U R a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success

Catherine Kaputa

Hard work and luck alone aren't enough to create success. To rise out of the generic talent pool, you need to differentiate yourself. You need a recognizable, positive and relevant personal brand.

That's the position brand consultant Catherine Kaputa addresses in a new book called U R a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success. Kaputa makes the case that personal branding is the key to success whether you are a first time job seeker or a C-level executive.

U R a Brand! is loaded with advice and tools that will help you develop your personal brand. Kaputa offers tips, tools, exercises, principles, and an array of real-life examples to enable you to realize your potential and increase your potential for success. You will learn how to create "brand you;" how to package yourself; how to find a winnable position that sets your brand apart; how your name identifies and defines you and how to boost business success through networking.

According to Kaputa, self-branding is about nailing the very thing that differentiates you and creates demand. Self-brand strategies she recommends include:

1.       Be the first.

2.       Be the leader.

3.       Take the anti-leader position.

4.       Own an attribute.

5.       Use a magic ingredient or invent a new process.

6.       Be the expert.

7.       Be preferred.

8.       Set a high price tag.

9.       Use your special heritage.

10.   Own a cause.