You Are The Brand: The 8-Step Blueprint to Showcase Your Unique Expertise and Build a Highly Profitable, Personally Fulfilling Business

by Mike Kim, Todd Herman (Foreword)

Learn how to build your business around your expertise, ideas, message, and personality with this USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller.   It’s no secret that more people than ever before are building thriving businesses around their personal brands. But why do some create six- or even seven-figure businesses while so many others strive to make a consistent income? What works is finding a happy medium between those who sell a false version of themselves and those who overshare in the name of authenticity.   Here’s a simple question that can serve as a litmus test for “Can I build a campfire around what I’m sharing?” Is there warmth? Are you building something that is attractive and inviting to others? Can you build a community around it? Are you someone whom others want to invite onto their stages, in front of their employees, or into their lives?   In You Are the Brand, Mike Kim shares his proven eight-step blueprint that has helped build the brands for some of today’s most influential thought leaders—as well as his own personal brand. In this practical and inspiring book, you will How to identify and showcase your unique expertise How to gain clarity on your message, market, and business model Why the most effective marketing strategy is to simply tell the truth How-To-Preneur vs. Ideapreneur—Which one are you? The three kinds of personal stories that ensure you stand out in your market The simple “9-Box Grid” that shows you how to price your products and services How to cultivate “rocket ship relationships” that skyrocket your revenue, and influence

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Donnalie Cabey · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are the Brand - A timely roadmap of Hope for the Marketing Journey!.

I am totally convinced that Mike Kim wrote this book just for me and all those like me who have been on an agonizing search for a marketing roadmap that is clear, relatable, and has a simple, tested system to marketing success. ‘You are the Brand’ is provocative while informative, witty, raw and overflowing with ready to implement strategies to not only build your brand but also serve as a mirror of how to stay committed to your values while building your brand and adding value to those you serve.
As I craft my Founders story, flesh out my Business and Customer stories; I know that Mike has gifted me a front row seat to look back at, and learn from his epic journey of how to start small and over time build the foundations for a thriving marketing and coaching empire as a solo-entrepreneur. When you read ‘You are the Brand’ is is easy to appreciate that this is the work of a master communicator, connector and marketing genius who is also a top notch mindset coach, wordsmith and strategist. The true gift of this book however, is the vulnerability, deep caring and passion for people and his craft that Mike Kim brings to this work.
The real hope that he gives that it is still possible to build your Brand in a voice and style that is authentically yours. This book is filled with bankable wisdom, genuine Hope, a time tested Blue print and an easy to implement road map of how to successfully market your brand. These are the priceless bonuses from this Book. I for one, am grateful for Mike’s generosity in making all of this available in this timely marketing blueprint. Make sure you grab a copy, read and reread this book as you get to work building your Brand and making your significant impact on our world.

[Chellie Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be The Brand Rocks!

There’s a lot of advice books out there that never really give you any real how-to advice. Be The Brand is packed full of practical, put into play today information that can help you build your business. It’s easy to read and the advice feels like it comes from a personal friend who is rooting for you to succeed.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humble, down-to-earth, straightforward, and easy to follow.

Humble, down-to-earth, straightforward, and easy to follow. Includes several helpful exercises, but nothing super high level or groundbreaking. Not too salesy at all.

[Samir Rahati · Rating 3 out of 5]

