Today AIG decided to give their executives $165M in bonuses of the $170B given to them in the bailout. I am sorry America, Wall Street is not coming to save us. It’s time to GRUSTLE.GRUSTLE is the combination of a daily Grind (job) and a Hustle (your passion). Most people are caught between the two and are looking for a way out, but there is only a way IN: put IN work and INvest in your dreams. In my book ‘The Brand YU Life’ the first degree (or principle) is ‘Identify Your Passion’ which is the cornerstone of Grustlin’.

Definitions

Grind: A grind is a job; employment; typically your primary source of income. 

Hustle: A hustle is your passion, what you would love to do full-time and what gives you the most satisfaction. It is what you typically do after you work your daily grind.Leave a comment and let me know what your GRUSTLE is!! 

It is 2009 and the Internet is buzzing with experts providing their predictions and trends for the year.  I wanted to provide my thoughts on personal branding to help set the tone for an exciting year.

Predictions/Trendspotting

1. Creative Economy:  Creativity will be to the information age what manufacturing was to the industrial age.  Individuals dependence on being a company man working 30-years at one company or until death do you part will cease to exist.  The integration of creativity into business ideas and career will become a necessity and not an option.  As a personal brand you will need to think creatively in developing strategic partnerships and ways to stand out.  After everybody has updated their Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter pages, established a blog, added followers, and followed all the same tips what is next?  Creativity.
2. Purpose/Mission:  People will start to seek opportunities or careers that give them greater satisfaction that they have a true passion for.  This is primarily due to the instability in the economy and the reduction of jobs that were more lucrative in good economic times.  High paying low education jobs are a thing of the past.  People will now look at opportunities that align with how they are wired and what they were designed to do.
3. ‘Personal Branding’ Term Commoditized:  The term ‘Personal Branding’ will become more commoditized and genericized.  The term has significance and value when implemented, but I believe the term itself will be overused and misused.
4. Traditional Journalist Become Commodities:  The voice and influence of bloggers and social media experts increase.  Newspapers are losing money with traditional newspaper printing and are looking for ways to compete with the new media.  Traditional journalist will have to integrate social media and effectively establish their personal brand.
5. Personal Branding Experts Commodization:  With the increase of social media gurus the line between personal branding experts and social media experts is blurring.  The personal branding industry will become oversaturated and the cream will rise to the top.  Those of us in the personal branding industry will have to work harder to cut through the noise.
6. Establish ‘Blue Movement’:  The need to develop the ‘Blue Movement is critical.   ‘American Made’ needs to be established as the new luxury product. The ‘Green Movement’ has been very successful because big business have bought into it can the same be done with the ‘Blue Movement’?
7. Twitter Relevance Increases:  Twitter will gain relevance as a search and primary news source. Business opportunities with strategist business models and usages will continue to be developed.
8. Personal Brands being Healthy:  Being healthy is just as importance as your ranking in Google.  You can have all the money and influence in the world but without good health you have nothing.  Being fit spiritually, mentally, and physically is critical. Learn to have balance and think holistically because you are the sum total of all your parts.
9. Passion Becomes King:  People doing what they love.  Passion is the fuel that drives you to do what others are not willing to do.  We all have the same 24-hours but passionate people find out how to get more out of their time and produce higher quality results.

I want to challenge and inspire you to shine in 2009.  Have an awesome year and share your predictions for 2009 in the comments section of this blog post.

We are all uniquely designed as people regardless of where we are from. As a personal brand strategist it is very interesting to see how different people and different cultures approach personal branding and image management. My approach to branding is somewhat different than some of my peers. I believe that physical development is a very important dimension to developing the ultimate personal brand. Your personal image goes beyond the clothes that you wear, your online digital footprint, or the social networks you are apart of.

This blog post started as a twit this morning. I read an article in the New York Times that took personal imaging to a new level. The Japanese government has imposed laws for waistline limitations to shrink the overweight poplulation in Japan, the waistline requirements for men is 33.5″ and women it is 35.4″. This is quite an incentive plan by the Japanese government to inspire its people improve their personal image. I do believe that we have a personal obligation to ourselves to be the best that we can be. The next time you complaint about going to the gym just be glad that the government is not imposing financial penalties (the penalties will be imposed upon companies and government, i.e NEC, Japan’s largest maker of personal computers, said that if it failed to meet its targets, it could incur as much as $19 million in penalties) because you ate that burger. It is pretty safe to say this system will probably be effective in Japan, but in the U.S. that wouldn’t fly one of my friends in the Twitterverse said it best stating that Americans would scream it is a violation of their civil liberties.

