could be so high when praises come from all corners. Yes, you may be doing well. It is good to celebrate but even greater to make the most of the situation at hand – repeat that which worked and scale your brand. When the season to grow comes don’t rest on your past fruits, there are more lands to conquer. Grow your brand beyond your current comfort zone. You may be doing well considerably in your niche. Sometimes your niche may become your comfort zone when you fail to recognize the season to expand. Take a well prepared and calculated giant step with your brand in the coming weeks, months, and years. The world is your oyster. 5. Work on your feedback As I always say “feedbacks are ways brands can look back”. I know of brands that have failed and have dimmed out because they took lightly the feedbacks of their clients and customers. Perhaps, you’ve lost a fortune over the years because of your indifference, but in moving forward you can do better to restore that which you lost. It’s time to review and evaluate your brand, where you flipped and flopped. The good, bad, and ugly. Every great brand and leader takes reviews and feedback seriously. These are important data to help make better decisions, products, and services, you discard and disregard it at your peril. 6. Get a brand identity designed A successful brand works on its tangible and intangible aspects of the brand. A brand can be successful by mastering any of these two, however, to make a great impact one must perfectly blend both the tangibles and intangibles. One major aspect of a Brand’s tangibles is its brand identity – logo and its other brand visuals. A great brand identity becomes the wheel on which your brand travels. A lever to reach higher feats. It’s therefore important to give your brand a professional representation. Your logo, visuals must supplement and boost your brand. Make your visuals stunning, simple, and impactful. Remember, men are moved by what they see, give them something worth your brand. Dominate with dazzling designs. 7. Develop a working brand guide and strategy Knowing exactly what you want and desire would help you achieve your goals faster. Sometimes, you may have a plan for your brand but if it’s not well documented, you wouldn’t be able to reach your brand goals. One way to make this easier and better is by having a brand guide and strategy plan. Your brand guide and brand strategy will serve as a blueprint. Boosting your professional brand position. This will deter you from using try-and-error approaches. 8. Read more books Your brand gets better when you get better. In the coming weeks, months, and years, make time to read good books. Invest in your mind, expand your intellectual prowess. Read books in your field by […]

Three Stages of Thyself – Personal Brand Man is a complex being.If care is not taken, the pressures of life and demands of society would worsen the woes and complexity of men. In a world where many play the ‘like game’ to be accepted and loved by others, many have succumbed and submitted, living lives less than they should, just for the praise of men. Accepting crumbs, less of their worth. It takes a determined heart, courage, and commitment to stay true to oneself and calling. It has become very necessary for men to wake up from their slumber – bootlicking and blind loyalty to live their dreams – be who they were called to be – and live life to the fullest unapologetically. Permit your true self to stand out from the crowd to shine – building an authentic personal brand. Let’s quickly look at the three stages of knowing thyself. The process of getting to know one’s self takes time, it’s not a one-off event achieved by a swoosh of a magic wand. It’s almost a lifelong process of discovery. Truth is that you will never be able to fully discover who you are. Man is endowed with many abilities, most often people only scratch a percentage of it. Know thyself: Introspection, access and accepting yourself However, the fulfilling part is that, when you begin to identify the traces of who you are, setting the pace for your life’s success, it is important to consider Socrates’ statement, ” Man Know thyself”. These simple words, timeless and encapsulated with great wisdom have served as a wake-up call and guiding light to many. Sometimes in the haste to be known- fame, name, and money, many sell themselves cheap. “Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.” ― Roy T. Bennett Date Thyself; dating yourself implies making time for you – having a ‘me time’. Take time to understudy and understand yourself, your actions, and inactions. What’s your personality? Do you understand yourself? These are questions you should be asking yourself. At this stage, you must know and understand how your temperament affects your life and how to maximize it. A brief look at the Four main temperaments. Truth is that all of us have all these temperaments in us, however, one or two become dominant, thereby defining you. However, these temperaments can be worked on to make the best of it. One need not say ‘that’s who I am and I live my life that way’, dating yourself will enable you to navigate through the many phases of your temperament in understanding yourself and charting a path that will best help you and others. I encourage you to take the temperament test if you have not done that already. You can easily Google-find a trusted website to do that. Pay attention to things that inspire you and that which drains you. How you react to the situation around you. By doing that you will develop a deeper understanding of yourself – strengths and weaknesses. Aiding you to make better-informed decisions about your life. NB: Knowing and understanding your personality type helps you define your brand to build it successfully. Let these words by Eleanor Roosevelt sink deep into your thoughts, “Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don’t be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren’t paying any attention to you. It’s your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you’ll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there’s no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.” Be thyself: Putting forth your ‘persona’ by properly representing yourself – this third phase is quite challenging because it’s that phase that truly represents you. The thing is that you can know thyself and date thyself but not properly be thyself because of many external compelling forces – society, fame, money, etc. Be limited by nothing, knowing your personality type doesn’t confine you, it only serves to guide you. So, don’t just settle with what you know about yourself – work on yourself to be the best person you could ever be. A better person for a better world. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde If you can be yourself in the midst of it all, creating your brand and sticking to it would be refreshing, rewarding, and fulfilling. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, don’t be controlled by them, master, and direct them. Don’t tag along or tiptoe through life, step boldly into your destiny, live an inedible mark of greatness, and hope in the hearts of men. Let the real you rise! Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

Personal Branding Today’s Take Away Staying Sweet in Spirit & Style 1. Know your roots (your roots here represents your gifts and talents. It’s not necessarily being born into a Royal or wealthy family. Your talents and gifts will be your strongest roots to grow. Find them and feed them. 2. Learn the ropes (Study your roots, history, and mysteries, every trade has it’s secrets, know the tongue of your trade) The unique things that will set you apart for generations. It may be minute, but polish it, make that gem shine. Master your gifts and Polish your crafts. 3. Ride with confidence. You are the first version(First Lady/Gentleman) of your Life – act accordingly). Step out with your best foot forward always. Your giftedness is your Royal gold, hold it up high, be proud of it, and harness its potentials. Knowing who you are and what you carry boosts your confidence. Stride with boldness. 4. Stay in style. Dress your best. Daze and dazzle daily. You are a Royal, dress like one. Let your appearances speak volumes about you – sell yourself with your brand visuals. Slay and stun your world. Remember to dress for the occasion – never go unprepared, under-dressed, or over-dressed. No one size fits all, each occasion and platform demands a certain outlook. 5. Be tactful and stay relevant. Don’t lose your luster and relevance as you grow(age). Mentor others, impact, and offer more value.Employ strategies to stay top of mind consistently.  Let the Queen & King in you Reign.Stay Sweet in Spirit and in Style. “The most important thing to remember is that you can wear all the greatest clothes and all the greatest shoes, but you’ve got to have a good spirit on the inside. That’s what’s really going to make you look like you’re ready to rock the world.” —Alicia Keys Inspirational Image attached: First Lady Melania Trump and Duchess Camilla – A member of the British Royal Family Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

“When you don’t change when the time is ripe, change will change you” – Bernard Kelvin Clive When things Suddenly Change – SHIFT Adapt to new trends but don’t follow the Masses Change strategy and test it speedily Amplify that which works and keep tweaking Stay relevant Don’t let your brand die!

What leaders and brands can do in times of crisis to rebrand and reposition. The Pandemic has significantly impacted us; every aspect of life can feel it’s the bite, brands, individuals, and businesses alike. It is up to leaders, brands, and personal brands to reposition and rebrand to take advantage of the ongoing tides. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie, The truth is that things are just not going to revert to normal not anytime soon. Things have taken a whole new shift and form and until brands and individuals begin to realize and seek advantage of the situation regardless of its negative impact, brands will either fade away and be forgotten or be outwitted by brands who have taken advantage of the situation.       So there are few things I am going to share which will help leaders, brands, and organizations, take the “bull by the horn” and make the best out of the situation, we have found ourselves, as the adage goes… “make lemonades out of lemons”. I am going to share with you, what you must do as a market leader, as an industry leader, as a brand, and as a global industry in times of crises like this. What do you do? Are you changing your strategy or style? Here are THREE simple things you can do to reposition your brand in times of crisis. Now the very first thing brands need to do is: Simplify: Look at ways to SIMPLIFY the things you do already. In challenging times like this, you can’t afford to make things cumbersome, people will tune off. Find ways to make things simple for your audience to absorb. If it is tutorial lessons. Give your clients and customers simple steps that they can follow and get results. Provide them actionable tips, strategies, blog posts, articles, or if it’s a product you’ve been selling, make your marketing strategy sound simple as well as your messages. A minimalist approach to work; helps in your product processing and products so you can cut down the cost of unnecessary hype and excess. Simplify the process and simplify the strategy. Digital marketing to online business, simplify the process don’t compound or make it complicated. Aim at cost-cutting, efficiency, and effectiveness to be productive and profitable. So firstly think of what ways can I simplify my brand or my business. How can I simplify? Can I do virtually now so I can cut down double transportation because we are in lockdown periods or restricted movements? So I simplify the process; we are going to do it virtually, the conference is going to be virtual so that people will purchase so there will be a very limited process. if it needs to be delivered then the dispatch or delivery company does that. If not, every meeting can be done virtually which is good. You cut down transportation cost, other unnecessary overhead costs then you make a profit or you sell digital products. As an author, people are now very close to buying print books. So what other avenues are available. I will look at audiobooks, digital books, eBooks so that people can download and purchase than investing so much in print paperback editions. Having, ebooks and audiobooks will cut down your production cost easily and maximize your profit. A couple of months ago Antony Robbins put together a remarkable record-breaking evens. He took his regular ‘Unleash the power within’ event virtually – broadcasting it live. Over 20,000 participants globally connected from over 100 countries right from their homes. In the 4 days’ virtual event, he invested heavily in technology so that all these participants from over 100 countries could watch him live for 4 days being on screens performing and demonstrating these personal development skills to them. Look at what can be done via technology. He didn’t let the pandemic or the situation stop him, but he came out of the box to do something which is simplifying the process by being innovative and creative. In terms of simplicity think of innovation, how can technology enhance or help you to innovate your process? Tony Robbin’s work was amazing due to the fact that public speakers, industrial leaders can learn from that because of over 20,000 participants globally. His on-stage teaching, performing, and coaching virtually was awesome. He simplified the process with no transportation, no airline cost but he invested heavily in technology so that he could have this event. As a brand, think of ways you can simplify the process using technology so that it can’t be cut off. As the writer used the process to reposition in global space, know that the first process was Simplicity. Style: The second thing is STYLE. Style is critical as in your brand style. How are you positioning yourself in terms of visuals, creating videos? How can your audience adopt to your new style, what form will you present your product, your service, your brand think of creativity in all that simplicity needs to take place? So what is your style? Look at the icons you’re creating, fonts, typography the colors, simplify all these processes making more visually appealing. Your style needs to communicate your brand value, your brand image to make sure that people see that this is brand “A” and this is brand “B” and remember that now without differentiation, there is no brand. So your style is very relevant, how are you going to present the message now? Now Tony Robbins says I can’t do live I am going to do virtual live so he shifted the style a little bit. Is he going to interview people or going to engage his audience? what style is going to work for you, per your industry, it could be the same thing but you’re changing your style, you’re repositioning now for the audience adopt and get more gains from your product. And also part away monies […]

If Google can’t find you, you virtually don’t exist. The battle for digital presence and relevance have surged in the past few months. Before the pandemic, a significant number of organizations and individuals locally frowned on the benefits and impact of the internet. However, COVID-19 suddenly shifted things, the internet and internet business has become the de-facto place to thrive, without which one must fear extinction or lose of business and relevance. Things cannot be done in the same old way – a shift has happened! The pandemic has compelled a lot of traditional businesses and brands to go digital, increasing the noise level in the digital landscape. It has now become more important to build your personal brand digitally than ever before. From dating to finding jobs, clients, and customers online, the average internet user will perform a search to gather some information before taking action. What does this mean to you? This is to say that if you are not discoverable digitally you are losing some digital goods. I believe that regardless of what enterprise you find yourself in, the internet – social media is a must-have tool to aid the brand growth. If you are already using the internet/digital as a tool, then great. It’s time to amplify its usage and make the most of it. If you haven’t begun, then begin now, the internet – social media has come to stay and the earlier you embrace its potentials the better.  Before you dive into the digital space to grab a portion of the land, here are a couple of tools and tips to help you started with ease. So, here are some tips and tools to help. Make the most of it! Get Education Yeah! Don’t ever start and endeavor without getting some level of information in that field. Advisable, always learn from the best, read books, get mentorship, coaching, take courses. Learn all that you can in that area before you delve into it. This will safeguard you from damaging consequences and prepare you for success. Website To rent a piece of the internet space demands you build a website, that’s your digital real estate. Firstly, you must have a website for your brand and business, either a personal blog site or corporate business/organizational site. It’s one of the best ways to build trust in the digital landscape and it becomes your 24-hour shop. Secondly, whether your site is an eCommerce one or not, you will need to have it secured. Purchase an SSL certificate to be installed on your site. It increases google ratings and rankings, builds credibility.   Digital Promotions One of the easiest ways to get off the ground faster than ever online is by investing in promoting your brand – product and services. Do not just rely on organic traffic and leads. As the noise increase online, it becomes quite difficult to be heard if you are not positioned properly and you don’t utilize paid advertisement for your brand. Building organic reach is great, however, you need paying ads in addition to reach a wider and more targeted audience. Don’t overlook paid ads, invest and reinvest in the ones that work for you. Be you! Be Human A posture that doesn’t properly represent you nor your brand will hurt you! Yeah! Your brand’s voice should touch a heart. In your online and offline interactions ensure that you have the customer at heart. Relate with them as humans; be fun, be likable, and be real. Build a good rapport with people and it will increase your word-of-mouth promotion for your brand. Humor plays a good role in sales, so learn how to use it effectively. Be Consistent If you want to stay in business and grow your brand for a long period and not to for a quick name, fame, and money, then consistency should be your guiding light. Don’t start one thing then quickly move to another, don’t promise one thing and deliver the vice. Brands that stick do repeatedly that which works. Repetition of providing value sends your brands flying high in the minds of consumers. Constantly deliver on your brand promise.  Automate task It’s time to work smarter and effectively using automated processes and tools. With the ever-increasing technological tools, one cannot do it all manually or how it used to be done in times past. There are newer and better ways of doing things. for brands to stay on top of the game and to do what they know best to do requires automating some of the mundane tasks. Many of the everyday digital marketing tasks can be automated with the right tools. There are many tools out there to help, just search for them. Take a look at Hubspot, Customer.io, etc Use Stunning Visuals Brand visuals play a very important role in branding and businesses. Men are impacted by what they see. Be it photographs for your brand creatives, graphic designs, animations, etc. it must be done professionally. Make it a point to let your visuals speak positively about your brand. If you don’t have an in-house creative person, hire an agency, or outsource it. Ensure you have the best. If you prefer to DIY, there are some tools online to help with that, from Canva to Visme, give it a shot. Use Messaging Apps/ WhatsApp People love quick interactions and responses to their queries, and messaging apps help to make that happen easily, don’t overlook that. In this connection economy, the quality of the people in your network becomes leverage for success. People buy into people before their products and services. As an organization let customer care and relationship be paramount to you. Invest in building quality relationships with your audience. Whatsapp has become an effective tool to connect if clients and potentials customers, use it profitable. Remember, always be connecting. Get Found: Location Many brands lose businesses daily to their competitors, simply because they cannot be reached nor located. Never forget to have your contact […]

Cutting through the Noise with the power of your voice. In this episode my guest David Wolf throws more light on audio branding – podcasting and audio books. You will discover Benefits of Podcasting Why Now is the Time to Produce an Audio Book Advantages of audio content Davis Wolf is the Founder and CEO of Audivita Studios, Audiobook and Podcast Producer, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host, Media Entrepreneur. Resources Audio Production (Audivita) DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

“We can all not be entrepreneurs but we can all be enterprising in our chosen fields” – Bernard Kelvin Clive It’s estimated that about a third of the working population of the United States of America have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and many others have had their salaries reduced. Africa and Ghana have their share of the damaging effect of the pandemic. The alarming effects are deafening coupled with the many unemployed youths across the nation. It has become a matter of survival – people finding every means fair and foul to make a living. Job security is a luxury for only a few, however, everyone can find avenues to make a meaningful living by doing something with the skillset and talents they have. Regardless of the situation, one might find himself in, either on the verge of losing a job or jobless, there could be light at the end of the tunnel if one can identify some avenues to make some income. In a conversation with my friend John Armah, a renowned entrepreneur and business consultant, CEO of JA Venture Capitals, we came up with a list of ideas of businesses that anyone can start with basic skills to earn some income. Here you are, make the most of it. Uber Driver Buy and sell domain names Buy expired domain names and resell Social media management Setting social media profiles for others Review products online Write online articles Become a Copywriter Buy and Sell Phone Credit Cards Buy and Sell sachet water Book editing services Extra classes teacher (home) Running errands for busy business people Sell foodstuff, from office to office(A busy business area) Polish shoes: consider from office to office Polish shoes, Sunday mornings or early Monday morning at bus stops Lawn mowing, weeding grass in your neighborhood Wash car for your neighbors/ car washing base Offer home delivery services Shopping for others (Fashion) Customize Dress making Customize shoe making Customize necktie making Customize lady’s accessories Bead making Rearing of Grass cutter Snail farming Rearing of Goats for sale Special packaged eggs Home makeup services MC services Party organizer Graphic designing Teach a skill you know for a fee Organize workshops in your area of expertise Offer soft loans Offer weekend braiding/plaiting of hair services Sell beverages at church or events. Start with ‘Sobolo’ Buy and sell fresh Tilapia Speaking business, Offer to speak at programs Business coaching services Prepare and sell pastries Phone repairs Selling customized phone accessories Selling confectioneries Designing of websites Mobile app developer Photo and video editor Audio transcription services Spoken-word artiste   Content developer for social media Refuse collector Water-supplier (using Tanks/Trucks) Photographer Typesetting Landscaping Home gardening Fresh fruit Juice maker Handy Man, (handy products) Makeup Artiste Pet Care CV/ Resume Editor House Cleaning Animations Gym/Personal trainer Music Teacher Book Keeper Blogger Babysitting Tutoring Bartender Recycling pickup Software training Translation Travelling Salon Smartphone repair Contractor connector Produce Buying and Resale/Supply Fruit Supply Shoe-maker Fashion Accessory Business Carpentry Ice Kenkey Vendor Fruit Vendor/Outlet. Direct Sales Marketer. News Article Editor Water Melon Farming Mushroom Farming Bee-Keeping Home Laptop Repair Centre Home Laundry Service Provider Liquid Soap Making Business House-Helps Home Directory Service Leatherworks Accessories. T-Shirt Designs and Embossing Arts and Craft Public Speaker Florist Interior Decor Customized African Slippers We came up with ideas that you can run with or modify to suit your situation, if utilized properly based on required prerequisite for the specific business, it will work to your benefit; you will make some money and also may learn from your failures and make your subsequent business more profitable. Give it a shot. Remember, nothing ventured nothing gained.  The best is yours! Recommended Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

“Think of How you can Build and Brand a Movement as a strategy for your Brand” – Eric Ressler In this episode, my guest Eric Ressler shares strategies to help your Social Impact organization to Standout with Branding Eric Ressler is the Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic, a Social Impact Creative Agency. Cosmicempowers social impact organizations to catalyze real-world change by helping them nail their impact story,build brand awareness, and inspire action.Download, Listen and Share Recommended Resources Design By Cosmic DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

What Do you say: King Already? Traits of Outstanding Personal Brands In our personal branding session today, let me share with you one of the traits of successful Brands using a Ghanaian artist. If you’ve been a follower of my branding lessons, from any of the platforms, be it radio, TV, blogs, or social media you would have noticed one name stands out in most of my examples. That name is Shatta Wale. Google just ‘Shatta’ and his name and works surfaces. His songs and Brand has become a household name. There are several strategies one can learn from the Shatta brand, even if you don’t like his personality nor music. He has a lot to teach with his brand. I’m expounding on just one of the many lessons from his brand journey. The law of the Word – Declare it and Be it! In 2013 he released a song titled ‘Dancehall King” and declared himself the king of dancehall music in Ghana. The album art of the track had him seated on a throne wearing a crown – can you imagine that? The same pictorial scene was seen in the video of the track. A portion of the lyrics read “Dancehall king, In a di whole Ghana”. He was proclaiming his stands, what I will say is the Mohammed Ali strategy, He says it and does it! In the year 2014, with the Dancehall King track, he won the artist of the year in Ghana’s Vodafone Music Icon. Shatta didn’t just claim the title against his rivals, he has been working hard to prove it. Lesson one, People are more likely to call you the name/title you use for yourself. They will treat you the way you present yourself and treat yourself. Learn to put a premium price on yourself. Lesson two, once you make it – your goal, live to its expectation. Just like the ‘fake it till you make it’ approach. Perhaps that was his goal, and today arguably has become the king of dance hall music. Fast forward to 2020, the renowned musician Beyonce featured him on her album ‘Black is King’, with the track titled ‘Already’, check Beyonce feat Shatta Wale – Already. The video clip hit a million views in less than 24 hours of its release. Instant hit huh! Interestingly, part of the lyrics of the song reads ‘king already’. Here we go… “Long live the king, you a king, you no wait King already, already, you no wait Top everything, everything, you no wait King already, already, you no wait” The word king can be heard repeatedly in the song and he has become king already. What words do you say about and believe about yourself? Words carry power. Words play a major role in branding. What do they say about you? This is what you need to do: “Create your brand with your words and establish it with your deeds.” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses https://bkc.name

