Unstoppable: How to Spice Up your Brand, Create Opportunities, and Reach your Goals

By Nyrka Riskin

Have you ever felt desperate to accomplish something but had no idea where to start or how to get there? This book will teach you how you can become unstoppable and reach your ultimate dreams.

An entrepreneur drawing on more than twenty-five years of experience in the business world, now a highly sought-after business speaker a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Manuscripts LLC
• Release date: Nov 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889267751

Book preview

Unstoppable

How to spice up your brand, create opportunities, and reach your goals

Nyrka Riskin

Copyright © 2023 Nyrka Riskin

All rights reserved.

Unstoppable

How to spice up your brand, create opportunities, and reach your goals

ISBN

979-8-88926-774-4 Paperback

979-8-88926-775-1 Ebook

979-8-88926-524-5 Hardcover

To Michael,

Thank you for believing in me always.

I love you.

To Anya,

Stay strong.

Stay brave.

Stay fearless.

And listen to your gut, always.

Te quiero.

Contents

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Introduction

Part 1

The Process of Becoming Unstoppable

Chapter 1

How to Become Unstoppable

My Definition of Unstoppable

Example 1: Taking Charge and Crafting My Personal Brand!

A Successful Brand—Jessica’s Story

Be Innovative to Create Opportunities for Yourself

Chapter 2

Craft Your Personal Brand and Stand Out

Executive Presence in Different Industries

What Is Personal Branding?

Example 2: Reinventing My Personal Brand!

How Do You Start Crafting Your Personal Brand?

What Do You Want People to Say When You Leave the Room?

Importance of Standing Out!

A Successful Brand—Silviana’s Story

Your Rewards!

Protecting Your Brand

My Framework

Part 2

The Framework: Steps to Reach Your Goals

Chapter 3

Step 1: Assessment Phase

The Assessment Phase

Image Leadership

Authenticity

Assessment Tools

A Successful Brand—Lisa’s Story

Third-Party Feedback Is Necessary!

Your Footprint Is Also Digital

Be Unique as You Carry Your Personal Brand Everywhere You Go!

Chapter 4

Step 2: Goal-Setting Phase

Mood Board Versus Writing Your Goals

Writing Down Your Short-Term Goals Is a Must!

A Successful Brand—Mark’s Story

Your Turn! Write Down Your Goals

Back to Mark’s Story

Chapter 5

Step 3: Do a Wellness Check-In

Wellness during the Heights of the Pandemic and the Aftermath

How to Practice Self-Care

How I Feel Well

A Successful Brand—Jes’s Story

Wellness at Work

Chapter 6

step 4: Strategize and Create Opportunities

If You Can See It, You Can Become It.

A Successful Brand—Brenda’s Story

The Strategy Process: Create Strategies for Your Short-Term Goals

Strategic Chart

Example 3: Creating Opportunities and a Third Example of How I Reinvented My Personal Brand!

How to Remain Motivated

Your Own Personal Brand Manager!

Chapter7

Step 5: Implement Your Strategies

Be a Shark!

Example 4: Reinventing My Personal Brand in Higher Education!

It’s Time to Implement Your Strategies

The Imposter Syndrome Trap

Managing Your Confidence

Update Your Elevator Pitch with Toolkit Actions!

Toolkit Action #1: What is your personal brand?

Toolkit Action #2: Who is your audience?

Toolkit Action #3: Add facts and real-life examples

Toolkit Action #4: Craft your elevator pitch.

Chapter 8

Step 6: Review Phase

Are You Ready for Growth and Change?

Example 5: Finally Ready to Launch and Reinvent My Personal Brand Once Again!

Stay Resilient!

Continue to Measure Your Goals!

Your Review Phase Steps

Enjoy the Rewards!

The Process of Becoming Unstoppable Never Ends!

Consider Taking Risks!

A Successful Brand—Ruby’s Story

Part 3

Assessments and Tools

Resource A

Personal Brand and Image Leadership Assessment

Resource B

Elevator Pitch Toolkit

Resource C

Review Phase Q&A

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Introduction

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One night in the spring of 1996, I sat on my bed anxiously thinking about how in the world I was going to accomplish my dream of getting a job offer with an international public accounting firm. I was enrolled in the accounting program at the University of Puerto Rico, and I was one of hundreds of aspiring students who wanted the ultimate, coveted job with the top international accounting firm at the time, Arthur Andersen. I was in my junior year, and I had a good GPA, but I did not feel like I had anything special on my résumé that could help me line up a really good job interview in the next year.

Have you ever felt desperate to accomplish something but had no idea where to start or how to get there? That is exactly how I felt. I did not know how to make my dream come true. So guess what I did next? I set specific goals and found ways to craft, manage, and strategize my personal branding efforts to create opportunities for myself and reach those goals.

I was able to brainstorm that same night with a friend to come up with an innovative idea that could push me to be unique and stand out. I was finally crafting my personal brand at a crucial time in my life! The idea needed to be big and innovative. This big idea also required confidence and a certain level of risk.