بسمه تعالی
طرح 8 مرحله ای برای تصویر کشیدن تخصص های منحصر به فرد شما و ایجاد کسب و کاری سودمند و رضایت بخش-
چگونه میتوانید در باره خود داستان خوبی تعریف کنید مه در جایی هستید در بالاترین سطح عمل کنید.
بازاریابی فقط بستن قرارداد نیست بلکه به معنی آغاز یک رابطه است.
این رویکرد او را تبدیل به یک سخنران معروف مربی آنلاین نویسنده تبلیغاتی و مشاور برخی از رهبران فکری برجسته و برندهای شخصی کرده .
1.تفاوت بین ایده آفرین و کار آفرین چیست؟ در 3 سوال اصلی و ایجاد پلتفرم ایجاد ایده-شرکا
2.باید به کسی تبدیل شوید که محدودد کردن تمرکز شغلی خود (تغییر محور نقاط عطف و کلیدی زندگی را محور کنید.)
ریشه را محکم کنید که در صورت تغییر به جهت مخالف از موضع قدرت اقدام کنید.زود آغاز کنید و بعد تغییر محور دهید.
3.ایده آفرین در مقابل راهکار آفرینان.
ایده:چطور مسئله را حل کنید.....راهکار: مسئله که حل میکنید به راحتی قابل شناسایی می باشد.
-رقابت زیادی در بازار آن وجود ندارد.
- اگر مردم به ایده او متوجه نمیشوند
-ایده را به موضوعی معمولی تبدیل می کنند.
4. دیدگاه آیا می خواهید دیدگاه منحصر به فرد خود را کشف کنید.پاسخ در این 3 سوال.
1-چیزی اعصاب شما را خورد می کند.
2- کدوم بی عدالتی یا خطایی در دنیا باعث میشود.
فکر کردن به آن عصبانی شوید.
3- چه اتفاقی میتواند در این مهمانی شام را تا حدی ناراحت کند که دیگران فکر کنند که شما درگیری ذهنی دارید.
4- چه چیزی قلب شما را میشکند.
5- کدوم حقیقت ناعادلانه وجود دارد در دنیا که فکر می کنید میتوانید از طریق عمل کردن صحیح افراد دست میتوان آنها را تغییر دهید. مشکل زندگی که میتوانید حل کنید چیست.مشکا بزرگ هشدار دهنده در دنیا چیست کهمیتواند آن را حل کنید را در خودتان میبینید.
سوال1:در مورد تمام بی عدالتی هایی که در دنیا میبینید.
سوال2: در مورد شفقت و دلسوزی استکه در خودتان می بینید.
سوال3: هدف کسب و کار شما را نشان می دهد.
دیدگاه در محل تلاقی این سه سوال است.به زبان واضح تر باید مسئله ای که اهصاب شمارا بهم میزند پیدا کنید2-راه حل آنرا پیدا کنید3-برای حل اون مشکل پول در بیاورید.برندسازی کار پیچیده تری است.
6- پلت فرم شغل خود را مانند منطقه برجهای چینی بسازید.برند ها مثل پاساژهای خرید هستند.
7- درست جایگیری کنید و همیشه رقبای خود را بشناسید.
1.هویت بصری2.هویت کلامی3.هویت ارزشی همه به هم ربط داردو تعادل در ایجاد آن است1*حین برند سازی به فکرشان میرسد2*از طریق الگو برداری مشخص میشود همان مختوای مکتوب به انواع بازاریابی3* در ارتباط با جایگیری است.تعیین جایگاه در ازتباط با رقبا و درک مردم از آنهاست.
محصولات صحت سنجی تولید اصلاح و راه اندازی مجدد. اولین هدف به هنگام تولید یک محصول مطمئن شدن از قابلیت اجرائی مربوطه است.
دقت کنید.بدون تحقیق نمیتوان محصولی را تولید کرد.
فرآیند 4 مرحبه ای برای عرضه پیشنهادات برای تولید محصول
1- مشکل اساسی موجود را تعیین کنیدو نتایج که مشتریان باالقوه خواسته اند شناسایی کنید.
2-سپس یک گروه آزمایشی تشکیل می دهید و مشکلات مربوط به مشتریان احتمالی را حل کنید.لازمه این کار راهنمایی و مشاوره و سخندانی است.
3- برنامه های خود را اصلاح کنیدو ببینید آیا وسیله بهتری برای حل مسئله فعلی وجود دارد!؟
یک دوره آموزشی مجازی کارگاه و ایجاد جریانهای در آمدی
4-برنامه را دوباره از نو راه اندازی کنید و در قالب جدیدی بفروشید.
8- درست قیمت گذاری کنید. مردم دوست دارند چیزی بخرید نه اینکه فروخته بشود.اگر جایگاه خود را بدانید مشخص کردن قیمت ها بهتر است.خودتان را دست پایین نگیرید.
9- تبلیغات برای فروش مهم است اما تاثیر گذار ترین استراتژی بازاریابی گفتن حقیقت است.
10-به شرکا اهمیت بدهید زیرا روابط مانند موشک هستند.ایجاد رابطه همیشه بخش جدایی ناپذیری از ساخت برندتان باشد.
شما نمیتوانید فقط برای ایجاد رابطه از افراد جالب بسنده کنید.اما باید تبدیل به فردی شوید که میتواند با افراد نچسب هم رابطه برقرار کند.
11-وقتی درباره داستان شخصی تان و یا برند قدرتمندان مینویسید نباید بیش از حد فکر کنید و دست از نوشتن برداریدوبه کمال گرائی فکر نکنید.و به اهمیت ارتباط خود توجه کنید.

