Personal Branding Podcast

The Impact of Parenting, Modelling, and Mentoring on Kids Bernard Kelvin Clive here. Today I want to share with you how pairings, careers, or passions influence us in diverse ways in terms of who we become, and even the career paths and decisions that impact our lives in the later years. Story 1: Kobby Blay and His Son I visited my friend Kobby Blay, who is a practicing nurse and also passionate about digital media and photography. He had a professional camera, and anytime I visited him, I noticed he would take some shots around. His son, observing his father, developed a desire to play with the camera. One day, the boy picked up the camera. Instead of shouting or screaming, Kobby used it as a teaching moment. He showed his son how to strap the camera around his neck and hold it properly. Although the camera wasn’t meant for the boy, Kobby’s consistent guidance helped nurture his son’s interest. The boy began taking family pictures, developing his skills by mimicking his father. This hands-on experience allowed the boy to understand the basics of photography and potentially sparked a lifelong interest. Story 2: My Kids and Books My kids often wanted to play with the books I had at home. Despite my initial concern for the well-printed books, I noticed they would always find and play with them. Seeing me write and type on my laptop, they began mimicking these behaviors. My books, which were tools of my trade and passion, became objects of fascination for my children. They would try to write inside the books, play with them, and even pretend to read them. As an author, I realized that my children were naturally picking up my interests. Though they were young and just playing, they were beginning to develop a sense of what they might enjoy in the future. It wasn’t about directing their future but giving them a path to explore their passions and talents. This playful engagement with books was laying a foundation for their appreciation of reading and writing. Story 3: The Charcoal Seller’s Daughter So the other day, I visited my local charcoal seller and noticed that her young daughter was mimicking her. The girl would pick up a small cold pot and pretend to cook, just like her mother. This observation reinforced the idea that children often imitate their parents’ actions, picking up their interests and skills indirectly. The daughter was not only learning about cooking but, also about the daily routines and responsibilities involved in her mother’s work. This imitation game was a crucial part of her learning process, helping her understand and appreciate her mother’s efforts and potentially guiding her toward similar interests in the future. Story 4: My Wife and Cleaning My wife does a lot of cleaning at home, especially on weekends. Our kids observed this and one day, I found them in the bathroom, sprinkling water and soap, attempting to mop the floor. They weren’t told to do it, but they wanted to mimic what they had seen their mother do. This revealed how children internalize and replicate the behaviors they observe in their parents. These cleaning activities, though simple, were teaching them valuable life skills. They learned about maintaining cleanliness and the importance of taking care of their living environment. This also instilled a sense of responsibility and independence in them, as they were eager to contribute to household chores. Thinking about Parental Impact These legends show how our daily actions, interests, and professions affect the next generation. Parents, business owners, and mentors must be aware of our actions and the beliefs we impart to others who look up to us. Exposing kids to good deeds and possibilities will enable them to find their passions and skills. Let us reflect and consider our background. Which factors helped to define our choices and career routes? Knowing this will enable us to guide the next generation more deliberately. For example, our children should witness us reading often if we wish them to grow to enjoy reading. Should we like children to be conscientious and hardworking, they should see us engaged in our laborious efforts. Instilling  Good Values It is about inculcating values, not only about copying our behavior. For instance, your children should witness you praying if you want them to be pious. They should see you treating people with respect and kindness if you wish them to be polite and friendly. These daily acts and habits become the guide for their behavior. From personal experience, I have seen that my kids pick up both positive and negative behaviors. This has sharpened my awareness of my behavior and possible influence. In my private relationships as much as in my professional life, I try to be a good role model. Generating Opportunities for Development Children need chances to pursue their interests outside of daily contact. This could involve signing them up for extracurricular activities, pushing them to follow interests, or simply allowing them the liberty to experience and grow. If your youngster, like Kobby Blay’s son, displays an enthusiasm for photography, for instance, think about giving them a simple camera and some direction. Give them notebooks and pens if they like to write; also, inspire them to write independently. Regarding their personal and professional growth, these little expenditures in their interests can pay off handsomely. Take a step back and consider what you are exposing your children, mentees, and those around you to. Ensure it’s something positive and enlightening, as these influences will shape their career paths, businesses, and brands. Let’s be intentional, impactful, and purposeful in spreading good values and positively impacting the next generation. If we deliberately become conscious of our actions and the environments we create, we can help guide the next generation toward fulfilling and successful lives. Whether through direct teaching or simply leading by example, our influence is profound and lasting. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends and leave me a positive review. […]

A little Story of Patience and Brand Recognition in this episode The power of a well-developed brand can’t be overstated. Over time, focusing on a specific niche and consistently delivering value establishes you as a trusted expert. So let me share a story that exemplifies this principle. This happened just today Years ago, as a young speaker, I aspired to invite a renowned speaker to an event. The challenge? His high-profile status made him expensive, especially for an unknown organizer like myself. Plus so many gatekeepers that prevented me from getting access to him. Ultimately, we couldn’t secure him. Sad but we moved on. Fast Forward! A decade later, I received an unexpected call. It was from the very same speaker I’d tried to invite a decade earlier! My consistent work and expertise in digital publishing had preceded me. They’d found me through an online search, impressed by my brand and books on Amazon. My brand opened the door.

Today we’re diving headfirst into the power of exceptional customer experience.  I will share with you why prioritizing your clients, especially in the realm of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), is the secret weapon you’ve been overlooking. “Often times consumers, clients, and customers are not just buying a product or service, they are buying an experience, a feeling, a perception, a person(YOU)” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Let’s face it, customer service in some parts of the world can be, well, let’s just say lacking. And for many SMEs, the focus often lands on simply getting the job done. But what if I told you that by shifting your mindset and truly prioritizing the customer experience, you could unlock exponential growth for your business? Intrigued? Then buckle up, because we’re about to explore real-world examples and practical strategies to make exceptional service your competitive edge. Here's the first Story Two Designers and the Power of Going the Extra Mile Let me illustrate this concept with a recent experience I had. A few weeks back, I needed some new signage created for one of my clients. Knowing the importance of a visually appealing and functional design, I contacted two graphic designers specializing in sign-making and posters. Both were familiar faces, having worked with me on previous projects. To ensure a well-informed decision, I briefed them on the project’s specifics and requested they visit the location to assess the space and gather inspiration. Both designers readily agreed and promptly scheduled site visits. Up to this point, everything seemed on par. However, the story takes a fascinating turn when we look at their follow-up approaches. The first designer, let’s call him David, returned with a straightforward email containing an invoice outlining the estimated cost for the project. It was a clear and concise message, but it lacked something crucial—a spark of initiative. David had completed the bare minimum; he’d assessed the space, formulated a price, and presented it without further engagement. Now, don’t get me wrong, a clear estimate is important. But in this competitive landscape, it just wasn’t enough to stand out. The Art of Exceeding Expectations The second designer, Sarah, took a distinctly different approach. Following her site visit, Sarah not only sent a detailed quote, but she also went above and beyond by creating three unique design samples for the signage. These weren’t just generic mockups; each sample showcased a distinct visual style and layout, catering to different aesthetic preferences. This thoughtful gesture demonstrated not just her design skills, but also her understanding of the importance of client input and collaboration. The impact was undeniable. When I presented both options to my client, their reaction was clear: Sarah’s effort to personalize the experience by providing design choices instilled a sense of confidence and partnership. They felt valued and understood, not simply handed a price tag. In contrast, David’s impersonal approach, while competent, failed to capture their imagination or create an emotional connection with the project. How Going the Extra Mile Benefits Everyone Now, Sarah’s proactive approach wasn’t just about winning this specific project. It’s about understanding the ripple effect exceptional service can create. Think about it this way: The Value Proposition of Exceptional Service Some might argue that exceptional service comes at a cost, but hey what doesn't cost? Yes, and that might be true in terms of time and effort. However, the intangible value it creates far outweighs the initial investment. Here’s why: Here is the Second Story A month or two ago, I needed to take my kids somewhere via Uber. The first driver arrived, and as I was helping my children into the car, he launched into a series of complaints. He questioned whether I was alone (despite clearly seeing my kids) and expressed frustration about the potential trip duration. Now, I understand drivers have quotas to meet and time constraints to consider. However, his tone and approach were completely off-putting. I reassured him I understood the fare structure and would pay based on the meter, regardless of any delays caused by settling my kids comfortably. Despite my attempts to de-escalate the situation, his negativity continued. Chale, I was getting furious but had to let this slide calmly. Ultimately, I decided to end the trip and find another driver. Not only did his behavior affect my experience, but it also meant he lost out on a potential fare and wasted time driving to my location. How Positive Interactions Create Lasting Impressions Fortunately, my wait for the next Uber was short. The second driver’s approach couldn’t have been more different. He greeted us warmly, offered assistance with getting the kids settled, and reassured me not to worry about taking time. His calm and accommodating demeanor instantly transformed the atmosphere. It was clear that he understood his role as a service provider, prioritizing my comfort and satisfaction. This positive interaction not only made the trip more enjoyable for myself and my children, but it also prompted me to leave him an additional tip in recognition of his exceptional service. Every Lead Matters: Building Relationships for Future Opportunities These contrasting experiences highlight an important point for all business owners, personal brands, especially those in the SME space: every lead matters. It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of immediate sales, but neglecting the potential value of every interaction can be a costly mistake. The client who doesn’t buy today might become a loyal customer tomorrow, or they might recommend your services to someone else in their network. Building Trust and Rapport: The Seeds of Long-Term Success The key lies in building trust and rapport with each interaction. Treat every lead with respect, offer them your time and assistance, and genuinely demonstrate your commitment to their needs. Even if they don’t make a purchase right away, these positive experiences keep your brand top-of-mind. When they or someone they know eventually needs your services, your exceptional service will have left a lasting impression, making them more likely to choose you […]

Encounter with a Vulcanizer: Branding Lessons for MSMEs Every business has its ups and downs, but learning how to maximize each moment can help the business thrive and grow. You see, the ability to adapt and embrace new technologies is not just an advantage—it’s essential for survival and growth. This realization came to me vividly during a seemingly mundane visit to a local vulcanizer because of a car tire issue. The vulcanizer, an expert in his field, impressed me with his knowledge and skill. I had learned that he has been doing this for the past decade and he is the go-to guy in the hood. However, despite his expertise, I noticed his reliance on outdated technology and traditional methods in his operations.  A critical lesson for small business owners can be learned from this experience: investing in modern tools and technology will enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and ultimately, business success. The vulcanizer, with nearly a decade of experience, was proficient in his work. His business was thriving, with a steady stream of customers benefiting from his expertise. Yet, his reliance on old systems and methods, such as a gas system for tire repair, reflected a broader issue many small businesses face. Despite having access to modern car tires and understanding current market needs, his equipment remained traditional, mirroring what many Ghanaian artisans use.  Considering this situation, I wonder why he hadn’t invested in modern equipment such as hydraulic jacks or other advanced gadgets that could have created further revenue opportunities. This reluctance to embrace new technology is not unique to him but is a common trait among many small business owners who become complacent with their current success and expertise. Many fail to realize how technology can streamline traditional processes, increasing efficiency and competitiveness. In today’s digital age, where advancements like artificial intelligence are revolutionizing various sectors, failing to keep up with technological trends can leave businesses at a significant disadvantage. The truth is that investing in new technologies and tools is more than just an upgrade; it’s a strategic move that can dramatically enhance a business’s operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Modern equipment can speed up service delivery, improve the quality of work, and attract a broader customer base looking for quicker, more reliable services. The thing is that adopting modern vulcanizing tools can significantly transform the vulcanizer’s business by making tire repairs and changes faster and more efficient. Hydraulic jacks, for instance, speed up the process of lifting vehicles, allowing for quicker service, while impact wrenches make removing and tightening lug nuts much faster than manual methods.  This efficiency means a vulcanizer can serve more customers in a day, increasing business turnover. You see their tons of them, tools like modern tire changers and wheel balancers ensure that tires are fitted and balanced with precision, enhancing the quality of service. Such efficiency and accuracy not only boost customer satisfaction but also reduce the likelihood of errors, making the service more reliable. Here again, the use of advanced equipment like high-quality air compressors for inflating tires to the correct pressure and vulcanizing machines for effective puncture repairs ensures that the job is done right the first time. This level of professionalism and quality attracts customers who value their time and vehicle safety, potentially allowing the vulcanizer to charge a premium for superior service. Safety is another critical benefit, as modern tools are designed to protect both the worker and the vehicle during repairs, minimizing the risk of accidents and damage.  Just by delving a little bit deeper one can find so many ways of stepping up their business in ways to be more efficient and profitable. However, the challenge for many small business owners lies in recognizing the need for such investments and overcoming the inertia of satisfaction with the status quo. It’s crucial to understand that expertise and traditional methods, while valuable, need to be complemented with innovation and technology to stay relevant and competitive. This is where the importance of continuous learning and networking comes into play. Joining industry associations, attending workshops, and participating in networking groups can provide small business owners with insights into new technologies and trends in their field. These platforms offer opportunities for learning, sharing experiences, and getting advice from peers and experts who have successfully integrated new tools and methods into their operations. Such engagement can inspire and motivate owners to explore and adopt technologies that can transform their business models. Moreover, business owners need to surround themselves with advisors, mentors, and colleagues who are knowledgeable about technological advancements and can provide guidance on strategic investments. These relationships can help identify which technologies will be most beneficial for their specific operations and how to implement them effectively. Reflecting on the future, small business owners must ask themselves: What tools and technologies have I overlooked in the past few years that could enhance my business? And what investments are necessary to take my business to the next level? Whether it’s upgrading equipment, adopting new software, or leveraging digital marketing strategies, the key is to identify and invest in technologies that will drive growth and sustainability. As the business landscape continues to change, documenting processes and regularly reviewing business strategies become imperative. This practice helps in identifying areas where technology can make a significant impact, streamline operations, and create new avenues for revenue. It’s about rethinking how things have been done and being open to changing them for the better. In essence, this is a call for small business owners to up their game. And not only rely on their expertise and traditional methods but actively seek and embrace technological advancements that can propel their businesses forward. It is my belief that small businesses can succeed in today’s dynamic market if they invest in the right tools and create a culture of continuous learning and innovation. As we move forward, let’s embrace technology not as an option but as an integral part of our growth strategy. So, thinking through the vulcanizer and the […]