I decided I would go into the Accounting Students Association’s office the next morning and offer to the organization’s leadership team that I would be in charge of their monthly newsletter. As a highlight, I promised that my first edition would feature a past president of the organization. It seemed like a great idea. The past president was working at one of the largest international accounting firms at the time. It would certainly give me exposure to the world of public accounting!

To my surprise, they loved my idea and gave me the green light. I started publishing their monthly newsletters, and by the time the leadership team was rolling off at the end of that year, I ran for president of the organization the following year. To my surprise, not only was I elected, but I had the opportunity to plan the job fair during my senior year and ultimately received not only the offer I had always dreamed of but a few others as well, in addition to an internship in New York City on Wall Street the following summer.

I was a good accounting student with a good GPA, but there were definitely higher GPAs in my class. I simply stood out because I took a risk. I focused on being innovative by creating a newsletter for the association and crafting a unique personal brand by confidently approaching the association with my leadership abilities, which created opportunities for myself by becoming the association’s president the following year. I became unstoppable!

Most people believe having a great education from a top-notch school, having a high GPA, or having access to many resources is essential to becoming successful. But in my experience, creating unique opportunities for yourself as a result of crafting and managing a unique personal brand is far more important!

No one will be able to stop you once you create choices for yourself that are unique to your needs and goals. Yes, I do agree a great education, a high GPA, and having access to resources is helpful, but definitely not enough to reach your ultimate goals.

As a coach, I keep getting calls from coaching clients who have high levels of education and leadership roles as well as many resources available to them, but they are still not able to reach their next level of success.

As a result, I have created an innovative framework I currently use with my coaching clients, and to my delight, I keep seeing patterns of success. Throughout the book, I will share coaching client stories, personal stories, and research that supports the importance of building a unique personal brand, standing out, and creating opportunities in order to achieve your ultimate dreams!

Recently, in the summer of 2022, I was asked to dream about how I wanted to start writing my first book. I desperately wanted to share my successful framework, which I have designed and implemented with my coaching clients and presented to hundreds of leaders and business students. With twenty-five-plus years in the workforce, including stints in international CPA firms and over a decade of work experience in higher education, I am excited to share finally what I have learned in the context of branding and the power of creating opportunities for yourself.

I never expected this journey to be so insightful! I cannot wait to share this unique framework with you in a way that you can apply it to your personal journey.

It took me a while, but I have finally found my purpose! My purpose is to encourage people to craft and spice up their personal brands so others do not define it for them! That is why it is important for me to share with you how I have been building my personal brand up until now. I have shared my story in countless newsletters, social media networks, workshops, meetings, classrooms, and now through this book with the hope that you too will continue to advocate for yourself and manage your personal brand so you can reach the goals you have always dreamed of.

Success is often credited to a good education and resources. I am living proof that having a unique personal brand, standing out, and creating opportunities for yourself can make you just as successful, if not more. This is what I call being unstoppable. Important elements such as personal branding, image leadership, taking risks, embracing change, innovation, and design thinking are just as important when it comes to becoming successful.

Specifically, five times in my life I have set definitive goals, and I have been able to find ways to craft, manage, and strategize my personal branding efforts in order to reach those goals. On most occasions, I was able to reach them with limited resources, mentorship, or support. I cannot imagine how much more I could have done if I have had access to more resources. The value of resources, mentorship, and support is priceless, but the reality is that most people do not have access to all the possibilities in their lifetime, at least not all at once.

I am also sharing with you true life stories I have encountered during my coaching practice. After a few years of working with career coaching clients, I started noticing specific patterns. Most clients had an idea of what goals they wanted to reach, but they did not know how to reach them. I also noticed the majority of clients were not able to define their personal brand fully or were unaware about how they viewed themselves or how they were viewed by others. The truth is, if you craft your personal brand well, you will be in a better position to be strategic and reach your goals. I cannot wait to share these success stories with you!

How to Use the Book

Your brand is important. You are important! Whether you want to stand out in your personal life or in your career, you can stay ahead if you remain proactive and work hard at achieving the goals you set for yourself. This work is important, and it begins with you, your story, and where you are heading in your journey.

Be ready to complete a few assessments and worksheets, but most importantly, be ready to dream. I will also share with you my personal branding stories, and you will learn the steps to my unique framework so you too can create a successful path and become unstoppable!

I am excited to see where life takes you!

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to reach a goal or make their dreams come true. Whether you are applying for college, interviewing for your first job, working toward a promotion, or becoming an entrepreneur, this book can help you stay motivated in your journey.

Keep reaching for the stars and spice up your brand!

Cheers to your new beginnings!

Part I

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The Process of Becoming Unstoppable

Chapter 1

How to Become Unstoppable

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Has someone ever made you feel insecure, doubtful, or less confident when you tell them about your big dream or idea?

"When I go