What is your name? “It’s what you invest in the name that makes the brand relevant” Names trigger emotions, they evoke memories and they inspire actions. Out of the billions of people on earth, everyone has a name.  In West Africa, names are so important to the extent that names they give to children always have a meaning associated with it. It’s the meanings that define the names and consequently impact the lives of the bearers.   Examples from Ghana; a third-born male child of the Akan Tribe has the name ‘Mensah’. ‘Enyonam, from the Ewes means ‘God has been good to me’. Names make people feel special. Names help in easy identification and differentiation purposes. It’s in the same way brand names impact the market and its users. The significance of names cannot be overemphasized; names have played vital roles since the first being occupied the surface of the earth. History books have been filled with a significant number of names that cannot be forgotten by virtue of the various roles they played. It is by those names that we can refer to their deeds; good or bad. How then do you choose a name that can resonate with your personality, product, service, and market? I have identified three ways brand names can be crafted to help make it memorable, impactful, and identifiable.  “A good name is to be chosen rather…” – Proverbs 22:1 Before we delve into that, here are some ideas to guide you to pick a brand name, then you can decide to fit it into any of these three ways. Pick a name that describes what you do. An example would be Salad Masters (Into Salads).  Pick a name that doesn’t relate to what you do; it could be something you create. An example is Google (Has nothing to do with their products and services, the name was made up) Pick any of your names or all of your names. An example Tyler Perry Studios Pick a name that triggers emotion and connections. An example Cravings Cafe. (This may want you to crave for food) Pick a name that defines your niche. An example is ToddlerCare Pick a name and play with the spellings and enunciation. An example is SQIN Care, that’s Skin Care.  Pick a name in another language or a translation in another language. An example is Tonaton(In Ghana it’s a Twi phrase that means, buy and sell. The ideas are endless, don’t be stack, permit yourself to daydream and craft your unique brand name. Now, how to choose your Brand names, using my rule of three (3) Firstly, go for one name: Going for one name will imply either you have a unique name or you are willing to sacrifice to put in more work to make the brand name stand out and relevant. ‘One name brand name’ doesn’t come cheap. Here are some global examples of ‘one name brand name’ starring from musicians, authors, thought leaders, religious leaders, products, and services. Example: Oprah, Ronaldo, Otabil, Messi, Sarkodie, Shattawale, Obrafour, Stonebwoy, Manifest, Sinach, Oyadepo, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Jesus, Mohammed, Pele, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Toyota, Honda. Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Quartz, Zoom, etc Secondly, you go for two names. A two-name brand name also demands a level of commitment and hard work to make the name count. In using two-names, the names can be rhymed easily, they can complement each other or they can be simply unrelated. Any option you choose will be fine. The caveat is not to make its pronunciation a mouth full. 🙂 Let’s look at some global examples from all sorts of products, services, and individuals. Example: Michael Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Seth Godin, Peter Drucker, Harry Porter, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Tom Cruise, Tony Robbins, Fred Hammond, Joe Mettle, Cece Twum, Billy Graham, Bob Marley, Amakye Dede, Cindy Thompson, Kwame Eugene, Black Secret, Victoria Secret, Eastwood Anaba, Counselor Lutherodt, etc Thirdly, you go for three names or initials or mixed. Anything more than three(3) should be kept as initials at best. The truth is that people wouldn’t want to mention long brand names, it’s either they create a short version of it, which may affect the brand or they resort to initials or acronyms. It’s best to keep your brand name as simple as possible.  Sometimes the middle or first names can be made initials, then the other name or names follows. Here are some examples of three names and initial-brand names that you can pick cues from. Three names or initials: T.D. Jakes, J.J. Rawlings, BMW, John C. Maxwell, KOD, KKD, KSM, BKC, MOG, IPMC, ICGC, KICC, PIWC, World Trade Center, Dag Heard Mills, Bernard Kelvin Clive, etc Lastly, remember that the internet and social media also plays a critical role in creating your brand names. Ensure that your selected name would be available across the major social media platforms and that a domain name can be acquired without conflicts. Check all that out and additionally, register the name as a company or trademark your brand where necessary. In the end, it’s what you invest in the name that makes the brand relevant. So choose your brand name carefully and work on the things that will make the name stick and tick. Recommended Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

Selling is Service The Current pandemic has totally impacted every aspect of life and business, in this episode my guest Mike Zeller, shares strategies to help brands and individuals to survive and blossom in-spite of the challenges. Mike Zeller is a mentor and speaker who, at his core, is most passionate about helping entrepreneurs and thought leaders gain clarity on their zone of genius while unleashing their potential to make money and impact. Through that process, they also learn how to design their business around their strengths and a life of fulfillment. You will learn about: Creating ideal Client Avator Getting Clients Repeat Business Recommended Resources: Digital Disruption ebook visit www.bkc.name/ebook Brand Mastery visit www.bkc.name/courses

How Brands can become a market leader in times of crisis “Tell a story that makes the customer the hero or potential hero of the story – Edwin Dearbon Key tips Market Research Tell Stories Empathize Value Creation Be Agile Move fast My Guest:  Edwin Dearborn The Orange County Register featured Edwin Dearborn as a true “Marketing Expert”. Edwin has also been featured in Entrepreneur, CBS MoneyWatch, Social Media Today, and other national media outlets. Edwin has appeared as a keynote speaker for Sony and the American Marketing Association. Edwin was formally educated in marketing and public relations in Hollywood, CA in the early 1990’s. Recommended Resources: Three Degrees of Separation by Edwin Dearorn Digital Disruption ebook visit www.bkc.name/ebook Brand Mastery visit www.bkc.name/courses

Apps, Tools, and Services I have compiled a couple of tools and services for promoting your brand and making some money on the internet.  3 Keys to Carry Along I have identified three key things/ tools to help you in promoting your brand and doing business online. The first is to invest in paid adverts, yes, the free lunch is over, it is going to cost you some dollars to rake in more dollars. You must be willing to invest in paid ads to get desired and targeted reach in most cases. I highly recommend using Facebook ads and Google ads. There are other ad services available depending on your niche, if you find such do give it a shot. The second most important thing you will need is to have subscribers/lists  – people to constantly engage with and to do that require you to have a mailing list. That’s a list of emails of people who have subscribed to your services. To constantly communicate with them. I recommend using a service called systeme.io to help you get started with your list creation. The third valuable skill to have is copywriting skills, the ability to craft compelling sales contents – ads, emails, website content, product description, blurbs, etc. This skill will help you leverage your brand and business success. Copywriting is one of the most powerful skills to learn in digital marketing. Take time to learn this and the rest would be easy. Now let’s get started! AMAZON (Dropshipping) Sell digital and brick and mortar goods and services. Dropshipping is an e-commerce technique in which the seller acts as a middle man in that he, takes orders on behalf of a producer, manufacturer, distributor, or supplier. When an order is placed he used the producer to deliver the items. Amazon, the world’s largest ecommerce platform, makes it easier to make money by dropshipping or selling your own products. https://www.amazon.com/ Benefits of Amazon Includes; • Positive Customer Trust. Builds trust with your audience. • Product Content: Offer Information Customers Actively Seek, Want, And Need. Advertisers can place their ads on product pages where shoppers actively seek product information. BLOGS The purpose of a blog is to attract visitors to your site. The more visitors you have read your content, the more likely you are to convert these interested users into qualified leads and boost sales. Benefits of blogs include; • Boosts Search Engine Optimization. • Develop Relationships with Potential and Existing Customers. • Establish Your Business as an Industry Leader. • Connect People to Your Brand. • Provide Value for Your Readers. BOOKS Print and electronic books. You can make money from books by either selling white-label books or writing and selling your own books. Books are of the avenues to promote your expertise – your brand. COPYWRITING Copywriting is re-arranging words to make things sell better. It is a written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action. Writing better copy enables you to convert more readers into customers.  Benefits of copywriting  • Presents quality content to your audience. • Connects you with potential customers on a variety of platforms. DOMAIN REGISTRATION / Domain names Did you know that great domain names are the easiest way for customers to find you online? You can help your visitors find you by using a domain name that is short and memorable. Domain registration is the process of acquiring a domain name from a domain name registrar. You will have the choice to register the domain on several different top-level domains if available, such as .com, .org, among others.  Benefits of a domain registration include; • Domain names can be used to establish a unique identity in cyberspace. • It builds credibility on the Web. • Registering your domain name improves your promotion chances and therefore your site’s “visibility” on the Web. • It also produces a feeling of professionalism.  eBay (eCommerce)/ Shopify Selling products online via eBay. eBay Inc. is a multinational e-commerce corporation that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website.  https://www.ebay.com/ Benefits of eBay and Shopify include; • Worldwide Marketplace: eBay serves customers globally. • Earning instant trust from customers. EMAIL MARKETING  Email marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. Benefits of Email marketing include; • Targeted and personalized content. • Builds credibility. • Better brand recognition. • Boost sales. • Stronger customer relationships. • Optimize your time and budget. • Metrics to learn what works and know what doesn’t.  • Increased traffic to your website. FACEBOOK MARKETING  Facebook marketing is the practice of promoting a brand and maintaining its presence on Facebook. Facebook marketing refers to both organic (free) postings/interactions, and paid, or “boosted” posts. Facebook marketing helps you to; • Reach BILLIONS of potential customers. • Build a HUGE email list. • Lower your marketing expenses. • Target audiences by location, demographics, interests. • Gain insights into your audience. • Build brand loyalty.  • Increase your website traffic. • Boost SEO. GHOSTWRITER  A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author.  Some benefits of employing ghostwriters are;  • Ghostwriters Save You Time. • Ghostwriters Help Build Brand Awareness Quicker. • Ghostwriters Are Professional Writers. • Ghostwriters Know SEO. • Ghostwritten Content Is Authentic Content. HOMEMADE ACCESSORIES Are you creative with your hands? Art products have huge demands online. Consider packaging your homemade and hand made products to sell globally. There are options for businesses to make handmade accessories that can boost your business to the next level in diverse ways. INSTAGRAM MARKETING (innovation) Instagram marketing is a type of social media marketing in which marketers use the Instagram platform to promote their business. Instagram provides a great marketing platform to reach potential customers from every corner of the world. Instagram […]

Ingredients to Spice Your Brand I wish I could cook scrumptious meals effortlessly like my grand-mum. Well, if wishes were horses… However, I learned some things about cooking from my grand-mum which can be translated into the branding and business fields. You may be in the kitchen of your brand, cooking what you hope to be one of the best meals – delicious, mouth-watering, yummy and nutritious. What would be a good spice for this meal? Today, we are using the kitchen and cooking as analogies for building our brand, drawing from everyday life. Here are the 3 ingredients to spice up your brand.  1. Creativity Branding is about differentiation, and without differentiation you have no brand. You will just be like any other without a brand, a commodity among the lot. However, if you creatively find ways to set yourself apart from the masses, your brand will gain the needed attention. Creativity is a key differentiator factor of brands. Building your creativity comes in at various stages and forms – from visual representation, to your brand, to the intangibles – storytelling strategies, et al. The first thing to do is to identify which area that you can easily stand out. Then you capitalize on that as a differentiation factor. Once that is done, you don’t settle, you work on other areas creatively. To stay top of mind and top of your game, you need to have at least 3 key areas of differentiation.  Ask yourself, what three main areas or things would people find different and attractive? Granny’s tip and lesson: I wonder how granny can make sumptuous Jollof from leftover stew. Sometimes, she just combines herbs here and there, adds some vegetables to make a great meal.  Her secret: “Keep experimenting, never be afraid to try uncharted paths” Tips to help you creatively: – Sometimes, just go against the tides; do the opposite.  – Listen to the pains and problems of your audience (there lies a solution in there).  – Ask your audience of best ways you can help them (sometimes they have all the answers).  – Simplify, less is more.  – Have fun; play along with your thoughts.  – Sample the best in your field and pick cues from them.  – Read books and blogs.  – Try ideas from totally unrelated fields (e.g. Applying Snail farming ideas to Fashion Bags).  – Crowdsource for ideas, ask Facebook, Quora, etc.  – Ask weird questions.  2. Credibility Trust is a very relevant ingredient that has stood the test of time. There may be new ingredients to add in the future but this has become the salt of brands. Without trust, you have no brand and no business. You can afford to fake everything, do all the nice things to get traction, grow followers, and make a name but, if your trust quotient is broken, your brand will come crashing down. In an age where people are quick to use things about them for fame and name, brands that desire to stay relevant and make more impact must be trustworthy. Let your products and services be of premium value and not to embellish them with ads, social media posts, and sleazy sales tactics. If you win the trust factor, your brand will thrive. Trust triggers word of mouth marketing for your brand. Granny’s tip and lesson: Even when we didn’t know what granny was up to at the kitchen mixing various ingredients, we were assured that something spectacular and tasty was being prepared. She had earned our trust.  She said: “I may not always cook the best meals but I will offer you the best I can.” She admits when her meals occasionally don’t turn out as expected. We grew to trust her beyond the kitchen. Tips to help and prove credibly online: – Deliver what your brand promises (over-deliver).  – Don’t project and promote what you don’t have. – Say what you mean and mean what you say. – Take feedbacks gladly.  – Get testimonials and reviews for your products and services(brand).  – Have a contact number you can be reached on.  – Respond to requests/questions and orders promptly.  – Avoid ambiguity, be clear on what you offer. – Share success stories of your clients.  – Engage your audience.  – Stating/showing a physical address(location) increases trust.   3. Consistency It is one thing starting something and another sustaining it. Several people start with great ideas, strategies, and designs for their brands then soon after, fading into oblivion. One of the many factors that leads to a brand’s failure is a lack of consistency. The ability to take one thing, hold onto it for a long time till it thrives. Let me make this clear, consistency doesn’t mean holding unto one idea foolishly for a long time without improving, and no results. Consistency demands bettering your best, updating, oiling your wheels, growing steadily, implementing proper feedback. The currency of consistency fuels your brand’s success. Brands that become top of mind are relentlessly consistent. They consistently deliver on their brand promises; they are consistently improving. Consistently marketing, consistently listening for feedbacks and consistently adapting to relevant trends and charges that will help the brand and its audience. Remember to consistently stay relevant if not you will be relegated. Granny’s tip and lesson: Sometimes I wonder how she picks all the different ingredients into her soups & stews without any sort of measurement but still ends up having the same delicious taste.  She said – “consistency”. To perfect your brand be consistent, keeping track of that which works. Tips to help you stay consistent – Monitor your progress and document that which works.  – Consistently repeat what works.  – Keep your communication channels open 24/7.  – Keep improving gradually.  – Don’t implement a sudden total change.  – Be accountable to your clients.  – Focus on your niche.  – Stick to your delivery timings (online or offline).  Lastly, grandma told me that to perfect that art of cooking takes time. It’s a process that […]

Making Your Brand Stand Out from Your Competition When you are running your business, you will find that there will be a lot of other businesses providing the same services as you. This leads to a fierce competition as you’ll all be fighting to secure customers. The good news is that there some great ways that you can make your brand stand out from your competition from providing new products and services to trying new marketing strategies and more. Find out some of our tips in the article below. Study your Competitors One of the first ways that you can make your brand stand out from your competition is by making sure you have a look at your competitors and find out exactly what they are up to. When you do this, you can see what is working for them and what isn’t. Found something that they don’t offer? Use this information to make your brand shine. Promote Your USP If you have a look at your business competitors and notice that they all focus more on certain products and services then, you should have a look and see if there is anything that could be seen as your USP. You’ll want to promote this as best as you can to make your brand stand out. When it comes to promoting your services you will need to make sure you utilise Social media so you can create ads and use social media to push and promote your services. Make Your Prices Reasonable The next thing that you should do if you want your brand to stand out from the competition is to make sure you make your prices reasonable. If you make your prices affordable and reasonable then, you will find that more people will be inclined to use your services over others. Make sure not to drop your prices too low, of course, as this can affect your profit. Introduce Employee Benefits Raise Brand Ambassadors If you are wanting your business to be successful and stand out from others then, you will need your employees to do as much work as possible to take on new tasks and clients. To get your employees motivated to do more, you should consider introducing employee benefits to your team. Consider using an employee benefits platform in order to provide tailored benefits to your employees. You can also motivate them by hosting team days and setting goals in order to make your brand one that matters. See the benefits and roles of brand ambassadors. Follow Your Own Ideas To make your brand stand out and not look the same as your competition, it is important that you try and stick to your own ideas instead of copying others. This is because it will make your brand look different from the others in your industry. It will also be a lot more personal to you as it will be all your own creative ideas and not from others. Put a face on your company and use this to get some customers on board. Be different at all Cost Overall, there are a lot of different brands out there that you will need to compete with and you need to make sure that you stand out. Brand awareness is one of the key things you’ll need to focus on so don’t forget to put some strategies in place from the get-go. Do some competitor research and motivate your staff if you want to beat the competition and make your brand stand out.  Hopefully, all of our tips will help you to achieve that. Resources: DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by BKC Branding Courses

Emailing Branding Strategies Making the most of your emails. “In the world of digital communication tools, email has become the king”.  According to Statistica, there were about 293 billion emails sent daily in 2019 and the number is expected to hit about 347 billion by 2023. (Statisica.com) Electronic mails referred to as emails, one of the earliest digital marketing tools, (and)have become so powerful over the years. Emails have become a primary communication tool on the internet. One cannot afford not to have an email address. Importance of Having Email Address Emails have become part of one’s daily virtual life. It’s therefore imperative to make the most of it. Here are a couple of reasons why you need to have an email address. Your email serves as a form of digital identification tool. It is one of the primary ways to register for almost any digital service. Social media sites require an email address for registration. It’s your address to receive Digital goods. For eCommerce purposes, emails are required for translations. Even if you’re purchasing products that would be delivered physically. The address is used to receive product details, receipts, and tracking information in some instances. In purchasing digital goods, most often the products are delivered via emails. Without an email address, you virtually become handicapped. You can do very little online without an address. Emails addresses reveal your identity to an extent and also speaks volumes about the personality behind it. Email addresses are used to confirm your virtual identity. Most often activating subscription services, are sent via emails. Businesses are transacted via emails; it eases transactions and makes it easier tracking with emails.  Families, friends, and loved ones keep in touch via email communications; one of the most used means of sending and receiving information among friends The Role of a Branded Email address Majority of internet users do create email addresses using mail services by yahoo or Gmail, the latter being more popular and widely used. These providers help with free email address creation, a good way to begin with.  However, to step up the game for your brand, requires that you get an email in your personal or company’s domain name, an example would be: [email protected],  [email protected]  The branded Email address has numerous benefits including: Trust Building: emails would be more trusted than that from a generic email service provider Establishes authenticity: Many digital service providers would prefer emails activated from branded domains than that of the generic provider. Brand promotion: since mails are used more often, the more people see the address the more brand visibility gained and chances for them visiting your website would be very high. Mark of professionalism: not only is it nice to have a branded email address, but it also speaks to your profession. Your firm would be seen as more professional having its domain email address. Privacy control: having a self-hosted email addresses limits the fear of compromised emails, as it offers you full control over the privacy of your mails Using Email Signature for Branding & Marketing One of the underutilized features of emails has been the footer section. The Footer is the bottom part of an email that allows you to input content that will automatically accompany every mail sent. You may enter details such as; company brief, contact numbers, social media handles, official website, etc. The goal is to enter relevant information that stands the chance of promoting your brand. Don’t ever leave your email footer blank, especially for your brand/company.  You can use it to advertise an upcoming product, service, a newly released product, events, etc.  Quick tips: Stick to a particular font style Font and style should be legible Use company brand colors Don’t make it clumsy by overloading it with content If you need to use HTML codes, get it done professionally Have a standard one for all your company emails for every staff. Showcase your expertise Be brief, fewer lines the better Have a Call-to-action message/button How to create your email signature/footer Mostly the button can be found in the “settings” menu in the mail, either using self-hosted, webmail, or a third-party mail provider. For example, if you use Gmail or Yahoo mail.  Log in to your mail.  Locate the settings icon at the top right of your mail Click the settings, scroll down to the Signature Section, a text box displayed below it. Type your signature message or copy and paste your content. Clive Save. You are done! Go back to Compose mail then look at the bottom of your mail to see your signature You can save yourself some stress by using a third-party app to have the footer created for you with ease. The following are good ones to try:  Wisestamp Free signature generator https://wisestamp.com Free basic HTML signature https://htmlsig.com Hubspot email signatures https://www.hubspot.com/email-signature-generator mysignature.io Design Hall signatures https://www.designhill.com/email-signature-generator Free HTML Signatures https://si.gnatu.re/ Now, it’s your turn, let your emails do the speaking for you! Resources: DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by BKC Branding Courses

