Is it Time to Reinvent Yourself?

                                                                                            photo courtesy NAILS magazine

There comes a time in life, or maybe several times in life if you are older like me, that you find yourself stuck. Being stuck is an awful, frustrating feeling. We spoke last week briefly about an article I wrote for NAILS magazine about reinvention. I can't believe it was almost 4 years ago that I wrote it. What does this have to do with marketing? Everything. Marketing is about building your brand and spreading that message. Business is constantly changing, are you? I just read a great quote from Shirley Gordon NAHA winner. "People change and you need deep experience to satisfy every client who comes in the door." We must reinvent ourselves on a regular basis to stay relevant. Coincidentally this months issue of SUCCESS magazine is about resilience, how to bounce back after any setback, in other words getting UNstuck.  The moral of most all of the stories is to reinvent, rebrand. That most times success comes on the tail of the biggest disaster. So I thought I would share the key points on getting Unstuck and embracing your new and improved brand.

Reflection is key. This is so very important. Review what worked and why as well as what didn't work and why. Be brutally honest. It won’t do you any good to skim over the truth. Have you lost sight of what you entered this industry for? Are you too busy being who you are that you don’t have time to think about who you could be? Following your gut is crucial. Many say the gut is the second brain, alerting ones consciousness before the brain has even begun to digest information.

Get back to you and what challenges you. Have you gotten too far from your core strength or mission? Is your menu confusing? Are you spread too thin? What do you love? What have you wanted to do that you haven't yet made the time for? Is there an underlying passion that you tell yourself you will get to someday? Don't look to what others are doing, they are on their own career track. Stay on your own track and you will go farther by not getting derailed with the distraction of every move others make. Relieve yourself of things that are not working, not productive and not profitable, now.

Don't be afraid of feedback.  Robin Fisher Roffer, author of Make a Name for Yourself, recommends you assemble your own “board of directors” for building the brand that is YOU incorporated. It is impossible to see ourselves as others see us, try as we might. By assembling this team and asking them to describe your attributes as well as your faults, you will discover some hidden talents and truths that the world sees in you. Make a list of what your core values are and what you find to be intrinsically valuable. Ask family members what they remember about you as a child — what you loved, what you were always reading, what you said you wanted to be when you grew up. What did you like in school? What were your favorite subjects? What do others see in you or say is your best talent? Get back to your passion and amazing things happen.

Never stop learning. Become a life-long student. Keeping up with trends in all aspects of business is just a fact of business life. The good news is, keeping up has never been easier with the Internet, podcasts, and Nail Talk Radio.

Last but not least, Implementation is the key that unlocks the possibilities. Make sure once you have the lesson don't neglect to put it into action. It is the only thing that will move you forward. We have finished up the first quarter of 2012. Do you know where your business stands compared to last year? Are you ahead or behind last years numbers? Dust off that list of things to do in your business and get cracking on it. Even if it is one thing, just do it. Only then will you experience the growth potential in your brand.

Learn the Keys to Reinventing Yourself NAILS magazine