Brand Me: Make Your Mark

By Melissa Dawn Simkins

Brand Me is a proven playbook to shift to your next level of magnetic influence and success. Through this step-by-step approach, Melissa Dawn Simkins shares how she turned rejection, loss and disappointment into a launching pad for her authentic brand. This book will help you shift from under recognized and over extended to living the life you dream. Simkins is regarded as The First Lady of Personal Branding and a pioneer in the personal branding movement. From her academic and professional expertise in branding, she gives you access to the secrets that corporations pay millions to accomplish. Through her career she has consulted and branded the world’s most influential companies, celebrities, professional athletes and high growth start-ups. Brand Me is the ultimate personal branding playbook for anyone looking to elevate their value.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514409381

Melissa Dawn Simkins

MELISSA DAWN SIMKINS - The First Lady of Personal Branding Accomplished executive, media personality, wife, mother, fitness athlete and wellness advocate, Melissa Dawn Simkins brands a new model of success for women. She is recognized as the First Lady of Personal Branding with a proven track record for building global influence. Simkins is President of Velvet Suite ® (www.velvetsuite.com) an innovative branding firm dedicated to unleashing the champion within. Velvet Suite clients including: Home Depot, The NFL, NBA, NCAA, Gillette, Notre Dame, P&G, Kraft, Boston Scientifi c, Oscar Winner, Common, NBA All- Star, Carmelo Anthony and more. She has helped launch more than 300 brands, created 150 brand concepts and brokered more than 30 million dollars in partnerships. She is the creator of Women In The Spotlight, (womeninthespotlight.com), an interactive community of leading women who courageously live bold, branded and balanced. She is an online contributor to Inc. magazine and has also been featured on CNN, HLN, CNBC and other national media outlets discussing brand in crisis such as Lance Armstrong, Penn State, Tiger Woods and has contributed and/or been featured in Wall Street Journal, Huffi ngtonPost.com, Essence and Black Enterprise. Melissa received her undergraduate degree from Otterbein University in Public Relations and Business and received her Masters of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for The SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management) Foundation and the Board of Trustees for Otterbein University. She is married to her purpose and business partner, William A. Simkins.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Melissa Dawn Simkins.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015915414

ISBN:   Hardcover              978-1-5144-0940-4

              Softcover                978-1-5144-0939-8

              eBook                    978-1-5144-0938-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is to be used for educational purposes only. The Author is not liable for any damage or possible damage caused to you or your business arising out of the use or inability to use the content contained her, including any kind of information which is incomplete or incorrect.

Rev. date: 06/29/2016

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Contact:

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 Live Your Passion

Chapter 2 Understand Your Path

Chapter 3 Define The Problem

Chapter 4 Focus Your Position

Chapter 5 Work Your Plan

Chapter 6 Elevate Partnerships And Networking

Chapter 7 Pass On The Legacy

Chapter 8 Passion To Profit

About The Author

Endorsements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to my husband, Will who remains my purpose partner and co-author in this wonderful and adventurous life we are creating together.

Thank you to my family who has shown me continued support and love.

Thank you to my friends who have pushed me to go further than I thought I could.

Thank to everyone who has purchased this book and who will purchase this book. You are my motivation and your transformations encourage me daily.

Most importantly, thank you, God and my savior, Jesus Christ, for branding me and allowing this book and my message to reach the world.

I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to live out my purpose and transform the world one champion at a time.

FOREWORD

Like millions throughout the world and throughout history, I have had the good fortune to have built an organization from an idea to a worldwide phenomenon. Many have speculated; others have studied and tried to understand what makes individuals successful in their endeavors in life. It is my belief that some of the most critical components necessary for success in life are a strong sense of purpose, a passionate pursuit of that purpose, a clear vision and the capacity to develop your personal brand. Branding is the ability to refine and craft a uniqueness that becomes a mark of distinction that adds value to the brand.

The capacity to brand exists in everyone, but the ability to brand is difficult unless you understand the nature, principles and processes of developing a brand. Successful companies, such as Microsoft, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, Sony, General Electric, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Victoria’s Secret and Ford are only some of the success stories of branding. However, branding is also possible for individuals. Take Oprah, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Tommy Hilfiger and many others who have successfully branded themselves as products.

In this landmark work, Brand Me. Make Your Mark, author Melissa Dawn Simkins takes us on a journey of exploring the principles, process, purpose and power of branding. From her academic, professional and experiential background, Melissa opens up the world of branding to the common man and gives us access to what major companies pay millions to accomplish.