Building your Digital Presence on a Shoestring Budget Tools, Tips, and Strategies Seasons and times will compel many to chart unknown waters, others out of curiosity and necessity.  Regardless of the trigger, having an online presence and brand has become a must-have in this age. More so, the pandemic has propelled and created a sense of urgency to digitize.  Over the years I have noticed that several people struggle with getting started with their digital presence, where to begin and the basic tools and strategies to utilize. Today, I will be sharing with you tools and tips on how to kick start your digital footprints. 1. Get a domain.  A domain is your website address, where users can find your website on the internet.  I recommend you use your name or your brand/business name. An example bkc.name, bernardkelvinclive.com, cynthiaclive.org, eugeneayim.com, samueladjei.com, ebenezerasumang.com, dailyaccra.com, ghanaweb.com. There are many top-level domain extensions, the common ones being .com, .org, you can have. blog, .info, .me, .name The average costs of a .com domain extension are $12.99 You can purchase a domain from godaddy.com, namecheap.com, domains.google.com, bluehost.com, etc. Once you get a domain, quickly create an official email address with your domain name. That becomes your official email address.eg. [email protected], [email protected] It positions you a serious professionally 2. Get a blog/website designed and hosted.  That would be your official internet home. Your website becomes your 24/7 online storefront. To market and promote your brand and business. It increases your brand visibility, authority, and breeds trust. I recommend you using WordPress.org, Medium.com, squarespace.com, wix.com because they make a blog and web design quite easy without much technical know-how.   You can hire a professional web developer to set up your website/blog for you. With a budget if $100 minimum, you can have a simple blog/website set up for you. Search in your locality and you are sure to find a web designer to help you with a website and blog. You can contact www.bkc.name/consulting  A basic blog site should have a home page, about page, blog page, and contact page.  Once your website is done you need to be populating it with content- quality, timely and relevant content! 3. Get a mailing list. A list of subscribers (emails of people) you can regularly communicate via emails. You can use your website to capture email addresses of people by creating a landing page/ squeeze page. A dedicated page where you offer something in exchange for users’ email addresses. You can offer whitepapers, eBooks, checklists, audiobooks, infographics, webinars, etc. Just ensure that you are giving out something they would love. You can use the following services/ mail providers to help you set up, capture, and manage your e-mail lists: mailchimp.com (highly recommend as the free version can help you achieve a whole lot), leadpages.com, constantcontact.com, sendinblue.com, convertkit.com, mailerlite.com, aweber.com, etc. If you are using WordPress there are lots of plugins that can aid in setting up a landing page and collect email addresses easily, Sumo comes highly recommended. Use the one which meets your budget and can still provide the basic needs such as a signup form, landing page, autoresponder. Your mailing list is your goldmine for your online brand and business. 4. Get your social media handles Your social media handles are the names you choose for your brand. Either you get a handle or edit the URL(link) of your social media channel. Example Facebook provide an automatic URL(link) when you sign up using your name unless you change that deliberately it may be showing a link like facebook.com/kwame-amoah235, I changed mine to facebook.com/bernardkelvin  You would certainly need social media, so right from the beginning check and secure your names/ handles on the major social media platforms i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube For branding purposes, ensure that the handles are unique and the same across the various channels. For example, I have @bernardkelvin for all the channels listed above. The idea is that even if you don’t have plans of using those channels immediately, it still saves you a lot from losing them. 5. Get your brand creatives(designs) done. Designs for your brand; from your brand identity to social media cover images.  You may decide to hire a graphic designer to design your stuff for you. And I highly recommended that especially for your logo.  Apart from that, you can create some graphics yourself, using any of the Do-It-Yourself design apps and services. I recommend the following canva.com, easel.ly, visme.co, infogram.com, stockphotosecrets.com/stencil You can use it to create your quotes, memes, infographics, etc. with ease. 6. Create a Content Strategy: Develop a calendar of how you would be sharing content on your website and across the various social media channels. Check Postcron’s free content calendar https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsKxtai-b7NqdGdqODJyd0xwc0xTQ3h4M2I3aUlPSWc&usp=sharing#gid=0 Another content calendar by Bobangus http://bobangus.com/free-editorial-calendar-template/ You can use services like Hootsuite to help you schedule posts and share them on social media. This saves you lots of time. Check the following for social media software for posting; buffer.com, coschedule.com, mavsocial.com, hubspot.com In conclusion, here are three critical principles to keep in mind: Be Consistent.  Constantly deliver value with your content and creatives. Consistency instills believability.  Be Credible.  Don’t try to cut corners to win favors. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Stick to your brand values. Be trustworthy, deliver on your room promises. If people can trust you, your brand and business will grow. Trust is the currency for growing your brand and building your business. Be creative. Branding is about differentiation, so be creative about your brand presence. Don’t become a ‘me-too’ brand.  Find your differentiation factor and nail it! Recommended Resources: Digital Disruption ebook visit www.bkc.name/ebook Brand Mastery visit www.bkc.name/courses

“The 21st Century Christian/Church must rethink ministry via the lens of technology. A powerful tool in the hands of the believer.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Here are Eight(8) Strategies to implement! 1. Give them something worth their attention. What would they see and read? Ensure that your intention for their attention is clear. you know exactly what you want to offer, Jesus was offering salvation ― life (John 10:10). ‘When they saw the miracles Jesus had performed…they followed!’ Your brand visuals must be appealing and attention-grabbing to drive home your message. 2. Wow them! ‘When they saw the many miracles he performed… Jesus always did something spectacular. eg. Turning water into wine. Wowing your audience leads to organic following and engagements and sales. Offer value! People would come to your portal/ page to experience it. 3. Meet their needs all-round! Jesus taught them spiritually he also met their physical needs – hunger. He had compassion for others, driven to meet the needs of others. He fed the 5000 after his live conference/ webinar. Be sensitive to the needs of your fans and followers. Focus on your market needs, and offer solutions. 4. He established his authority and clarity. Firstly, you need to know your assignment as a person and that of your business. That helps you weld your authority and grow your influence to impact and for profit. Know your worth and the value you are offering. Set the records straight, distill popular opinions from facts like Jesus did. The woman at the well got to know Jesus was the true Saviour ― living water. Jesus killed ambiguity surrounding the worshiping of God. His authority was at work. Jesus came to fulfill the prophecy of redemption.  Your authority gives you influence. Clarity breeds confidence! Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” ―  6:35 Authored many books, I declare “I am an author[ity]” 5. Raise brand ambassadors. The woman at the well, after engaging with Jesus, knowing the depth of his knowledge went out freely to evangelize. Your expertise will help create brand evangelists to spread your brand. 6. Use stories and anecdotes. Jesus was a great storyteller, He weaves stories and anecdotes to drive home his messages. Engage your audience with stories they can relate with while teaching them. Stories sell your brand well, creating lasting memories. Great brands use stories in marketing their products and services. What’s your brand story like? 7. Have private and public engagements. Jesus had some private meetings at some level and public ones. He engaged Mary & Martha privately and did so with His disciples (key ambassadors), regularly. Segment your audience to know what’s for the masses and what’s for a select group. Provide products and services for the different categories of your market. There are times you need to engage with some of your fans via inbox(private groups, membership, and premium access)  and other times publicly. Be sensitive and selective with private and public data sharing. So don’t you don’t ‘throw your pearls before swine’? ― Matthew 7:6 8. Understand your audience: Use their language! Jesus used terms based on the cultural background and settings of his market so he could communicate clearly and precisely. Where he had told his disciples he will make them ‘fishers of men’ ― He was speaking to a predominately fishing community. (Matthew 4:19) The ‘parable of the sower’, he used the analogy of farming, with that his audience can grasp the depth of his message. Use industrial jargon in communication sparingly; performing audience analysis would better inform you on the choice of your language, tone, and strategy. Download, Listen and Learn. Resources: DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

In this episode you would learn about branding, cultural and businesses barriers and benefits in doing business in Africa. You will discover: Culture of Business Lessons from the Chinese How to survive in an unknown market My guest, Marek Zmysłowski is a Polish-born entrepreneur and executive, focused on online businesses in Frontier and Emerging Markets. He co-founded Jumia Travel – Africa’s Biggest Hotel Booking Portal listed on NYSE as part of Jumia Group and HotelOnline.co – a Travel Technology Company. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the Ten Most Important People in Tech by IT News Africa Magazine. He is a Lead Mentor at Google’s Launchpad and World Bank’s XL Africa Program. Download, Listen and Learn. Resources: BOOK: Chasing Black Unicorns DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

Building your personal brand in a digital age… what to do and what not. In this episode, my guest Kami, through more light on how to build an authentic brand. Kami Guildner believes women’s voices matter. She is a connector. A storyteller. A success coach for women. Kami’s entrepreneurial journey was sparked by the breath of a horse over a decade ago. This magical epiphany moment led Kami to discover her purpose of leading change-maker women to give voice to their most important messages and create a ripple effect of worldly impact.  Kami weaves soulful-inspiration into mindful business strategies, helping her clients up-level their business. With decades of leadership, marketing, strategic planning and business growth expertise, Kami guides her clients to master their marketing, money and mindset. Kami’s soulful spirit leads her clients to unleash their magical manifestation powers and live out loud fueled with vitality and courage. RESOURCES: Join the Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386664118079263 DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

“This is a good time to ask yourself, what skills are you lacking?” – John Armah The impact of this pandemic has been frightening. ‘…these are not ordinary times for Business Owners, Employees and Households, these are indeed not ordinary times.. the bigger question has been, what is the impact and risk of COVID-19 on Business and what factors can help mitigate this risk What do you do as an entrepreneur or business owner? In this episode my guest John Armah shares strategies to help you overcome the challenging times and bounce back better. John Armah is a Business Development Practitioner and Trainer in business start-ups development, with experience in the development of new markets, start-ups, MSMEs and business strategy, business financing and business development. He is the Board Chairman of Junior Achievement Ghana, and the Chairman of the JA Africa Board Chairs Council, a global non-profit organization committed to promoting entrepreneurship development around the world. He serves on other Boards advising Startups and SME’s on Restructuring, Capital Raising, Growth, and Business Development. John Armah consults for Governments, Major Corporate, Donor Partners, Institutions on Business Development, Business Financing, Startup Ecosystem, and Entrepreneurship Development, He has worked in key markets across the world and named as part of the Forbes 30 under 30 Most Promising Entrepreneurs in 2016 and 20 under 40 Most Influential Business Leaders in Ghana among others. ‘..these are not ordinary times for Business Owners, Employees and Households, these are indeed not ordinary times.. the bigger question has been, what is the impact and risk of COVID-19 on Business and what factors can help mitigate this risk A gift for you! DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

Video is a huge lever to bring the human element back to business. My guest today is Matt Barnett the CEO of Bonjoro who walks us through how to effectively use personalized videos in your business communications. Listen learn and share. Resources: 30 ways to use video for leads, conversions and creating referrals Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

How to maximize your ‘Stay-at-Home’ Season “It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how much we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our home and to strengthen our family unit.” – Bill Gates Here are a number of ideas and activities you can consider to maximize the moment. 1. Introspection: sit back and review your life, take stock of where you’ve been, what you’ve done and where you are going. It’s a good time to reassess your life. Ask yourself questions, be hard on yourself and gradually get answers to them. 2. Relax: take time to slow down, have a good rest as much as you can, your body and your mind needs it. Don’t get too busy, take it easy on yourself. 3. Read books (materials): use this period as an opportunity to read some books. Read it at your own pace and add to your knowledge. Subscribe to useful online newsletters, magazines and blogs.  4. Listen to audiobooks: one of the quickest ways to consume contents is by listening to the audios. Get as many audio books as you can, listen intentional, listen while doing chores, let it just play at the background. For your kids, Amazon has made available it’s audible platform for kids all over the world to listen to a huge collection of stories for free as along as schools are closed. Visit https://stories.audible.com/start-listen 5. Enjoy music: create your own playlist of your favorite tracks and enjoy. [I’m currently enjoying my classical playlist] 6. Write a book: your story is unique; someone need to read that. Your wisdom is great, share it with the world. Begin today, just write! [Send me a mail if you desire to write a book] 7. Kid’s Time: if you are blessed with children use this period as an opportunity to bond better, get to know them well. Play fun games with them. I bet, this would be one of the best investments and memories you’d never regret. 8. Learn a skill: pick any area you’d like to learn and delve deeper. Take an online course or coaching. Add to what you already know. Enrich yourself. 9. Practice your craft: if you had always wanted to paint, do it. Try some new recipes. Dare something and do it!  10. Drive-Through: not a time through a fast food joint but a time through the woods or hood. Drive slowly through town, observing nature and savoring the moments. Observe all those things you’ve been missing in your daily commute. [This will not be appropriate of your City is Lockdown] 11. Teach a course online: Share your expertise, either as a side gig or voluntary activity. Many online platforms offers such opportunities e.g. teachable.com, skillshare.com, udemy.com you may want to start a YouTube channel. All these could help with some extra income as well. 12. Spark up the love: if you are blessed to be married, make the most of the moment. Revive the love and romance in your marriage. If in a relationship, get creative with SMS to keep the love going. 13. Seek God: get to know your creator the more, spend time praying and listening to God’s voice. It’s good time to invest in prayers. Praying for the affected, pray for family & friends and pray for the world. 14. Plan Properly: a good time to look at your schedules in life. If you have not had any, then do so, set goals and targets to pursue. Plan your career. The aftermath of the crisis will have an impact on many careers, think ahead, plan and prepare. 15. Healthy lifestyle: check your diet to ensure you are having a well-balanced diet. Exercise daily to stay in shape and healthy. 16. Reconsider your Relationships: it’s a good time to prune, know those who really matter and those who matter to you as well. There are levels of relationships and not everyone should have a front roll seat in your life; cut of those you need to and nurture the ones that needs to. Nurture the good ones and disconnect from the ill ones. 17. Create your gratitude list: one of the most fruitful habits to develop in a season like this is gratitude. Be thankful for all the things you have and around you. Daily reach out and thank people who are being supportive. Thank God for life. Stay thankful and don’t nurse any ungrateful spirit to rub you of your joy and blessings. 18. Don’t fret: breaking news here and there may cause some level of anxiety, but don’t entertain fear; activate your faith in times like these. When you harbor fear it weakens even your immune system. You may have a cause to be afraid but focus on possibilities, the best that could ever happen. Stay hopeful, it’s helpful in time like these.  Believe and expect the best. 19. Live simply: don’t complicate things for yourself. This season reminds us of the little pleasures of life. Enjoy it! Bernard Kelvin Clive is an Author, Speaker and Corporate Trainer. Africa’s foremost author(ity) on Personal Branding. An Amazon bestselling author of over 40 published books. As a speaker & trainer he has been known to simplify complex ideas about branding and life and present them to audiences in clear, actionable steps. He has over a decade experience in digital publishing and has globally consulted for entrepreneurs, pastors, and people like you to write books and build brands. He hosts the number one ranked Career & Business Podcast in Ghana. Bernard is a brand strategist at BKC consulting and runs the monthly Branding & Publishing Masterclass.

“Branding is more of a perception than a product(service).” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Beyond colors, logos and all the visually appealing attributes of brands, there are other intangibles that trigger their success. Today, I will share with you what I call the invisible forces of brands. In countless instances, I have seen a number of individuals and businesses placing so much emphasis on their brand tangibles at the expense of the intangibles? Visuals play a very critical role in branding. However, beyond visuals come the values, services offered, products and customer satisfaction, customer care, consistency of delivery of brands promise, etc. The above mentioned attributes do more good to a brand than just overly focusing on the visually appealing stuff. A couple of months ago I recommended a friend’s business, let’s call it ‘Kim Catering Services’ (KCS) to a client(Vernon) who badly needed their services. I had informed the client and told him the company does a pretty good job. As my recommendations came highly valued, the client took my word for it and engaged the services of KCS. KCS had sent one of her staff to inquire about the specific needs of Vernon. After the first meet up, KCS never sent any message nor invoice, just nothing. Vernon kept asking what the issue was and all KCS did was to keep promising to deliver to no avail. Long and short of it is that, the business between the two parties never happened. Another request came in from the same client for another recommendation despite the first incidence. I recommended another friend’s business to the client. Much to our chagrin, the same back and forth and bad customer-client relationship was exhibited and transactions never happened. In mind-blowing fashion, it happened a third time! Then, I thought to myself, there must be something really bad happening here. Although these recommended companies are great, well-known brands in their niches, they failed the test of brand delivery. They have all the niceties of branding but their invisible forces are killing their brands silently and slowly. This is not only unique nor limited to these three brands but so many other local brands around. They invest in their brand tangibles – logos, colours, signage, social media and make loud noises yet they fail in delivering their intangible assets. Yes, these brands are damn good at what they do – no doubt, yet they haven’t come to the realization that the overlooked aspect of their branding would be undermining their brands. Key areas brands must reinforce in their branding process include but are not limited to: Brand Values: What the brand stands for and the willingness to sacrifice to ensure they stay top of their game. Right from the initial brand building process, every company should sate what their values are such as: integrity, respect, leadership, professionalism, excellence, etc. These become the underlining forces that drive the brand. When customers experience these attributes, they tend to leave a great impression on their minds about the brand. Some time back, I observed something awesome at one of the branches of GCB Bank where an elderly man had entered to withdraw money. Despite the long queue, one of the tellers immediately instructed the security man to offer him a seat and the staff quickly attended to him. An act like this will send string signals to many of their clients about the bank caring for them (elderly). Brands that live up to their values are highly recommended. What are your personal values and those of your brand? In choosing your brand values, ensure that they are meaningful, different, memorable, actionable, clear, and timelines. Take cues from the following global brand values: BMW has ·         Integrity: Asking customers for frequent feedback. ·         Respect: Treating each customer with dignity and courtesy. ·         Responsibility: Holding themselves accountable for their performance. ·         Growth: Focusing on constant innovations and creativity APPLE has been known for innovation, quality and creativity with their tagline “Think Different”. Here are their Core Values according to Tim Cook: ·         We believe that we’re on the face of the Earth to make great products. ·         We believe in the simple, not the complex. ·         We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make. ·         We participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. ·         We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. ·         We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. ·         We don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. Coca-Cola, a leading beverage brand in the world has the following values: ·         Leadership: The courage to shape a better future ·         Collaboration: Leverage collective genius ·         Integrity: Be real ·         Accountability: If it is to be, it’s up to me ·         Passion: Committed in heart and mind ·         Diversity: As inclusive as our brands ·         Quality: What we do, we do well With these examples, you can see how powerful brand values are and what they do for the brand and its customers. Brand culture is basically how a brand lives it values. How they drive home the message they stand for. It’s the governing principles of an organization. It’s the ‘this is how we do it here and why we do it’. It’s the invisible force of a brand’s success. A number of local brands have no culture or […]

How Brands Can Stay Woke in Epidemics  “To have your brand deep-rooted in the hearts of clients & customers requires empathy – humanize your brand” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Life happens! Life is filled with the unaccepted, regardless of how carefully and practically you plan, sometimes things may just go off unannounced and unexpected. What you do in times like that is as relevant as your plan. In the wake of the current alarming epidemic, a number of brands have suffered losses and others are making gains, however, it’s not about win or lose. Yes, whatever the case some may win others may lose but exceptional brands that care for its people will be looking at staying relevant but not just cashing in for profit. Today, let’s consider ways brands can stay relevant and make impact and continuously stay top of mind. I have identified 3 main ways brands can drive change regardless of ongoing cultural or global crisis.  The very first thing brands can do is to prepare for the unexpected; have precautionary plans, anticipate likely mishaps and develop strategies to handle that. If these steps are taken care of, it reduces the shock and likely negative impact of the unforeseen and unexpected  Here are the three main things you can do to salvage the situation: Evaluate: The good old book has these wise words to govern us, it reads “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…” – James 1:17. In times of pandemics, brands must put on their best listening ears, to gather all they can before they take any other steps.  The first most important step to take towards resolving crisis is to get all the needed information at hand. Ask all the necessary questions regarding the current happenings to understand the situation. Now, with enough data, you would be in the best position to handle it and address it right.  The caveat is that in a digital era, it’s easy to sample data on social media, which may not be accurate, so always verify source, get to root for authentic messages. Once you have the needed information, you are in a good position to align that with your strategic plan to help curb the situation. You prepare and plan on how to use the information gathered effectively.  Empathize: People love to identify with those they love and those who show them love. Great brands are people-centered, they show care and support. To move men to take action in areas you desire requires you to touch their hearts.  In times of crisis and pandemics, people get affected in many ways; which in one way or the other may impact your brand. Yes, you may not have anything directly to do with them. The truth is that we are in a connected world, what affects one, may eventual affect the other. If not directly, its consequences may be damaging. The best way to get your brand out there is to identify with those affected, show care, love and support. Let them know they matter. You don’t just stop at sympathizing with them you go out to help. You offer support in many ways that you can. At the heart of crisis, people need support not brands making loud noises about their products and services or trying to cash in by selling their brands. Great brands give, you may decide to offer massive discount, free gifts and offers etc. You should consider these acts as an investment of your brand in the lives of people. It may cost you a lot but its potential returns are huge. Your brand will be engrained in their hearts as a caring brand and if they want to do business or recommended a product or service, surely yours would come highly recommended.  I recall one act that Nestle (GH)Ltd, did for its distributors/retailors during the erratic power outages (Dumsor) in Ghana(Accra); they gave out high quality solar powered lamps out for free. These little acts meant a lot to their distributors and retailers; which is still been talked about by some of them. One little act of empathy and support can greatly affect a brand.  What is your brand doing for others now in the midst of global economic crisis and pandemics? You may be at the losing end but you can still offer some support, it could be in kind. A kind word, well spoken; a press release; social media posts of encouragement, care and concern. You have no idea how these little deeds can mean a lot to clients and customers. “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” —Theodore Roosevelt  Educate: Never stop learning; information empowers! In times of crisis, to stay on top of your game and remain relevant demands some education. Education here is in two ways, firstly educate yourself, your brand and firm about the current situation. An uninformed staff can cause more damage to your brand. No staff should be left out, even if it’s totally unrelated to what they do. Secondly, educate the general public, clients and customers. It will interest you to know that a number of them are totally ignorant and at risk of deception by the masses. Make it a point to share useful resources to help clients and customers understand the current situation and what they can do about it. If you have an online presence, post relevant information about the situation; you could use infographics, videos, podcasts, images etc. You share these content in addition to your brands digital strategies. One shouldn’t override the other. A balanced approach is needed during the educational process. You are giving something to the public and you are subtly promoting your brand.  Key take home for brands is this: in times of crisis, evaluate the situation, empathize with clients and educate them. If you blend these things effectively your brand would stay top of mind. RECOMMENDED Resources: Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals […]

