Personal Branding

Over the years I have been the silent one in a crowd of unknown people or more the observant type in familiar territories, but never been an introvert of such. Always the extrovert! I grew up being pulled down by my peers and though I seemed strong willed, I never really thought myself as “Good Enough” which has made a huge impact on my life, and made it more complicated than it seemed. Those two words “Good Enough” defines people and their personalities as well as their reactions, and no matter how much people in your life try tell you otherwise, you always tend to see the worst first.

However over the years I have become more carefree to what everyone really thinks and has to say about me, but the matter still stands, were all human and will get affected about it some time or later. But it has taken the last three years of my life with all the experiences I have had to go through in the last three years to realize that there should never be a moment in ones life that “Good Enough” should ever be tested. Since starting up my own company, I have leant that I need to be one step ahead and I build on my own name. In other word become my own brand! If you think about it, we already are our own brands with upgrades as time passes. Everyone has their own style, ways and ethics. And this year I aim to become a brand.

Mark me as a brand, but don’t limit it to clothing, appearance and knowledge as these all lead to an indelible impression that is uniquely distinguishable. Most of the famous people in the world are brands.  The term personal branding only came into discussion in 1997 by Tom Peters. Personal branding has continued to gain in popularity as a tool to manage reputation online, especially though social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. So in essence as said before – were already brands but how far are you willing to expand your brand power. Get to know me as Cyndi Strydom or as Novateur.

4 Main Rules on Personal Branding

1. Always be searching for your next big opportunity. Your brand will impact your company’s brand for better or worse. Being proactive with your career is critical to your success because if you aren’t marketing your brand, no one will know about it. Be discovered with your brand!

2. Your brand will impact your company’s brand for better or worse. Your reputation can help or hurt your career and/or company, which means that you need to be smart about what impression you make on the world. Your digital trail of negative publicity might creep back up on you later in your career if you aren’t careful. Bring positivity into your everyday lifestyle and involve yourself with positive people and events. Build on your personality to save those relationships.

3. If you have talent and you put yourself out there, anything is possible. Not too many people go from being homeless to being on every national TV show. You have a shot of making it big if you give yourself a chance to do so. Find your talent and get people to recognize you for who you are.

4. Soft skills are becoming more important than hard skills. Over 66% of people feel that verbal communication skills are more important than technical knowledge at 60%. There’s so much competition for jobs that technical skills alone won’t get you hired anymore. Train yourself in your profession and start working on your networking / social skills to help you reach your goal.

So how does one stand out above the crowd to be discovered?

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they either brand themselves just for the sake of doing it or that they fail to invest time in learning about what’s in their best interests. The key to success, and this isn’t revolutionary, is to be compensated based on your passion. In order to find your passion, you need a lot of time to think, and you need to do some research online to figure out what’s out there. It’s about finding out what you want to do for the rest of your life.

Your self-impression = How people perceive you

The next step is to get yourself known – with use of social networks and simple instruments of business cards. There are many ways to get out there for people to get to know you. Here are some examples of ways that can be used ( i have added my branding and company information as well to give an idea) 

1 Facebook – over 160million people are on Facebook, but none of them have branded themselves the right way. Keep away from other people in your profile picture, or vodka bottles and photos like that.My personal Facebook profile i try to keep strictly friend orientated than a company name as i believe that more my personal site and requires a privacy setting, however Novateur Eventz has its own site and that is strictly business orientated.

2 Twitter – Your Twitter profile should have an avatar – carved out of your Facebook or Linkedin profile picture. Use a distinctive background and create links to your blog / webpage and so on.My twitter page is a combination of Novateur Eventz and Cyndi Strydom as one. Personal as well as work orientated. Gives people more of an overview of who i am as well as the work load i receive.

3 Linkedin – a profile combined with a resume / cover letter / reference documents and more. Use it to create your own database or promote yourself in the working industry among other corporate networks.Novateur Eventz is on Linkedin, however i am still learning to use this application properly in order to receive its benefits.