In the work she emphasizes the fact that every human being possesses the ability and right to become an authentic mark that has the power to make a lasting impact on the world. She claims that your brand is the representation of your distinct authentic identity… and that our brand is either positive, negative or neutral. This book challenges us to discover, develop, manage and market our unique selves into a brand that can make a difference in our generation.

I was inspired and challenged by every page and believe this book will become a classic in the marketplace, as it opens and flattens the playing field of success making it accessible to all. Melissa’s experience in the world of Fortune 100 Companies prepared and qualified her to address this subject with an uncommon measure of authority, and she engages the reader in an introspective search that opens up possibilities once thought improbable.

I hope you will read every page of this wonderful life-changing book and watch your hidden self emerge and become the distinct brand we were all waiting for!

The Late Dr. Myles Munroe

MM International

Founder/President

BFM International

Founder, Chairman

International Third World Leaders Association

Nassau Bahamas

INTRODUCTION

BRAND ME:

The Lifestyle Business Model for Me

Do you know how valuable you are? Right now, you have an unprecedented opportunity to change your life, but first you must change your mind. I believe that each one of us has the ability to produce, package, promote and profit from our own product. The secret behind your product is called Brand Me. Your greatest asset is not what you do, but it is who you are. You are a brand. A brand is simply the promise and perception of value.

Statistics say that within less than a quarter of a second, a stranger has already formed an opinion about you. In less than five seconds, they have changed their minds at least eleven times! Every interaction creates an impression. Everything you do is branding you. In a world of clutter and competition, what will be your invaluable mark? How will you remain relevant?

YOU are the product that has priceless value. It is not your career, education, position on the team or in life. These are mere extensions of you. They actually provide the platform to expand your brand into a lifestyle that is purpose driven and profitable.

In today’s rapidly changing economy of globalization, technological advancements, downsizing and decreasing social security, the one constant is change. To stay relevant, we must shift our thinking from being a consumer to being an owner, manager and marketer of the product of our lives. This change will require creativity on a whole new level. We will be left behind in these changing times if we don’t own our power to produce a profitable life.

The most underdeveloped skill that will determine your success is your ability to know and market your unique value in any situation.

If you need proof, let’s take a look at the Internet revolution. People are connecting all around the world. You can compete to see your products traded and your ideas debated within seconds. You may be an executive, student, entrepreneur, mom-preneur, inmate or employee. The world is open to you. I speak every year and consult Fortune 100 companies and influential leaders all around the world. No matter who you are or your title, there is one undiscriminating truth:

Our value is not in what we do, but it is in how we package who we are. When we know our value we can present our gift to the world no matter where we are in life. Jobs will come and go; relationships are fleeting. Possessions and bank accounts will fluctuate, but the one thing that you have from birth to death is your name and your brand. YOU are the product that has unlimited profit potential.

A product is a solution designed to reach a specific market. You are the product with both tangible and intangible attributes that are divinely designed to solve someone else’s problem.

Today, recognize that YOU are the product that will make you profitable. Your challenge is to discover your value and package your potential into a brand.

You are the authentic mark that has the power to make a lasting impact on the world.

This book is not about Google, Starbucks, Nike, Target or BMW.

I’m not talking about the car you drive, the clothes you wear or the food you eat. It’s not about your title and position. Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Mark Zuckerburg, Donna Karen, Michael Jordan and Oprah all believed it. They had the right mindset before they made their first million. Every enterprise starts with an individual and an idea.

Right now, if you ever saw yourself as bigger than your current circumstance then this book is for you. If you are searching for the answer about how to turn your passion into a profitable life, I am here to walk you through a journey of self-discovery.

I understand your apprehension and questions as I experienced the same thing on my journey to living a profitable life. Like you, I saw myself as bigger than my cubicle. However, no one showed me how to connect my passion to a plan that could transform my life. I created a proven playbook called Brand Me, with you in mind. No matter if you run your own business or if you work for a company, you must unleash your inner-preneur to create, manage and assume risk for the most worthy business endeavor, your life and livelihood. You are a STAR! You just need someone to show you how to shine! That is my mission.

Your mark is linked to your authentic advantage. Everyone has it, few know what it is and even fewer will use it. It’s the key that distinguishes you and attracts others to your priceless value. At Velvet Suite, we call this the power to unleash the champion within.

I dreamed about writing this book for many years; however, I was scared. I knew that I wanted to impact the world in a big way but I didn’t realize that it would cost me. I would have to be my first client.

In my journey I received both my undergraduate and master’s degree in the area of marketing and worked for the world’s most renowned Fortune 100 brands in marketing and communications. I intuitively understand the power of marketing to create demand for a product or service. Most companies have been able to determine the value of their business, based upon the heritage of the brands they have