Here are key Mindsets to develop for your Brand The truth is that every brand will be tested at a point in time, if not most of the time. Ground Mindset: This is having the fundamentals of your brand right. Don’t jump the initial stages of defining and reasons for your brand. The ground rule is to know ‘your ‘why’ for your brand. Develop your brand and business purpose into one simple statement that you can share with others easily – let’s call it, your elevator pitch. Answer these questions… Why are you branding? Why are you in business? What unique value are you bringing to the market place? Who needs and wants are you meeting? Once you have clear answers to these questions the others follow. You can then look at your brand name, logo, tagline, attributes, identity, etc. Firstly, get grounded, get your brand basics right then you can build successfully on it. Don’t start of social media, branding is not just about social media. It’s a great tool for building your brand but it’s not all about branding. Growth Mindset: Brands are like living organisms; they grow and evolve. Successful established brands understand the growth mindset and hereby use it to their advantage. The growth mindset has to do with the understanding that to become a better brand requires a process. Going from one stage to the other and it doesn’t happen just by a sudden push of a bottom to propel one to the top. When you have that understanding you will prepare your grounds/foundation and build on it gradually. You are determined to find ways to better your best. Growth has to do with consistently improving, fine-tuning and tweaking to ensure your brand stays fresh and strong in the mind of your audiences. A growth mindset asks; what can I do to become a better brand? What can I do to give more value to my clients? A growth mindset listens to feedback and makes things better, they refuse to stay the same. They constantly add new things to make the brand better. In connection with your personal brand, you may need to take some extra courses, go back to school, get some coaching, learn a new skill, read wider and try new things. When you become better your brand becomes better. Just like living organisms, any brand that does not grow dies! Grow your brand consistently, become like the proverbial wine – age with grace. Glow Mindset:  It’s good to grow in every aspect of life and consequently to glow (polish, perfect) your brand and business. Growing is not just good enough you need to move the nudge up a little. You must glow! Glow mindset in brand building is the quest and strive for excellence. To reach the iconic stage of branding. To be known to represent nothing short of remarkable, excellence and value creation. Glowing is the icing on your cake, it is the light on the candle. When you glow you make your brand more visible and impactful. Glow mindset refuses to stay the same, they polish their pearls till it glows. They do all they can to stay top of mind – to be the only preferred choice. Glowing kills ambiguity and uncertainty in the minds of consumers. It shortens their decision making cycle. Once your brand comes to mind, you shine through. Be consistently remarkable – glow! Key take-home: Average brands settle at just growing and exceptional iconic brands glow. They don’t just shine, they outshine the competition, the become team-leaders, thought-leaders, pace-setters, trailblazers. They keep setting new standards and records. Can you name some glowing brands? List them and learn from them. RECOMMENDED Resources: Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive is an Author, Speaker and Corporate Trainer. Ghana’s foremost authority on Personal Branding and Digital Book Publishing. An Amazon bestselling author of over 40 published books. As a speaker & trainer he has been known to simplify complex ideas about branding and life and present them to audiences in clear, actionable steps. He has over a decade experience in digital publishing and has globally consulted for entrepreneurs, pastors, and people like you to write books and build brands. He hosts the number one ranked Career & Business Podcast in Ghana. Bernard is a brand strategist at BKC consulting and runs the monthly Branding & Publishing Masterclass.

The best time to write and publish a book is now. Yes! No matter how busy you may be, there is a way you can have a book in your name to share your ideas, establish your expertise or grow your business. In this episode my gust Michelle Vandepas, The CEO of Grace Point Publishing walks us through the process of getting your books published. Listen, learn and share. Download, listen, learn and share Resources: GracePointPublishing.com CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Benefits of Personal branding Are you known, unknown or too-known? Growing up in Sub-Sahara Africa, it was quite uncommon for successful people (experts) to toot their horns, it was seen as bragging, being boastful and proud. Rarely did I hear or see someone beat their chest and raise the head up high to declare their expert status. They would rather do their great deeds quietly and let others praise them for it. A culture which I think had hampered many great talents who would have shot up to the limelight if they were a little ‘loud’ about what they could do best and had packed themselves to that effect.  However, times and seasons have changed, if one is that good at what they do now and doesn’t make frantic effort to be known, he may die in oblivion. You know what, without the right understanding of a thing, it’s abuse is inevitable. It’s about time to delve deeper and uncover the greatness embedded in you and put your best foot forward, letting go off the old beliefs holding you back. To shine brighter and let the world know what you’ve got to offer – making the world a better place. As the good old book puts it “you can’t light a candle and put it under a table”. It’s meant to glow and offer light.  That’s you! Hello there, welcome to the personal branding age, the ‘me- era. In the “me’ era, the value people place on individuals as brands is premium. This is to say that people are giving more attention to personal brands now than ever before. From celebrity brands to business mogul brands. The power of ‘me. is on the rise. So, then how do you take advantage of the rising tides and times? Come along with me… To begin with, let’s define personal banding.  Personal branding is how you distinctively market your uniqueness. How you position yourself to offer value to the market. If you’ve been battling with yourself whether to start building your brand or not, may these benefits spark a new positive desire to begin. Here are some benefits of branding yourself – personal branding. 1. Credibility: Personal branding positions you as an expert in your field or niche. It establishes your expert status, and guess what? We largely trust experts. If you can be trusted in this age, you have a business, but if you cannot be trusted you’ve lost business. Personal branding helps you build trust. By constantly delivering on your brand promise establishes trust. It tells people, you are authentic and credible, you promised X and delivered X. A successful personal brand is consistent in all it does. 2. Connection: One of the greatest assets in life is to have a network of people who know your worth belief in you and willing to engage your services. That’s the value personal branding offers you. Building your brand sets you apart from the huge competition out there, getting you closer and closer to your audience and the right market for business. It helps you build meaningful relationships with other businesses and brands. Your connection grows not just wider and better, because you know exactly the kind of people you want to impact, influence and do business with. Your brand reveals who you know and who knows you! Are you known in your field? 3. Contracts: Imagine having built a large following on social media and having firms hiring you just to endorse or mention their brand in your post. Boom! That’s influencer marketing using your brand as a tool to market other brands. It’s easier dealing with a well-known brand than an obscure one, yes, that’s the power of your brand. It makes you more visible to a whole lot more people that you can leverage for business. Your brand contacts lead to contracts. 4. Cash: Regardless of what we do, we would need money in one way or the other, and this where your personal brand kicks in, to work on your behalf. It markets you to others who will be willing to exchange money for your products and services. A well-built personal brand will bring in revenue. You become a magnet of cash when your brand becomes attractive. Promoting your products and services becomes easier because you will attract them with your brand visibility. 5. Confidence: Building your personal brand increases your confidence level. You believe in yourself first to get started. Believing you have something of value to offer the world set you up to succeed in your endeavor. Without confidence in yourself and what you have to offer you become less attractive and subsequently ignored and forgotten. Confidence is a cherished asset in brand building. It takes a confident person to tell others what they have. Sell yourself big! 6. Collaboration: Personal branding leads to better association and partnership. When you become a thought-leader in your niche or industry you attract like-minded folks to your business. People like to associate with already successful people in their fields, and your personal brand will offer you that magical connection. Partnership for growth and impact! 7. Commendation: The go-to-guy! Building your personal-brand places you on the radar of great referrals and recommendations. You become top of mind. When people are talking of a specific product or service, your brand comes to mind first. You become the first point of call and contact. When you become a person of excellence. A preferred brand you will be a referred brand. This generating massive traffic.  8. Clarity:   Your brand makes you an authority. Your voice will begin to count and command attention. Clarity gives power to what you do. Once you are clear on your calling the world of unlimited opportunities opens up unto you from all sort of places. Your life’s purpose, mission, vision, and goals become clear when you build your brand. You set yourself apart from the masses, noise, and distractions of not knowing what to do with your life. I […]

Make a difference with your brand this year. Dare for more!

Myths about Goal Settings 1. A goal must be in writing. Not entirely, you can have unwritten goals. 2. A goal must be time-bound. Setting timelines for your goals helps but not all goals need deadlines. 3. A goal must be specific. The truth is that sometimes a goal only gets more apparent when you start working towards it. 4. A goal must be attainable. Sometimes you just don’t have proof that a goal would be achieved. You can only hope and act on your faith. 5. A goal would make you happy. Happiness is a decision. If you tie your happiness on the realization of a goal, you will live life unhappy. You can reach your goals and still feel empty and unfulfilled. Regardless of these myths, research has proven that people who set goals are largely happier, and are more successful than those who don’t. So, now let’s get started with our goals. Recommended book: Goals Are Dead! Simple Strategies for Achieving your Goals while Enjoying Life

20 Twenty20 Tips for a Great Year How to Make It Your Best Year Ever Bernard Kelvin Clive  How different would you live your life if there was no calendar? At the end and beginning of every year, there is an increase in goal setting activities, people set goals and resolutions with the hope of achieving them. The question is, what if these activities were a lifestyle, done throughout the year and not tied to a particular ending or beginning? What if, we simply decide to enjoy our daily lives while pursuing or set goals and dreams? Well, today I present to you tips to make the best of your daily life, hence your year. Let’s get started! Tip #1 Define your Success Success means different things to different people. To begin with, define what success (a great year), means to you. In your terms, don’t let society determine that for you. Once you’ve done that, you set yourself free from the pressures of society by not leaving to impress others and ready to succeed. Tip #2 Be Decisive Decide to make it great. Once you define what success and a great year or life mean to you, the next thing to do is decide to make it so. You are a decision away from your life’s breakthrough. You hold the keys to your life’s happiness. Decide this day, to make the rest of your life the best you can ever have. Tip #3 Your big idea! You must have an intriguing idea, a dream; something you are so passionate about, a problem to solve, a need to meet, a mark to make. That is your Dream, Your Vision, Your Goal: Be specific! See the big picture. How will it be like, when you finally get it? What will success mean to you? Set crystal clear goals; goals that will set your heart on fire. Make it important to you. Tip #4 Focus (Follow One Course Until Successful). Master One thing. Don’t dissipate your energy. Ask yourself, what one thing do I want to be noted for this year? Then channel all your energy and resources to make it happen. Become so good at what you do that you can’t be ignored. So, become the best in your chosen field.  Tip #5 Raise the bar on yourself! Think Big! Expand your vision and expect more from yourself than anyone, then, go make it happen. Compete against yourself and challenge yourself daily. Use your creative imagination. Think win, win, in all the time. Ask: How can I help someone win today? How can I be a miracle to someone?  Tip #6 Build a team Carefully select your dream team. Remember: you are the average of your 5 closest friends you spend the most time with. Evaluate your circles in the previous year, did they help or hamper your progress? Then revise where necessary, it matters! TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More  Tip #7 A better approach Ask yourself, how can I do this better? Innovate! Permit yourself to succeed in those areas. By working in the area of your strengths, your talents, and gifts you can master your craft with ease.  Tip #8 Fail fast! Hey! Don’t be afraid to fail. Feel the fear and do it! Face your fears. Things may not turn out as you planned but don’t give up, learn from them. Get up anytime you fall and fight on! It’s all part of the growth process.  Tip #9 Stretch yourself! Don’t just do the easy and fun things to just get by, leave your comfort zone, exceed your limits, and break that barrier. Do the difficult task. Discipline yourself to succeed.  Tip #10 Write things down! Write your goals down and read them often. Revise them as when necessary. You must stay current; be updated on current trends around the world especially in your field. Read great materials, books, articles, etc.  Tip #11 ACT! Action that Creates Transformation. There are lots of talkers around, but don’t be one of them, be a doer, a goal chaser, a dream maker. Act Now!!! Just, make it happen!  Tip #12 Results Be productivity minded not activity-filled. So many things will call for your time and attention but follow your heart. Stick to plans. FOCUS!  Tip #13 Take a Step at a Time Do the work that matters. Decide to do something daily that pushes you towards the realization of your ultimate goal, dream.  Tip #14 Be purposeful! Listen to your heart, your guts, your internal voice. Let whatever you do be a product of your own decision and conviction because it’s your dream and your life. Be responsible!  Tip #15 Assessment! Review your goals frequently to ensure that you are on the right track. Cut down every unproductive activity, prune and manure those that need nurturing and forge ahead with confidence.  Tip #16 Enjoy the journey In the process of pursuing your various endeavors in life, never forget to enjoy the seemingly small achievements. Enjoy the journey, don’t be fixated on the results. Smell the roses along the way, savor the little pleasures of life. Tip #17 Be thankful Life will through you many surprises, both good and bad, however, never overlook the good things and people that come your way. Genuinely appreciate the kindness you receive and the goodies. Things may all not turn out good as desired but just learn to develop a grateful attitude. It makes a big difference. Tip #18 Take Chances Life will not offer you what you desire on a silver platter. You must be willing to take the plunge and dive in. Try out new things. Experiment and explore. The more chances you take the luckier you become. To make the best out of any given situation demands your full preparation and commitment. Go for it! Tip #19 Keep investing in yourself. You should endeavor to stay on top of your game. Constantly learning, unlearning and relearning. Invest in buildings your brand, grow […]

Personal Branding Predictions for 2020+ “We’re the generation. We can’t afford to wait. The future started yesterday and we’re already late”- John Legend The question is, what do brands have for the future and not what does the future hold for brands. For brands that are determined to stay top of mind in business today, will require more than what worked yesterday. They must be willing to go the extra mile and pay attention to the following pillars/predictions. Have a prepared mind to harness future possibilities. The truth is that the digital landscape is predictably unpredictable. However, with the right data, one can prepare ahead, stay abreast and take advantage of the ever-changing tides of technology. Here are what to do and expect in the coming year(s). 1. Brand reinvestment: To reap a bounty harvest in any field of endeavour requires sowing good, seeds in a good soils and nurturing it to grow. Right environment and timing are critical success factors. In the same way, any brand that desires to make the most of the coming times must begin planting (preparing) and pruning (strategizing). Great brands don’t just show up overnight, they are deliberately built. In effect corporations must educate their staff and equip them appropriately by investing in them (seed sowing and nurturing) if they desire to thrive. In the coming years, Companies will begin empowering their employees to build strong and influential personal brand, so they can leverage it. Corporate employee brand advocacy programs will be on the rise. That will be the game-changer. Personal branding for corporate gains. It’s going to be a win-win for the employer and the employee. Additionally, brands must always reinvest in plans and strategies that are working and never to settle. Invest in research and development and invest in employers as brand advocates/ambassadors. 2. Jobs and Hiring: Companies will be hiring candidates with established personal brands/ influencers aside from their expertise and qualifications. Candidates with strong Personal brand, social media presence will be the preferred ones. It’s time to pay attention to your ‘Personal Brand. If you are a job seeker, begin building your online brand today. Note that every piece of content you churn will either help you or hurt you. You’ve got the power to build that strong brand now. 3. Content Building: It’s not about ‘content being king’. The truth is that, there is and will always be lots of content on this age. What’s needed most is, relevant, timely and accurate content. Providing relevant and usable data that can scale brands and businesses. In the coming years, Brands will start creating and curating original content for promotion. Creating their data banks. Media and data will be the tool to be used as a driver for growth and dominance. Video content demands will still be on top. What are you to do? Pay attention to every video publishing platform and invest in quality content production, not the hype. So, it’s your time and turn to act now. “The Future belongs to those who are building Brands now, for they will be sought-after” – Bernard Kelvin Clive The future of branding is personal. [Ponder] NB: My Podcast (Personal Branding Podcast) was listed as one of the Top 10 Personal Branding Podcasts on the Web by Feedspot. Download, Listen, Learn and Share. RECOMMENDED Resources: Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Have you ever had your social media post stolen before? Someone claiming ownership of your creative work? What do you so? In this episode my guest Audrey Dauvet, an International Intellectual property expert throws more light on that. Download, Listen, Learn and Share. RECOMMENDED Resources: Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Branding: How to Use Data to Drive Business Growth. The power of data.

"The future is not just about the use of TECHNOLOGY it’s about the use of the MIND more creatively - THINKNOLOGY" - Bernard Kelvin Clive The Future of Brands demands harnessing two important assets

6 Costly Social Media Marketing Mistakes To Avoid.

The 7 Lies We Tell Ourselves about Personal Branding

“Until you dare to take on new challenges you wouldn’t discover your full potential.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive 1. Dedication: Have you ever watched ants lining up in a long trail to pick food particles from a spot? You may ask what happens when those food particles are exhausted. Do the lines of the ants gets vanish? Ants display single-eyed focus on the task at hand. Once they get started on a project, they are glued to it till completion. So, Great Brands are dedicated! Dedicated to their course.  2. Discipline: Sometimes we all wonder why ants keep packing foods. They prepare for the future. They don’t live in the here and now. They go through a rigorous routine to prepare for seasons ahead. The Bible says though they have no ruler – they get things done. Great Brands like ants prepare for the future. They learn from the present to leverage the future. To be a great brand requires self-discipline! 3. Design: Planning. It’s amazing to know the quantum of planning that is undertaken by ants in every project they embark on. They plan and communicate the plan effectively to get it achieved. When an ant finds food, it leaves clues to help the others trace it so they don’t lose track of it. Planning leads to the effective execution of projects. Great Brands like ants plan. The plan becomes their road map to success. What is your plan for your brand and business growth? 4. Development: They build their homes and their colonies. Development is about patiently preparing for the task at hand and ahead. Learn to develop your personal brand, business growth strategy, to properly harness its powers for profit and impact. Great brands don’t just happen overnight; they go through a process – stages of development.  5. Dominance: Ants can be found in almost any part of the world – that’s total dominance! It’s easy for ants to dominate any environment with their numbers and team spirit. They easily take charge of an environment and fight for their colonies – territories. Great brands, dominate, they do all they can to be top of mind in their fields. They fight for their territories. They make their presence known and wage attacks from every angle. Learn to make your brand dominate. 6. Die-hards: Tell me, have you tried to derail ants from getting to their destinations? You would realize that when you place an obstacle in front of them, they always find a way around it. They are unstoppable. Great brands like ants don’t just give up when faced with challenges. They fight and fight harder. Ants and great brands possess the spirit of determination. No quitting, be determined to succeed. 7. Daring: Ants do mighty things. They lift weights about 50 times their body size, just with their jaws. That’s herculean! For one to succeed and rise in any field of endeavor, one must have the ability to build one’s inner muscles of agility to rise above the status quo. The giant in ants propels them to do far more than they seem capable of. Until you dare to take on new challenges you wouldn’t discover your full potential. Brands that hit the iconic status dare new things; they innovate. Resources: Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

“You’ve got to be wildly different“ In this episode my guest Joshua Lisec shares secrets for writing books and great contents. Every day Joshua Lisec help authors manifest the mission behind their voice. He is founder of The Entrepreneur’s Wordsmith LLC, Ohio’s first Certified Professional Ghostwriter, a multiple-time #1 International Bestselling Ghostwriter, a Forbes Contributor ghostwriter, a TEDx speaker, and a two-time published novelist. Since 2011, Joshua has ghostwritten forty books and has been featured in TED, TEDx, BBC Radio London, Foundr Magazine, American Express, Yahoo!, Fatherly, The Huffington Post, and numerous other outlets. During a recent podcast, Dilbert comic creator and New York Times bestselling author of Win Bigly Scott Adams recommended Joshua to aspiring authors who need help writing and publishing a book. Here are the Pillars Credibility Connection Compelling Counter-industry – why are you different, Call to action. Make it clear Circulation – broaden, open up your book idea Resources: Joshua’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/joshualisec   CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

10 Sins Brands Commit in Digital Marketing 1.    Not establishing a strong brand presence online and offline. No clear brand identity) 2.    Buying generic data (email addresses, contact numbers) for broadcasting 3.    Not having a specific goal of being online, no action plan. 4.    Using the same social media strategy for every platform 5.    Not engaging with the audience online 6.    Failing to optimize pages and websites (outdated website information) 7.    Failing to use digital automation properly. 8.    Depending too much on manual approach and not relying on data, analytics 9.    Failing to get feedback and implementing feedbacks 10.    No being accessible via local search. Location search, Google Maps, etc. Resources: CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

In this episode I interviewed the Growth Hack expert and Marketing Manager of Uber Latin America, Vaibhav Sisinty. Sharing secret strategies in digital marketing. Download, Listen, Learn and Share! Resources: Linkedin automation tool (safe to use): growthlead.io Instagram automation tool: instabotfy.com CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Growing your business through speaking Most people would not consider speaking as a channel to grow their business. But it can be one of the most powerful channels out there if you know how to do it. Chris was named the fastest growing speaker in 2018 and the #1 on the top 10 speakers list in the Netherlands so he knows a thing or two about being a speaker. Chris shares the mindset you need to be a great keynote speaker and what it can mean for your business. How to create powerful attraction through the stage effect that leads to others seeing you as a thought leader in your space leading to abundant new business and opportunities.  In this podcast episode my guest Chris Baldwin share with us the 7 Mindset to Develop as a Speaker. Listen, learn and share! Make the event organizer and planners life easier Make your speaker agent successful as possible Always have a “No Problem” attitude Go for the emotional connection Live an interesting lie (Storyteller) Always always finish on time Be so good they can’t ignore you NB Know your stuff Take training Know your client: Your client is the event manager, the organizer Resources: 10Xspeaker.com CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Love can not be confined!