Slimming_Japan, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

After 5 Detroit one of the hottest online websites about Detroit and events around the region recently did a write up about me in their, ‘We Chose Detroit’ section. The write-up focuses on me as a local brand strategist who has chosen the city of Detroit. I am committed to assisting in the branding of individuals and the city of Detroit. Check out the article it is a great piece (hit the link below).  For the latest happenings in the ‘D’ check out their website as well.

http://after5detroit.com/a5/features/we-chose-detroit-local-speaker-brands-the-best.html

On Valentines Day we typically focus on our love for that special person in our lives. As a personal brand do you love your life? How many of you know people who don’t love their life or their career? Many of us know those people. Some of us might be one of those people. I believe life was meant to be lived, experienced, and enjoyed. I love my personal brand more than any business brand. I love my life and what I do more than Starbucks’ White Chocolate Mocha, more than my Apple laptop, my Tumi laptop bag and more than my Blackberry that keeps me connected with the world around me.

Branding is a love story. It is a story of happiness and it is a story of desire.
Branding is a story of value, it is a story of connection, connecting you with the thing you were always created to be and to become. Branding is the story of the pursuit of happiness, it is a story of passion. I don’t believe that passion can be taught, but every person is passionate about something. One of the major pursuits in life is identification of your passion. How bad do you want to live your dreams? What price are you willing to pay to live your dreams and live a life of significance?

Starting today create your ‘Branding Love Story’.

another Valentine! Originally uploaded by peggy.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has planned his first appearance since the text message incident broken last week. His press conference is scheduled for tonight at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit, MI.
A lot has transpired over the last week and many questions have yet to be answered.

Does your personal life affect your business life? This is a question that gets raised often, as a personal brand I don’t believe you can divide the two. There are countless cases where inappropriate decisions or character has cost people their careers and/or future earnings. As you elevate your personal life becomes less and less personal and people demand greater access, right, wrong, or indifferent it comes with the territory. Political officials are highly visible personal brands who are compensated by tax dollars, which requires them to live in a fishbowl. In this day in age you truly have to live your life as if you are on camera 24/7, with technology you are one sound bit, video clip, or text message (no pun intended) away from impacting the reputation of your personal brand.

He’s already branded, ‘The Hip-Hop Mayor’, can his reputation be impacted any further? What will his legacy be as the Mayor of Detroit? Can he re-brand himself? Will his effectiveness be compromised? Is he still capable? Will he have support? Can he be trusted? Can he be re-elected? Is his image tarnished? Are there any other issues that need to be addressed?

Does his personal life hamper his ability to function effectively as Mayor? In many cases people lose opportunities not because of their technical ability to carry out their responsibilities, but on issues that are non-related. Personal branding is anything but personal, it is how you personally package and position yourself for public presentation. Tonight the Mayor will address Detroit’s Nightmare.  Let me know your thoughts.
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick  Originally uploaded by Sybil Star

Day 073: Listerine Shots, originally uploaded by newbiemind.

As a brand, you have to sweat the small stuff. Branding is about consistency, companies hire and promote people that consistently deliver on their brand promise. How many business deals or opportunities are lost or gained because of issues that have nothing to do with a persons ability to perform at a high level? I was reading an article this morning about Jonah Seeman, a Manhattan doorman of 40-years at a four-building complex on East 89th Street, who was suspended for halitosis, (bad breath), which illustrates this point. As a personal brand you can’t afford to allow the small details to cost you big. What three details could you address that would breathe fresh air into your personal brand?

November 19, 2007 (Detroit, MI) – ‘Who’s Who in Black Detroit’ recognizes me as an entrepreneur actively working to improve the quality of life in Detroit.

Who’s Who- Hajj E. Flemings, originally uploaded by h_flemings.

iPhone_ad, originally uploaded by h_flemings.

Like most people when I heard that Apple was developing a cell phone, I got excited. I knew it would be revolutionary and it was, but in ways I never imagined. Here are a few points to ponder.

1. When was the last time you waited hours in line for a new cell phone to be released? You haven’t.

2. When was the last time you purchased a $599 cell phone that the cell phone company would not insure? Most people haven’t.

3. When was the last time you purchased a cell phone and couldn’t change the battery? Probably never.

4. 25% of iPhone purchasers switched from another carrier to AT&T, just for the phone. Not the plan, not the rates, not the customer service, but the phone.

Important Dates in Phone History
* Alexander Graham Bell receives patent for telephone March 7, 1876
* Dr. Martin Cooper of Motorola places the first cell phone call April 3, 1973
* Steve Job of Apple launches the iPhone June 29, 2007

This is the power of branding at its best. There are currently no discounts on the iPhone and I can say with confidence, there will probably be none in the foreseeable future. At one of the Apple Stores in my area, customers lined the night before, just in case the store ran out. Little did they know the store had 5,000 phones on hand, didn’t run out, and were able to service everyone that wanted a phone with ease, even thru the weekend.

As a brand strategist, I watch Apple in admiration, knowing they have definitely mastered their niche and changed the world of cell phones forever. So, I say to you, what product or services do you offer that is changing the world?