How important is fashion + style + time to personal branding? Today, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts. I was out shopping over the holiday weekend and I discovered this watch for $95. If you need to get to your next meeting or interview on time and in style, the Fossil JR9641 is a great device to measure time which is the currency of life.

Peter Drucker said, ‘Know thy time.’   Hajj said, ‘Know thy style.’

Fossil Watch JR9642, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

Where in the world did the phrase ‘elevator speech’ come from? When was the last time you actually talked to someone on the elevator, try like never. You enter the elevator when the door opens, getting on trying not to make eye contact with anyone, and purposing not to invade people’s personal space. You are waiting anxiously for the door to open at your floor so you can exit. It is an unwritten rule, a code of honor that we all unconsciously follow. The phrase ‘elevator speech’ (a.k.a. Message-2-the world) is your 30-second message communicating who you are and what makes you significant packaged in an unforgettable way.

Every person (personal brand) will have an audience of one with a person of influence. But the question is what will you say? Will you be prepared? Will you tell that person your life’s story or your brand story (read the blog post, My Brand Story)? Your message-2-the world is the platform for your personal brand to stand out and be distinctive.

What is your message-2-the world?

‘My Brand Story’ is a new series that I will blog about telling inspiring stories of some of the world’s greatest brands. Of course my story is first.

What is a brand story? It is who you are packaged in an organic and authentic way that allows people to connect with the real you. Now, what you all have been waiting for my brand story . . . Relax, get a cup of Starbucks (White Chocolate Mocha of course) or Voss bottled water as I take you through the Genesis of the Hajj E. Flemings brand story. I grew up in a small town Roseville, Michigan with big dreams of being a gym shoe designer. When I was in high school, I had a passion for sketching sneakers. I started writing Nike during my senior year of high school and continued through my junior year of college without a positive response (I also wrote every footwear company in United States and was rejected by them all). The rejection letters I received from Nike serve as an inspiration and reminder that motivates me to this day. I found that wrapped inside of every ‘no’ was my ‘yes’. In 1992, I began working for Mavade Footwear, a growing sneaker company, in Wixom, Michigan where I designed the Equator, a cross trainer shoe. My book, ‘The Brand YU Life: Re-Thinking who you are through personal brand management’ was birthed out of my necessity to identify my purpose and live my dreams.

The Purpose of a Brand Story:
o Definition- It provides meaning, perspective, and focus to your life.

o Connection- People are emotionally connected to their favorite brands which is most effectively communicated through a story. As a mental realtor it is your job to own a slice of mental real estate in the mind of your customer.

o Value- Your story has the potential to increase your value and can effectively position your personal brand.

In conclusion, my brand story is about inspiring people to live a life of significances. I love assisting people and businesses in finding innovative solutions for common problems. I believe you will be defined in life by the size of the problem that you solve and addressing the issue of significances is a hugh undertaking with tremendous return. What is your brand story?

My Brand Story: Hajj E. Flemings, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

Developing a successful personal brand must be build authentically. Character is the fundamental cornerstone that every personal brand must be built upon, over time it will reveal who you really are. There is a lot of talk about reputation and how important it is to build. This blog post is about the great debate of character vs. reputation.

Character vs. Reputation

Reputation is an external assessment by others, which can be accurate or inaccurate.
The problem with focusing on reputation versus character is that it is an external perception and doesn’t get to the core of your personal brand.

What is character? Character is defined as the stable and distinctive set of internal qualities or moral attributes build into an individual’s life, which will determine his/her attitudes and behaviors in life’s circumstance. Simply put it is who we really are and how we act when no one is watching. The beautiful thing about character is that it is a learned behavior that can be developed.

Your personal brand mandates that you have high moral character, live according to a defined set of values, and dedicate yourself to a meaningful purpose. By understanding and embracing these qualities, you can position your personal brand to be respected and sought after.

Reputation is a by-product of character. You can have a great reputation and poor character and over time your personal brand will deteriorate regardless of the external assessment of others. Having great character with a distorted external perception of who you are, you can still build a good reputation. Poor character tarnishes good reputation and great accomplishments. Roger Clemens one of the greatest pitchers of modern history is linked with extramarital affairs and steroids allegations which have tarnished his reputation. Almost daily we read about politicians, businessman, and athletes with undeveloped character that impacts their personal brand negatively.

In developing good character thing about four things:

1. Think before you commit.
2. Realize that everything that you do will come to light.
3. Understand that character is a learned behavior that can be developed.
4. Realize that character not reputation is the true essence of who you are.

Remember the sustainability of your personal brand long-term is directly linked to your commitment to developing good character.