7 TIPS TO BOOST YOUR BRAND

When couples work as a team to grow their business and marriage they flourish in all their endeavors. In this episode Kimanzi and Cindy Constable share their expertise on building global thriving business as couples. Kimanzi Constable  is a coach, speaker and consultant. An author of four books that have sold over 150,000 copies. Writes for the following publications; The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, SUCCESS Magazine, AskMen, Mind Body Green, Fox News, The Good Men Project, Yahoo, NBC News, Time Magazine, Business Insider, Addicted 2 Success, CBS News, and over 60 blogs. Download, listen , learn and share. Resources: CEO Branding Kimanzi Constable (Consulting) Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Personal Branding and Marketing with Seth God. This is Marketing!

Every pain teaches as lesson that can potentially profit us and others if only we pay attention to it. In this episode my guest Tiffany Toombs walks us through here journey from pain to profit. Teaching you how to stop self-limiting beliefs to live your best life now. Tiffany is the Founder of Blue Lotus Mind and a Mindset Coach who specializes in helping people overcome self-sabotage and limiting beliefs; allowing them to experience success in every area of life.   Tiffany is a Master Practitioner and Trainer in NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) and Matrix Therapies. She has overcome physical abuse, infidelity, eating disorders, and miscarriage.  Tiffany has worked in the health and fitness industry for 18 years and exclusively as a coach for the last five. She combines her science background and knowledge of the body & mind with her spiritual interests and training to achieve the client’s goals.  Download, listen and learn Resources: Stop Being a Selfish B*tch Goals Are Dead! DOERS 12:52 (Audio book) Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

When I noticed that over 60% of my own traffic was coming from Pinterest (where I have around 6600 followers) and only 3% was coming from Instagram (where I have 110k+ followers) — despite the fact that I was spending way less time on Pinterest and way too much time on Instagram I knew I needed to change my game plan.

The Art of Being a like-able Brand 1. Know yourself: Yes, it all begins with you. Personal branding is about knowing who you are and presenting your best self to meet the needs of others. You need to really know who you are – your strengths and weaknesses. What makes your brand unique. What makes you tick, your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. If you take the time to understudy yourself, it better prepares you to handle your relationships, clients, fans, and followers.You will not be taken aback by many things that your audience will reveal about you. It helps you to put your best self forward – your strengths over weakness. That’s the best way you can stand out from the pile! “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson 2. Stand for something: Share your values! Be truthful! Be open and upfront with your values right from the beginning. Let your audience, fans, followers, clients know what your values are as a brand – what’s important to you. Your standards that you wouldn’t compromise on. This prevents people from violating your values – your prized possessions. To one person the top values could be integrity, faith, etc. to another honesty, gratitude. What will yours be?As part of sharing your values be honest with your audience, let them know when you go contrary to set values – apologize and do that which is right. You should learn to gracefully correct your audience when they also go wrong. “You must stand for something! It does not have to be grand, but it must be a positive that brings light to someone else’s darkness.” ― Anthony Carmona 3. Give value: Offer a helping hand. Be the first to look out for a need of your clients, fans, and followers and find ways to help them with it, in ways that you can. The caveat is: don’t become God in their lives, just be a channel to be used. You are not a superhero – work in the confines of your expertise. Note that you cannot meet every need of client’s, fans and followers. So choose your niche carefully and to offer the best for them. The more value you give the more your clients get hooked to your brand. Your gift will make room for you! Give them more than they pay for and more than what they deserve. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson 4. Keep in touch: make it a point to regularly check up on your clients – call, text, social media, etc. any act that shows your clients, fans and followers are important to you. Keep in touch not because you will need something from them someday but because you care. It’s nice to be nice. This is something @Sarkodie – the celebrated rap musician from Ghana does so well with his followers on Twitter – he constantly engages with them.When was the last time you reconnected with a fan? “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. “- Proverbs 18:24 5. Respect privacy: Some things are private and should be kept as such. You may be privy to some private stuff about your clients, just keep it as such. Being a coach, mentor, professional requires that you also give people room to be whom they want to be. You don’t need to always be in their space. Always remember the ethics of your calling – your job. Don’t spam people!Learn to set your own boundaries and also respect that of your clients, fans, and followers. Be wary of gossips. “A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.” ― Proverbs 16:28 6. Forgive yourself: Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself when you mess up. Rather hold yourself up to a high standard and don’t settle for less. But when you mess up, apologize sincerely and make amends. You may fall short of your promises every now and then but quickly get it resolved. Make your clients happy. Be open to feedback and criticism son you can better yourself, products and service. In so doing you are humanizing your brand. You make your clients, fans and followers know that you are also like one of them.  “When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody notices, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps.” ― John Lennon 7. Celebrate them: It shouldn’t be always about you, in fact, it’s about them. Focus on your clients, fans, and followers. Celebrate them in various ways you can. Do the unusual if you can, occasionally send a card, a message, a call, randomly to your clients, followers and fans. Additionally, be there for them in their trying times and grieving moments. When the storms of life hit them don’t abandon them. Those are the times they need you most. Be a compassionate brand.“Celebrate the success of others as you would want others to celebrate yours” ― Unknown Decide to be a brand that will impact the lives of others –be you! ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Author | Speaker Resources: Goals Are Dead! DOERS 12:52 (Audio book) Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

“Don’t waste the mornings of your life on idleness and laziness, by every means possible wrestle with your passions, your ideas and your dreams. Give it a shot!” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Get the audiobook DOERS 12:52 DOERS 12:52   (Available on Amazon) Goals Are Dead! DOERS 12:52 (Audio book)

Are you a doer? The year just began, have you?  “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates Let me share this with you to encourage you. Every year Forbes publishes its list of the top 100 richest people. And in this year’s Forbes list of the ‘Highest Paid Celebrities in 2018’, includes a lot of personalities in the Creative Art industry, not forgetting authors – James Patterson[$86M], J.K. Rowling[$54M]. This is the point, gone are the days’ parents hardly encourage their children to go into the creative industry because they believed one will never make it in such a field. Now every dream and career stands the chance of making one wealthy. So, parents and guardians, encourage your wards to read & write books. There’s hope for the future. Help them develop their creative abilities. The youngest millionaire on list #3 is a 21year old Kylie Jenner[$900M], founder of Kylie Cosmetics. The oldest millionaire on the list, #4 is 76years, Judy Sheindlin[$400M], a TV Personality. Remember, You are never TOO OLD to DREAM nor TOO Young to Achieve your Dreams Go, make your dreams happen! “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!” ― William Hutchison Murray Begin now! DOERS 12:52   (Available on Amazon) Resources: Goals Are Dead! DOERS 12:52 (Audio book) Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

18 Items to Discard before the New Year (Ladies/Gents) 1. Old makeups  2. Worn-out footwear 3. Old & worn-out undies  4. Old invitation cards, coupons, Etc 5. Old hair clips, wigs & accessories  6. Old &Unused cloths & jewelry  7. Old & spoilt utensils  8. Unused apps on your phone  9. Stacked unused freebies  10. Unfitting & oversized clothes  11. Old calendars, brochures, flyers, gift wrappers, etc 12. Junks in the fridge  13. Empty containers, deodorants, paper bags. etc  14. Old, broken & unused toys  15. Unused & unprofitable subscriptions & memberships  16. Return borrowed items 😂 17. De-clutter purse, wallet & bags 18. Service your car: change the tyre, oils, wipers, etc. The Personal Branding Podcast was listed among the “Top 50 Branding Podcasts You Should be Listening To” by MerLine One Inc. Get the book “GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies to Achieving your Goals while Enjoying Life“ Resources: Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

It’s possible! Let me share a story I read some time ago with you. It might strengthen your faith!  A story was told of a mountain-climber, desperate to conquer the Aconcagua, initiated his climb after years of preparation. But he wanted the glory to himself; therefore, he went up alone. He started climbing and it was becoming later and later. He did not prepare for camping but decided to keep on going. Soon it got dark Night fell with heaviness at such high altitude and there was zero visibility. Everything was black, no moon, and the stars covered by clouds. As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from the top, he slipped and fell. Falling rapidly, he could only see blotches of darkness that passed in the same darkness and a terrible sensation of being suctioned by gravity. He kept falling and in those anguishing moments good and bad memories passed through his mind. He thought he would die. Nevertheless, he felt a jolt that almost tore him in half. Like any good mountain climber, he had staked himself with a long rope tied to his waist. In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air he had no other choice but to shout, “HELP ME GOD”, “HELP ME!” All of a sudden he heard a deep voice from heaven. “What do you want me to do?””SAVE ME” “Do you REALLY think that I can save you?” “OF COURSE, MY GOD” “Then cut the rope that is holding you up.” There was another moment of silence and stillness. The man held tighter to the rope. The rescue team says that the next day they found, frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to a rope TWO FEET off the ground . .. What about you? Sometimes on our journey to achieving our goals, there comes a time that proven strategies and our expertise simple fall without any justifiable reason. It’s in those moments that we count on our reserve fuel – our faith. Some things can only be accessed via faith. How trusting are you in that rope? (your skills, accolades, and expertise)  Why don’t you let it go? I tell you, God has great and marvelous things for you. Keep believing and act on your faith. God bless you! Lessons 1. The Danger of Climbing alone. In pursuing your goals, you may need partners, helpers to aid you. Don’t try to do it all by yourself. Share the glory where necessary. 2. He never prepared for campaigning. Having an alternative plan and route is always necessary. A backup plan. Additionally, be open to new ideas and innovations to help you. 3. He had faith in his ropes (strings, expertise). Sometimes the most rewarding breakthroughs may come from amateurs, unexpected places, and people. Be open-minded. 4. Self-gratification. Want all the glory for himself. It’s what we do for others that will outlive us than what we do for ourselves. We are here on earth to serve. Your goals should eventually help a lot more people. Get the book: GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies for Achieving your Goals while Enjoying Life  Bernard Kelvin Clive  Personal Branding Coach/Brand Strategist at BKC Consulting, Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Amazon bestselling author of 40 published books. 

Before we  get started let me share with you this good news. My podcast/website was listed by Feedspot as one of the Top 15 Branding Podcasts on the web.  In this episode I share on bad habits that needs to be replaced before entering the new year.1. Living without purpose and passion2. Procrastination 3. Gossips & lies4. Lateness to appointments and events 5. Excessive Alcohol 6. Poor eating habits 7. Prayerlessness 8. Ingratitude 9. People pleasers, pretenders 10. Greed & jealousy 11. Promiscuity 12. No budgeting & overspending13. Scared-freaks, Non-risk takers 14. Negative people, fault finders15. Dream killers & idea thieves16. Troublemakers, drama people17. Indecisive & indiscipline people18. Unproductive lifestyle: Laziness, idleness, less or no action towards goals Get the book “GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies to Achieving your Goals while Enjoying Life“ Resources: Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

5 Ways to Stay Relevant in your Field as you Age Traps that Cause People to Lose their Relevance as they Age Everyone desires to feel important in one area or the other in life. People tend to measure their worth by so many metrics that make them feel good, loved and appreciated. However, as one age in life, things also take on a new turn.  Sometimes even the prepared are taken aback. The question is how does one stay relevant when aging in one’s career and life? Here are simple things to do and traps to avoid. Keep learning; make it a habit to learn something at every stage of your life. Your learning helps your earning. You can learn new skills at any stage and age of your life. Your skills will enable you to stay relevant in many ways. You will still be in demand by people who need your expertise. Lower your expectations: the trap of feeling entitled to things based on any metric you may want to use should be lowered as you age. Remember no one really owes you anything – love, respect, honor, etc. People are not obliged to honor you, they decide. To avoid lots of embarrassments and disappointments as you age, simply lower your expectations from others. Once you learn not to expect too much from others, you will appreciate the beauty of the simple pleasures in life. Raise the next generation: by pouring out your expertise into others, you learn to keep the cycle of knowledge transfer going and growing. Leaving a legacy by virtue of mentoring others will cause you to be revered as you age. So, reach out and teach others. If you are retiring from your job, don’t retire with all your expertise, share it with others. Write a book: it’s unfortunate that many great minds die and die with their ideas and expertise because they couldn’t preserve them for future use. I believe that taking time to read this information now, suggests to me that you are one of the exceptional people who want to have their wisdom preserved to help the next generation. The truth is that one of the best ways to document your expertise is to write a book. If you can’t write a book, hire a ghostwriter to help you. It’s about time to have a good book in your name. A book establishes your expert status and causes you to stay relevant in your chosen field. Guard your reputation: desist from engaging in activities that will mar your hard earned reputation. In this age two major traps that cause great men to fall are: Promiscuity: love for women/sex. Hardly a day goes by without hearing about reputable men falling victims to sex scandals. If married enjoy your wife. Greed: the excessive hunger for money by every means fair or foul has led great men to fall to the dungeons. If you desire an abundance of wealth, keep your deeds clean. Once your reputation is lost, it becomes almost irreparable. Build trust and be trustworthy. Whatever happens, don’t lose your relevance. Keep your brand Resources: Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

“Without proper management great projects fail” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Common Challenges in Project Management and Their Solutions Project management is a complex task, and the successful completion of a project by an organization is no easy feat. According to a study by Gallup, only a measly 2.5% of companies manage to successfully complete their projects, a good indicator of how companies fail in proper project management. The exercise of managing projects involves ensuring proper utilization of resources, meeting deadlines, sticking to the allocated budget, having clear communication, foreseeing possible risks, and taking preventive measures. Project managers may be unable to deliver their project as expected for not seeing in advance the possible risks and thus failing to put mechanisms in place to avert them. The following are some common challenges that a project management team may face in project management, as well as possible solutions: Vague goals Some project teams do not exactly know what to expect from the project. Lack of clearly defined goals and objectives means the project is doomed to fail. This lack of awareness of the what’s, when’s, and why’s of the project results in confusion, thereby causing the poor delivery of the project. For a project to succeed, goals must be clearly thought out and communicated before the project’s inception. Solution – The project team should hold a kickoff meeting to clarify the goals of the project. Also, the team should use project management software to define the goals clearly. For example, they can use GRS project management software, which is one of the best in the market. Poor communication Improper communication hinders the successful delivery of the project. A good project manager should be a great communicator. Good communication comes in handy, whether you are seeking information from team members and other parties, asking questions, or passing information along. A breakdown in communication results in project failure. Solution – There should be clearly defined channels of communication for project team members, as well as a clear understanding of what information should be communicated to whom and how to do it most effectively. Insufficient team member skills The members are the building blocks of the team, and their expertise and experience determine the team’s competence. Some project tasks require specialized skills or expertise. It is thus vital to ensure the persons handling such tasks are well equipped; otherwise, you should have them trained or bring someone in with the necessary skills to avoid poor implementation, which will lead to the failure of the project. Solution – The team leader should document the main skills needed to execute the various project tasks and analyze the team members’ strengths and weaknesses. Where necessary, the members should be trained to bridge the gaps, or people with the required skills should be brought onboard. Unrealistic deadlines Most project managers struggle with unrealistic expectations on timelines from the client and other stakeholders. The cause of unrealistic deadlines is setting the targets based on factors like aggressive competition, rather than basing them on calculations and data or proper planning. From the onset, the team is put in a position of trying to fit things within determined boundaries that are not realistic, thus resulting in failure to meet the deadline. Solution – Project managers can overcome issues of project deadlines with proper planning, alternative analysis, and clear communication of the project progress to the client and other interested parties. Having a project calendar to plan events and to monitor important dates can also help. Resources: Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

How to Start a Business as a Marketing Consultant Marketing consultants are in high demand, and businesses of all sizes are interested in hiring them. As more people search for new tactics to attract customers, they turn to marketing experts for help. If you choose to become a marketing consultant, you can start your own business and work with top companies around the world. High Demand for Marketing Consultants Businesses need marketing consultants to help them generate leads, which leads to higher revenue and sales. Maryville University explains that a hiring survey from McKinley Marketing Partners found that 39 percent of companies were hiring new digital marketers, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects higher than average growth in this field. Many companies need marketing help, but they may not be able to hire a full-time employee. This is the perfect opportunity to start your own business and work as a consultant. Businesses are desperately looking for marketing consultants who can help them. Degree Requirements A bachelor’s degree in marketing is a minimum requirement for this position. Although you can also pursue a master’s degree, you should at least get a bachelor’s to show prospective companies that you are serious and qualified. Having a degree will also help you stay competitive in a growing field. In addition, while you are getting a degree, you may have the chance to do internships with companies. Not only will this help you network for future consultation work, you may graduate with an offer to continue working with the company. Portfolio Requirements When you are working as a consultant, companies are more interested in your portfolio than a resume. They want to see examples of previous work that was successful. For instance, they may want to see how you implemented a marketing strategy for social media or created a plan to increase organic traffic on a website. If you have a college degree, you may be able to use some of the work from school to start building the portfolio. Research projects and internships often provide strong examples of your abilities. You will need to create a portfolio online and offline, so more companies can have easier access to it. You want to showcase your best marketing work in the portfolio and fill it with relevant samples. Work Strategies Many marketing consultants start their careers as employees for companies to get experience. Then, after a few years or longer, they open their own businesses and offer consulting. Some people skip the step of working as employees and start consulting right away. There is more than one path to success as a marketer. If you are confident you can succeed without working for someone else first, then you can do it, but it may be more difficult. Branding Ideas Even if you are a solopreneur, branding still matters. You need a business name, logo, tagline and other branding elements. You will have to create consistent branding across social media and your own websites or blogs. Some marketing consultants start as independent contractors and later bring on a team to open an agency. If you plan to do this, then think about how to brand long-term and make sure it grows with your company. Personal branding can help you attract more customers. As a marketing specialist, you probably do not want to turn this over to another business to handle, especially when you are just starting out, so it is important to take the time to do this well. For example, you might want to become familiar with sites like Canva or Snapseed to make sure everything you produce is on brand. Starting Small Most marketing consultants start small and work alone at first when they launch their businesses. It may be tempting to start hiring staff right away, but you need to build the business first. You need many leads coming in to make sure you can afford to pay the people you hire and yourself. Consider working alone at first until the company grows to a safe size. Then, you can start to bring in more people such as assistants. Networking and Clients A marketing consultant needs a steady stream of clients to stay in business. You will have to network and stay visible to make this happen. Consider joining local networking groups, but do not ignore online opportunities. You can join the Association of Network Marketing Professionals (ANMP) and travel to meetings or conferences. You can also get involved in the community by volunteering or joining charities. You can start a successful marketing consultant business. A college degree and experience will make it easier to find success in this field. You also want to have a strong portfolio and personal branding, so clients come to you. Start small and keep networking in the community and beyond, and your business will expand over time. Resources: Latest book Digital Disruption Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

How to Transform your Brand In this episode David Brier answers the following questions on branding. Download, listen and share. What is Branding? How do one differentiate their commodity form others selling same product? What are other ways one can differentiate? Can quality packaging be more important than the quality of product in branding? Qualities of a sustainable Brand How’s banding relevant to start ups. The importance of Branding Startups When should you rebrand? How to separate your personal brand from the company’s brand? How to resurrect a dying brand? Branding beyond visuals, what to know and do? About Branding Intervention Resources: Brand Intervention Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

“True artists don’t create for their audience; the audience discover them” – Bernard Kelvin Clive To all writers, poets, authors cheers!!!! True artists don’t create for their audience; the audience discover them. Once an artist starts creating by the dictates of its audience, he seizes to be an artist, he becomes a business man. Artists do art out of love. You paint the world with your words and make it such a beautiful place. Falling in love or out of love.? Let’s fall in love, not a love story but there is love in it. For writers, poets and authors, the point is this; you must come to a point where you totally fall in love with your writing style, right from the beginning or journey along and totally settle this is your heart that not everyone will love your piece. Your work may or may not be the best in your eyes, but it’s your babe, you’ve got to love it and make it the best at all times. If you seek perfection it will elude you, seek progress, the desire to communicate something of real value to your reader; to inform, entertain, educate. Communicate your expertise in little ways, not seeking to please the masses. Someone may pick your piece and be inspired others will not, that’s life. If they find your work meaningful, great If not, it may not be for them or not the right time. Don’t give up, let love lead. keep giving your best, the universe will reward you greatly. #EnjoyLife Resources: Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

Thinking of establishing yourself as an expert in your field and to boost your business? Then  publishing a book can be of help. In this episode Julie Broad shares are story and strategy for using a book to achieve this. Julie Broad is an Amazon Overall #1 Best Selling Author, an International Book Award Winner, and recipient of the Beverly Hills Book Award for Best Sales book. As an entrepreneur and successful real estate investor she was also awarded the Top 20 under 40 Award. Founder of Book Launchers, she started the company to help busy entrepreneurs and professionals build their brand and boost their business by writing, publishing, and selling a top quality book. Download, listen and learn. Resources: Book Launches Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

