Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - Build Your Personal Brand (Even If You Already Work for One!)

Episode Date: November 3, 2021

If you already work for a brand, you may think that you don’t need a personal brand. You think: “That’s just for entrepreneurs, right?” Wrong! Today, Nicole shares how a personal brand is beneficial to anyone trying to get ahead at work. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Well, it doesn't. Charge for wasting our time. I will take a check. Like an old school check. You recognize her from anchoring on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg. The only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. Nicole Lappin. In the world of social media influencers, the term personal brand is getting a lot of use.

And it's kind of turning into a joke. I have a friend who says that's on brand whenever she does anything embarrassing. For example, this guy she's seeing-ish sent her a cryptic text message that she wanted me to try and decode for her. Stuff girls do all the time. So she took a screenshot of their conversation and sent it to me, or that's at least what she meant to do. She actually accidentally sent the screenshot to the dude. I know, so cringy. But when she texted me to tell me about it, she said, I can't believe I did that. That's so on brand. It might be a phrase that makes your eyes roll, too. So you might be surprised to hear me say that everyone needs a personal brand.

I know, even after that story. It's not just a concept for influencers. And plot twist, personal brands aren't just for entrepreneurs. Yes, everyone, everyone needs a personal brand. I'm going to introduce you to a money rehabber who needs a brand, but doesn't know she needs a brand. Here she is. Hey, Nicole. My name's Danielle and I live in LA. I have been a production assistant for almost two

years now, and I definitely want to transition into a bigger role, but I want to get the timing right and ask for a promotion when I feel like I've done something great at work. But the problem is I don't really feel like anyone notices the stuff that I do. So how do you think I should get my boss's attention? So Danielle, if you're rocking your responsibilities at work and you feel like you're not getting the traction you deserve, the answer is building out a personal brand. This maybe goes against what you've conventionally heard, which is probably that personal brands are for entrepreneurs and founders, and you can't have a personal brand if you're employed by a brand.

You might think, I can't have a brand within a brand? That's brand-ception. That makes my head spin. It's time to rework your understanding of a personal brand. Because really, a personal brand is like a reputation. It's the way you package yourself, like the beautiful, beautiful present that you are. So that when your boss thinks to herself, I really need someone on my team to lead this project. Who is the right person for the job? If you've done some serious personal marketing, she'll think of you first for projects that align with your

personal brand. The first thing to consider as you're starting to build and then bolster your personal brand at work boils down to a seemingly easy but sneak attack existential question. Who am I? Yep, that's it. But those three little words are the secret and the first step to everything in personal branding. So who are you? I know this can start to get a little touchy-feely, but it's important to do a little soul-searching when you're figuring out what your professional brand is so it feels authentic to you. Before you can describe who you are and what you stand for to anyone else, you have to figure it out yourself. Everyone's brand is different. It's time to make yours your own. That said, it's very important that your brand

is compatible with the brand of the place you work right now. Like in a relationship, it's all about having shared values. Do you and your company value the same things? Think of it like a Venn diagram made up of your values and theirs. While you obviously have tons of admirable things to bring to the table at any company, those in the sweet spot will get you noticed and promoted. In fact, they're likely what made them hire you in the first place. To continue on the relationship metaphor, the more you and your employer reflect those values in each other, the more you will continue to grow together, making you even more essential to the company and valuable to others.

That means, in two little words, job security. No, you shouldn't change yourself or your personality drastically for any job or any relationship for that matter, but you should accentuate those parts of yourself that align with the company's brand and culture. And don't just shade the overlap of the Venn diagram, And don't just shade the overlap of the Venn diagram. Highlight it. First, think of three things that are important to you from a work perspective. Maybe you've never thought too hard about what you hope to get out of any job, and that's okay. But now's the time to do it. It could be anything from, say, using your analytical skills to to traveling, to bonding with like-minded colleagues. Whatever it is, list it out. If you don't, there's no way to measure your progress. Now, think of three things

that are important to your company. You probably know this pretty well. It could be reaching the greatest market share, innovating new products, or having a reputation for outstanding customer service. List those things out too. Don't just know them by heart. The best way to figure out what's in the overlap is to visualize it. Just get it down on paper whatever way feels natural to you. Doodles or no doodles. Here's an example of what you might write down, Danielle.

Right now, I work as a production assistant. Three things that are important to me from a work perspective are creating TV content, discovering emerging music, and traveling to new places. Three things that are important to my company are producing a lot of content across multiple platforms cheaply, securing international distribution, and having a startup culture. cheaply, securing international distribution, and having a startup culture. Look for where these things overlap and how you can leverage those that are important to your company to do more of what's important to you. Then brainstorm. Here's how I would go about finding that shaded area on the Venn diagram. If you love TV and music, what about focusing on creating and then pitching a music video or music-related

content specifically? Since your company has a startup feel, internal pitches will probably be warmly received. In fact, like a lot of nimble startups, the founders will probably love it if you propose that you own and rock the music vertical from start to finish. Or if you love to travel and they are looking for international distribution, you could offer to take some strategic meetings abroad while you shoot a music video there. I think that's like knocking three birds out with one proverbial stone, right? Chances are they might be into the idea but might not be able to foot the bill. Don't write it off just yet. A savvy money

rehabber will think one step ahead and save up their frequent flyer miles to take care of the trip themselves. Then conquer the meetings and the shoot and come back with a ton of value for the company, not to mention way more experience and personal value for themselves than any amount of miles used otherwise would get them. For today's tip, you can take straight to the bank. If you're looking to move up the ladder at work, you should lay the foundation first. If there's a certain position in the company that you want to move into, start doing some of that work now. That way, you can point to the successes you've already had. Money Rehab is a production of iHeartRadio.

I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Our producers are Morgan Lavoie and Mike Coscarelli. Executive producers are Nikki Etor and Will Pearson. Our mascots are Penny and Mimsy. Huge thanks to OG Money Rehab team Michelle Lanz for her development work, Catherine Law for her production and writing magic, and Brandon Dickert for his editing, engineering, and sound design. And as always, thanks to you for finally investing in yourself so that you can get it together and get it all.