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

Did ‘The Brand YU Life’ book cover inspire the new NBA commercial (‘There Can Only Be One’) or the new Time magazine cover design with Hillary and Barack. Who knows? Nevertheless, all three are great designs.

After researching the design direction of the commercial I found the following statement from the NBA:
“There Can Only Be One” is designed to bring to life the dedication, desire, and sacrifice that create the intense emotions and drama of one of sport’s premier postseason events: the NBA Playoffs & The Finals.

When I saw the ads the first thing I thought about was the dedication, desire, and sacrifice required to operate in your purpose as a personal brand. The split faces represented to me the split personalities that most people have: one of a person trying to get a particular job and not being fulfilled and the other operating in their purpose and loving what they do.

My reason for being a personal brand strategist is that I was tired of just working a job and wanted to live my passion and operate in my purpose. Operating in your purpose is the highest calling of personal branding opposed to just getting a job. Positions can be filled, people can be replaced, but ‘There is only one’ who can fill your purpose.

There Can Only Be One, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

I recently watched a commercial entitled ‘When You Let Everyone Play…Nobody Wins’ by ‘The Ladders’ which is an online job search provider for $100K+ jobs. The commercial embodied a topic that I planned to write on for a while that I term, ‘Maximum Capacity’. The video is a scene of a tennis match that is soon flooded with amateurs/people so that no one stands out. Have you ever felt in life and at work that it is impossible to stand out it the crowd? This video is funny but it is very real and very true. With the changing job market, downsizing, and outsourcing we all at times feel like we are stuck. There are more than 6.5 billion people on the planet and you are a mouse click away from your farthest competitor, so how do you stand out?

Personal branding is the new human capital, I will be developing a series of blog post on this topic covering the following content:

o Human Connections (Relationships)
o What’s my Human Capital?
o Your brand story

I will talk about how to develop your personal brand to increase your new human capital.
Are you ready to stand out?

Hello and I would like to welcome you to the 2008 Personal Branding Election. My name is Hajj Flemings and I am campaigning to be your personal brand strategist in 2008. Part of my charge is to help the American people to become more globally competitive. I believe that this is a season of change. I believe that common, average, everyday, working class people such as you and me can get uncommon results in their life.
My Platform
1. My platform is one of anti-abortion. I am tired of people aborting the vision and destiny for their life.
2. The price of Oil is increasing at an alarming rate. I am running into people everyday whose dreams have simply run out of gas, who don’t have the fuel to finish the race. I am here to restore hope, passion, purpose, and mission to all people of all races, all creeds, and nationalities.
3. War is Heavy on the hearts of many American- Many of you are @ war with the real you. Fighting who you were created to be.
4. Health Care is a major issue my personal branding plan is to restore the health of your personal brand.I have developed a 7-point Brand Plan:
1. Identify your Passion
2. Define your Mission
3. Count the Cost
4. Create your Voice

Let’s pause for a moment. Hilary was recently quoted on the cover of Newsweek, saying that ‘She has found her voice’. America Hilary is 60-years old, please don’t wait until you are 60 to find your voice. Had she just read my book. ‘The Brand YU Life’ she would have found her voice a long time ago.

5. Develop your Core
6. Be Authentic
7. Shift to Now

Go to my website and purchase my book, ‘The brand YU Life’ which outlines my plan to develop your personal brand. Vote for me as your personal brand strategist. My name is Hajj E. Flemings, your personal brand strategist and I approve this message.

This year’s Cinderella team is lead by the tournament’s most impressive player, Stephen Curry. He has had a ridiculous tournament, scoring 30, 40, and 33 points respectively. The ‘Curry Powered’ Davidson team has added flavor to the tournament. Their basketball program was virtually unknown nationally prior to March Madness, but the team’s incredible run has spiced up the month of March.

Now, the nation is watching. LeBron James was in attendance (near the Davidson section) at the Sweet Sixteen games in Detroit. Ironically, many of the Davidson fans were wearing the Nike, ‘I am a Witness’ t-shirt. As a fan at Ford Field Friday night, I sported my Davidson t-shirt and watched in amazement as the brand story of Stephen Curry unfolds.

Every personal brand has a story and Stephen Curry is no different. He started out as the son of a NBA sharpshooter and volleyball mom who was overlooked by major D-1 basketball programs and now he is the ambassador of the ‘The Davidson’ brand. As a personal brand Stephen Curry has put his permanent stamp on the Davidson basketball program, the NCAA, and college sports. Stephen Curry is one of four college players to ever score 30-points or more in their first four NCAA tournament games (including last years game against Maryland).

How far will the ‘Curry Powered’ Davidson Cats go? Only time will tell….

To Stephen, keep shooting the lights out and destroying NCAA brackets!!!

Stephen Curry Originally uploaded by j_visser

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.