In this episode we look at Personal Branding: Finding Fulfillment in Life with Vince Kramer Vince is an airline pilot and military veteran, Vince Kramer brings a unique experience to the world of self- improvement and purpose-driven growth. His past experience in a stereotypically “macho” field brings a more integrated perspective to the softer field of personal growth not often seen.As a speaker, trainer, best-selling author of “Mastering the Art of Success” with Jack Canfield, and coach, Vince’s distinct combination of experience, education and research helps him develop powerful talks, workshops and online training in finding happiness and success by living life by their design. Vince passionately believes everyone is unique and the creator of their own life. It is his desire to inspire and empower men, women, organizations and families to find success and happiness by designing and creating a life fueled by their desires. Download, listen and learn. Resources: Download FREE resources here Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Thinking of how to build a personal brand and transition it into a business brand? Then. this episode is a must listen, my guest Johno Ormond, CEO of Dalia Media shares strategies on how to build a personal and corporate brand. Download, Listen, Learn and Share Recommended Resources: Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Brand building takes time. In this episode my guest Tim Brown, Web Designer,  SEO Specialist at Hook Agency shares with us strategies for building your personal brand with content marketing and transitioning from a personal brand to a corporate brand. Download, Listen, Learn and Share! Recommended Resources: HookAgency.com Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

In this episode we looked at Branding, Politics, Law and Money with Frazer Rice. Frazer Rice is a leading private wealth manager, with fifteen years’ experience advising millionaire and billionaire families on finances, including fiduciary and estate matters. His clients include business owners, hedge fund managers, real estate developers, corporate executives, foundations, and established families. Frazer has been featured in the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Journal News, and he has appeared on cable television news networks. In addition to his financial expertise, Frazer is a member of the New York State Bar and a graduate of Duke University and Emory University Law School. He hosts a podcast and blog on politics, business trends, and entrepreneurship at FrazerRice.com. Listen, Lean and Share Recommended Resources: FrazerRice.com Wealth Actually by Frazer Rice on Amazon Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Starting a business can be made easier when you know and have the right resources. In this episode we discuss the tools that can make your brand and business building easier. Using ecommerce cooperative by empowery, my guest Barth Getho shares the advantages available for you. Listen, learn and share! Recommended Resources: Empowery.com Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

8 Clever Ways to Market Your New E-commerce Website  Marketing an ecommerce website is not an easy task. You need to get your approach right if you want to reach more customers and generate a lot of revenue. Here are 8 clever ecommerce marketing strategies that you need to put into action today. 1- Take The Help of Inbound Marketing Marketing can be of two types – “push marketing” and “pull marketing”. Under push marketing, you push the customers towards your store even if they aren’t interested. For example, an ad in a newspaper is an example of push marketing. Under pull marketing, you pull the customers towards your store when they are highly interested. For example, a visitor visiting your site using organic search is an example of pull marketing. Inbound marketing consists of all such strategies that come under pull marketing. These strategies help to generate visits that are highly relevant and have greater chances of converting into a sale. Here are some highly useful techniques of inbound marketing: Search Engine Optimization: SEO helps to generate quality inbound leads by getting your website ranked at the top of the organic search results. Content Marketing: Content is the lifeline of internet. Content marketing helps to increase the visibility of your brand and help to build lasting relationships with your audience.  Social Media Marketing: Nowadays, you are marketing to millennials and social media is the perfect place to reach them. An effective social media marketing strategy improves brand awareness and lets you engage with a broad array of audience. Email Marketing: Emails remain one of the most cost effective inbound marketing strategies that’s easy to get started, delivers the right message at the right time and helps to generate a regular flow of leads. SMS Marketing: You can reach a large number of people at the same time with the help of SMS marketing. SMS lets you to reach customers instantly as and when you need it. Webinar Marketing: Webinar is a cost effective marketing strategy that helps to build lucrative relationship with your customers. Webinars adds to brand loyalty and helps to convert a new visitor to a lead. 2- Create and Promote Your Blog Blogging is an inexpensive way for ecommerce business owners to drive traffic to their website. Here are the top benefits of blog promotion: It provides to boost your existing search engine optimization strategies. Blogging is an efficient way to connect with your existing and potential customers. People are able to easily recognize your brand and it educates them about your business vision and personality. Preparing blog posts on long tail keywords lets you get rank for new keywords which means you have greater chances of raising your leads and conversion. The below chart from Hubspot shows that businesses who blog generate 55% more visitors as compared to the ones who don’t.  Blogging is an opportunity for social sharing. People can share blog posts that they like and this indirectly helps to raise publicity of your brand on social channels.   3- Advertise Your Store Offline Offline promotion is equally important to give wings to your online business. Here are a few effective ways to market your ecommerce business offline: Take part in local business meetings to network with other businesses and to generate a lot of local brand publicity. Participate in trade shows to directly promote your products. Make use of tools like Shopify POS to accept payments from customers with their methods of choice. POS is a convenient medium to accept payments when you are in trade shows, meetings, kitty parties or workshops.  Take the help of billboard advertisement to educate people about your brand and offers. Offer free products to people as this will encourage more prospects to start buying from your e-store. 4- Leverage The Power of Influencers Influencer marketing is an highly effective strategy when it comes to reaching new prospects in a short span of time. Nowadays, there are so many online stores so why would anyone buy from your store? People always prefer stores who offer quality products and a trustworthy service. Trust is the biggest factor that differentiates a business from a brand. Influencers help businesses gain trust and build goodwill. 5- Target Your Audience With Virtual Reality   VR is the next phase in the evolution of ecommerce marketing. Customers like to have a personalized experience and VR can create magical experiences for the customers. Here is how ecommerce retailers can leverage the power of virtual reality to generate brand buzz and new leads: Retailers can create virtual showrooms or virtual stores to offer customers a virtual experience that lets the customers assume like they are viewing the products in a physical store. Customers can visualize how a product actually looks and feels as a “try before you buy” feature. You can use the Google Cardboard SDKs to start building an immersive experience of your own. As per a survey by Walker and Retail, people prefer shopping via physical stores as compared to online. With the help of Leap Motion’s advanced hand tracking technology, you can allow your customers to make selections and interact using their hand movements, all happening in the virtual world. This means, your customers can choose products, place them into their cart and order them easily all using a simple wave of the hand! Isn’t this magical?  Moreover, VR combined with the power of AR (Augmented Reality) can do wonders. For example, a store selling furniture online can allow shoppers to visualize how a bed would actually look like when placed in the bedroom. All this happens with the help of an AR app where the customer would use the mobile camera and point it to the place in the bedroom where the bed needs to be placed. The moment this is done, the app places a 3D model of the bed as a live image on the bedroom. Hence, it becomes extremely easy for the shopper to visualize how the […]

“You have no business until you have customers.” Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode, my guest Jonathan shares his secret of growing customers for your brand using an unscalable sales process. Johnathan is the Co-founder of Penji, an on-demand graphic design membership or agencies, internal marketing teams, and the print on demand community. With over 250 members and growing, Penji had multiple opportunities to receive outside investment capital, all in which they declined. Listen, learn and share Recommended Resources: Penji.co Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“The future will be taken by those who are building their brands today” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share with you… 17 Side effects of ignoring your Personal Brand Your brand fades You lose credibility You become less visible You become easily replaceable Your influence decreases You lose your market share Your audience wanes Your competitors win You will be treated with less respect You lose money Your place will be forgotten You will struggle to stay relevant You will be treated as a commodity You will have less impact Your expertise may be despised You can’t dominate You will be branded by others Recommended Books: Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Excuse your Excuses” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Are you Busy? I’m Busy! …waiting for the perfect time? Well, now could be that time… Quite often, we postpone doing what needs to be done now to our ideal time, hoping things get better with time… We go like…”I will do this when… -I start the job, – I get a new job – I get a raise – I start dating – I get a new car – I marry – I give birth – the kids grow – I’m on leave – I’m less busy – I recover from this illness – I travel – I finish exams – I graduate – I start my ministry – I start my company – I become rich …when when when… the reasons and excuses keep lingering… Do we really want to do the things we should be doing? Yes, there’s the need for proper timing, but what do we do with what we have now? Time is of the essence! Choose what you need to do now and begin. Take time to do the things that matter to you. Make time to care for those you love. Excuse your excuses! #DriveyourAmbition Recommended Books: Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Your brand is yours to build. In this episode I share with you 6 Tips for Personal Branding with LinkedIn Download, Listen, Learn and Share! Complete your Profile Details Use keyword rich and apt description for your tittles Use LinkedIn Article feature for blogging Use Native videos Take to interact with others Recommend and refer others (Ask for Recommendations) Recommended Books: Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

From the Book “Business Networking Made Easy“ In this episode I share with you: 7 Ways to have a Thriving Networking Relationship Keep your promises Live with integrity: Never breech Trust Never stop feeding your relationship Don’t backbite: Never talk behind anyone Forgive frequently: Resolve any difference quickly in love Respect and honour the gift of others; Never disrespect any relationship Celebrate people openly Recommended Books: Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” – Proverbs 23:7 In this episode I share my audiobook on positive affirmations for your personal brand building. Download, listen and share. Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

If you have ever thought of starting a freelancing business or hiring a freelancer, now is the time. Listen and learn how to do it successfully. My guest is Nathan Hirsch Nathan Hirsch is a 28 year old serial entrepreneur who is an expert in hiring online and building eCommerce businesses. He co-founded his first eCommerce company out of his dorm room in 2009 drop shipping products on Amazon.com and built it to sell over $25 million worth of product over 5 years. While scaling, Nathan discovered the power of outsourcing and ended up building a remote army of freelancers. In 2015, Nathan co-founded and became the CEO of FreeeUp, an online hiring marketplace that allows business owners fast access to a hand-picked network of top talent freelancers in eCommerce, digital marketing, web development, and much more who have already been vetted for skill, attitude, and communication. FreeeUp interviews hundreds of freelancers each week and only allows the top 1% of applicants into the network. The company has been growing at rapid paces (500%+ YoY) and has quickly become a top destination to hire online for over 3,000 businesses around the world. Nathan has built his personal brand to be synonymous with online hiring and entrepreneurship through 75+ guest appearances on top podcasts: Entrepreneur on Fire with John Lee Dumas, Eventual Millionaire, and handfuls more. Nathan has also become a regular speaker at industry conferences where he teaches other business owners how to hire freelancers and gain back more time in their growing businesses. Resources: FreeeUp.com Skill Sets Rates for FreeeUp Video testimonial on FreeeUp from Ben Cummings How FreeeUp Works Infographic Free Up Your Business: 50 Secrets to Bootstrap Million Dollar Companies Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

If you desire to up your game and be recognized as an expert in anything, then this episode s for you. My guest, Josh Haynam is the co-founder of  interact and he will walk you through simple and practical strategies on how to become an expert in any area with zero previous experience. Listen, learn and share. For lead generation Quizzes check Interact Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

18 Tips for New Authors 1. Write and write a great book or hire a ghostwriter 2. Invest in a professional editor 3. Start promoting your book Now 4. Read other related books on your theme 5. Join a network of writers and authors 6. Get a professional cover designer to do your cover 7. Have your book layout professionally made 8. Never try to do everything on your own. 9. Don’t stress yourself over who should write the foreword for your book 10. Consider writing multiple books(series) than trying to make a killing form just one 11. Your current book title may need to change before publishing 12. Publish on Amazon and other platforms 13. Befriend bloggers and book reviewers 14. If you can, consider guest blogging 15. Get reviewers for your book 16. Prepare to be a guest on TV/Radio 17. Get interviewed on podcasts in your niche 18. Book Publishing is a big business, do all you can to stand out by branding. And Always offer a free giveaway. Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon bestselling author of over 35 published books. Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Your addiction to daily distraction denies you of effectiveness” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode you will find the 17 Things to drop Laziness, idleness, less or no action towards goals Procrastination Gossips & lies Lateness to appointments and events Excessive Alcohol Poor eating habits Prayerlessness Ingratitude People pleasers, pretenders Greed & jealousy Promiscuity No budgeting & overspending Scared-freaks, Non-risk takers Negative people, fault finders Dream killers & idea thieves Troublemakers, drama people Indecisive & indiscipline people Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“The depth of your network is more important than its length” – Bernard Kelvin Clive   A medical practitioner: Doctor, Nurse, pharmacist etc Legal practitioner: Judge, Lawyer, etc Media practitioner: TV, Radio producer or presenter, etc Branding expert: personal brand coach, graphic designer, photographer, etc Financial advisor: accountant, investor, etc Priest: Pastor, prophet, etc Communication expert, writer, author, Agriculturist: farmer, food vendors: eg Waakye & Koko seller Politician (one in every political party) Real estate agent/ building contractor Security expert: Police, Military officer, etc Educationists: professor, teacher etc Driver: taxi driver, transport officer, mechanic Counselor, psychologist, coach IT Expert Engineer Electrician Travel agent Freelancer: Barber, Hair stylist, “Any job boy” Business advisor/ Social media/ PR expert   Now it is your turn, what other people would you need in your network? Share with us…   Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Skills to Give you a Competitive Edge in Your Career Branding In our ever-changing fast-evolving world, it has become increasingly critical for executives to adapt to these changing trends and demands to meet the needs of the market. The question then is, how does one stay relevant and competitive? I believe that in this globally competitive world you will need these two keys to unlock opportunities, set standards and stay relevant: 1. Mindset: How you think and what you think impacts your entire life. What do you think about most of the time? “Your mind is either your prison or palace what you make of it is yours to decide” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Developing a positive attitude towards life prepares you for greater gains in the journey of life. Simply Imagine the best, visual the best, Believe, and begin it today! it’s possible! 2. Skillset: it’s not just about what you have but what you can add to what you have to produce the needed value “It’s noble to be skilled but ultimately people pay for the solutions your skills can provide not the skills you possess” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Getting the needed skills for the current and future demands of the market is that which will keep you relevant. Listen, learn and share! Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Find out the how you are sabotaging your success. Words are very important in every aspect of our lives – they become a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. What words/statements do you constantly say to yourself? Listen and replace those  negative statements with empowering ones. Listen, learn and share! Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

7 Smart Strategies to Write a Book  “Your book goes places you may never go and helps people you may never meet” – Bernard Kelvin Clive If you’ve ever wanted to write a book, now is the time. In this episode I share with you simple ways you can become an author. Listen, learn and share! Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Don’t beg for platforms, build your platform” ~ Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I  decided to answer a question by Ibrahim on public speaking by sharing with you 10 quick tips on public speaking, from my book Rebrand Mega Pack. Listen and share. Recommended Books: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Your digital footprints speaks more volumes than your CV” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Learn how to build a powerful brand online using instafame. In this episode Austin Godsey shares insight on how you can make the most of social media to build a powerful brand online. Austin Godsey is a serial Entrepreneur, International Speaker, and Top Marketing Earner. The CEO of Global Visionariez, who built GV to 2.3 million in revenue per month and active team of 15,000 customers The CMO and co owner of  InstaFame which has 700 current active paying clients. Recommended Books: www.instafame.social GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Roadmap to Revenue: How to Sell the Way Your Customers Want to Buy Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Don’t just be selling. be connecting” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this podcast episode my guest Kristin Zhivago share on how brand can sell the way that customers will buy. Kristin Zhivago has become one of the leading experts on the customer’s buying process, and was one of the first to see selling from the buyer’s perspective. She speaks and teaches worldwide for companies and organizations. She spent decades as a “revenue coach” helping clients ranging from thriving young start-ups to those in the Fortune 500, including Dow Jones, IBM, and Johnson & Johnson. Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Roadmap to Revenue: How to Sell the Way Your Customers Want to Buy Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Trust is the new currency for riches” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share with you little ways you can build trust. 21 Reasons to Make People Trust You Build your expertise Always give of your best Talk less do more Payback borrowed money quickly Return borrowed items in better shape Be confident in your expertise Don’t exaggerate, say it as it is Be time conscious – remember ‘time is money’ Respect the time of others – if you asked for 5 minutes, make it 5 minutes Don’t be late to meetings and appointments Learn to meet deadlines Share your successes and failures as well Learn to empathize and sympathize with others Listen and be tolerant Don’t judge what you don’t understand Don’t cheat others Learn to see the best in others Be patient with people, they have their own struggles When you realize you can’t deliver as promised, quickly let it be known If you can’t make it to a scheduled meeting/event, make it known as soon as possible Stick to your values – stay principled.   Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Social media is the new town hall, how do small and medium enterprises(SMEs) with a lean budget make the most out of it? In this episode my guest Paul Kortman, share some strategies to help SMEs to position their brands on the digital front. Paul is a certified nerd, a nomad and a marketing extraordinaire who has loaned his insights to a variety of businesses. In 2010, Paul combined his 12 years of expertise in Information Technology, and digital marketing into his agency, Connex Digital Marketing. Since then Paul has gone on to co-found three other companies and help countless businesses succeed through marketing and increased sales. Listen, learn and share. Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

In a world of varied brands and businesses, how do you ensure that your brand thrives and survives in the wild? In this episode my guest Jonathan David Lewis  shared insights on how your brand can thrive in the wild – Jonathan is a branding and business strategist, Jonathan honed his skills during the lean years of the Great Recession, helping brands navigate today’s unforgiving new business paradigms. Jonathan’s opinions are highly sought by numerous business and marketing publications, including Forbes , Digiday , and Advertising Age , where he explores the factors that lead to stalled growth and the principles proven to help companies navigate the ambiguities and dangers of the brand wilderness.  Listen, learn and share Recommended Books: Brand Vs Wild GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“To stay relevant, learn also to be visible” In the the digital age brand visibility is one of the most sort after positions online. In this episode I interviewed the coolest guy in SEO – Kris Reid  CEO ,CEO of Ardor Media  to discuss some strategies in SEO and Back-linking. Listen, learn and share.   Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Any brand that refuses to innovate, dies!” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share with you the urgency of staying updated to enhance your personal brand’s value and visibility. If Softwares are frequently upgraded, how much more you? If you don’t consistently stay updated and upgrade yourself, you will soon fade out into oblivion. Remember that anything that refuses to grow, automatically gravitate towards the grave. Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Don’t do that which is popular, do that which is purposeful” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share some tips on how you can create a sticky social media personal brand. Listen, learn and share “Brands are like shoes, they come in sizes and styles; one size & style doesn’t fit everyone.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

How better people engagement can drive profits, growth and performance. In this episode I had Colin James Browne share on the importance of people engagement for companies. Listen and learn: • The five pillars of engagement that every company must focus on, in order to create an effective organisational culture, with case studies in how to apply them in your organisation. Grab a discount ticket with the code BKCCOLIN1 when you email angie[at]liquorishinc.com  Recommended Books: How to Build a Happy Sandpit GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

 “It’s not so much about what the morning brings; it’s what you bring to the morning” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive 3 Morning Rituals to Change Your Life The power to shape your personal brand is defined by your daily activities. Early Rise: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ancient Proverb It is said that the early bird catches a worm, how true is that? Wake up early before the sun rises, before the world gets busy. It’s believed that the morning hours have mystical powers. The quietness of the morning atmosphere inspires many great ideas and calms the heart. Consider from 12 midnight to 6 AM. Jesus had the habit of waking up early before day, read Mark 1:35. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Meditation: From Scriptures to ancient eastern practice have confirmed the power of meditation in the mornings. A time set apart to reach your inner spirit and communion with God. A time to turn your thoughts in your mind and imagine the bright future desired. Meditation also sets as a blueprint for your life. Most successful people resort to meditation in the early hours of the day, a regular practice that empowers them. Exercise: Aside from the health benefits of exercising, early morning exercise release endorphins that energize the mind, stimulating a positive feeling and upbeat spirit towards work. So try exercising from simple push-ups to complex aerobics at least 10 minutes daily. Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

In this episode I interviewed John Vespasian as he shared more light from his book on thriving in difficult times; Twelve lessons from Ancient Greece to improve your life today . JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of eight books about rational living, including “When Everything Fails, Try This” (2009), “Rationality is the Way to Happiness” (2009), “The Philosophy of Builders” (2010), “The 10 Principles of Rational Living” (2012), “Rational Living, Rational Working” (2013), “Consistency: The Key to Permanent Stress Relief” (2014), “On Becoming Unbreakable” (2015), and “Thriving in Difficult Times” (2016). Listen and learn. Recommended Books: Thriving In Difficult Times GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

  “Everyone has a level of influence that can be harnessed for greater good” – Bernard Kelvin Clive A brand ambassador is a person who is engaged by a company/brand to promote the brand – giving it more visibility, value, and reach to increase the Return-On-Investment (ROI).   begin with, a brand ambassador should have some level of influence – Either paid or volunteer brand ambassadors. They Must be loyal, they must be genuinely interested in your brand and they must be willing to live by the brand’s values and code of conduct. Here are the 5 Main Roles of a Brand Ambassador in the acronym B.R.A.N.D. Believe in the Brand: Brand ambassadors’ first point of calling, connection and communication are to believe in your brand. They are to buy into the brand. If they don’t believe in the brand, there is very little they can do at the core and cry of being authentic in this age.   Represent the Brand: The role of a brand ambassador is to represent the brand whenever they can and wherever they find themselves. An ambassador becomes the mouthpiece of the brand, in words and in deeds; to positively project the image of the brand in every way possible.   Authenticate the Brand: A brand ambassador’s role of authenticating the brand implies making the brand more likable, real to consumers to enable them to trust the brand and attract more clients. In essence, they humanize the brand by articulating it genuinely.   Nurture the Brand: To nurture the brand is to help the brand grow to reach more people, to create more loyal consumers. Brand ambassadors are to bring in more leads and to replicate themselves creating more ambassadors in their circles of influence.   Defend the Brand: This means to protect the reputation of the brand. Stand in the gap of constantly proclaiming the goodwill of the brand, where others want to defame the brand, an ambassador quickly steps in with the truth. Where there has been a misconception about the brand, miscommunication of the brand and even instances where the brand has erred, the ambassador sets in to resolve issues effectively to elevate the brand’s image.   In all, a brand ambassador is to help the brand dominate in various areas and ways they can use their influence.   In conclusion, Brand ambassadors can either be volunteers or paid individuals to represent the company in various ways. A staff of a company can become a brand ambassador, and I personally advise firms to invest in their staff to make them brand ambassadors, it pays huge dividends. The scary thing is having a staff who doesn’t believe in your product and services but only exchange his/her time for salaries. It’s a sure sign of losing your credibility and sinking your business. I strongly believe that companies should focus on having both internal(staff) and external brand ambassadors. Consider a staff brand advocacy training program (BKC Consulting). Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

