I know that sounds harsh but I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a time when I did not set proper boundaries in my personal relationships and it felt as though others were wiping their dirty boots with me and not loosing a wink of sleep over it! Can you relate?

Failing to set solid boundaries in business, particularly as solo pros and small business leaders, can not only affect you personally but it also spills over into the perception others have of your personal brand. Setting clear and consistent boundaries is essential to ensure that you express what your brand and business stand for, which will increase your client attraction potential.

In part 1 of this article, I shared the first and most important ingredient for brand success and that is to Define Your Role. Here, I share the remaining three key ingredients to whipping up a brand that brings you wild brand success:

Set Limits

Defining your role sets the stage for creating limits in your business. Do you return phone calls or accept meetings after hours? What about your cell phone? Is it available to your clients 24/7? In your business, those limits are your choice and are yours to protect.

It is not uncommon to launch your business and have zero limits. After all, you’re in building mode and you feel you must accept whatever client(s) come your way – slicing, dicing, julienning your services, whatever it takes to build a more solid foundation. You DO have a choice. If you set limits early in your business it may be slower to grow BUT you will create a brand experience that is consistent from the onset of your business. Again, the choice IS yours.

Just Say “No!”

Some formulas never change. Just as 1+1=2, setting limits means you will be faced with having to say “no” to some things. There’s no question that this can cause your palms to sweat like a pan of vegetables, but understand that many of the prospects you’re presented with will appear as opportunities when in fact, they are time and energy zappers and leave a bad smell in your brand kitchen. The key to knowing what to say, “yes” to and what to reject is being clear on:

• Your brand values
• The needs of your target audience
• Your business and p
  How To Produce A Great TV Commercial AFTER The Client Buys A Bad One
  After all of the late nights concepting, all of the arguing with your Art Director and your Associate Creative Directors, your Creative Directors and all of the account people and the media people and the head of the agency, and the fellas who vacuum the conference rooms late at night, the great news is you sold a television commercial!The bad news is... it reeks. And you know it.But chin up...bec
  s and small business leaders, can not only affect you personally but it also spills over into the perception others have of your personal brand. Setting clear and consistent boundaries is essential to ensure that you express what your brand and business stand for, which will increase your client attraction potential.

  In part 1 of this article, I shared the first and most important ingredient for brand success and that is to Define Your Role. Here, I share the remaining three key ingredients to whipping up a brand that brings you wild brand success:

  Set Limits

  Defining your role sets the stage for creating limits in your business. Do you return phone calls or accept meetings after hours? What about your cell phone? Is it available to your clients 24/7? In your business, those limits are your choice and are yours to protect.

  It is not uncommon to launch your business and have zero limits. After all, you’re in building mode and you feel you must accept whatever client(s) come your way – slicing, dicing, julienning your services, whatever it takes to build a more solid foundation. You DO have a choice. If you set limits early in your business it may be slower to grow BUT you will create a brand experience that is consistent from the onset of your business. Again, the choice IS yours.

  Just Say “No!”

  Some formulas never change. Just as 1+1=2, setting limits means you will be faced with having to say “no” to some things. There’s no question that this can cause your palms to sweat like a pan of vegetables, but understand that many of the prospects you’re presented with will appear as opportunities when in fact, they are time and energy zappers and leave a bad smell in your brand kitchen. The key to knowing what to say, “yes” to and what to reject is being clear on:

  • Your brand values
  • The needs of your target audience
  • Your business and
    Is Your Yellow Page Rep Working for You?
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    ree key ingredients to whipping up a brand that brings you wild brand success:

    Set Limits

    Defining your role sets the stage for creating limits in your business. Do you return phone calls or accept meetings after hours? What about your cell phone? Is it available to your clients 24/7? In your business, those limits are your choice and are yours to protect.

    It is not uncommon to launch your business and have zero limits. After all, you’re in building mode and you feel you must accept whatever client(s) come your way – slicing, dicing, julienning your services, whatever it takes to build a more solid foundation. You DO have a choice. If you set limits early in your business it may be slower to grow BUT you will create a brand experience that is consistent from the onset of your business. Again, the choice IS yours.

    Just Say “No!”

    Some formulas never change. Just as 1+1=2, setting limits means you will be faced with having to say “no” to some things. There’s no question that this can cause your palms to sweat like a pan of vegetables, but understand that many of the prospects you’re presented with will appear as opportunities when in fact, they are time and energy zappers and leave a bad smell in your brand kitchen. The key to knowing what to say, “yes” to and what to reject is being clear on:

    • Your brand values
    • The needs of your target audience
    • Your business and
      Sidewalk Advertising - What Is It And Does it Work
      If you walk the downtown of any major metropolitan city, be it New York, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, or any other major city for that matter, you would be inundated with advertising – billboard ads, flyers posted to walls, transit ads, subway ads, in-store advertising, ads in washrooms, and any other place where someone can think of to get your attention.With all of the advertising that is vying for y
      ode and you feel you must accept whatever client(s) come your way – slicing, dicing, julienning your services, whatever it takes to build a more solid foundation. You DO have a choice. If you set limits early in your business it may be slower to grow BUT you will create a brand experience that is consistent from the onset of your business. Again, the choice IS yours.

      Just Say “No!”

      Some formulas never change. Just as 1+1=2, setting limits means you will be faced with having to say “no” to some things. There’s no question that this can cause your palms to sweat like a pan of vegetables, but understand that many of the prospects you’re presented with will appear as opportunities when in fact, they are time and energy zappers and leave a bad smell in your brand kitchen. The key to knowing what to say, “yes” to and what to reject is being clear on:

      • Your brand values
      • The needs of your target audience
      • Your business and
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        Pictures are worth a thousand words – you know that. The same holds true for an outdoor sign. Not only is your outdoor sign effective in bringing you additional footfalls, it is one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising a business. Let us take an example to illustrate how effective and cheap an outdoor sign can be:Cost of outdoor sign: $25,000Life of outdoor sign: 8 yearsF
        ith having to say “no” to some things. There’s no question that this can cause your palms to sweat like a pan of vegetables, but understand that many of the prospects you’re presented with will appear as opportunities when in fact, they are time and energy zappers and leave a bad smell in your brand kitchen. The key to knowing what to say, “yes” to and what to reject is being clear on:
        • Your brand values
        • The needs of your target audience
        • Your business and personal limits

        Be Consistent

        All great brands (personal or otherwise) consistently deliver on their promise of value. The boundaries you set for your brand communicate to the outside world what your brand stands for, the integrity of your brand and the respect your brand insists upon. In the world of personal branding, your business is inexplicably linked to YOU – one does not exist without the other.

        As the head “chef” in your business, it is incumbent upon you to set the rules, tone and overall expectations that your target market and other alliances have of your business. Now that’s a recipe for brand success!

        Click here for part I of Your Recipe for Brand Success.

        © 2006 – Liz Pabon. All rights reserved.