[J.H. Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the Mike Kim Universe.
I met Mike Kim at a social media conference in Portland, Maine a few years ago and was impressed with the clear, no-nonsense advice and marketing copy he shared during his well-attended presentation. I had rarely seen anyone who was so committed to offering valuable and practical marketing tools along with their insights and experiences. This book, “You are the Brand” is the best of Mike’s business philosophies, presented cleanly in the same way, i.e. as though you are his best friend. He basically says, “even if you don’t get it right now, hang on, I’m going to explain it again a different way, show you someone who actually did it for inspiration, and then give you even more ways to make it happen in a community of people who are just like you.” Wow. Mike loves basketball, and no wonder: he promotes good team spirit in a way that makes you feel like you are part of his team. His personal story isn’t about climbing the tallest mountain on the planet, or being an astronaut, but it is so genuine, honest, and endearing that it gave me pause to take him seriously. His journey creating his own personal brand perfectly frames his unique methods, and he has a powerful methodology to teach. Having learned from modern marketing masters, he shares marketing parables with a sleight of hand that makes you wonder how you never noticed the moral of the story before. His “blueprint” covers a lot of ground in a condensed format which he supplements with references to supplemental materials for a deeper dive if you care to take it. (Mike is also a scuba enthusiast, so deeper dives are a specialty.) The audio book adds a series of interviews to the original text which illustrate each chapter’s focus in his down-to-earth podcasting style. Mike is all about over-delivery and keeps giving content, even after you are done with the book. I won’t spoil the surprises, but suffice to say, you won’t be disappointed—not only with the core principles of his work, but if you subscribe to his email list, he just keeps giving. What a pleasure to have found the Mike Kim Universe!

[Reffi Dhinar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on Google Playbook. At first, I didn't have high expectations for this book because I had read some books about building a brand. Because I'm curious, I bought the ebook and dive into an amazing journey.

This book is teaching us how to build a business related to our authenticity. It gives me a clear purpose and valuable methods to support my journey to build a personal brand.

Kim shares his own journey from a corporate career to becoming a successful personal brand consultant. The book is divided into clear steps, focusing on creating a unique identity, communicating authentically, and building trust with your audience.

"Marketing is about building a relationship with your audiences." I like this message from the book. Before selling our products or services, we should gain many experiences to have confidence. That's why, before becoming a branding consultant, Mike became a freelance copywriter and did many projects that made him understand how to build a brand.

Mike Kim's method emphasizes the importance of storytelling, content creation, and consistency in order to establish credibility and grow your influence. It's a roadmap for turning your skills into a personal brand that resonates with others and drives business success.

[Mark Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiration and Practicality

Mike Kim is someone I'd want to sit around a campfire having great conversations. The tone in his book is genuine and it's as if he was speaking only to me. A great deal of inspiration came from reading his story of how he become a "the branding guy", but that doesn't mean this book lacks practical, useful tools to move forward with one's brand.

Anyone that has a personal brand, wants one, or does any self-employment for that matter, should read this book!

[Jani Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional!

Mike Kim has shared such wisdom and insight in such a succinct, caring, authentic and impactful way that I’m on fire to implement what I’ve learned and discovered! Pure GOLD. THANK you, Mike!
Absolutely recommend to anyone building their personal brand…and that’s everyone, including you & me even if we’re unaware of it.
Mike’s blueprint gives me the steps I need to implement to grow & shine.
How am I going to show up as my brand? Only I can decide that… and I’m so grateful to have this blueprint to guide me.

[Tom Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very practical how-to in establishing your brand. Even if you already have that done, there are SO many great tips on how to improve. The 8-Step Blueprint was quite detailed and easy to follow. I just need to apply to my brand.

I especially appreciated his humility in that he shared how he made mistakes and learned from them. The biggest takeaway for me was accelerating your influence by engaging deeper with Partners (Step 8). I was starting that already with a couple of known influencers...thanks Mike.

Don't hesitate...buy it!

