Working from home, whether operating your own business or partnering with a business opportunity or franchise, your personal and professional lives are virtually interchangeable in the minds of many. Furthermore, chances are good that you’re running a one-man or one-woman operation.  If you do have staff, they may only work part-time or help out on an as-needed basis.  Who is the person in charge of the business and personal branding?

Yes, You.

You ARE your business, especially when you run it out of your home, and as a result everything you do and say in your personal life matters with respect to your bottom line. So much so in fact that the whole concept of developing and maintaining a recognizable and respected personal brand is not just a choice, it’s a matter of necessity.

Dubbed the “personal branding guru” by many, William Aruda is perhaps the most recognized expert in the field today. While he routinely engages the masses with loads of helpful tips on the topic of personal-brand building, Aruda’s short and sweet version of what it takes is simple: Clarity, Consistency and Constancy, otherwise known as the three C’s…

Clarity: In order to brand yourself, you have to know who you are exactly and what it is you do best. Taking the time to get this right is critical because what you decide sets the stage for everything else. The earlier you are in the process of figuring out how you would like to define yourself and what you have to offer, the harder this step will be, but you’ve got to keep at it. Start by asking yourself what it is you provide in the way of value that sets you apart.

Consistency: With so many options in today’s world for communicating the message about who you are and what it is you do to the consuming public, one imperative stands out over and above all the rest. You must be consistent. Every time you communicate your message, it’s got to be perceived in the same way by its recipients. This is not only relegated to media channels, but it also applies to everything else from what you wear to how you hold yourself, even how you greet people. And by the way, behaving badly in public where you are seen and heard and then expecting your customers and associates to set that all aside when it comes to business, it doesn’t work that way.

Constancy: The key here is visibility. If you’re trying to build your personal brand, you have to engage others. You have to show up and make an impact whenever and wherever you can. Whether it’s online or face-to-face, meeting and greeting is imperative if you want to be remembered. Having a strategic plan for how you can maintain a constant presence in the minds of your customers, the community and your overall marketplace is critical, even if it means setting aside just a few minutes each week to keep your social media channels current and engaging.