4 Webpage / Blog – If you can accept to be criticized – then you can start your own blog or a basic front page. Use your name and explain who you are. Those who blog are higher ranked on the “to be found list” than other channels.Novateur Eventz are on the blog site, though i tend to keep my personal (Cyndi Strydom) blog more alive as after all i am the face of the company for the people who get to know us.

5 Portfolio - Make your own CD to showcase the work you have done which can help convince someone of your skills.Novateur has a CD / DVD which we offer clients, as well as a portfolio of our work.

6 Wardrobe -Your personal style is tangible and is extremely important for standing out from the crowd. Select clothing that best represents you because it will be viewable through your pictures/avatars online, as well as when you meet people in reality. My style is rather sporty as i am involved with different sports however i have the corporate look as well. I enjoy looking and dressing up classy and always want to look good any time of day.

7 Business card - It doesn’t matter if you’re a college student, CEO, or a consultant, everyone should have their own business card. My business card has all the basic information on it, and people are recognizing the background of it where ever i go. Once had a lady at an event say she lost the business card, however she recognized the background and liked it from another webpage back to mine. So this can be a powerful tool.

After you spend the time on these parts of your personal branding options, it’s time to showcase it to the world, especially your target audience. Work on your communication skills and get people to recognize you. It’s the most difficult part of personal branding, but once you get the hang of it, you will start to see the difference.

So for the people who don’t know who I am, here is a little info about myself in my own personal branding way.Or it can be read up on in this blog.

As seen already I am Cyndi Strydom, and I live in South Africa. I have my own company called Novateur Eventz and this is my brand. People Know Cyndi from Novateur, but not many people know Novateur Eventz as such. So Novateur can be found on Facebook or Linkedin or Myself as Cyndi Strydom on Twitter / Facebook / Linkedin and Blog. I am still in the stage of branding amongst the corporate world, and so far for 2011 this seems to work.

Once you have your branding toolkit organized and your target arranged, the only next step is simply to get out there. So keep an eye out for Novateur Eventz / Cyndi Strydom. Might just surprise you one day!

Joburg Fashion Week #2

So to get back to my expedition and excitement with the Joburg Fashion Week, let me just say this is an experience beyond words. So dating back to last Thursday evening, Claudia and I graciously made our way to Joburg city to Newtown where the show was being hosted in an old factory called the Bus Factory. 

Arriving at the event, we were escorted to our seats and along the way i vaguely flashed my eyes in different directions capturing picturesque moments of the audience fashion styles to only feel more comfortable in knowing I fitted right in with my classy little black number and heels that sparkled. Once seated the lights dimmed and from all directions models appeared in designs from student designers. Mostly captivating and unique designs however the styles were so gorgeous I found myself lost in a world of Fashion.

After a 30minute show, there was an interval while the models were preparing for the dedicated designer – Spero Vilioti collection. So starting to get more excited and already in the hype, Claudia and I mingled amongst the delegates and found ourselves discussing the outfits of different folks and in-between noticed some celebrities and former Miss South Africa’s while sipping away with a glass of wine. Not a moment too soon, we were all escorted back to our seats for the show to start. Lights dimmed and the spots came on lighting up the runway and so the show started with the designs of Spero Vilioti Couture. Breathtaking garments and flawless fashion, I was astounded and threw my ideas around with future items I can add to my fashion trend. Every design was stunning and the entire show was mind blowing with sense of class. During the show, as the models walked down the runway, there were shots of confetti falling from the ceiling creating a glamorizing glossy couture effect making the garments more beautiful and captivating. 

