Find Confidence In Being Your Own Brand

One thing you have to accept when you decide to work for yourself, is that you immediately become your own brand. This can be a horrifying thought, especially for those of us who hate to talk about ourselves, as being your own brand means marketing yourself as a product. You have to be the sales person of you, you have to make yourself the best thing anybody could ever want and that isn't everyones cup of tea. If you've not even thought about branding yourself as a freelancer or blogger yet, head over to my post on Personal Branding and Why It's Important to get an idea on how to get started. 

So how do you find the confidence to really sell yourself as a brand? You might already be the most confident person in the room, but for those that are shying away in the corner at the thought of selling yourself (and I mean that in a non illicit sort of way) here's a few things you could do to boost your brand confidence. 

Create a list of all your achievements up till now. Focusing on your achievements and the goals you've reached so far can really boost your confidence. You'll be able to clearly see where your strengths and weaknesses are and it'll give you a better idea of what you need to improve on. The better you know what you're good at, the more confident you can feel completing those particular tasks. 

Plan, plan, plan. Create a plan of where you want your business to be in 1 months time, 3 months, 1 year or even 5 years! Then come up with the smaller steps you need to take to get to those milestones. Having a strong idea where you're going will give you a better idea of how your brand should develop month by month. If you can create a detailed plan for just the next month, then you will feel a lot more self assured about what you should be doing to get there. It'll also give you points to get back to if you find yourself straying off the beaten track, which you most likely will at some point.

List your USP's. One of the hardest but most rewarding things to do. If you can pinpoint your unique selling point (USP), creating your brand will be a hell of a lot simpler. You'll be able to structure your content/business plans around your USP and know what areas to push on with. 

Don't compare yourself to others. Something that every body says when talking about confidence and self esteem, but it's so important to drill into our own heads. Comparison is the thief of joy as good old Theodore Roosevelt once said, if you keep comparing yourself to others in your field, you'll never feel confident with what you have. Admire, take inspiration and network all you like, but when it comes to comparison, put those blinkers firmly on and focus on improving your work based on your last project, not someone else's. (something I still need drilling in to me as my last Sunday Strip Down post suggests)

Have you developed the confidence you need to grow your own business yet? Are you struggling to really sell yourself to your clients? 

*Wondering what some of the more technical words and acronyms mean in this post? Head to my glossary page for a full list of technical jargon and some explanations on what the hell I'm talking about.