“Where you plant your feet determines your feats.” — Bernard Kelvin Clive Let me share this with you.  One morning, while I was cleaning my car, I noticed something interesting. I had worked hard to make the car’s body look shiny and clean, even though there was a lot of dust around because of the Harmattan season. But when I stepped back to look at my work, I saw that the tires were still dirty. This made the whole car not look as nice as I thought. This situation reminded me of a lesson from my childhood. When we were kids, my uncles would tell us to make sure we washed the tires of the car really well, not just the body. They said that a car doesn’t look completely clean if its tires are dirty, even if the rest of it is spotless. They kept reminding us that this was important, showing us that we often focused on the parts that were easy to see and forgot about the rest. This lesson is not just about cars; it’s also about life. A car needs good, clean tires to move properly, just like we need to take care of all parts of our lives to succeed. It doesn’t matter how good something looks on the outside; if the parts that really matter, like the tires on a car and the engine, aren’t in good shape, then it won’t work well. So, washing my car and seeing the difference after cleaning the tires made me think about how important it is to pay attention to everything, not just what people see first. Just like the car, we need to make sure we’re taking care of the important parts of our lives, not just the ones that look good to others. This teaches us to be thorough and to remember that every part, no matter how small or hidden, counts in making something complete and ready to go. Just like people spend a lot of money on nice rims for their car tires to make their cars look great, we should also take care of our feet because they carry us around. This is kind of like saying that in life, our feet are super important because they help us stand and move. If you’re into bodybuilding, you know that every part of your body needs to be strong to carry yourself, especially your feet/legs. It’s the same with our feet in real life. Our feet are like the base or foundation of everything we do. When we’re doing anything in life, having strong feet (or a strong foundation) means we can handle tough times, carry heavy loads, and go to amazing places. So, it’s really important to think about how we take care of our feet and what we’re asking them to do. It’s like asking, “Have I made myself strong enough to take on new challenges in my work, my personal goals, or whatever I’m trying to build?” Think about what you wear on your feet and what kind of load you’re expecting them to carry. Building a strong foundation, or making sure our feet are ready, is super important. It helps us be ready for the next step in whatever we’re doing, like moving up in our jobs, growing a business, or making our brand better. Investing time and effort into making our foundation strong means we’re ready to take on what we dream of doing. So, it’s all about making sure we’re ready and strong from the ground up. Just like a car with fancy rims stands out, making sure our foundation (our feet) is strong can help us stand out and succeed in what we’re aiming for. Our feet play a central role in how we present ourselves, both as individuals and as brands. When people see us, one of the first things they notice is our feet. This makes our feet a key part of our foundation, something that supports and holds us up. It’s really important to wear good shoes, as they say a lot about our appearance.  You might be dressed really nicely, but if your shoes don’t look good or don’t match your outfit, it can mess up how you look overall. This is even more true during the Harmattan season. You can dress up as nicely as you want, but when you walk on dusty roads, your shoes get dirty. If your shoes are dirty, it doesn’t matter how nice the rest of your outfit is; it won’t make you look your best. So, we should really focus on our feet, which are like the foundation, stronghold, and pillars of our life. We need to think about our foundation – what supports us, what we are holding onto, and where we are going in life. By looking at our feet and making sure they’re well taken care of, we can find the strength, favor, and energy we need to reach the next level of success in our careers and as a brand. Taking care of our feet and what we wear on them is more than just about looking good. It’s about making sure we have a strong base to stand on as we move forward in life. Let’s pay attention to our feet, and our foundation, and make sure they’re ready to take us where we want to go. In conclusion, just as the cleanliness and condition of a car’s tires can significantly affect its overall appearance and functionality, our personal foundations—symbolized by our feet—hold the key to how we navigate the challenges and opportunities life presents. Our feet, both literally and metaphorically, represent our base, our point of contact with the ground that supports and propels us forward. The attention we give to our feet, through the shoes we choose and the care we take, reflects our respect for the journey itself and the paths we choose to tread. This concept extends beyond mere aesthetics; it’s about acknowledging the […]

How to Grow Your Personal Brand in 2024 It's to take your brand to the next level. Whether you’re a new brand or an established one, you need to achieve at least one of these milestones/goals in the upcoming year to remain relevant and competitive. 1. Raise the bar on yourself It is all about having a growth mindset to place a demand on yourself to go higher and do better. Let me draw your attention to this simple observation: I know several brands in my circle that offer the same services and products of high quality and standard, yet they are underpaid by their clients. Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback: a lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve. Let me break it down this way. The Psychology of Pricing with Confidence: Listen, if you don't place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity. Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented, and skilled. Yes, you, you have to believe that. It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one's abilities. Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business. No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things. Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand. If you've been doing well, great! It's time to step up your game and go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity. You can do more. In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft. 2. Build Capacity for Growth Any brand that does not grow fades away. The competition is fierce, and the noise out there is loud. If you don't build yourself up and create significant capacity for growth and expansion, you will fade out faster than you think. This demands consistent improvement, exploration, charting new terrains, and pursuing bigger goals. Over the past year, many interesting things happened, and some went viral on social media – from Nigeria’s Hilda Baci breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time to Afua Asantewaa Aduonum of Ghana attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest singing marathon by an individual. A few things stand out. Firstly, the desire to break a record – that audacious attempt is worth commending. The second thing is that these records were way beyond their capacity, but they had to build the capacity to get it done. It stretches them, it challenges them, and it also gives reason for others to attempt breaking other records, be it in public or private. It gave enough people a reason to pursue larger goals and bigger dreams. My question for you is this: What bigger goals, dreams, and aspirations would you attempt in the coming year? Go for your big wins! The best is yours! Recommend Books 5 Minutes Habits (Audiobook) Retreat: Reflections for Busy Businessmen (Audiobook)

How can you enhance your content creation and branding with these five productivity tools? Enhancing Productivity in Content Creation and Branding In today’s podcast, I discuss five productivity tools that can significantly enhance content creation and branding. So, I’ll share some insights from that episode, focusing on the importance of finding the right tools to boost productivity and maintain your unique voice while creating content and building your personal brand. 1 The Power of Audio-to-Text Tools The first tool I discussed was Swellai.com, a powerful tool for recording and transcribing audio. What sets Swell Icon apart is its ability to generate titles, summaries, article formats, and even social media shareable content based on the audio message. This feature is particularly useful for podcasters, as it allows us to maintain our unique voice while using AI content-generating tools. 2 Proofreading and Editing with Grammarly Next, I delved into the world of proofreading and editing with Grammarly. This tool quickly spots grammatical errors and provides corrections, making it an invaluable asset for content creators. Other tools like Quillbot and ChatGPT can also be used for proofreading, but Grammarly stands out for its ease of use and accuracy. 3 Simplified.com: A One-Stop Content Creation Platform I also discussed Simplified.com, a platform that offers various features like graphic designing, image generation, video editing, and social media content creation. It’s a one-stop platform for generating extra content in different formats and also allows for sharing and promotion on social media. 4 The Versatility of Canva Canva, a popular platform for creating graphics and text, was another tool I highlighted. Canva is an AI-integrated tool that allows users to create various types of content, such as infographics, social media posts, and document formats. The free version of Canva is highly versatile and can be used for writing content, designing book covers, and creating social media posts. Canva provides a wide range of templates to assist users in their content creation process, saving them time and energy. 5 Selling Digital Products with Gumroad Finally, I discussed Gumroad, a platform that helps users market and sell their digital products. After going through the content creation process, users may have something they want to sell, such as a digital product or a recording. Gumroad provides an easy-to-use platform for selling various types of products, including courses. The Importance of AI-Powered Tools In today’s digital age, using AI-powered tools to work faster and more efficiently is crucial. By combining these tools effectively and positioning oneself in the market, users can achieve significant productivity gains. Whether you’re a podcaster, a blogger, or a digital marketer, these tools can help you streamline your content creation process and build a stronger personal brand. The right tools can significantly enhance your productivity and help you maintain your unique voice while creating content and building your personal brand. Whether it’s Swell Icon, Grammarly, Simplified.com, Canva, or Gumroad, each tool offers unique features that can help you work faster and more efficiently. So why not give them a try and see how they can transform your content creation and branding process? Recommended Reading Market-in-g!: Conversation with a Marketing Guru – Seth Godin Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

Building your brand in challenging times Growing in times Like These! The acronym for GROWTH is a great tool for personal and professional growth. Each letter represents an important trait or action that can help you navigate the different stages of growth. Let’s go through each one: G- Grits & Guts: Grit is a combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It means having the determination to see something through to the end, even when things get difficult. Guts, on the other hand, is the courage to take risks and try new things, even if you’re not sure you’ll succeed. Together, grits and guts can help you take on new challenges and overcome obstacles in your path to growth. R- Reason & Research: Reasoning and research are essential for making informed decisions and setting realistic goals. By being logical and analytical, you can evaluate different options and choose the best course of action. Researching and gathering information also allows you to have a more well-rounded understanding of the situation and can help you to make more well-informed decisions. O- Objectivity and Oscillating: Objectivity is the ability to look at things objectively and to see them for what they are, rather than getting bogged down by emotions or biases. Oscillating, or being flexible and adaptable, means being able to adjust to change and to see things from different perspectives. Together, objectivity and oscillating can help you to be adaptable and make the most of new opportunities. W- Work: Of course, no growth can happen without putting in the work. Consistent and deliberate effort is key to achieving any goal and making progress. T- Tenacity: As previously discussed, Tenacity is the ability to persist in the face of adversity and keep going despite obstacles. It is the willingness to keep pushing forward even when things get tough, and the determination to not let setbacks and failures defeat you. It is this persistence and determination that allows people to achieve great things, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. H- Humility: As previously discussed, humility is an important trait for growth because it allows you to acknowledge your limitations and areas for improvement, and to learn from others. When you approach new challenges and experiences with humility, you’re more open to learning, feedback, and critique, which can help you grow and develop in new ways. Recommended Reading Market-in-g!: Conversation with a Marketing Guru – Seth Godin Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive

13 years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Kobby Blay, a driven and passionate young nurse. It was at the peak of my first book launch and blog and I was doing multiple radio and TV interviews. We all felt passionately committed to driving positive change in our society through our gifts and passions. Kobby was on a mission to fill the gap in health information through his blog and medical photography. His unwavering passion led to the creation of the highly successful Ghana Health Nest, which has become a trusted source of health information. Kobby’s passion project has taken him on a journey around the world, and it can happen to you too! I have seen firsthand how several of my friends have transformed their passions into profitable ventures. Today, I am thrilled to share my knowledge and offer tips and strategies to help you kickstart your own passion-driven business. It all starts with taking that first step and starting today! Are you tired of working in a job that doesn’t fulfill you or align with your passions? Are you ready to turn your passions into a profitable business? If so, you’re not alone. Many young professionals dream of turning their passions into a successful career, but often struggle with knowing how to get started. That’s where this guide comes in. Turning your passions into a profitable business is not only a way to make a living doing what you love, but it’s also a way to live a more fulfilling life. By pursuing your passions, you can bring your unique talents and skills to the world, and make a positive impact in the process. So, how do you turn your passions into profits? Here are some key steps to get you started: Let's quickly look at some cost-effective ways for establishing a system and effective processes: To provide excellent customer service, here are some tips to follow: In a nutshell, monetizing your passions and skills requires a combination of identifying what you are good at, packaging your skills and passions into a product or service, getting it to market, establishing systems and processes, and providing excellent customer service. It is my hope that by following these simple steps and taking action, you will be able to turn your passions and skills into a profitable business. Get started and let me know how it’s going for you; I wish you the best! Recommended Reading Market-in-g!: Conversation with a Marketing Guru – Seth Godin

The Top 5 Myths about Goal Setting – And How to Ditch Them for Good Are you trying to make changes in your life but feeling stymied by goal-setting myths? Do you ever wonder if setting goals is worthwhile? You are not alone if this sounds familiar. Goal setting is a popular topic, especially during this time of the year, but it can be fraught with misconceptions. In this article, I will debunk the top five goal-setting myths and offer practical advice on how to get rid of them for good. Continue reading to learn how setting goals can help you achieve your dreams and realize your full potential. 1. Your Goals must be in writing! Not entirely true, you can have unwritten goals. You know what? When I wrote the last book – Bruwaa, which I published last year, I didn’t have a goal of writing it, but once I thought about it, I wrote it and published it! You should have a goal, but your goal doesn’t have to be in writing. For achieving goals, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You can still make your goal, even if it isn’t written down. 2. Goals Have to Be Big to Be Worthwhile One of the biggest myths about goal setting is that you need to have big, lofty goals for them to be worthwhile. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hey, smaller goals can often be just as effective and sometimes more achievable. Big goals can seem intimidating and overwhelming, which can prevent us from even starting. Breaking down our goals into smaller, more manageable steps can help us stay on track and make progress. Plus, achieving those smaller goals can give us the confidence boost we need to keep going. Rather than setting an ambitious goal like “start a business” or “get a promotion”, set smaller goals that are related. For example, if your ultimate goal is to start a business, your smaller goals could include researching potential business ideas, writing a business plan, or finding a mentor who has experience in the field. Each of these tasks should have a specific time frame attached to them so you can track your progress. By breaking down your goals into smaller steps, you'll still be working towards the same end goal but without feeling overwhelmed. 3. You Need to Know Exactly What You Want Setting goals can often seem intimidating because you feel like you have to know exactly what you want before you even start. But that's not the case at all! You don't have to have a perfect plan for achieving your goals in order to start the journey. Truth is, it's perfectly normal (and recommended) to start with a general idea of what you want and then build from there. When you don't have all the answers, don't let that stop you from getting started. You can always adjust and refine as you go. Start by writing down the outcome that you want. What do you ultimately want to achieve? Once you've identified that, ask yourself some questions: What resources or skills do I need to reach my goal? What steps do I need to take to get there? Who can help me? These questions will help you develop a clearer picture of what you need and how to get there. As you answer each question, jot down any ideas or insights that come up. You don't have to have all the answers right away. This is just an opportunity to gather more information so that you can move forward. Your goal doesn't have to be perfectly defined when you start. As long as you have a clear idea of the outcome that you want, that's all you need. The rest will come together as you go. 4. You Need to Set a Deadline. Goals Must be Time-Bound! One of the most common myths about goal-setting is that you need to set a deadline for achieving them. Many people think that setting a goal without a deadline just isn’t enough and that there needs to be a specific time frame within which you must reach your goal. However, this is not necessarily true. It’s important to understand that deadlines are just one part of the process of goal setting, and they are not always necessary. Having a rigid timeline can actually hinder your progress in some cases. When setting goals, it’s important to take into consideration the time and effort it will take you to achieve them. If you have an unrealistic timeline, then you are more likely to become discouraged if you don’t reach your goal as quickly as you had hoped. Furthermore, if your timeline is too restrictive, it could also lead to burnout or even frustration as you try to cram too much into too little time. On the other hand, having a loose timeline can be beneficial. Having an idea of when you’d like to achieve a goal gives you something to work towards, but it also allows you to adjust your plan if something unexpected comes up or if you realize that the timeline needs to change for any reason. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that deadlines should not be a source of pressure when it comes to goal setting. Rather, deadlines should be seen as a helpful tool for keeping you motivated and on track. Whether or not you decide to set a deadline for yourself depends on what works best for you and your situation. 5. Once You Set a Goal, You Can’t Change It What has become of your childhood dreams and High school goals? One of the most common misconceptions about goal setting is that once they are set, they cannot be changed. This may appear to be logical, but it is simply not true. Goals are intended to be fluid and should be revised as needed. Life does not always go as planned, and goals are no exception. Your […]

Building your Personal Brand as a Student Here are a few quick tips to help! “Personal Branding is the combination of one's SKILLS and TALENT to produce VALUE for others, that creates an IMPRESSION, PERCEPTION, and REPUTATION…” – Bernard Kelvin Clive 1. Start with a clear vision for who you want to become and what your goals are. (Find yourself) 2. Be innovative and think outside the box when it comes to marketing your brand. (Find your power, Get Skilled!) 3. Develop an effective social media strategy that will help you connect with your target audience. (Find your place) 4 . Think about ways in which you can monetize your brand, and make sure all of your strategies are legal and ethical. (Find a need) 5 . Stay true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to experiment – this is how you’ll find out what works best for you and YOUR brand! 6 . Keep track of trends so that you know where the industry is going, and adjust accordingly! 7 . Make use of technology resources available online to amplify the reach of your brand. (Pay to Play) 8. Stay humble – no one succeeds alone! Collaborate with others in order not only build a better yourself but also strengthen relationships across different industries/disciplines/geographies…etc 9. Don’t forget networking events; these opportunities provide excellent opportunities to network with potential customers as well as professionals within related fields. (Network) 10 Always remember: be your best self and live your commitments in line with what you believe. Your brand is as important as the value you consistently bring to the marketplace, don’t lose your worth! Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Books Q.EST. Building a Reputable Presence Online On Becoming An Authority

Why do authors lie to themselves?  It’s because they think that telling them these lies will help them write, edit, publish, and sell their book.  Unfortunately, the opposite usually happens – some authors waste days of their lives with lies and empty promises. Every author writes to fulfill their dream of seeing their work in print, but many get swept up in the day-to-day business of publishing and forget why they started writing in the first place. The result? Author burnout, writer's block, and more unfinished manuscripts than published books.  Today, I will share with you three lies that authors tell themselves and explain how to avoid these self-destructive mistakes. #1 My Book Will Become a Bestseller One of the many lies authors tells themselves is that their book will become a bestseller. Especially if the book is published on Amazon. In reality, only a few books become bestsellers – Yes! There is a science and strategy to it. We’ll save that for another time. The problem is that many authors and books do not become best-sellers, regardless of how well-written or interesting their content is. I’ll go over strategies for becoming a bestseller later, but let me say that factors that can influence whether a book becomes a bestseller include competition from other similar titles by authors, the timing of the release, and marketing effort. I advise authors not to make becoming a best-selling author a major goal in their publishing journey, as this can potentially derail their writing. I’ve met several authors who were disappointed because their books didn’t sell even ten copies or become a bestseller as they had hoped. #2 My Content is Just Perfect One of the most common lies that authors tell themselves is that their work is flawless. This lie is mostly believed by religious people, who are so glued to their ideologies and interpretations of their faith. From the title of the book to the cover design, they would never give in to opposing opinions. This belief may cause them to avoid making any changes or adjustments to their manuscript, even if it isn’t working well. It may also prevent them from seeking feedback from others, which would aid in the improvement of their work. This can stifle your creative writing and render you unsuitable for professional criticism. Constructive criticism is necessary for the development of a good piece of writing. Receiving feedback on your work will help you identify areas for improvement and how to implement those changes to ensure that the final product meets all expectations. Relying solely on self-evaluation can result in stagnation and decrease writing quality over time. #3 I can do this alone it’s Easy Another lie authors tell themselves is “I can do this alone, without any help.” If you think that you can do everything by yourself, then you need some help.  Getting your work published through self-publishing is often portrayed as an easy and quick process, but it isn’t always that simple. As a result of the tremendous amount of work necessary to publish a book, self-publishing may be harder than going through traditional publishing houses. To turn a manuscript into a paperback or hardcover book, you need an editor, beta readers, proofreaders, designers, and printers. Setting up your website can be difficult enough without having to deal with all of the logistics of actually publishing a book. It’s not an easy task, and it takes a dedicated team of experts to pull it off successfully. The author may sometimes want to be the writer, editor, and expert, but this is not always the case. In my experience, most writers and authors who act in that manner produce crappy content that doesn’t deliver on their promises.  To publish your book successfully, you need experts in a variety of fields to assist you. Even if you want to self-publish, you won’t be able to do it all by yourself. You simply need to concentrate on what you do best: writing. To make significant progress and achieve success in the publishing industry, you must hire people whose skills complement yours. This will allow you to complete the task faster and better than if you attempted to do it alone. Let me mention that several local authors do not want to pay experts to assist them in the publishing process, so guess what happens? Yes, I believe you are correct. There’s nothing to write home about! In conclusion: Writing and publishing are two separate businesses. Until authors understand this and play by the rules of the game, they will forever live in deception and be consumed by their lies. For authors who seek to make money from their books, here are two things to note: Build a solid system that can help you scale and sell more books. Look at other avenues of making money than just your book, example could be events, courses, souvenirs, etc. As a self-published author, you need to think like an author who writes quality content that people want and need as well as an entrepreneur to establish a marketing system that aggressively markets your books to succeed.  Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Books Q.EST. Building a Reputable Presence Online On Becoming An Authority

Do brands last a lifetime? What makes some brands survive while others fail?Think about this question as it relates to your own life. What brands and products do you remember from your childhood? Are those brands still existing?If so, what could their main secrets be? If they are no longer around, what could have led to their extension? So, perhaps you already know the answers to these questions. My favorite childhood car brand was the French-built Peugeot. The Peugeot company was founded in 1810 by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, who began making coffee mills and bicycles.Despite not having seen my grandfather’s functional Peugeot 504 (Peugeot’s first Saloon Car), I did see the spoilt immovable car kept in the garage. The car’s round headlights and sunroof caught my attention at the time. On occasion, he gathers his young children and tells them stories of his car-related antics. From Ho to Hohoe and Aflao to Accra, he traveled.It was the most adored vehicle in the 1970s and 1980s. I used to only consider traveling by the Peugeot. All this time I was hoping for a meaningful experience that I would be able to talk about with my grandfather. Was his account of the car similar to my personal experience, in other words? Brand's perception vs customer experience.Admirably the Peugeot still exists today with different models made, and the company has evolved. Today, I will share with you three key secrets among the many that help brands thrive over generations. There are several ways brands can survive and thrive. The key to success lies in understanding these strategies and applying them to your business. Let’s get started… Customer-focused: if your goal is for your customers to feel satisfied and you put your all into it to achieve that result, your customers will come back to serve you in many ways. Some may become your unofficial brand ambassadors. Brands that attain iconic status are people-minded. They take pride in their work and they go the extra step to ensure that their clients and customers are satisfied. Brands that last know that they’re in business because of people. They realize that these people will be spreading the good word and image about the brand, which will bring in more clients and more money. Brands that last put a premium on their customer acquisition and retention processes and don’t let it happen by chance. are the ones that succeed over the long term. The key to creating enduring customer value is to figure out how to build sustainable competitive advantage, not just for individual companies but for entire industries. Be value-driven! Communication: Brands that last keep their communication channels open all the time. Lasting brands use both new and old media to promote your business. Social media is used to engage with people, listen to them, provide feedback, and promote products and services. Listening helps provide avenues for bettering your products and services and strengthening your brand's presence Lasting brands have a strong digital presence and constantly improve their digital presence to stay top of mind for their target audience.These actions help to strengthen the bond between the brand and its customers Consistency: Consistency is key. Nothing remarkable can be achieved without consistency. It's the value, the voice, and the brand that drives home the message. Brands that last are always improving, always innovating, and always marketing their products and services Follow Coca-Cola’s lead. They’ve improved, even their formula, packaging, and messages, and constantly market themselves.Returning to the Peugeot brand, one of their success secrets has been their ongoing commitment to innovation and improvement. They never gave up, and today it’s one of the most sought-after cars in Europe by tourists.In addition to nine other Car of the Year wins in Spain, they have won five Car of the Year awards in Italy. I will summarize it all by ending with the words of James C. Collins from His Book, ‘Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, “The good news is that one of the key elements of being a visionary company is strikingly simple: Good old-fashioned hard work, dedication to improvement, and continually building for the future will take you a long way… The bad news is that creating a visionary company requires huge quantities of good old-fashioned hard work, dedication to improvement, and continually building for the future. There are no shortcuts. There are no magic potions. There are no workarounds. To build a visionary company, you've got to be ready for the long, hard pull. Success is never final” To remain relevant, brands must continuously reinvent themselves to attract new customers or retain existing ones. This requires constant innovation and adaptation. In conclusion, note that lasting brands are not built on autopilot, when it comes to building lasting brands, it's important to understand what makes your brand different from others, and then find ways to leverage those differences to create lasting value for your customers. Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended books visit https://www.amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin

Tips for Building a Reputable Online Presence Tips for Building a Reputable Online Presence “We must be careful not to let our current appetites steal away any chance we might have for a future feast.” ~ Jim Rohn Let’s look at some factors to consider while developing a great online presence: 1. Branding Branding is the first step towards building your online personal brand. You will be perceived based on how you present yourself, so make your brand worth every glance. Make use of both visual and verbal content. Your content is your digital currency, and the value you provide determines how much it appreciates and depreciates over time. You need to decide what type of content you want to create around your niche. Do you want to focus on creating videos? Or maybe you are more interested in writing articles? Once you know what kind of content you want to produce, then you can start thinking about how you can make this content better than anyone else out there. 2. Social Media Social media is another great way to connect with people who share your same interests. This is a great place to get started if you are looking to build your own online personal brand. If you have never created any social media profiles before, then you might want to consider starting with Facebook. You should always use a platform that makes you feel comfortable and happy. Don’t stress too much about trying to figure everything out right now. Just start somewhere! Don’t create an account only to leave it idle; instead, be consistent with your content and provide value to your audience. That’s how you get your message out while also keeping your brand at the forefront of people’s minds. 3. Email Marketing Most essential, use your content to develop a list and then grow your business from there. Your email is your powerful connector for establishing rapport with your audience and even sell your services. Email marketing is something that you can do from anywhere at any time. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. So, don’t wait to sign up for an email list. Start sending out emails today to help you build your own online personal branding. Above all stay trustworthy! Recommended Books www.amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin on becoming an Authority Above all stay trustworthy!

The Rise of the Gig Guys, Are you in? “You have no idea how many people may require your services if only you could muster the confidence to put your skills to use” – Bernard Kelvin Clive I’d been up all night trying to memorize a slew of notes for a mid-semester exam. My eyes were heavy with sleep at 3 a.m., and my head couldn’t take it any longer. As I contemplated whether to go to bed or go for a walk to get some fresh air, the door flung wide open with a boom! He was hot and sweaty, and his clothes were dirty with clay from his ceramic work at the Art Shed. KKD, my roommate, rushed in and yelled, “chale, we have to go to town; Asafo Market, Kumasi, this morning at six o’clock and back for early morning classes at seven o’clock.” “Huh!?, I am tired!”, I replied. “Believe me, it’s a good deal!” he retorted! When he announced the news, sleep fled my eyes and my energy was quickly restored… The concept of side gigs and freelancing was extremely popular among students at KNUST’s College of Art & Social Science. Particularly in the Rural Art Department(IRAI). The course’s innovative and robust nature not only provides individuals with academic information to earn diplomas and certificates but also prepares them for the world of work. The course was challenging and rigorous, requiring students to study six main art disciplines in addition to other necessary semester courses. Other extracurricular activities would be difficult to fit in. Perhaps this is why I graduated ‘4 – 0’ no ‘intɛ’ (girlfriend).LOL. As difficult as the course was, so was the delight and satisfaction that came with the side gigs where students get to sell the products they created. We dubbed it ‘comɛ', after the word “commercial.” ‘Man must survive,’ is a common slogan we chant during the gigs. Several of my classmates were ‘comɛ' experts. Sandy Gyimah, often known as Toa, bursted with enthusiasm and versatility. Toa could sell anything, including the jute ropes used to make Macrame goods. (Toa is a serial entrepreneur at the moment.) George Preko was a brilliant carver and designer; I still have one of his sculptures at home (he now operates a creative advertising agency). Saka was a natural entrepreneur who saw money practically everywhere. (Saka, now a real estate mogul of Saka Homes). My roommate Kwame Kyere Diabour(KKD) was multitalented and creative; just give him an idea and he’ll make it a reality, be it wood, clay, or whatever. (Dr. KKD, now a senior lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba (UCEW)). These individuals had the potential to generate money right on campus. I recall KKD landing a big gig back then, manufacturing citation plaques for one of the municipal assemblies. That’s why he dragged me to town that morning to obtain some supplies for the work. We had a feast that weekend when we delivered the completed work. Chale, the feeling was gooood! Later, using my leatherworking skills, I began making stunning backpacks out of ‘tye&dye' leathers. (The first of its sort on campus.) I remember making one of these backpacks for my Massdrama colleague, Michael, aka ‘Pocho’ (now CEO of Team1000words). Instead of the inscription ‘pocho,’ the words turned out to be ‘poche,’ a story for another day. The point is, in all of these situations, I noticed a common success factor running across with these guys: their ‘comɛ’, side-gigs were in areas where they were talented and had some degree of competence. [What are your present skills?] The lesson here is that there is always something extra to do, whether it is a side gig, freelancing, or running a full-fledged business. The catch is to rely on your natural abilities and things you are proficient at or can potentially develop, this, then becomes the first point of entry. All of my friends mentioned were gifted in some way, and the course had also helped them develop their talents, making it quite easier to monetize. The second point is that there existed a demand for their services, and they generated that demand. ‘Man must survive,’ was the driving force. If you are thinking about living a luxurious and exciting life, or if you need to survive the pressures of life, have expenses to pay, and numerous needs, you would not minimize your talents – your expertise. You have no idea how many people may require your services if only you could muster the confidence to put your skills to use. Are you prepared to start a side hustle? Here are some Benefits of Freelancing 1. Work from home or anywhere in the world Asabea refers to herself as the nocturnal guru. She enjoys staying up late to write. Early mornings are not her thing, and she battles with it all the time. So working a full-time job in Accra’s city center is hell for her. Freelancers are free to work from home or anywhere in the world at their own pace. You are not obligated to work from a particular location within a particular time frame. You choose your schedules. It’s also possible to freelance as a part-time job, which makes it easier to balance with a full-time role. While flexibility is key for many workers, so is working with people you enjoy and trust. Remote jobs allow you to build your reputation by working on small, personal projects before moving on to larger ones. Plus, since the other person isn’t in your office or in the same state or country, you don’t have to worry about office politics or being disliked—the only things that matter are the quality of your work and relationships. 2. Build your portfolio and proofs Bellerin wanted to pitch corporate institutions for photography jobs, but he didn’t have any references —portfolios, or endorsements to display. This is why portfolios are so important—your portfolio serves as proof of your expertise. And when you’re a freelance writer […]

Why do you want to write a book? The recent boom of interest in self-publishing has led to an explosion of books being created. While there are positives to this new market, it could also have negative impacts on book quality. Writing a book can be a daunting, time-consuming task. However, it is one of the best things you can do and leave as a legacy. There are many benefits to writing a book. Writing helps you better understand your thoughts and who you are as an individual. It also allows you to contribute to the world by adding to the vast body of knowledge that already exists on the subject. One of the most common reasons people write books is to share experiences, teach lessons, or inspire others. That said, not every idea will make it into books. Some ideas and write-ups are best kept as blog posts and articles. Blog posts and articles are the perfect media for publishing content on a given topic. Blog posts are a great way to share insights and tips for readers, while articles provide in-depth analysis of specific topics. Sometimes these articles and blog posts serve a better and more timely need than if they were written in books. As much as I advise people to write books, I also place a caveat that not everything can turn out as a book or for that matter a great book. This is because the task of writing a book has several pitfalls that need to be avoided. For example, some people don’t have the time or discipline to write a book. Others have an idea that isn’t likely to sell well in the market. The first governing principle on writing books is the reason for the book. Now, it may seem like an obvious starting point, but many people forget about it or neglect to consider it. If you don’t know what your book is about or what you want your readers to get out of reading it, then how can you expect them to buy and read your book? That serves as a precursor for publishing. It informs the option of the right audience, the market, and the specific need. In my book publishing classes, I always assert my belief that authors should clarify their reasons for writing a book before beginning the publishing process. This will give them a clear vision of their goals and what they want to achieve. If they would like to write a book for profit, they can use this information when choosing how much time and effort to put into writing. For authors who are not looking for monetary gain, it helps know if this is something they are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and money on it. It is clarity that will set the direction of the book publishing project. People write for so many reasons, either to make money, inspire, educate, or gain social status. In a recent Facebook post by the Zimbabwean telecommunications mogul, Strive Masiyiwa, who also founded and presides over Econet in Zimbabwe, Canada, and Zimbabwe respectively; he had this to say “I wanted to reach people who don't usually read books. I ended up reaching more than 100m according to Facebook!” He believes that a book would have limited him in reaching out to a large number of people. Additionally, he didn't want people paying for his content, he said: “I did not want people to pay for this material.” So he resorted to using Social Media as a means of sharing his content. He’s the go-to guy for entrepreneurs seeking to learn more in the field. He offers deep insights and openly engages with his audience on Facebook. I highly recommend every young entrepreneur follow his page on Social Media to learn more. His ‘why’ was crystal clear, so he chose the appropriate channel that would help him achieve his goal. There are some people just like Strive, experts in their various fields without a book in their name yet they share insightful long post content on social media. Perhaps, they may write a book someday. Something I always encourage them to do, however, for now, they believe the best medium to reach their audience is through their blog or social media posts. Take a look at the following people in my social media circle and get some insights from their content: Selorm Branttie is an ICT Business Specialist, Raymond Ablorh is a Communications Specialist, Nana Kwame Snr. is a Chartered Banker and Entrepreneur, BigGodwin is an IT Entrepreneur, and Kojo Akoto Boateng is an Entrepreneur and Broadcast Journalist. I have benefited a lot from the content of these people. So, for upcoming writers and authors be guided by your ‘why'? Once you are convinced, then do it! Remember that why you do what you do is more important than what you do. The question is, is a book the best medium for you? Think through again! To conclude let's look at some benefits of writing a book: Increased Income: As technology makes advancements, there are new ways to make money. One of these ways is through self-publishing an e-book on sites such as Amazon. When you self-publish a book you can earn up to 70% royalties per sale of the book. This is a great way to make money without having to go through the hassle of submitting your book idea to traditional publishers. Your book may become a source of residual income. You write and publish it once, then it returns keeps coming. Increased Exposure: Some people think that writing a book is a waste of time, but in reality, writing a book increases your exposure. This is especially true for authors who are just starting out. The more books you write; the more people you reach. As people read your books, they will often be interested in finding out more about you and your other works. So if you have been considering writing a […]

Tips to grow your brand FInd your unique audince Feed them value – over deliver Generate ‘Word of Mouth Marketing’ – Power referrals Feedbacks – get them and use them properly Stay Consistrent Stay Creative – Be diffirent Branding Resources