[Kevin Eikenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal branding. You might think that is a topic for writers, speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs. That is actually who You are the Brand by Mike Kim is written for. But if you are a leader trying to lead more effectively and influentially, this might be the most unusually valuable book you read this year.

Read the rest of my review: https://kevineikenberry.com/communication-interpersonal-skills/you-are-the-brand/

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Kim is keeps branding simple. Focusing on the elements, tactics, and strategies that allow for authentic branding and growth, I turned every page with a high-five effect and excitement. I am so thankful for the access to so many of his processes that have helped him achieve brand identity. As a business and brand strategist working with other entrepreneurs to help them achieve a cohesive confidence, many of these steps will be implemented not only for my own brand, but also for those I am privileged to work with.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, practical steps you can implement straight away

This book is a must-read for those who are building a personal brand. He has a heart to help and the simplicity of the message is helpful for those who may be drowning in the myriad of resources available. Highly recommend this book as a starting point to clarifying your message and brand.

[Ed Chuchaisri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book on marketing and branding. Many good examples and useful ideas but nothing ground breaking.

It's a good read for small businesses or entrepreneurs to make a name for yourself using common marketing techniques like positioning, story telling, differentiation, productization, pricing, promotions, and through partnership.

[Steve Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Found the Answers

Mike Kim does an excellent job of answering the questions that many of us just starting as entrepreneurs have. This book is obviously a gift to those needing direction and a strategic plan to developing your own personal brand. Thank you Mike for sharing so graciously the tools others will need to be successful in this space.

[Josephine Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for my adult nephew, who absolutely loved it... took notes, it really struck a chord with him as it offers insight and guidance to become an entrepreneur. I bought the book for myself, and it's just not for me. This is an easy, quick read for anyone wishing to figure out how to find their niche.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by a friend - to get an overview of Marketing. It's a great read and a pretty easy read - packed with practical tips on Marketing if you are starting your own business/brand. Solid, practical advice delivered in an interesting way that's easy to read and will certainly be a reference book for me as my business grows

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has the deliberation to show a person how he himself can become the brand that normal big company portrays themselves as. The most interesting part of the showcases of how we adjust our appearance on the dailies and how we can strategically grow our own profile to become more prominent in the world where attention is gold.

[Joe DeGraaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent and easy to read book on setting up your personal brand. Kim focuses on defining what your business and personal brand actually are (based on your authentic self) and then building relationships and position that reflect this well. Be real and be of real service both to clients and connections.

[Gill Bentham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me want to go and do

Mike speaks of his craft with authority and hands out branding advice so generously I immediately wanted to gather my thoughts into a personal brand action plan. Something I have struggled to distil for years now feels within reach.

[Angelina Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information and easy read!

You can tell that the author is a copy writer because the flow of the book was amazing! It left me full of ideas for how to better position my coaching and consulting services.

[Gary Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal

This is only 1 of a few books that I have read that truly was written to help others go to the next level in a step by step processes. Thank you so much Mike Kim for a book that truly does what it says!

[Brad Blackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it wasn't anything I haven't heard before, it is great to have it all in one place. I highlighted so much of the book, then went back and wrote the main points on stickie notes and put them up on my wall to refer back to later.

[priv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eines der besten Bücher über Personal Branding, was ich bisher gelesen habe. Für so ein trockenes Thema sehr witzig und spannend geschrieben; ich konnte sehr viele Dinge mitnehmen. Definitiv eine Empfehlung für alle, die sich gern auf beruflicher Ebene abheben wollen.

[Jawaher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book became one of my favorite marketing books quickly. It’s clear and packed with value. It was great to read about a marketing professional who stands by ethical marketing which is one of my personal values!

[Callie Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best business advice books I’ve read on how to grow your personal brand. Clear, concise, no fluff, no ick factor, and actionable. Mike Kim is generous with ideas that are tangible and anyone who is willing to put in the work can implement.

[Gabriella McColeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much I need to implement. I'm ready.

[Srinivasa Moorthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% Practical steps

Excellent form of writing, inspiring, content sounds pretty easy to follow. Content reflects maturity from years of work in similar space

[Florin Lungu - JMT Coach & Trainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! The step by step personal branding blueprint I was waiting for!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook was better than paper. The author references downloads that are no longer accessible.

[Regi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed to read this week. Not just a hype book, but actual how-to and practical advice and steps to get started on building your brand. Thank you Mike Kim!