Brand ambassadors humanize your brand Why you Need a Brand Ambassador A brand ambassador is a person who is engaged by a company/brand to promote the brand – giving it more visibility, value, and reach to increase the Return-On-Investment (ROI). Branding and marketing have evolved over the years with technology and speed of change and innovation, which has influenced the way brands do interact with consumers and other businesses to properly position their brands. The reason why brand ambassadors are very much needed to help promote, educate and share in the brand’s success. Here are some reasons why you need brand ambassadors: Lead Generation: Brand ambassadors serve as leads for your brand, they help bring in more customers. An effective brand ambassador stands the chance of bringing in more business than adverts.   Human Connection: The truth is that people buy into people. People tend to believe more, what their friends tell them about a product/service than the media/ads. Brand ambassadors help to bring the human touch to your brand; they help build a more personal relationship with consumers thereby making the brand more lovable.   Loyal Customers: An effective brand ambassador becomes more loyal to your brand because they believe and like your products, they become your first consumers (paid or free). In effect, they also use their influence to lead others to become loyal to the brand. Reputation: Your brand reputation is critical to the survival and success of your brand. Your brand ambassadors go out there to protect your brand and ensure that your brand is seen in a more positive light. They can quickly and easily correct misconceptions about your brand.   Wider Reach: You can’t be everywhere at the same time. This is what your brand ambassadors do; they represent you at places that you can’t be. They become your mouthpiece; they help spread your brand wider to their circles of influence.   Go Viral: Viral reach here implies getting loads of word-of-mouth for your products by your brand ambassadors either online or offline. Imagine a social media influencer as your brand ambassador tweets or shares about your brand, its effect is huge. Having an influential brand ambassador mentioning or wearing your product on a popular TV show stands the chance of reaching far more people than advertisements.   Feedbacks: As I say, ‘feedbacks are a brand’s way of looking back’; your brand ambassadors will largely have their ears on the ground to provide you with feedbacks to help enhance your brand. Though all feedbacks may not be positive, they will help you shape your brand, innovate where necessary to produce better tailor-made services to clients.   Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

  5 Reasons Why You Must build an Author Brand Author Branding: It is the process of positioning an author as the center of attraction and influence, to be the preferred choice in a given theme, style, category, niche or genre. An author brand focuses more on the author than the books; it ensures that the author’s personality (style of writing, themes, genres) encourages readers to pick his/her books over any other author. Author Branding is a powerful phenomenon that famous and well established authors used to keep their brands top-of-mind and gain added advantage in many ways. In an age where brands (personal brands) have become very powerful in every sphere of business, I strongly believe that upcoming authors and writers who desire to make great impact in their writing careers should consider author branding as the preferred way to go. Here are 5 Main Reasons Why You Must build an Author Brand: 1.    Authority: The number one benefit of creating an author brand is that it establishes you as an expert, an authority in your chosen field; you become the go-to person. Try this, go to Amazon.com, or your local library, you will notice that every expert has a tag of a genre, category or theme. John C. Maxell will appear in the leadership expert, Nora Roberts – romance fiction. They are noted as an authority in those areas and they command great respect and influence. This makes their books the preferred one by people who might have not heard about them; this is referred to as Authority Marketing.   2.    Competition: There is a huge competition among authors and books at the marketplace, with thousands’ of books released yearly. Many authors and books get wiped away by the competition and never get a fair taste of neither prominence nor money invested. With an author brand, you can easily stand out from the crowd to achieve the attention needed. In this case, your brand does the marketing.   3.    Credibility: In an age where people can easily publish contents and become authors, it is quite difficult to filter through to get great books and authors to follow. Your author brand will position you as a credible author which will attract to your business credible publishers to work with. Your readers and followers also get to trust you and you become a trusted icon in your field leading to media trust appearances.   4.    Loyalty: Have you noticed how readers rushed in for every release of the ‘Harry Potter’ series? Yea, that is it! J.K. Rowling’s author brand is so powerful that it has built a tribe; raving fans and followers of her books. This can only happen with the influence of an author brand; it builds its own fan base and loyal readers. People who will just be waiting for your next book release, they will go to every extent just to get your books.   5.    Auto-Marketing: Book publishing does not come cheap; either electronic or print books, they all demand a huge investment of time and money. So, will it not be rewarding to have your hard work paid off with some profits? Sure! Even though authors publish books for many reasons, getting returns in terms of cash is rewarding.  At the peak of your author career and brand, it will require less effort to get your book selling. You would have had a loyal following, your authority and influence held in high-esteem, your books begin to drive sales automatically bringing in more royalties.   I hope this will inspire you to begin your journey of building your author brand which will open many doors beyond your books. For coaching and consulting contact Bernard Kelvin Clive   Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

How she is making it in Africa with her online Fashion Shop. In this episode I interviewed Olatorera Oniru, Founder & CEO of Dressmeoutlet.com Dressmeoutlet.com is one of Africa’s fastest growing, fashion-focused, quality-focused and customer-centric online retailers. Dressmeoutlet.com retails designer apparel and accessories with over 60% of products on Dressmeoutlet.com Made-in-Africa. Dressmeoutlet.com ships globally with customers in the United States, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria and other countries. Listen and learn and get a discount code for 40% OFF shopping on Dressmeoutlet.com Olatorera Oniru is an assiduous entrepreneur passionate about all things Africa. As CEO of Dressmeoutlet.com, she is currently leading initiatives to realize a pinnacle in Africa’s history whereby we would rely less on importation and innovate more with natural resources and citizenry capabilities. A member of The National Scholars Honor Society USA, Olatorera flourished her career working for two Fortune Top 5 companies namely Bank of America Merrill Lynch and General Electric. She also worked for one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, Lars Magnus Ericsson, as a global consultant and later as Head of Sales Governance. During the course of her employed years, she traveled to over 50 cities in over 10 countries in 4 continents. Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“The size of your audience is more important than the size of your book” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive 17 Nuggets for Aspiring Authors Write from your heart Develop your own writing style, find your voice. Write daily, no matter the length, just write. Read books by other authors & experts. Read wide, read beyond your scope. Attend writing & publishing workshops! Learn more from your chosen field and from other authors Get feedback for your writings Review your writings. Don’t be afraid to repeat, repeat that which works. Hire a professional editor, a poorly written book doesn’t sell. Don’t compare yourself with other authors Be prepared for rejection, certainly, some wouldn’t like your works. Market your books from day one. Art is not CHEAP! Sell it! Invest in your book promotion. Paid ads work. Find your audience, build a tribe and write for them. Publish your book! It’s not about the size of your book, It’s about the substance in it! Your book may or may not make you a fortune but write & Publish it anyway! “It’s not about the size of your book, It’s about the substance in it!” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Books: GOALS Are Dead! How to Make Every Day Count Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“He who has no goal goes no where” Your goals serves as your guiding light to your destination. In this episode we look at the Top 7 Resolutions you can consider for the coming year. Top 7 Resolutions to Consider  Learn a new SKILL Start a side business – moonlighting Travel to a village/a foreign land Volunteer to serve – community Keep a Journal/ Write a book Stay healthy – exercise, eat well, have regular medical check-ups Make a 360-day Challenge – Do something daily for the whole year. Eg. As an author, a challenge to write 300 words article every day. Download the infographic Recommended Books: Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Successful personal brands are agile” – Bernard Kelvin Clive 4 TRAITS of Powerful Personal Brands CLEAR PURPOSE Influential personal brands have a clear purpose, which is the most important pillar of powerful brands —for without purpose and a clear direction of your life, brand and business, you will be building a fake brand. The purpose should speak clearly to your promise of value. Your USP — Unique Selling Proposition.   INNOVATIVE Successful personal brands are agile, they are innovative and they are adaptable to change. They understand that brands and consumers do evolve so they adjust to the changing trends and times while staying relevant. “Innovation and technology drives my business” – Selorm A. Betepe  AUTHENTIC Influential personal brands understand that the best way to succeed is just being themselves. The world is tired of celebrities who ain’t themselves, they soon fade. Be your best self. “Remember it’s OK to be yourself.” – Richard Branson MAVERICKS You must be different to stand out! The most powerful personal brands are the difference makers, they just don’t fit in, they break rules and set new standards. They have the philosophy of trail-blazers – either they are the first or among the best. Simply Creative! “…purge mediocrity” – Nana K. Duah Recommended Book: Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Know your limit and circle of influence; you are not called to meet the needs of everyone” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share with you reasons why most personal brands have poor digital presence and what must be done to fix it. 7 Reasons Why Your Digital Presence Sucks   You are trying so hard to impress people. (BE YOURSELF) You are on too many social media platforms, yet not active. (FOCUS) You don’t provide any value; less valuable content. ( CONTENT) You wear too many hats; obsessed with titles without substance. (INTEGRITY) Your bio(about you) is not well written, full of errors and no call to action. (CLARITY) You keep spamming and stalking. (PERMISSION MARKETING) You don’t have a website or a well branded social media page. (WEBSITES) Recommended Book: Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive  

“You may start small but don’t stay small” – Bernard Kelvin Clive 21 Social Media and Digital Marketing Tips Don’t just be everywhere, be everywhere that your clients are, where you matter most. Always and always have a gift to give. Eg, Whitepapers, ebooks, audio, infographics etc. You can’t just ignore Social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc Blogs and Websites are still relevant for business growth. Traffic is the golden key that gets you the cash. Get yourself a mailing list. The Free lunch is over. You must pay to get the desired traction. Crowd-funding works effectively when you already have a mailing list, a tribe. Invest in paid advertisement. Don’t just be selling be connecting. You can’t’ Spam your way to success. Content is not king – relevant, timely and authentic content is king Invest in your personal brand – people buy into people first before business. Without value, the hype will be in vain. There are no shortcuts. Remember that what worked today may not work tomorrow, be adaptable! A platform is a must-have for all online marketers and entrepreneurs. Build a loyal fan base because repeat business is the best business for you. Focus: Niche marketing is vital. Remember that your competitors are just a click away. Consistency is the essential ingredient that sells your brand. Invest in your fans, tribe and brand ambassadors, they will bring in more business. Study trends! Stay Relevant! Recommended Book: Skills Every young Executive Must Have  HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Are you Skilled? A skill is basically the ability to do something well, to be great at doing something. My question is what are you great at or what are the things that you want to be great at doing? A research conducted and published by LinkedIn in October this year, outlined the top 10 in-demand Skills for the coming year and beyond. Catherine Fisher, the researcher, stated that “While some skills expire every couple of years, our data strongly suggests that tech skills will still be needed for years to come, in every industry. Now is a great time for professionals to acquire the skills they need to be more marketable.” I believe this is the more reason for young executives to get more skills while they can to always stay on top so as not to be drowned by the noise and competition. Find the hottest, most in-demand skills around the globe: Note that these are technical and computer related skills. Cloud and Distributed Computing Cloud computing, also known as on-demand computing, is a kind of Internet-based computing, where shared resources, data, and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand. It is a model for enabling ubiquitous, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. The point is that, because of the massive amount of data being stored and used globally by companies over the internet, cloud computing provides a better alternative to storage – scalable storage, cheaper, remote access to data, etc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining Data mining is a process used by companies to turn raw data into useful information. What will be the use of all these data collected by organizations if they cannot be analyzed and put to proper use? Experts in this field would be required to make meaning with data. Web Architecture and Development Framework Website architecture is an approach to the design and planning of websites that involves technical, aesthetic and functional criteria. As in traditional architecture, the focus is on the user and user requirements. This requires particular attention to web content, the business plan, usability, interaction design, information architecture and web design. It also includes deciding technology stack, site map, and navigation system of website. Middleware and Integration Software Middleware is a general term for software that serves to “glue together” separate, often complex and already existing, programs. Some software components that are frequently connected with middleware include enterprise applications and Web services User Interface Design User interface design (UI) or user interface engineering is the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience. Network and Information Security Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of preventing unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, inspection, recording or destruction of information. Security is one of the top needs in organizations today, services and skills in this area is in high demand. Mobile Development Mobile application development is a term used to denote the act or process by which application software is developed for mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones. Take a course to learn how to develop a mobile and web app. Data Presentation In the field of math, data presentation is the method by which people summarize, organize and communicate information using a variety of tools, such as diagrams, distribution charts, histograms, and graphs. The methods used to present mathematical data vary widely. SEO/SEM Marketing Search engine marketing (SEM) is a form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising. In an age where if Google can’t find you, you virtually don’t exist, it’s imperative to have experts in these areas to help companies be visible and accessible via the internet with ease. Storage Systems and Management Storage management systems consist of data storage devices and storage management software that provide online and near-line access to data, as well as archival storage of data. A typical system consists of online hard disk storage, writable optical disks, and tape backup systems. Sources: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/trends-and-research/2016/the-top-10-skills-you-will-be-hiring-for-in-2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/   Recommended Book: Skills Every young Executive Must Have by Bernard Kelvin Clive Download https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3XYOLW/  

“Your ingenuity will remain dormant until it is provoked” – Bernard Kelvin Clive You are creative!  Creativity in simple terms implies the ability to create. Firstly, because we are creatures of the creator – God, who made us in His image and likeness. Simply, if our creator creates, then, we too can create. Every living thing produces after it kind. We are the God-kind. Secondly, our very own nature yearns for new things, the explorer in us makes us want to experiment new things; that is the seed of creativity. It is those who pay attention to this urge and constantly respond by acting that unleashes the creative genius in them. If you believe it, then act on it! Watch your creative self & sense at work in whatever area you choose to to let it flow. The power is in your hands. You are creative! Your ingenuity unveils your identity. Go create! Resources: HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

How to make your first million… “People have this stereotypical view that wealthy people should be glamorous. The glamour aspect doesn’t grab me. I’ve always believed that wealth isn’t just about what you can buy. Wealth is a like a four-legged table. The monetary aspect is just one leg. The other quadrant legs include emotional wealth, spiritual wealth and physical wealth. Real wealth is having an abundance of ideas and a strong belief system which underpins everything you do in life.” – Nik Halik In this episode, I interviewed multi-millionaire astronaut and international speaker Nik Halik Nik Halik is the founder and CEO of Financial Freedom Institute, Lifestyle Revolution, 5 Day Weekend and The Thrillionaires. He is a financial trainer with a passion for adventure. This latter interest has led him during the past decade to train as a cosmonaut in Russia, fly close to the edge of the atmosphere in a former Soviet Mig 29 fighter jet, travel to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to view the Titanic, tour with Bon Jovi with his rock band, HALO skydive jump off the summit of Mt Everest, climb into the crater of an exploding erupting volcano, and enter the hermit kingdom of North Korea to expose a sweatshop factory operating illegally for an American conglomerate. As a property investor, he has developed techniques and systems for generating significant passive income that enables him to enjoy what he calls his five-day weekend lifestyle. Today, Nik’s group of companies have financially educated over one million clients in over 57 countries. He has trekked to over 138 countries, whilst generating passive income building recurring subscription businesses, and investing in tech startups. He currently resides in Los Angeles, South Beach Miami and the Greek Islands. More information, please visit http://www.nikhaliklive.com/   Resources:   HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Secrets to becoming a bestseller with the Jedi of Amazon Kindle publishing, Dave Chesson. In this episode, I interviewed Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur.com as he shared insights into kindle book publishing. Listen , learn and share Resources: Kindlepreneur.com KDP Rocket Amazon Sales Rank Calculator HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified  Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

“Speed is significant but you need substance to stay relevant” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this podcast episode, I interviewed one of South Africa’s personal branding experts to share on the steps to building a personal brand. Joe Joseph Mudau (MBA) is a Director of REDEFINE BRANDS (Pty) Ltd., a company specializing in personal and company branding. He is an author, radio personality, professional conference, businessman and community builder. Listen and learn RECOMMENDED BOOK: HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Branding Simplified 

Creating an Unforgettable Brand with Rochelle Moulton This episode is an interview on ways to build an unforgettable brand with my guest Rochelle Moulton Her style is clean (as in clean lines), feminine, and confident.  Listen, learn and apply. Her clients feel smart, LA chic, feminine, and confident in her clothing.    RECOMMENDED BOOK: HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Rochelle Moulton is the founder of Be Unforgettable Media.  She makes consultants, authors, and artists unforgettable by focusing on what’s unique and real and authentic about them. Rochelle shows her audience, that by embracing who they are, they will win clients, readers and business.

Signs of Social Media addiction. RECOMMENDED BOOK: HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Social Media Branding  “Branding is not just about social media” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In a social media-driven world, it’s quite easy to assume that everything is about social media. This has made people believe all sorts of things that should not have been believed in the first place. In reference to branding, a number of books and articles online have skewed branding towards social media, more especially the subject to do with ‘personal branding’ – instructing readers on setting up social media accounts, and making them visible, yadda yadda… I addressed that in my book “The Art of Personal Branding”. The truth is this; social media can be used by individuals and companies to virtually promote their brands. But when the subject of branding is almost replaced with social media activities, that becomes a problem. Because it will mostly lack the depth of branding. Social media shouldn’t be the starting place; It is only a Channel that individuals and brands can utilize to establish and promote their businesses. A quick rundown on the rudiments of branding: An emotional empowering connection people have with you and your firm It’s made up of both the intangible and tangible things It’s more intangible than tangible Brand identity, Logo, colours, style Tone of voice, values, vision and mission Uniqueness, a differentiation factor With this said, when you find out that your focus is only on social media as a brand that becomes erroneous, quickly re-strategize. Social media is not branding, it’s only a tool to help position, promote and engage your audience online. It doesn’t replace the branding process or its meaning. As a brand, your focus is to ensure that you use these channels of communications effectively to your advantage, most importantly the channels that can best help you reach your target audience. If it’s social media, then, make the most of it. Here are few social media branding tips: Choose your platform properly; which platform can help you reach your market Have a clear purpose of being on social media Develop a social media strategy and campaign Make your brand visuals appealing and consistent. Be consistent with your message, not forgetting your brand’s tone of voice Engage! Engage!! Engage!!! Don’t just broadcast, it’s a two-way communication channel Listen to your audience and respond to their needs Deliver on your brand’s promise!!! With these few tips, you can move your brand online upwards! RECOMMENDED BOOK: HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding    

How do you stand out from the masses? “Brands that stand out from the competition are purposefully disruptive or different”  –  Bernard Kelvin Clive To stand out from the masses with your brand be disruptive, different, or you die. Over the years I realized that startup brands that are doing exceptionally well had in a way mastered what I call the D.I.C.E. strategy in branding. They are Different Innovative Creative Excellent They D.I.C.E on purpose; doing things differently from their competitors, with distinctiveness, innovation, and creativity with a hallmark of excellence. These are the things that propel brands to great heights of visibility and prominence. To put all this together in a proper perspective I selected 7 Startup Brands Doing Things differently that you can study and be inspired by their works. Here are some Ghanaian owned Startup Brand’s that differentiate their products and services from the masses, using creative and innovative ways, in their various markets. My Pick for this week: Maza Health: amazingly helping with health transportation in remote areas in Ghana to save lives. CREO concepts: Telling the local story with animations. Graphic and animation firm, popularly known for their creative ‘Day Born’s cartoons’ on Social Media KokoKing; They simply professionally and hygienically packaged the everyday local ‘Hausa Koko’ Waakye-On-Wheels (Cookhouse): Simply made delivery of delicious ‘Waakye’ exciting and fun. UTAMA: creatively make hand-made Bow-Ties & Flying-Ties from African print materials AgroMindset: Simply made farming attractive to the youth while making money Tress App: lovely app that helps women to share and discover new hairstyles. Bernard Kelvin Clive RECOMMENDED BOOK: HOOKED: Overcoming Social Media Addiction Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding  

#16 of 31 “Feedback are brands free assessment tool” – Bernard Kelvin Clive The fastest way to look back in retrospect and assess your brand’s performance is to get feedback from your clients. Feedbacks are a great way to evaluate your brand. The truth bitterly spoken is this, not all feedbacks will be encouraging and empowering, some will come as a shock to rebuke and correct you. Learn to take all in good faith. It’s what you do with those feedbacks that matter. Some brands have successfully used feedback from their customers to launch a new line of products, improve existing once and made the whole brand experience a wonderful one. It’s a continuous cycle that must be kept running. For startup brands, feedback is a great way to help you launch your products and services successfully. Here are few ways to gather customer feedbacks: Ask for feedback, in your store, office, workplace, encourage clients to give you feedbacks Provide means of feedback, eg. Online, have a feedback form on your site. Use emails, send questionnaires. Social media, read comments, listen to clients’ needs and wants Always and always ask at end of every sale or pitch. Outsource the feedback process to another firm. Provide online surveys and reward those who do participate It’s not enough gathering feedbacks, the next process is how to translate this feedback to a more meaningful data to enhance customer relations and also provide quality products and services. As a speaker and author, I mostly ask my audience and readers to send me a review, after every workshop or at the end of reading a book, this has helped me better some of my presentations and books and some fans/clients have been proud that some of their suggestions have been put to a good use. My book “REWRITE: 7 Obstacle Every New Author Must Overcome’ was birth out of feedbacks from my monthly publishing workshops – Digital Publishing School. After receiving feedback, it’s up to you to analyze and filter them, what can be acted upon immediately, the ones to ignore and the ones that require immediate or future action. Remember: Feedback is a means for brands to look back. Bernard Kelvin Clive #BKCConsulting #31BrandingThoughts www.BKC.name/consulting