12 Things to Dare in 2022 “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― Andre Gide There comes a time in our lives that we must step out of our comfort zones and prisons and get into new territories.  We all have some areas that we need to Dare to venture into in the coming year. So, today I present to you some ideas for daring discoveries. Go through and give it a shot. 1. Dare to Break mental strongholds It all begins in the mind. Your mind is either your prison or palace. Several people have been stopped not by demons but by their own beliefs: self-limiting believes. So many “I can't” block the flow of possibilities. To do and have more, one must first believe. Expand your capacity to receive. Sometimes we place a cap on what we can achieve based on our past failures, which ought not to be so. Until one breaks self-imposed barriers in the mind, success becomes a wild goose chase. Believe you can and work towards it. See it first in your mind then work towards it.  “Don't let mental blocks control you. Set yourself free. Confront your fear and turn the mental blocks into building blocks.” ― Dr. Roopleen 2. Dare to Raise the bar on yourself Truth be told, unless you deliberately upgrade yourself and see the worth in you, people will always treat you less than you deserve. They will devalue you and underpay you. You must dare to make a conscious effort at all costs to work harder on yourself, become a better person in your niche. I believe you are capable of achieving more. Place a demand on yourself, sacrifice more and stretch to reach for great heights. Self-worth is your first wealth.  “I dare you, while there is still time, to have a magnificent obsession.” ― William Danforth 3. Dare to Write a book Writing may not come easily for everyone, however, everyone has a story, an experience, lessons to share. This may be the best time to write that book for you. Your story needs to be heard. Whether aiming at becoming a bestseller or not, make it a goal to share your story, lessons, strategies, and thoughts with the world. Listen, you may be helping someone you may never meet or know. Just start writing. At best hire a ghostwriter to professionally help you with your book. 4. Dare to go on a date If you’ve been postponing the idea for the date, now might be a good fit to give it a shot. Yeah either married or single, you can just pick a location to go spend some quality time with yourself, your spouse, fiancée, or family. It makes a lot of difference. Hey, why don’t you dare ask that person you’ve been admiring all this while for a date? You may be lucky, dare, go for it! 5. Dare to Travel/ tour/ retreat/ vacation Travelling opens are a new world of possibilities, to meet people of diverse cultures, lifestyles, and beliefs. It offers you an opportunity to learn and have fun. Perhaps, you have never traveled outside your village, town, city, or country. This may be the time to do so. Plan for that trip today. Additionally, Dare to Go on a retreat! You also deserve some vacation. Go out of town, find a serene place to meditate, have deeper soul searching, pray and commune with God. 6. Dare to learn a language Language is a very powerful communication tool, if you are at least multilingual the better. Learning a new language can be empowering, just add one more you your list. 7. Dare to go back to school/ learn a Skill Dare to go back to school, either online or offline. You may think it is too late but hey! No! You can still take that course.  Learn something new. Upgrade yourself. Find out what skills are needed in your industry and learn. It offers you more opportunities in life. Skills get you hired. If necessary, make it happen this year. Make inquiries and pick a form. 8. Dare to Start a business (side hustle) It is a good practice to have multiple streams of income. It makes life worth living and lightens the pressures of life. Starting a side gig may not be for everyone, but the idea of trying something on your own has many wells of lessons one can draw from. You may need an extra income or may have plans for a startup business. Just begin, get the needed resources and launch out. 9. Dare to hire an expert Yes! You cannot do it all on your own and certainly cannot master everything in your lifetime. So to save you some time and money, you must hire experts in areas that can help complement what you do. Dare to delegate and focus on the things you can handle effectively and efficiently. Successful people leverage experts to help them succeed. 10. Dare Start to foster a child You may want to start a family and possibly raise children or perhaps just want to foster a child. Whatever your family goals are, Dare to make it happen. If you’ve been planning on settling down and the right time is up, go ahead don’t keep postponing it. Prepare for wonderful family life. If adopting or fostering is the best option for you, go for it. Your adoption may just be to cater to the needs of someone’s child. Do it! 11. Dare to own properties – Dare to acquire some lands, if you have land, you can have more. If you have none, now it’s a great time to secure one. Invest in lands, it always appreciates. – Dare to start a backyard garden A backyard farm would be an ideal starting point if you have space for it. Be it plant or animal farming, cultivate this as a hobby or […]

“If you don’t prepare you will repair” – Bernard Kelvin Clive The Power of Brand Preparation. In this episode I talked about the power of preparation in brand building. Preparation is a critical process in the brand-building journey. If you don’t prepare you’ll repair. So start right and build right, prepare!

“Find a balance between the art of writing and the business of publishing“ As an author, the question that has been asked on countless occasions has been ‘How do you find inspiration to write?’ Today, I will share with you some simple truths and challenges faced by writers and authors alike. Listen, there would be days you have the drive and internal motivation to write, the flow will be natural and uninterrupted. And well there will be other days that regardless of what you do, the inspiration and flow will not be there. Yeah, that’s life, don’t let the not-so-good days discourage you. The recent pandemic (Covid-19) took the world by surprise. While it shut down some businesses it also reshaped the minds of others. Before this, many thought to themselves they were too busy to slow down to enjoy the simple pleasures of life or pursue the list on their bucket list were awaken to the realities of life. For the last 12 months, I have seen several people writing and publishing books, yes! Surprised? Suddenly, they’ve got the time to write and share their stories and ideas with the world. Truth be told, sometimes it takes an uncertain tragic situation to turn men towards living their dreams. The thing is that, if one desires to write, every day presents an opportunity to do so, it might not be as fast as one desires, but there will be progress. That simple action and habit will lead to many creative ideas being birthed. We are all sometimes slack, slow, and lazy about taking simple action, but when we commit to it, a whole new world of possibilities is born. So, here are simple tips and tweaks to help you in your writing and publishing journey. 1. Block some time off your daily schedule to write. It could just be 30minutes.2. Write when you are inspired or not. It’s the habit that counts.3. Treat your first draft as such, it’s a draft, don’t try to polish it during the writing process.4. If you are writing a book, make it a great one. Put all your all into it. That’s the beginning of your success.5. Invest in a professional editor6. The secret has been to always start promoting your book before it’s ready. Promote before publishing.7. Great writers are readers as well. So read other books, build yourself up.8. Join a network of writers and authors, this helps greatly.9. Quality design sells. Get a professional cover and book layout designer to do your book cover and typesetting.10. No matter how great a writer you are, never try to do everything on your own. Engage the expertise of others, it pays!11. Don’t stress yourself over who should write the foreword for your book12. If you desire to stay in the game for a long time then, consider writing multiple books(series) than trying to make a killing from just one book.13. Book tiles do change. Your current book title may need to change before publishing14. Publish on Amazon and other platforms. Sometimes smaller platforms may offer you more royalties. Don’t be limited, spread!15. Make friends with bloggers, publicists, and book reviewers, if not hire them when necessary. They help create buzz around your book.16. Blogging and podcasting are great marketing channels. If you can, consider guest blogging and podcasting. They are a prodigious book promotional avenue.17. Get reviewers for your book online. Reviews help to drive sales for your book.18. Prepare to be a guest on TV/Radio, Podcasts, etc. An avenue to market your book.19. Get an author website or landing page for your book. Giveaway some content!20. Be consistent and committed to writing. Craft your writing style. Write for your ideal audience and grow!21. Learn well the art of writing and the business of publishing. Book Publishing is a big business, do all you can to stand out! Bernard Kelvin CliveAmazon bestselling author of over 50 published books. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

In this episode, I discussed the subject of branding and rebranding with Susan Meier. Susan Hamilton Meier coaches business leaders on how to position their brands with clarity and impact. An alumnus of Harvard Business School and the Boston Consulting Group, Susan has helped the world’s leading brands understand their customers, evolve their strategic vision, and create effective communication. Based on her experiences, she developed a workbook that equips entrepreneurs and small business owners with the same tools her Fortune 50 clients use to identify their brand’s unique niche and craft their key messages. RESOURCES: Books by BKC www.Amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin

“Branding is more than just a creative name and cute logo…” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Building a brand is about much more than coming up with a brand statement, logo, and colors. And still, too many businesses seem to think that’s all there is to it. This is why so many of them end up getting lost in the sea of other competitors and can’t seem to stick with their audience. But if your goal is to get your brand out there and attract the right people, you have to know how to build a brand strategy and avoid some crucial mistakes. Here are a few of them. Not Starting with a Brand Strategy The biggest issue is not coming in with a strategy. You should always start with your biggest competition and see what they’re doing. This will inspire you as to what you can do and how you can differentiate yourself. You also need to have a clear audience of who you’re catering to. Remember, this is all about your customer and aligning yourself with their experience. If you start from this angle, you’ll realize that fonts and colors have very little to do with your brand. It’s about being as persuasive as possible to your core audience. Not Delegating This is another major issue for many companies. They might want to put their in-house marketing team on the job when they might not understand all the aspects of branding. Branding online and offline are two completely different things, and people who do not have the expertise to build a brand online cannot be expected to learn on the fly and get good results. You need to hire a team for the job and find one with significant experience working on this type of project. People like main-rose.com are a perfect example. Outsourcing online branding will result in better results and will allow you to save time and money. You’ll also be able to allocate your team to asks they are better at. Cutting Corners A lot of people try to build their brand on the cheap. The issue is that a cheap brand will become synonymous with who you are, and it will be very difficult to shake off. This is why you need to invest all that you can into a proper design at first. While the logo isn’t everything, it is still a very important part of branding, so don’t make the mistake of hiring someone on Fiverr to do the job. What you’ll get is a mishmash of overused stock photos and cheap fonts. While you can get away with a cheap site at the beginning, make sure that the colors and logos are consistent and that the logo is professionally made. One of the big issues with having a cheaply made logo is that you might have difficulty transposing it to different formats. You don’t want to have to redesign the logo so that it looks the same on print and online. These are a few examples of mistakes people make when building their brand. Make sure that you avoid these, and understand what makes a strong brand to begin with. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

If you have a desire to write a book or you have a book written and want to generate more revenue from it, then this is the right episode for you. In this episode my guest Dr. Angela, shares with us, secret strategies of writing a book and making a 6 figure income out of it. Dr. Angela E. Lauria is the founder of The Author IncubatorTM and creator of the Difference ProcessTM for writing a book that matters. The Author Incubator was ranked #275 on the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies and #60 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur 360. Dr. Angela won the Stevie Award’s Coach/Mentor of the Year Award and her program, The Author’s Way was named Coaching Program of the Year and was named, by entrepreneur Magazine, as one of the top 10 most inspiring entrepreneurs to watch –one of only 2 women on the list. Dr. Angela has helped over 1,000 authors-in transformation write, publish, and promote their books. Her clients have been responsible for over $100 million in cumulative revenue. She has a B.A. and an M.A. in Journalism and Media Affairs from The George Washington University and a PhD in Communications from The European Graduate School. She is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of: Make ‘Em Beg To Work For You: How to Find, Hire, Manage, Reward, and Release All-star Players to Help Make your Dream a Reality Make ‘Em Beg to Be Your Client: The Nonfiction Authors’ Guide to Selling, Serving, and Funding a Movement Make ‘Em Beg to Publish Your Book: How To Reach A Larger Audience & Make A Full-Time Income In The Extremely Overcrowded World of Personal Development The Incubated Author: 10 Steps to Start a Movement with Your Message The Difference: 10 Steps To Writing A Book That Matters. She lives at The Author Castle in McLean, Virginia with her husband Paul, son Jesse and their Castle cats Princesses Feathers & Foxy McFuzz Bucket. RESOURCES: Download FREE books by Dr. Angela www.TheAuthorIncubator.com/freebooks Follow me on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/TheAuthorIncubator Books by BKC www.Amazon.com/author/bernardkelvin

