personal branding | Kaira Rouda

25 02, 2009

Pay cuts and lay-offs affecting you?

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T01:54:03+00:00February 25, 2009|interviews, job loss, personal branding, recession|Comments Off on Pay cuts and lay-offs affecting you?

If you are one of the thousands of Americans that has been laid off due to the recession, don’t fret! Your personal brand can handle it. You may view this as shameful, but it’s just part of life. Simply move on. Here’s how. First, don’t take it personally; this is business. Companies around the country are laying off employees, and thousands of people are having to pick up and dust themselves off. Just shake it off and start gathering as many references as possible—and take samples of your work with you. Next, stay positive and focused, and don’t waste time. Then, enter each interview with confidence, being quick and honest about your termination with potential employers. Remember, being fired may seem like the end of the world when it happens, but it can also turn into an opportunity to move onto something bigger and better.

10 02, 2009

Now is not the time to hide!

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T02:09:02+00:00February 10, 2009|authentic, connecting, don't hide, personal branding|Comments Off on Now is not the time to hide!

Ok, so it's winter. And the economy is well, bleaker than the next storm headed our way. Your first instinct these days may be to just give up. Whether it's your dream of starting a business, or changing the course of your career, it can be a daunting time. And it's especially so if you allow negative self-talk to stand in your way. BUT, if you don't have faith in your personal brand, how can anyone else? Seriously. So now is not the time to hide - it's time to shine. If you're out there in the world, in your power, there is no stopping you. Especially now. People are drawn to authentic, unique, visible and passionate people. It's the 101 of marketing and personal branding. Read about Karin Crawford and how she builds her flower business through the power of connecting. As Karin says, [...]

9 02, 2009

How to build your personal brand

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T02:09:09+00:00February 9, 2009|passions, personal branding, snarks|Comments Off on How to build your personal brand

Defining your personal brand can be overwhelming. We are complex individuals with so many passions and aspects to our lives. So where do you start? Begin by taking a look in your rear-view mirror. By that I mean step back and take some time to think about where you are in your career—and where you want to be. The process of introspection is so necessary and so helpful when it comes to defining your goals and setting your course. Next, define your passions. I like to refer to passions as the things in life that make your heart sing. My advice is to keep your list to four or five. Then, find the real people in your life. That means separating yourself from negative influencers (aka snarks). Next, follow your instincts. Use your intuition to your advantage. All of these elements working together help to [...]

19 01, 2009

Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T02:10:41+00:00January 19, 2009|Competitive advantage, Kaira Rouda, personal branding, Real You, stories|Comments Off on Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

In my book I talk about telling your story and I have gotten various questions regarding this topic. Most asking “why tell your story?” And to that I respond… Because it’s unique! It’s yours and you own it. The important part of defining your personal brand is to understand how to bring it to life as a competitive advantage. Without that, you’re just another entrepreneur. With your story, you are fully formed. Within your story you find perspective. I tell people to look in their rear-view mirror. Why? Because that’s where you’ll find perspective. That’s where you’ll find answers. Define your personal brand. Make it real. Then, put the real you in your business. What is your story? I’d love to hear and be inspired.

31 07, 2008

If you lose your job, don’t look at it as a setback

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T13:29:02+00:00July 31, 2008|business, personal branding, Real You Incorporated, Rouda, speaker|Comments Off on If you lose your job, don’t look at it as a setback

When women are fired, they feel ashamed. Men, on the other hand, take it as part of life. Let’s learn a lesson from the other sex just this once. First, don’t take being fired personally. It’s all about business, and your personal brand can handle it. Get out of your personal funk and move on—to bigger and better things. Start gathering references; take samples of your work; and keep your head up high. This is the beginning of great things for you—and your personal brand. Have you had experiences that have helped shape your personal brand? Tell us about them! To learn more about developing and communicating your personal brand, check out Real You Incorporated.

12 06, 2008

Jump-start your personal brand today

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T13:30:46+00:00June 12, 2008|branding, flickr, personal branding, Real Living, Real You Incorporated|Comments Off on Jump-start your personal brand today

Whether you like gardening, ballroom dancing, pushing the envelope or flying under the radar, your innermost traits should be exhibited in your own personal brand. This being said, I challenge those of you who haven’t used a glue stick in awhile to create a brand board that displays your personality and passions. What’s a brand board? It’s a poster board that you transform into a montage of pictures and images that accurately represent your personality. Are you calm and green; fresh and blue; or vibrant and red? My board is predominantly red and full of things that make me happy, like daisies (hence the cover of my book). I also took parts of my personal brand to my business brand. At Real Living, we’re red, round and real. You can read more about that on page 84 of Real You Incorporated. Grab some magazines and [...]

2 05, 2008

Personal Branding – it’s all in what it means to you

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T13:33:32+00:00May 2, 2008|connections, creativity, personal branding|Comments Off on Personal Branding – it’s all in what it means to you

I'm president of a residential real estate franchise, Real Living. In the real estate industry, it has been common practice to use a photo as the centerpiece of an agent's personal brand. That's just the way it is. In most other businesses, the visualization of your personal brand is your name and title on the company's business card. The company's name and logo has been the visualization of both the corporate brand and yours. Times are changing though. Today's employees come to the workplace expecting the ability to more thoroughly express their personal brands. That's because they've been doing it online since middle school through the social networking sites. It's truly part of who they are. To expect them to come into your workplace and inhabit a sterile cubicle is crazy. Allowing enough room for personal expression not only makes for a happier employer - [...]