“The investment you make into a brand, makes its name worth it” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Did you know that the famous brand name ‘Google’ was actually a misspelt word ‘Googol”? Now, let’s get started. It sounds good in the ear to have sweet brand names that rhymes and charms but that alone will not make your brand jive. Some few thoughts to debunk; in choosing brand names, some experts suggest having a name that can be pronounced easily, really? Not so much of that, it does some good anyway, but the point is if your brand name isn’t jaw-breaking but your brand doesn’t deliver on its promise you will fail. Let’s throw in some few examples, illustrate the point that the investments made into brands go beyond its name. Having a fairly easy relatable brand name for your products and services is great but most importantly focus on delivering on your brand promise. That will cause the name to rise above the crowd. Who would have thought that an automobile brand like ‘Mitsubishi’ can make it at the marketplace. Quite a heavy name to pronounce, what do you say? At the end of the day, a brand is mostly known by either the brand’s name or its logo. However, it doesn’t come that easily. It requires a deliberate effort to communicate the brand’s value in order to make the name. Just coming up with just any name is not the best, a name that can sell your brand and a name that will be worth your investments. The funny parts of brand names are that a name that may mean well in one country and culture may mean something totally the opposite, sometimes even with negative connotations.  A simple example is packaged black pepper sauce in Ghana called ‘Shito” in the local language, the same word in English without the last letter sounds disgusting, doesn’t it? ‘Shit’.  Another example is a spice made in Jamaica called “Cock Flavored’ that supposed to mean chicken flavor, but in America and modern slang the word ‘cock’ implies ‘the male reproductive organ’. So, it’s very important to do a little research into your brand names before going out there with it, especially if you want to cross borders. RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books  

“Brands are not logos…” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Your Brand is more than just a creative name, cute logo or a complimentary card; it’s a promise of value, it’s a distinctive voice, it’ s a core message, it’s passion driven by purpose, it’s a positive impact that creates an impression One cannot talk about brands without reference to logos, however, a brand is more than just a logo. Some people mistakenly assume that a brand is its logo, no; a logo is a part of a brand’s identity. Here are some misconceptions about logos: A logo must be sophisticated; huh, a logo should be complex, that’s laughable, in fact, the simpler the better. A logo must reflect what the company does; huh, a logo should communicate the brand That is, not what the company does. A logo must have less colours; two colours should be enough. Huh, here again, a logo is not about being colorful or not. It focuses on how you choose to market your brand. A logo must either have symbols or name of the company in a text; huh, simply defy all odds and get your logo to represent your brand. Too many rules of do’s and don’ts may ruin your brand’s logo. The bottom line is your logo is your differentiation mark, anyway you can make it stand out, do it! NB: This doesn’t mean design your logo yourself, get a professional graphic designer to do that for you. RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

Personal Branding and Career Building talk with Career Strategist Sherri Thomas Listen, learn and share this podcast interview I had with Sherri Thomas, Sherri Thomas is a Career Strategist, international speaker, award-winning author, and President of Career Coaching 360 (www.CareerCoaching360.com). She’s helped thousands of executives and professionals change, re-brand, advance and take their career in a whole new direction. Author of award-winning book, “The Bounce Back – personal stories and strategies to you help you bounce back higher and faster after a layoff, re-org or career setback” was named 2013 best career book by Indie Book Awards. Also, author of “Career Smart – 5 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand”. Sherri is a champion of helping others thrive and live in their best career. AS a keynote speaker, she’s spoken at conferences and events around the world including the United States, Malaysia, Israel, Ireland, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and Vietnam. Her career strategies have been published in the Wall St Journal, TIME Magazine, Smart Money magazine, the New York Daily News, Investors Business Daily, and many others. Throughout her career, Sherri has worked for three Fortune 500 Companies overseeing and holding various positions in marketing, IT, management training and development, and global communications. She successfully reinvented herself and transitioned into various job roles and industries including television, radio, finance, and high tech. Sherri began her career as a radio disc jockey in Phoenix and Monterey, and was one of the few women in the country to host her own morning show. RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

“An undiscovered genius has no value in the marketplace” ~ Bernard Kelvin Clive 5 Quick Ways to Self-Promote without being boastful.  With the above quote, we can get started. I believe you will agree with me that we all know one or two people who are so great at what they do, but are not known, or do not get the traction for their expertise as it should be, right? The point is that we are in an age where if you don’t show up consistently to let the world know what you have and the value you have to offer, you and your business may suffer from the competition. It requires that you promote yourself to the right audience, by letting them know what you do excellently. The challenge is that most people find it quite difficult to do this. Either they lack the confidence or have the fear of being labeled as proud. So, here are simple tips to enable you to promote yourself without being boastful: The first step is to be really great at what you do. Without that you will be only, deceiving yourself and the public, you may end up losing your credibility. So, be determined to work harder on your craft, be the best in your chosen field. That alone can push you through the pile to the top, you may gain ‘word-of-mouth’ advantage. The second way you can promote yourself is by using endorsements by reputable firms. Eg. Entrepreneur magazine calls him “the branding guru“. Endorsements by reputable firms serve as a key to unlock the hearts of others. The third way you can self-promote yourself is by using testimonials by respectable people. Eg. “Kwame’s keynote speeches are not just inspiring but practical with humor that makes his audience laugh their way through with well actionable advice” Paul McAllen, president of Coca-Cola Canada. Understand that people tend to believe what other prominent people say about you the more than when it comes from an untrusted person. The fourth way is by using the third person pronouns to describe yourself and your achievements. Eg. He has trained over 500 corporate staff in a period of 6months in brand positioning strategies. The Last quick thing you can do to promote yourself is to carry a ‘Business Card’. It may seem that a business card is old fashioned, hey NO! It simply does the talking for you in a flash. Ensure that you have your details, endorsements and expertise on it. Never attend a business or networking meeting without one. The bonus point is, write a book! Yes, write a book to share your expertise. RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

7 Ways to Help a Complaining Customer into a Complimenting Customer   Listen “To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation. ” – Francois de La Rochefoucauld Respect “For us, our most important stakeholder is not our stockholders, it is our customers. We’re in business to serve the needs and desires of our core customer base.” ~ John Mackey Trust “To keep a customer demands as much skill as to win one.” -American Proverb Reward “Customers may forget what you said but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. “ Deliver “Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.” ~ Donald Porter Irresistible offers “Here is a simple but powerful rule: always give people more than what they expect to get.” ~ Nelson Boswell Relationships “In the world of Internet Customer Service, it’s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away. “ ~ Doug Warner RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

How to manage your brand and business in times of crisis. Listen to the interview I had with Jim Lukaszewski 5 Things Leadership Should Do in Crisis with Jim Lukaszewski America’s crisis Guru James (Jim) E. Lukaszewski (Loo-ka-SHEV-skee) is one of America’s most visible corporate go-to people for senior executives when there is trouble in the room or on the horizon. As America’s Crisis Guru®, Lukaszewski is known for his ability to help executives look at problems from a variety of sensible, constructive and principled perspectives. He has spent his career counseling leaders of all types who face challenging situations that often involve conflict, controversy, community action or activist opposition. He is known for taking a business approach rather than traditional PR strategies by teaching clients to take highly focused, ethically appropriate action. He is a consummate storyteller. RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books Lukaszewski on Crisis Communication

One of the best platforms to use in establishing your expertise and#brand now as a Photographer is SnapChat. ~ Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share some tips to help you use snapchat to expand your brands reach, Snapchat is a mobile messaging application used to share photos, videos, text, and drawings. It’s free to download the app and free to send messages using it. It has become hugely popular in a very short space of time, especially with young people. Infographic

8 Ways to Protect Yourself Online Identity theft: “When one’s personal information is stolen and used by an imposter to gain an advantage.”   Don’t share your passwords and change your password often Avoid visiting fake sites, pornographic sites and be warned about Phishing sites. Don’t share any private information that you wouldn’t want remembered later. Always verify and buy from trusted and secure sites. Monitor your  brand name online, Use tools like Google Alerts Don’t share your credit card details, SSN with anyone. Browse safely, clear your browser history/cache. Consider browsing using VPN or OpenDNS Check your privacy settings on all your social media pages to enable maximum security. Bernard Kelvin Clive is a Personal Branding Coach/Brand Strategist at BKC Consulting, Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Amazon bestselling author with twenty published books. Ghana’s foremost authority on Personal branding and Digital Publishing who hosts the #1 ranked Business & Career Podcast in Ghana/Botswana.  www.BKC.name 

“You have to go where your customers are” In this episode I had a chat with Tom Schwab (digital marketing engineer ) on branding and digital marketing. Listen and learn and for the resources mentioned visit http://interviewvalet.com/branding/ RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

10 CEO Branding Tips (Infographic) How to build an Influential Digital Presence for your Brand and Business “Branding is the ability to constantly create a perception in the minds of your audience/market that there is no product/service that meet their needs and wants by providing distinct value like yours” ~ Bernard Kelvin Clive To begin with note that where the CEOs personal vision doesn’t align with the company’s vision the brand will eventually fail. You are the first brand ambassador of your firm Your personal brand is as important as your corporate brand Communicate your brand’s value in simple English. (Simplify) succinctly Wear your brand daily Find out how consumers perceive your brand Know what people like most and dislike about your brand Invest in Employer Branding Never neglect Social Media as part of your brand LinkedIn is a MUST for CEOs) Your private and public life are interrelated as long as you are the head. Stay transparent, stay trusted! Bernard Kelvin Clive is Personal Branding Coach/ Amazon bestselling author of “How to Repair Your Broken Brand & Manage Your Reputation” plus over twenty-five published books.

What does it take to be great? In this episode we discuss ‘The Philosophy Of Builders” The factors that lead to prosperity and happiness have changed little through the ages. From the lives of accomplished men and women, we can extract the three principles they have used to build a better future: self-reliance, tolerance, and entrepreneurship. The philosophy of builders: How to build a great future with the pieces from your past. My guest, JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of seven books about rational living, including “When Everything Fails, Try This” (2009), “Rationality Is the Way to Happiness” (2009), “The Philosophy of Builders: How to Build a Great Future with the Pieces from Your Past” (2010), “The 10 Principles of Rational Living” (2012), “Rational Living, Rational Working: How to Make Winning Moves When Things Are Falling Apart” (2013), “Consistency: The Key to Permanent Stress Relief” (2014), and “On Becoming Unbreakable: How Normal People Become Extraordinarily Self-Confident” (2015). RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

7 Ways to Cut through WhatsApp Noise to be Noticed #rebrand   How do you stay productive in a world of busy buzzing devices vying for your attention every second; it’s time to switch!   Don’t put everyone in your broadcast list: People find that intruding and annoying. If you have a worthy cause, ask permission from your contacts first.   Don’t add your Influencers/Mentors into your groups or broadcast list without their permission. In fact they don’t even need to be in your groups or broadcast list. Respect their time and connection.   Let’s face it most WhatsApp groups are just making lots of noise with no or less value. How do you expect to have effective communication with 50 to 100 people in a group? That is enough noise, if each person is to comment on a post.  Do this evaluate your existing groups and exit some of them, you have nothing really to lose. Your productivity matters!   With regards to having Influencers/Mentors in your WhatsApp contacts: to win their hearts and be in their good books, don’t bug them with your trivial stuff I.e. “Hello sir, check my latest song, joke, poem, article and give me your views” like seriously? Again your daily or weekly motivational messages, devotions, poems etc may be beneficial but we all don’t want them, seek permission before you spam. Build a long time relationship with them before asking for favours.   Promotions: WhatsApp can be a good promotional tool if used properly. Avoid contact sharing on images and videos of your programs and products. Survey indicates it irritates many people. Instead build good rapport with others. This is what I do: while others broadcast and spam daily, I make a minimum of 30 connections with my whatsapp contacts daily. Not selling or promoting anything rather asking them of their health, life and family. Sometimes that all they need. Offer value.   The hard truth: use good grammar and avoid all these shorthands(acronyms) and jargons. Be polite and formal as much as possible.   Relax and have fun, don’t take this ‘last seen, last read’ etc stuff too seriously. The fact that someone is online doesn’t mean they should chat with you, respect their decisions. Be honest to yourself and others and remember the Law of Sowing & Reaping 🙂     Hope this has been helpful, share it with others sparingly.

“Audience engagement is critical to the survival of your brand; if you don’t engage them you endanger your brand. It’s social interaction.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Why you must know what you bring to the marketplace… In this episode I interview John Bonacci an influence coach, as we discuss branding and marketing, the little things that boosts businesses. Listen, learn and share. Display Photo by Gavin Whitner RESOURCES: Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books

How Startup Brands Can Survive in the Digital Disruptive Age   The four C’s that SMSs and Startup Brands must utilize to make it in this age;     Content: you must have content, as it’s said “content is king”, however not just any content, you must have relevant content which your audience will crave for, that meets their needs. Your content must be timely; there is nothing worse than dead news, so ensure that you deliver your content when it’s needed. You need content that has been tested and trusted; the fact that content is required doesn’t imply throwing unverified, untrusted information out there.   Connection: the first stage is to have relevant, trusted, timely content. The next step is to build meaningful connection with your audience; that is your market, fans and followers. Businesses thrive on relationships. Take time to build key relationships. Having great content that doesn’t resonate with your audience is futile, so by constantly engaging with your audience you will better understand their needs and wants which will enable you provide tailored made solutions for them.   Contacts: from your connection you step up your game by establishing key contacts; connecting with influential people who can help push your business/brand to the next level. Some of them are the gatekeepers in the industry which you seek to penetrate, without them it will be difficult to breakthrough such barriers. Your contacts are the people who have the ability and capacity to help you in various ways. They are influential in their various fields. Take time to make such contacts.   Contracts: your contacts should enable you get other clients, repeat business, and contracts. This is the last stage of the process of sustaining your business/brand in this age. Businesses exist to make profit (whatever that means to your business). Most often than not, it’s your contacts that will lead you to your contracts. That is to say your key relationships/influencers are the ones who will bring business to you. If you build this properly, your business will thrive, if not you will be firing arrows without hitting your target.   In conclusion, take note that big brands can readily afford mass media promotion to compete with price but as a small business owner and startup, focus on delivering outstanding offer with excellent customer experience to win. To survive in business today requires that you keep this cycle running constantly; to have something of value to offer – content, to build a bridge with your content – connection, to connect with key influencers – contacts, to get income coming through them – contracts. Bernard Kelvin Clive is an Amazon bestselling author of REBRAND: The Ultimate Guide to Personal & Corporate Branding & Rebranding, and over twenty-five published books. A Personal Branding Coach, Brand Strategist at BKC Consulting. He has consulted for and helped hundreds of authors locally and internationally to self-publish books and build author brands. Ghana’s foremost authority on Personal branding and Digital Publishing who hosts the #1 iTunes ranked Business & Career Podcast in Ghana. www.BKC.name         

Artiste Branding Lessons from Shatta Wale In this episode we look at Personal Branding from a different perspective. #Music The 7 Laws Of Shatta Wale By Bernard Kelvin Clive & Jeremiah Buabeng    Shatta Wale is a household name. No debating that. Before you start a long argument about your position on his brand and influence, pause and read what these thinkers/professional speakers Bernard Kelvin Clive and Jeremiah Buabeng have to say about the phenomenon that is Shatta Wale.   The Law of Controversy: if I can stir a controversy at every unique point in time, I can keep my name on the lips of the Ghanaian on the street and therefore sustain my name recognition and my relevance. That’s it! The Shatta brand thrives on controversy. And he doesn’t fail to deliver one every now and then for our entertainment and for his profit.   The Law of Anti-Establishment: Wale is not unaware of growing public sentiment against institutions such as Charterhouse. He takes advantage of it by calling them out for a duel every now and then and posturing as the victim. Does it work? You bet!    The Law of Disruptive marketing: he, unlike, other artistes always knows how to start top of mind and get the media to keep talking about him. In that way he thrives. He uses his cunning disrupting ways to break the news about his music and movements. Thinking about the fake Adidas move? Yeah! You have got the drift now! A savvy business man, he is!   The Law of the Rebrand: When the first brand isn’t working, rebrand! Wale strategically and successfully rebranded from the then ‘Bandana’ brand that failed to attract him the needed clout to the much widely revered brand  “Shatta Wale”.  His rebranding is arguably the most successful by any contemporary artist. It has worked wonders and still thriving. He didn’t only secure a name rebrand, but also devised a strategy to annex his genre of music – dancehall.    The Law of the Tribe: he has built an enormous tribe – The Shatta Movement (SM), something most brands, his predecessors and even peers couldn’t build or manage. He has a raving fan base that has become his core tool to push his brand to the masses and consequently to the top. A strategy emerging artistes must learn and adopt but of course one that takes genius to execute.   The Law of Unconventional: it’s the 21st century, folks, and you can’t capture people’s imagination if you are doing what everybody does. So Shatta’s response to this is: be unconventional! Break the rules! Challenge everything the people are used to seeing and hearing. Some will hate you but that hate will still fuel your fame and keep you on top of your game! It’s a formidable Shatta law and it works!!!    The Law of the Ghetto: Shatta is popular for the same PRINCIPLE that made Peace FM worked; he reaches out to the masses, the people on the street, the ghetto. If you a Harvard-schooled prim and proper person, Shatta will likely not be your man. Unfortunately, for you, people like you are in the minority. The majority are on the street. He identifies with hustlers; people who have no strategy to succeed and are counting on their street smarts and aggressiveness to push them to the top.   So there they are, the 7 laws of Shatta Wale. Now, let the controversy begin.   “If you build a solid brand, even when you wear ‘FAKE’ it will be hot ‘CAKE’, because you have raving fans who will defend it to their death!” ¬ Bernard Kelvin Clive  

10 Ways You May be Losing Your Brand Integrity   Check no.7 it’s scary My definition Brand integrity is the ability to present one’s brand both in words and deeds to be true, respectable and acceptable without compromising on standards (brand’s promise).   As Wikipedia has it “Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. It is generally a personal choice to uphold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards.”   “If the gap between the projected image and the reality of the customer experience widens, customers smell hypocrisy.” ~ Ballantyne and Aitken (2007, p. 366)   That is to say when the promised value is under delivered and there is no synchronization, then there is a brand integrity issue.   Now take a look at ways that you may be compromising on your brand integrity.   Not having the means to be reached by customers: To stay in business you must have means to be reached by potential clients and existing customers, if not you stand the risk of losing your business to your competitors. Customers want to reach you buy a click of a button, a call, social media, etc. Make it easy to be reachable.   Ignoring feedbacks: Feedbacks are ways to assess your brand’s performance, to correct the wrongs and project the rights. It is a continues cycle to strengthen your brand.   Ignoring the use of Social Media: Doing business in this age without social media presence is almost an error, (depends on the type of business you are into), however having a strong social media presence enhances your business in many ways. Most often than not, it’s the quickest way customers can give you feedback on your brand.   Reacting to feedbacks instead of responding appropriately: Gathering feedbacks for feedbacks sake doesn’t do you any good. It’s your commitment to work with those feedbacks that matters. Not reacting in anger when it’s not in your favour is a great skill to develop.  Learn to be patient and respond positively to feedbacks   Putting up an Arrogant attitude: It’s okay to defend your products and services but note that you are in business to serve, to meet the needs of others. Place people first, accept corrections when you err to help make your brand better.   Trying to please everyone: You are not in business to serve everyone, period!   Not being specific; what you stand for, who your audience are: You must know specifically what your brand represents and the unique audience you serve, if not your brand will easily lose its value by spreading too thin.   Hyping instead of helping: As the noise increases in advertisement and promotion; a brands goal is to be seen and heard and then be patronized. Hyping your product just to reach your audience won’t do you much good; instead focus on helping, meeting the needs of your market.   Promising one thing and delivering another: Simply say what you mean and mean what you say. Keep your brand promise always, don’t over promise and under deliver.   Not having a company culture; personal or corporate guiding values. Your personal and or your corporate brand values are critical guiding principles to the survival of your brand. You should constantly hold it to be true. Remember like I always say; “If you can’t be trusted you have no business” Bernard Kelvin Clive (Author & Host of Rebrand 2016 Summit)

7 Strategies to Secure Your Dream Job Looking for a job? Guess what? “Almost half of the 10 million graduates churned out of the over 668 universities in Africa yearly do not get jobs” – Kelvin Balogun, President of Coca-Cola, Central, East and West Africa How do you stand out from the masses, and pursue your dream career? The #Solution “7 Strategies to Secure Your Dream Job” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In this episode I share with you part1 of the Alumni Career Webinar I had recently, listen, learn and go make it happen!

Reputation is the opinion people have developed of you based on their interaction with you, your brand or your products and services. 10 things You Must Do to Protect Your Online Reputation Monitor your brand using Google Alerts Get a professionally designed Brand Identify: Logo, taglines, colors Register your brand name: Trademark, Copyright Register a domain name Get a personal/business website Customize your Social Media URLs Utilize SEO and employ the services of a professional Public Relations Company. Use Live events/ Networking as an opportunity to promote your brand Use Brand Ambassadors/Advocates to promote your brand Charity/Give:, give and give RESOURCES: Reputation Management: How to Recover, Repair and Protect Your Brand Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books