Re-Branding After Divorce

It’s a whole new life with a new start ….

I use to sit at work and dream about working from home and being my own boss.  I use to dream about being happy and living life on my own terms.  The universe has ways of making things happen, sometimes it’s not exactly how you envisioned it ….  

Way back in 2009 I had been watching a reality TV show and one of the celebrities had a Personal Shopper and a Virtual Assistant while she was traveling round the world.  This fascinated me to no end and I thought it was a great idea.  I decided to start a business but shelved it when I got offered a job.  It was only when my life fell apart in 2012, during a bad divorce that I had no choice but to go back to my Virtual Assistant idea.

The best advice I ever got from my mother was, “find your strength, pick yourself up, and move forward with your head held up high”. 

For eight years, I had just been someone’s wife and I lost my identity completely because everything went into his name.  There was no trace of me, I had got lost in my marriage.  After the divorce it was time to re-brand myself, find who I was and build up my own life with my own business.  I decided to put all my skills together, get a name for my business, got my logo designed, my business cards and set up all my social media, I was ready to take on the world.  I started marketing myself online which lead to getting clients. 

I had a lot to learn, because up to this point, I had never been so completely in charge of running my own life and making sure that I had enough money at the end of the month to keep a roof over my head and all my bills paid.  Working from home and being your own boss is great, but it comes with it’s own set of challenges.  You have to be very disciplined to get up in the morning, hit the gym, eat properly, stay focused, get out and socialize with people, else it can become pretty lonely.

Today I am very grateful for living in my own little place I called home with my furkids.  I don’t have human kids so my cats and my little dog are my companions.  Roscoe, my little French Bulldog is definitely my best friend.  Before Roscoe came along I mostly just worked.  Having this little guy in my life gets me out the house, weekends we go to the park, the beach and find other things to do, he has changed my life in so many ways and taken away a lot of the loneliness I was feeling.  Through Roscoe I’ve met so many people and made new friends.  I now have a whole new life, my own brand, my own identity and my own dog.  I am no longer someone’s wife, I am just ME!

It’s important after a divorce to take time to yourself, re-brand your life and start over with your head held high!  Never stay in a situation that no longer serves your highest good. 

www.tonibaptista.com

  

Lets Talk Linkdin Profiles & Networking

I see so many people take the power of Linkdin for granted when your target market is right here. CEO’s, Business owner, Consultants, Speakers, Recruitment specialists, Politicians and the list goes on.

When someone connects with me on Linkdin, I will usually go onto their profile and have a look at what they’re all about before connecting with them. I also google them and check out their other social media platforms to see if they are legit or possibly a fake account, one can never be too careful these days. I want to know who I’m connecting with and why you feel we should connect. After all this a professional network platform where professionals connect to do business … or do I have this whole thing wrong? Is your only reason for connecting with me is to increase you Linkdin numbers and you have zero interest in getting to know what my business is all about and if our connection can be mutually beneficial? How does connecting with you benefit me or my network?


If I go onto your profile and it has no picture or an unclear picture or you have a picture with your sunglasses or your profile is only a company with no human, I generally wont connect with someone like that because it raises the question of what you are hiding .....

An incomplete profile tells me that you don’t take pride in your work, you do things half heartedly and couldn’t be bothered with what you are presenting on a professional business network platform. Taking all this into account, why should I connect with you? Why should I do business with you?

Now, say I do accept your connection request, what’s more annoying is that YOU have connected to me, I have accepted your connection and now I have to send you a message to find out more about what you do (because although some profiles are complete, they are not up to date with what you are currently doing). You have shown zero interest in my business, my service or even just dropping me a line to say why you're connecting with me. Most people don’t even bother replying to my message which is when I decide to delete you off my network.

People not only neglect their Linkdin profiles but their overall personal brand, they are still under the misconception that it’s only for celebrities …. This is where you are wrong, these days the internet is a powerful tool and having a strong professional online presence could be the difference between getting your next big client or even that job you applied for. Whether you like it or not you are a brand and your online presence does matter.

When you don’t respond to the message I’ve sent you, it tells me that you are completely rude and self absorbed or just clueless about how to successfully network online and build relationships.

All these things contribute to your personal brand, your professionalism and the type of person you are. People do business with people they like, people do business with other professional people, it just makes things so much simpler and pleasant.

The internet gives us the opportunity to grow our business, our networks and to connect with people globally, so why do a half-hearted job with your Linkdin account and your personal brand. All you doing is giving off a very bad first impression.

Your personal brand matters, so take the time to clean up your online presence. Google yourself, complete your Linkdin profile, create a company profile on Linkdin, get a clear headshot and background picture! Take pride in yourself, your online reputation and put a little effort into getting to know people in your network and perhaps make a difference in some’s life …. at the end of the day it all goes a long way.

 

I am a Personal Brand Consultant and run a Virtual Business Support Service to help entrepreneurs and companies save time, create a strong professional online presence that is consistent with a clear message that is inline with their brand. I help you grow your business and accelerate your success !!! If you'd like me to help you with your Linkdin profile, your personal brand and your business, schedule a call with me lets discuss a way forward.

Email me at tabvpa@gmail.com