3 Proven Brand Strategies that Global Brands Employ How to Stay in the Game “Leads are seeds not harvest; cultivate them gradually” – Bernard Kelvin Clive In the new age of marketing, advertising, branding, and sales promotion, the ancient landmarks of success cannot be overridden with fanciful marketing schemes and sleazy sales tactics. Although these strategies can help up to some degree, overly using advertising to grow a brand won’t cut it, you will need a more robust approach, proven and tested. While certain brands may thrive for a season, others transcend generations. The difference between these two parties most often is not that much. Research and study of brands over the years have revealed some truth about successful and unsuccessful brands. Here are three pivotal differentiators that serve as the pillars of successful branding strategies of great brands. 1. Growth Strategies “Companies that invest more in digital transformation actually outperform their peers over time. These companies are more prepared for disruption, better able to monetize new digital channels, and better able to build a bigger user base. What’s more, this phenomenon exists regardless of industry.” — Geoff Cubitt, CEO, Isobar US Brands that succeed over a long time are deliberate about their growth and development. Their success never happens by chance but by choice. They are determined to grow and expand into new products, services, and markets. They believe that any brand that does not grow dies. Seams and times do change, and that which worked yesterday may not work today. So brands must consistently learn new ways of operating to keep the wheels of fortune turning in their favor. They become intentional about employing the use of technology to their advantage; by focusing on the tools that will help them deliver better and quality results. Every growing brand rides on the winds of technology and innovation, from Brands such as Apple to Tesla and the basic WhatsApp messenger on your phone. These successful brands employ innovative measures to ensure that their products and services meet the ever-changing needs of the market. In moving forward, key areas brands must put more into for research and development to grow are data science and artificial intelligence. As rightly put by Vitaly Gordon, Vice President, Data Science and Engineering, Einstein, Salesforce  “You don’t need to know how the technology of a microwave works to use it — it is simply a tool. We’re now entering the same phase with AI, thanks to the huge influx of no-code, point‑and-click tools. AI will become a widely used utility by everyone, regardless of technical background. As a result, most of the AI applications in the coming years will be built by people with little or no AI training.” 2. Customer Care – People centered “We’ve been talking about the importance of ‘customer-centricity’ for some time. But until now retailers have lacked both the technology and the mandate to connect marketing, sales, service, and commerce systems to enable a 360-degree view of the customer. Now that relevant and personalised engagement has emerged as a key differentiator, retailers will finally make the investments to deliver on the promise of putting the customer at the center of everything they do.” — Rob Garf, Vice President, Industry Strategy & Insights, Salesforce In competitive marketplace brands that genuinely care about their clients will outlive and outsell their competitions. Brands that succeed purposefully care about their customers. They are not in business just to make money, they are driven by the needs and wants of their market. Consistently feeding the market. Great brands understand that their competitors are just a click away and that loyalty only exists to the point that the satisfaction of the customer is met. If the need of a customer is consistently and deliberately overlooked brands fall is imminent. 3. Value-Driven “Money is one of the rewards you get for adding value to the lives of others.” — Paul McKenna Brands that have stood the test of time and still stay top of mind deliberately work on the value of products and services they offer. In doing business today, most especially in the digital landscape the two most important success factors have been the ability to drive traffic and secondly the ability to determine the right audience for your brand. Although one may employ many triggers just to get the needed traffic and attention of the market, a brand will fail if it leaves the most important thing – that is Value. If you get the attention you seek and you are not able to deliver the quality desired, you destroy your brand. In conclusion, remain creative, be consistent and deliver on your brand’s promise. Recommended books: CEO Branding Simple Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

Digital Growth Strategies In this episode I outline steps and strategies to help you build an authority. On Becoming an authority areas discussed Who’s an Authority Value of an Authority Strategies to Become an Authority Niche Finding – Investments — study, teach Establishing your voice Platform Building Key principles to be employed consistency commitment creativity (branding, simplify) Obstacles to overcome Legacy Recommended books: GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies for Achieving your Goals While Enjoying Life. DOERS 12:52 CEO Branding

“Masters today were starts yesterday, begin now!” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Let’s dare to do more this year! Now is the time to spice up and step up your personal brand! Becoming a better you! Life gets better when you get better. Pick and do what you can, challenge yourself. This might not be for everyone, however, everyone can find something worth daring. 1. Write a bookThis may be the best time to write that book in you. Your story needs to be heard. Just start writing. 2. Go on a dateYeah either married or single, you can just pick a location to go spend some quality time with yourself, your spouse, fiancée or family. It makes a lot of difference. 3. Travel/ go on a tourPerhaps, you have never traveled outside your village, town, city or country. This may be the time to do so. Plan for that trip today. 4. Learn a languageLanguage is a very powerful communication tool, if you are at least multilingual the better. Learning a new language can be empowering, just add one more to your list. 5. Go back to schoolYou may think it’s too late but hey no! You can still take that course. If it’s necessary, make it happen this year. Make enquires and pick a form. 6. Start a business (side hustle)You may need an extra income or may have plans for a startup business. Just begin, get the needed resources and launch out. 7. Adopt a childIf this is the best option for you, go for it. Your adoption may just be to cater for the needs of someone’s child. Do it! 8. Start a familyIf you’ve been planning to settling down and the right time is up, go ahead don’t keep postponing it. Prepare for. a wonderful family life. 9. Plant treesContribute to a greener world and save lives by simply planting a tree. We need fresher air and a better environment. Be a tree planter. 10. Run a MarathonYou may just decide to do this for the fun of it not necessarily for a medal. Experience it! 11. Go on a retreatGo out of town, find a serene place to meditate, have deeper soul searching, pray and commune with God. 12. Start a farmA backyard farm would be an ideal starting point if you have space for it. Be it plant or animal farming, cultivate this as a hobby or business. The returns are worth the effort. 13. Acquire a landIf you have land, you can have more. If you have none, now it’s a great time to secure one. Invest in lands, it always appreciates. 14. VolunteerService to others is service to God. Offer to serve freely in any capacity that you can. Be of help to others. 15. Compose a songYeah! You don’t need to be a musician or songwriter to write a song, you just need to appreciate life and nature to begin. Do it in your way. Sing your song. 16. Start a personal libraryYou need not be a lover of books to start a library. For posterity sake, have a resource of books that can help generations after you. It could be a great way to transfer knowledge and impact lives. 17. Grow your assets (invest)It is a good practice to have multiple streams of income. It makes life worth living and lightens the pressures of life. 18. Read more booksAnd one more book to your reading list, then another, then another. Read as much as you can. Get enlightened. 19. Learn a skillLearn something new. Upgrade yourself. Find out what skills are needed in your industry and learn. It offers you more opportunities in life. Skills get you hired. 20. Give anonymouslyIn a society where people take pleasure in the public display of alms, do the opposite. Give and give quietly. You don’t need to publicize your act of kindness. 21. Quit: Disengage the DysfunctionalYes! Winners do quit and quitters do win. There comes a time that you must stop doing things that are not working and no longer saving it purposes – quit ridding the dead horses! It’s okay to quit that dysfunctional relationship, quit that job, quit that association, and move on. Life is too short to keep riding dead horses, there are more oceans to conquer more dreams to achieve. Step put boldly and pursue you dreams. Dare to be a difference-maker, standout with your brand.Make your year count. Recommended books: GOALS Are Dead! Simple Strategies for Achieving your Goals While Enjoying Life. DOERS 12:52

“Any brand that does not innovate and grow, dies!” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Brands evolve! Regardless of the current stage of your brand, if you desire to stay top of mind and in business, you will need at least one of these milestones/goals to reach in the coming year. Go through this list and be challenged to take your brand to another height. 1. Raise the bar on yourself I know quite a number of brands in my circle who offer the same services and products of high quality and standard yet they are underpaid by their clients. Why? Well, my survey revealed one major setback, lack of confidence in their expertise. They lack the boldness to price their products and services as they deserve. Listen, if you don’t place a premium price on yourself, others will treat you like a commodity. Truth be told, you are powerful, gifted, talented, and skilled. Yes you, you have to believe that. It all begins with self-belief and confidence in one’s abilities. Perhaps, you have settled for crumbs for your brand and business. No! Yours is the gold, gear up and go for it. Until you raise the bar on yourself and work toward becoming a better version of yourself, you will only have the leftovers of those who dare and do mightier things. Building confidence in yourself is building confidence in your brand. If you’ve been doing well, great! It’s time to step up your game, go up the notch. Stretch for a higher and greater opportunity. You can do more. In the coming weeks, months, and years, lift your game, pursue excellence, and master your craft. 2. Invest in a professional coach Truth be told, successful people hire coaches. They don’t try to figure everything out on their own, they ask for help and support – coaching. To move your brand to the next level, a coach is imperative. Coaches guide you on paths they are more knowledgeable and have proven records of their success. Hire a coach to help you in selected areas of your life and brand. It saves you time and money. The potential return on investment in a coach for your brand is priceless. 3. Build partnership There’s strength in numbers and unity of purpose. In building and growing your brand, forming strong alliances offer you great leverage you can’t have doing things all on your own. There are times you need to partner with other successful and big brands to grow your business. Therefore, I advise you to seek mutually beneficial connections. In partnering, consider what you can offer your partners and vice versa, what they will be bringing to the table. Once all is set, always remember to have a partnership agreement signed before you go on with any task. If possible, seek legal advice. Effective partnerships grow Brands. Make it a major goal to build a partnership in the coming weeks, months, and years. 4. Scale – enlarge your territories Too often many people settle too soon when they attain what they may seem successful in their own eyes. The temptation to settle could be so high when praises come from all corners. Yes, you may be doing well. It is good to celebrate but even greater to make the most of the situation at hand – repeat that which worked and scale your brand. When the season to grow comes don’t rest on your past fruits, there are more lands to conquer. Grow your brand beyond your current comfort zone. You may be doing well considerably in your niche. Sometimes your niche may become your comfort zone when you fail to recognize the season to expand. Take a well prepared and calculated giant step with your brand in the coming weeks, months, and years. The world is your oyster. 5. Work on your feedback As I always say “feedbacks are ways brands can look back”. I know of brands that have failed and have dimmed out because they took lightly the feedbacks of their clients and customers. Perhaps, you’ve lost a fortune over the years because of your indifference, but in moving forward you can do better to restore that which you lost. It’s time to review and evaluate your brand, where you flipped and flopped. The good, bad, and ugly. Every great brand and leader takes reviews and feedback seriously. These are important data to help make better decisions, products, and services, you discard and disregard it at your peril. 6. Get a brand identity designed A successful brand works on its tangible and intangible aspects of the brand. A brand can be successful by mastering any of these two, however, to make a great impact one must perfectly blend both the tangibles and intangibles. One major aspect of a Brand’s tangibles is its brand identity – logo and its other brand visuals. A great brand identity becomes the wheel on which your brand travels. A lever to reach higher feats. It’s therefore important to give your brand a professional representation. Your logo, visuals must supplement and boost your brand. Make your visuals stunning, simple, and impactful. Remember, men are moved by what they see, give them something worth your brand. Dominate with dazzling designs. 7. Develop a working brand guide and strategy Knowing exactly what you want and desire would help you achieve your goals faster. Sometimes, you may have a plan for your brand but if it’s not well documented, you wouldn’t be able to reach your brand goals. One way to make this easier and better is by having a brand guide and strategy plan. Your brand guide and brand strategy will serve as a blueprint. Boosting your professional brand position. This will deter you from using try-and-error approaches. 8. Read more books Your brand gets better when you get better. In the coming weeks, months, and years, make time to read good books. Invest in your mind, expand your intellectual prowess. Read books in your field by […]

Three Stages of Thyself – Personal Brand Man is a complex being.If care is not taken, the pressures of life and demands of society would worsen the woes and complexity of men. In a world where many play the ‘like game’ to be accepted and loved by others, many have succumbed and submitted, living lives less than they should, just for the praise of men. Accepting crumbs, less of their worth. It takes a determined heart, courage, and commitment to stay true to oneself and calling. It has become very necessary for men to wake up from their slumber – bootlicking and blind loyalty to live their dreams – be who they were called to be – and live life to the fullest unapologetically. Permit your true self to stand out from the crowd to shine – building an authentic personal brand. Let’s quickly look at the three stages of knowing thyself. The process of getting to know one’s self takes time, it’s not a one-off event achieved by a swoosh of a magic wand. It’s almost a lifelong process of discovery. Truth is that you will never be able to fully discover who you are. Man is endowed with many abilities, most often people only scratch a percentage of it. Know thyself: Introspection, access and accepting yourself However, the fulfilling part is that, when you begin to identify the traces of who you are, setting the pace for your life’s success, it is important to consider Socrates’ statement, ” Man Know thyself”. These simple words, timeless and encapsulated with great wisdom have served as a wake-up call and guiding light to many. Sometimes in the haste to be known- fame, name, and money, many sell themselves cheap. “Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.” ― Roy T. Bennett Date Thyself; dating yourself implies making time for you – having a ‘me time’. Take time to understudy and understand yourself, your actions, and inactions. What’s your personality? Do you understand yourself? These are questions you should be asking yourself. At this stage, you must know and understand how your temperament affects your life and how to maximize it. A brief look at the Four main temperaments. Truth is that all of us have all these temperaments in us, however, one or two become dominant, thereby defining you. However, these temperaments can be worked on to make the best of it. One need not say ‘that’s who I am and I live my life that way’, dating yourself will enable you to navigate through the many phases of your temperament in understanding yourself and charting a path that will best help you and others. I encourage you to take the temperament test if you have not done that already. You can easily Google-find a trusted website to do that. Pay attention to things that inspire you and that which drains you. How you react to the situation around you. By doing that you will develop a deeper understanding of yourself – strengths and weaknesses. Aiding you to make better-informed decisions about your life. NB: Knowing and understanding your personality type helps you define your brand to build it successfully. Let these words by Eleanor Roosevelt sink deep into your thoughts, “Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don’t be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren’t paying any attention to you. It’s your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you’ll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there’s no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.” Be thyself: Putting forth your ‘persona’ by properly representing yourself – this third phase is quite challenging because it’s that phase that truly represents you. The thing is that you can know thyself and date thyself but not properly be thyself because of many external compelling forces – society, fame, money, etc. Be limited by nothing, knowing your personality type doesn’t confine you, it only serves to guide you. So, don’t just settle with what you know about yourself – work on yourself to be the best person you could ever be. A better person for a better world. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ― Oscar Wilde If you can be yourself in the midst of it all, creating your brand and sticking to it would be refreshing, rewarding, and fulfilling. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, don’t be controlled by them, master, and direct them. Don’t tag along or tiptoe through life, step boldly into your destiny, live an inedible mark of greatness, and hope in the hearts of men. Let the real you rise! Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