(Above in the photograph is me with Former Miss SA in 1997 Kerishnie Naiker and my Red Carpet Look)

An hour later the show was over, but my mind was going through every detail that had just occurred. The man behind the designs is an artist with little recognition I think, yet a much respected man. He is his own brand. Quite like that last part of the sentence. So I have some photographs that were captured the evening to show you what we experienced. All I have left to say is that I will not miss this event next year, and hope to get to go to more shows and also to join in on the

SA Fashion Week. Joburg Fashion Week Photo's

Joburg Fashion Week is an astounding event of world class couture with our local designers such as Abigail Betz, Spero Vilioti, David Tlale, Abigail Keats and more. Below is a link to a site where you can view all the other designers’ designs that were showcased at the Joburg Fashion Week. Hope you enjoy. 

(The photographs below were not taken by me - just here to show some of the designs) 

Spero Vilioti

Joburg Fashion Week Part #1

I have not blogged in a while. I do apologies for this, but the start of this year has been rather crazy with everything changing in terms of work (even work load) and general routines. However I will try my best to keep this updated as much as I can. Its like the book of life (Your life) exposed to the world who reads it. Rather a different sensation to know someone else reads your life story and at times they can relate or other times just break away from their own lives. Either way it’s fascinating.

So not to steer too far away and bore you with boredom, I have a little confession to make… I will be attending my fist ever elite Fashion show tomorrow night which is part of the Joburg Fashion Week. I would have loved to see the work of Abigail Betz, still remember when I was in school, she was on 3 Talk with Noleen, and that was where I sort of fist fell in love with Fashion. I mean I have always been this girl next door / tomboy girl with my sporty and casual outfits and secretly loved Fashion though it would never have seemed so. But there is light at the end of the tunnel as I have somehow managed to get my name on the exclusive list for the exclusive-show of the Abigail Betz couture later on this year. 

After I matriculated I started working in the corporate world where I was introduced to Jenni Button designs and since then I have started following fashion magazines such as my all time favorite Elle and keeping up to date with the trends though I never applied it to myself. Always thought I had to be a model to wear the fashion and never really classed myself as the model type or good enough to wear what’s in at the time.Though i walked the ramp once on a modeling course i enrolled in, wont say im cut out to be a model as such, however i somewhat wish i was.

None the less, I grew up fast and soon learned that I don’t have to be a model to wear or dress fashionably no, I could be just me and no matter what I wear it was fashionable at some point… okay not everything is fashionable. So steering away again, let me get back on track. I shall be going to the exclusive event tomorrow night to view the 2011 Autumn Range of Spero Vilioti’s collection, and I can’t describe in words how excited and thrilled I am to be going. I have seen some of his work on the web, but never in real life let alone on models strutting their stuff down the catwalk. So super excited I am indeed! Tickets to the David Tlale Couture show on the Nelson Mandela bridge went so fast i couldn't event get my hands on a set. So ill be missing the finale though i am working on my networks to get me in at the show - will let you know how that goes.Or even make my way to Abigail Keats show - seen some of her work and i must say i am rather impressed. So either way i am thrilled!

But for now ill be attending the Spero Vilioti show and After the show I will be attending an exclusive after party called “A Betz Affair” so maybe this will be my break to meet the famous SA designer Abigail Betz. Even more, Tamara Dey will be hosting the party, so this is my walk into attending my first elite event in the Fashion Industry.Kinda like a fairytale in candy land...Not quite!

So for the past few days I have been keeping up to date with what is happening at Joburg Fashion Week, and seen some photographs from other shows that took place last night at the official opening, and the only thing going through my head is “why did I not attend this sort of event sooner” hehe, but you learn as you grow and so you change and realize new opportunities as they arise.
So I am dedicating my 2011 to a year of Fashion and discovering myself! 

Sneak peak of what happened at last nights show and start to the Joburg Fashion Week!!
Joburg Fashion Week Day 1

So If I have not bored you yet with all this talk, I will keep you posted on how the evening goes tomorrow night. Excited to wear my new dress and show off a little being chic and fashionable in South Africa - you only live once hey. But for now a little sneak preview of what to expect. Enjoy!!
Joburg Fashion Week Launch 2011