Personal Branding Today’s Take Away Staying Sweet in Spirit & Style 1. Know your roots (your roots here represents your gifts and talents. It’s not necessarily being born into a Royal or wealthy family. Your talents and gifts will be your strongest roots to grow. Find them and feed them. 2. Learn the ropes (Study your roots, history, and mysteries, every trade has it’s secrets, know the tongue of your trade) The unique things that will set you apart for generations. It may be minute, but polish it, make that gem shine. Master your gifts and Polish your crafts. 3. Ride with confidence. You are the first version(First Lady/Gentleman) of your Life – act accordingly). Step out with your best foot forward always. Your giftedness is your Royal gold, hold it up high, be proud of it, and harness its potentials. Knowing who you are and what you carry boosts your confidence. Stride with boldness. 4. Stay in style. Dress your best. Daze and dazzle daily. You are a Royal, dress like one. Let your appearances speak volumes about you – sell yourself with your brand visuals. Slay and stun your world. Remember to dress for the occasion – never go unprepared, under-dressed, or over-dressed. No one size fits all, each occasion and platform demands a certain outlook. 5. Be tactful and stay relevant. Don’t lose your luster and relevance as you grow(age). Mentor others, impact, and offer more value.Employ strategies to stay top of mind consistently.  Let the Queen & King in you Reign.Stay Sweet in Spirit and in Style. “The most important thing to remember is that you can wear all the greatest clothes and all the greatest shoes, but you’ve got to have a good spirit on the inside. That’s what’s really going to make you look like you’re ready to rock the world.” —Alicia Keys Inspirational Image attached: First Lady Melania Trump and Duchess Camilla – A member of the British Royal Family Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

“When you don’t change when the time is ripe, change will change you” – Bernard Kelvin Clive When things Suddenly Change – SHIFT Adapt to new trends but don’t follow the Masses Change strategy and test it speedily Amplify that which works and keep tweaking Stay relevant Don’t let your brand die!

What leaders and brands can do in times of crisis to rebrand and reposition. The Pandemic has significantly impacted us; every aspect of life can feel it’s the bite, brands, individuals, and businesses alike. It is up to leaders, brands, and personal brands to reposition and rebrand to take advantage of the ongoing tides. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie, The truth is that things are just not going to revert to normal not anytime soon. Things have taken a whole new shift and form and until brands and individuals begin to realize and seek advantage of the situation regardless of its negative impact, brands will either fade away and be forgotten or be outwitted by brands who have taken advantage of the situation.       So there are few things I am going to share which will help leaders, brands, and organizations, take the “bull by the horn” and make the best out of the situation, we have found ourselves, as the adage goes… “make lemonades out of lemons”. I am going to share with you, what you must do as a market leader, as an industry leader, as a brand, and as a global industry in times of crises like this. What do you do? Are you changing your strategy or style? Here are THREE simple things you can do to reposition your brand in times of crisis. Now the very first thing brands need to do is: Simplify: Look at ways to SIMPLIFY the things you do already. In challenging times like this, you can’t afford to make things cumbersome, people will tune off. Find ways to make things simple for your audience to absorb. If it is tutorial lessons. Give your clients and customers simple steps that they can follow and get results. Provide them actionable tips, strategies, blog posts, articles, or if it’s a product you’ve been selling, make your marketing strategy sound simple as well as your messages. A minimalist approach to work; helps in your product processing and products so you can cut down the cost of unnecessary hype and excess. Simplify the process and simplify the strategy. Digital marketing to online business, simplify the process don’t compound or make it complicated. Aim at cost-cutting, efficiency, and effectiveness to be productive and profitable. So firstly think of what ways can I simplify my brand or my business. How can I simplify? Can I do virtually now so I can cut down double transportation because we are in lockdown periods or restricted movements? So I simplify the process; we are going to do it virtually, the conference is going to be virtual so that people will purchase so there will be a very limited process. if it needs to be delivered then the dispatch or delivery company does that. If not, every meeting can be done virtually which is good. You cut down transportation cost, other unnecessary overhead costs then you make a profit or you sell digital products. As an author, people are now very close to buying print books. So what other avenues are available. I will look at audiobooks, digital books, eBooks so that people can download and purchase than investing so much in print paperback editions. Having, ebooks and audiobooks will cut down your production cost easily and maximize your profit. A couple of months ago Antony Robbins put together a remarkable record-breaking evens. He took his regular ‘Unleash the power within’ event virtually – broadcasting it live. Over 20,000 participants globally connected from over 100 countries right from their homes. In the 4 days’ virtual event, he invested heavily in technology so that all these participants from over 100 countries could watch him live for 4 days being on screens performing and demonstrating these personal development skills to them. Look at what can be done via technology. He didn’t let the pandemic or the situation stop him, but he came out of the box to do something which is simplifying the process by being innovative and creative. In terms of simplicity think of innovation, how can technology enhance or help you to innovate your process? Tony Robbin’s work was amazing due to the fact that public speakers, industrial leaders can learn from that because of over 20,000 participants globally. His on-stage teaching, performing, and coaching virtually was awesome. He simplified the process with no transportation, no airline cost but he invested heavily in technology so that he could have this event. As a brand, think of ways you can simplify the process using technology so that it can’t be cut off. As the writer used the process to reposition in global space, know that the first process was Simplicity. Style: The second thing is STYLE. Style is critical as in your brand style. How are you positioning yourself in terms of visuals, creating videos? How can your audience adopt to your new style, what form will you present your product, your service, your brand think of creativity in all that simplicity needs to take place? So what is your style? Look at the icons you’re creating, fonts, typography the colors, simplify all these processes making more visually appealing. Your style needs to communicate your brand value, your brand image to make sure that people see that this is brand “A” and this is brand “B” and remember that now without differentiation, there is no brand. So your style is very relevant, how are you going to present the message now? Now Tony Robbins says I can’t do live I am going to do virtual live so he shifted the style a little bit. Is he going to interview people or going to engage his audience? what style is going to work for you, per your industry, it could be the same thing but you’re changing your style, you’re repositioning now for the audience adopt and get more gains from your product. And also part away monies […]

If Google can’t find you, you virtually don’t exist. The battle for digital presence and relevance have surged in the past few months. Before the pandemic, a significant number of organizations and individuals locally frowned on the benefits and impact of the internet. However, COVID-19 suddenly shifted things, the internet and internet business has become the de-facto place to thrive, without which one must fear extinction or lose of business and relevance. Things cannot be done in the same old way – a shift has happened! The pandemic has compelled a lot of traditional businesses and brands to go digital, increasing the noise level in the digital landscape. It has now become more important to build your personal brand digitally than ever before. From dating to finding jobs, clients, and customers online, the average internet user will perform a search to gather some information before taking action. What does this mean to you? This is to say that if you are not discoverable digitally you are losing some digital goods. I believe that regardless of what enterprise you find yourself in, the internet – social media is a must-have tool to aid the brand growth. If you are already using the internet/digital as a tool, then great. It’s time to amplify its usage and make the most of it. If you haven’t begun, then begin now, the internet – social media has come to stay and the earlier you embrace its potentials the better.  Before you dive into the digital space to grab a portion of the land, here are a couple of tools and tips to help you started with ease. So, here are some tips and tools to help. Make the most of it! Get Education Yeah! Don’t ever start and endeavor without getting some level of information in that field. Advisable, always learn from the best, read books, get mentorship, coaching, take courses. Learn all that you can in that area before you delve into it. This will safeguard you from damaging consequences and prepare you for success. Website To rent a piece of the internet space demands you build a website, that’s your digital real estate. Firstly, you must have a website for your brand and business, either a personal blog site or corporate business/organizational site. It’s one of the best ways to build trust in the digital landscape and it becomes your 24-hour shop. Secondly, whether your site is an eCommerce one or not, you will need to have it secured. Purchase an SSL certificate to be installed on your site. It increases google ratings and rankings, builds credibility.   Digital Promotions One of the easiest ways to get off the ground faster than ever online is by investing in promoting your brand – product and services. Do not just rely on organic traffic and leads. As the noise increase online, it becomes quite difficult to be heard if you are not positioned properly and you don’t utilize paid advertisement for your brand. Building organic reach is great, however, you need paying ads in addition to reach a wider and more targeted audience. Don’t overlook paid ads, invest and reinvest in the ones that work for you. Be you! Be Human A posture that doesn’t properly represent you nor your brand will hurt you! Yeah! Your brand’s voice should touch a heart. In your online and offline interactions ensure that you have the customer at heart. Relate with them as humans; be fun, be likable, and be real. Build a good rapport with people and it will increase your word-of-mouth promotion for your brand. Humor plays a good role in sales, so learn how to use it effectively. Be Consistent If you want to stay in business and grow your brand for a long period and not to for a quick name, fame, and money, then consistency should be your guiding light. Don’t start one thing then quickly move to another, don’t promise one thing and deliver the vice. Brands that stick do repeatedly that which works. Repetition of providing value sends your brands flying high in the minds of consumers. Constantly deliver on your brand promise.  Automate task It’s time to work smarter and effectively using automated processes and tools. With the ever-increasing technological tools, one cannot do it all manually or how it used to be done in times past. There are newer and better ways of doing things. for brands to stay on top of the game and to do what they know best to do requires automating some of the mundane tasks. Many of the everyday digital marketing tasks can be automated with the right tools. There are many tools out there to help, just search for them. Take a look at Hubspot, Customer.io, etc Use Stunning Visuals Brand visuals play a very important role in branding and businesses. Men are impacted by what they see. Be it photographs for your brand creatives, graphic designs, animations, etc. it must be done professionally. Make it a point to let your visuals speak positively about your brand. If you don’t have an in-house creative person, hire an agency, or outsource it. Ensure you have the best. If you prefer to DIY, there are some tools online to help with that, from Canva to Visme, give it a shot. Use Messaging Apps/ WhatsApp People love quick interactions and responses to their queries, and messaging apps help to make that happen easily, don’t overlook that. In this connection economy, the quality of the people in your network becomes leverage for success. People buy into people before their products and services. As an organization let customer care and relationship be paramount to you. Invest in building quality relationships with your audience. Whatsapp has become an effective tool to connect if clients and potentials customers, use it profitable. Remember, always be connecting. Get Found: Location Many brands lose businesses daily to their competitors, simply because they cannot be reached nor located. Never forget to have your contact […]

Cutting through the Noise with the power of your voice. In this episode my guest David Wolf throws more light on audio branding – podcasting and audio books. You will discover Benefits of Podcasting Why Now is the Time to Produce an Audio Book Advantages of audio content Davis Wolf is the Founder and CEO of Audivita Studios, Audiobook and Podcast Producer, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host, Media Entrepreneur. Resources Audio Production (Audivita) DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

“Think of How you can Build and Brand a Movement as a strategy for your Brand” – Eric Ressler In this episode, my guest Eric Ressler shares strategies to help your Social Impact organization to Standout with Branding Eric Ressler is the Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic, a Social Impact Creative Agency. Cosmicempowers social impact organizations to catalyze real-world change by helping them nail their impact story,build brand awareness, and inspire action.Download, Listen and Share Recommended Resources Design By Cosmic DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

What Do you say: King Already? Traits of Outstanding Personal Brands In our personal branding session today, let me share with you one of the traits of successful Brands using a Ghanaian artist. If you’ve been a follower of my branding lessons, from any of the platforms, be it radio, TV, blogs, or social media you would have noticed one name stands out in most of my examples. That name is Shatta Wale. Google just ‘Shatta’ and his name and works surfaces. His songs and Brand has become a household name. There are several strategies one can learn from the Shatta brand, even if you don’t like his personality nor music. He has a lot to teach with his brand. I’m expounding on just one of the many lessons from his brand journey. The law of the Word – Declare it and Be it! In 2013 he released a song titled ‘Dancehall King” and declared himself the king of dancehall music in Ghana. The album art of the track had him seated on a throne wearing a crown – can you imagine that? The same pictorial scene was seen in the video of the track. A portion of the lyrics read “Dancehall king, In a di whole Ghana”. He was proclaiming his stands, what I will say is the Mohammed Ali strategy, He says it and does it! In the year 2014, with the Dancehall King track, he won the artist of the year in Ghana’s Vodafone Music Icon. Shatta didn’t just claim the title against his rivals, he has been working hard to prove it. Lesson one, People are more likely to call you the name/title you use for yourself. They will treat you the way you present yourself and treat yourself. Learn to put a premium price on yourself. Lesson two, once you make it – your goal, live to its expectation. Just like the ‘fake it till you make it’ approach. Perhaps that was his goal, and today arguably has become the king of dance hall music. Fast forward to 2020, the renowned musician Beyonce featured him on her album ‘Black is King’, with the track titled ‘Already’, check Beyonce feat Shatta Wale – Already. The video clip hit a million views in less than 24 hours of its release. Instant hit huh! Interestingly, part of the lyrics of the song reads ‘king already’. Here we go… “Long live the king, you a king, you no wait King already, already, you no wait Top everything, everything, you no wait King already, already, you no wait” The word king can be heard repeatedly in the song and he has become king already. What words do you say about and believe about yourself? Words carry power. Words play a major role in branding. What do they say about you? This is what you need to do: “Create your brand with your words and establish it with your deeds.” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Recommended Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses https://bkc.name

What is your name? “It’s what you invest in the name that makes the brand relevant” Names trigger emotions, they evoke memories and they inspire actions. Out of the billions of people on earth, everyone has a name.  In West Africa, names are so important to the extent that names they give to children always have a meaning associated with it. It’s the meanings that define the names and consequently impact the lives of the bearers.   Examples from Ghana; a third-born male child of the Akan Tribe has the name ‘Mensah’. ‘Enyonam, from the Ewes means ‘God has been good to me’. Names make people feel special. Names help in easy identification and differentiation purposes. It’s in the same way brand names impact the market and its users. The significance of names cannot be overemphasized; names have played vital roles since the first being occupied the surface of the earth. History books have been filled with a significant number of names that cannot be forgotten by virtue of the various roles they played. It is by those names that we can refer to their deeds; good or bad. How then do you choose a name that can resonate with your personality, product, service, and market? I have identified three ways brand names can be crafted to help make it memorable, impactful, and identifiable.  “A good name is to be chosen rather…” – Proverbs 22:1 Before we delve into that, here are some ideas to guide you to pick a brand name, then you can decide to fit it into any of these three ways. Pick a name that describes what you do. An example would be Salad Masters (Into Salads).  Pick a name that doesn’t relate to what you do; it could be something you create. An example is Google (Has nothing to do with their products and services, the name was made up) Pick any of your names or all of your names. An example Tyler Perry Studios Pick a name that triggers emotion and connections. An example Cravings Cafe. (This may want you to crave for food) Pick a name that defines your niche. An example is ToddlerCare Pick a name and play with the spellings and enunciation. An example is SQIN Care, that’s Skin Care.  Pick a name in another language or a translation in another language. An example is Tonaton(In Ghana it’s a Twi phrase that means, buy and sell. The ideas are endless, don’t be stack, permit yourself to daydream and craft your unique brand name. Now, how to choose your Brand names, using my rule of three (3) Firstly, go for one name: Going for one name will imply either you have a unique name or you are willing to sacrifice to put in more work to make the brand name stand out and relevant. ‘One name brand name’ doesn’t come cheap. Here are some global examples of ‘one name brand name’ starring from musicians, authors, thought leaders, religious leaders, products, and services. Example: Oprah, Ronaldo, Otabil, Messi, Sarkodie, Shattawale, Obrafour, Stonebwoy, Manifest, Sinach, Oyadepo, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Jesus, Mohammed, Pele, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Toyota, Honda. Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Quartz, Zoom, etc Secondly, you go for two names. A two-name brand name also demands a level of commitment and hard work to make the name count. In using two-names, the names can be rhymed easily, they can complement each other or they can be simply unrelated. Any option you choose will be fine. The caveat is not to make its pronunciation a mouth full. 🙂 Let’s look at some global examples from all sorts of products, services, and individuals. Example: Michael Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Seth Godin, Peter Drucker, Harry Porter, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Tom Cruise, Tony Robbins, Fred Hammond, Joe Mettle, Cece Twum, Billy Graham, Bob Marley, Amakye Dede, Cindy Thompson, Kwame Eugene, Black Secret, Victoria Secret, Eastwood Anaba, Counselor Lutherodt, etc Thirdly, you go for three names or initials or mixed. Anything more than three(3) should be kept as initials at best. The truth is that people wouldn’t want to mention long brand names, it’s either they create a short version of it, which may affect the brand or they resort to initials or acronyms. It’s best to keep your brand name as simple as possible.  Sometimes the middle or first names can be made initials, then the other name or names follows. Here are some examples of three names and initial-brand names that you can pick cues from. Three names or initials: T.D. Jakes, J.J. Rawlings, BMW, John C. Maxwell, KOD, KKD, KSM, BKC, MOG, IPMC, ICGC, KICC, PIWC, World Trade Center, Dag Heard Mills, Bernard Kelvin Clive, etc Lastly, remember that the internet and social media also plays a critical role in creating your brand names. Ensure that your selected name would be available across the major social media platforms and that a domain name can be acquired without conflicts. Check all that out and additionally, register the name as a company or trademark your brand where necessary. In the end, it’s what you invest in the name that makes the brand relevant. So choose your brand name carefully and work on the things that will make the name stick and tick. Recommended Resources DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by Bernard Kelvin Clive Branding Courses

Selling is Service The Current pandemic has totally impacted every aspect of life and business, in this episode my guest Mike Zeller, shares strategies to help brands and individuals to survive and blossom in-spite of the challenges. Mike Zeller is a mentor and speaker who, at his core, is most passionate about helping entrepreneurs and thought leaders gain clarity on their zone of genius while unleashing their potential to make money and impact. Through that process, they also learn how to design their business around their strengths and a life of fulfillment. You will learn about: Creating ideal Client Avator Getting Clients Repeat Business Recommended Resources: Digital Disruption ebook visit www.bkc.name/ebook Brand Mastery visit www.bkc.name/courses

How Brands can become a market leader in times of crisis “Tell a story that makes the customer the hero or potential hero of the story – Edwin Dearbon Key tips Market Research Tell Stories Empathize Value Creation Be Agile Move fast My Guest:  Edwin Dearborn The Orange County Register featured Edwin Dearborn as a true “Marketing Expert”. Edwin has also been featured in Entrepreneur, CBS MoneyWatch, Social Media Today, and other national media outlets. Edwin has appeared as a keynote speaker for Sony and the American Marketing Association. Edwin was formally educated in marketing and public relations in Hollywood, CA in the early 1990’s. Recommended Resources: Three Degrees of Separation by Edwin Dearorn Digital Disruption ebook visit www.bkc.name/ebook Brand Mastery visit www.bkc.name/courses

Apps, Tools, and Services I have compiled a couple of tools and services for promoting your brand and making some money on the internet.  3 Keys to Carry Along I have identified three key things/ tools to help you in promoting your brand and doing business online. The first is to invest in paid adverts, yes, the free lunch is over, it is going to cost you some dollars to rake in more dollars. You must be willing to invest in paid ads to get desired and targeted reach in most cases. I highly recommend using Facebook ads and Google ads. There are other ad services available depending on your niche, if you find such do give it a shot. The second most important thing you will need is to have subscribers/lists  – people to constantly engage with and to do that require you to have a mailing list. That’s a list of emails of people who have subscribed to your services. To constantly communicate with them. I recommend using a service called systeme.io to help you get started with your list creation. The third valuable skill to have is copywriting skills, the ability to craft compelling sales contents – ads, emails, website content, product description, blurbs, etc. This skill will help you leverage your brand and business success. Copywriting is one of the most powerful skills to learn in digital marketing. Take time to learn this and the rest would be easy. Now let’s get started! AMAZON (Dropshipping) Sell digital and brick and mortar goods and services. Dropshipping is an e-commerce technique in which the seller acts as a middle man in that he, takes orders on behalf of a producer, manufacturer, distributor, or supplier. When an order is placed he used the producer to deliver the items. Amazon, the world’s largest ecommerce platform, makes it easier to make money by dropshipping or selling your own products. https://www.amazon.com/ Benefits of Amazon Includes; • Positive Customer Trust. Builds trust with your audience. • Product Content: Offer Information Customers Actively Seek, Want, And Need. Advertisers can place their ads on product pages where shoppers actively seek product information. BLOGS The purpose of a blog is to attract visitors to your site. The more visitors you have read your content, the more likely you are to convert these interested users into qualified leads and boost sales. Benefits of blogs include; • Boosts Search Engine Optimization. • Develop Relationships with Potential and Existing Customers. • Establish Your Business as an Industry Leader. • Connect People to Your Brand. • Provide Value for Your Readers. BOOKS Print and electronic books. You can make money from books by either selling white-label books or writing and selling your own books. Books are of the avenues to promote your expertise – your brand. COPYWRITING Copywriting is re-arranging words to make things sell better. It is a written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action. Writing better copy enables you to convert more readers into customers.  Benefits of copywriting  • Presents quality content to your audience. • Connects you with potential customers on a variety of platforms. DOMAIN REGISTRATION / Domain names Did you know that great domain names are the easiest way for customers to find you online? You can help your visitors find you by using a domain name that is short and memorable. Domain registration is the process of acquiring a domain name from a domain name registrar. You will have the choice to register the domain on several different top-level domains if available, such as .com, .org, among others.  Benefits of a domain registration include; • Domain names can be used to establish a unique identity in cyberspace. • It builds credibility on the Web. • Registering your domain name improves your promotion chances and therefore your site’s “visibility” on the Web. • It also produces a feeling of professionalism.  eBay (eCommerce)/ Shopify Selling products online via eBay. eBay Inc. is a multinational e-commerce corporation that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website.  https://www.ebay.com/ Benefits of eBay and Shopify include; • Worldwide Marketplace: eBay serves customers globally. • Earning instant trust from customers. EMAIL MARKETING  Email marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. Benefits of Email marketing include; • Targeted and personalized content. • Builds credibility. • Better brand recognition. • Boost sales. • Stronger customer relationships. • Optimize your time and budget. • Metrics to learn what works and know what doesn’t.  • Increased traffic to your website. FACEBOOK MARKETING  Facebook marketing is the practice of promoting a brand and maintaining its presence on Facebook. Facebook marketing refers to both organic (free) postings/interactions, and paid, or “boosted” posts. Facebook marketing helps you to; • Reach BILLIONS of potential customers. • Build a HUGE email list. • Lower your marketing expenses. • Target audiences by location, demographics, interests. • Gain insights into your audience. • Build brand loyalty.  • Increase your website traffic. • Boost SEO. GHOSTWRITER  A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author.  Some benefits of employing ghostwriters are;  • Ghostwriters Save You Time. • Ghostwriters Help Build Brand Awareness Quicker. • Ghostwriters Are Professional Writers. • Ghostwriters Know SEO. • Ghostwritten Content Is Authentic Content. HOMEMADE ACCESSORIES Are you creative with your hands? Art products have huge demands online. Consider packaging your homemade and hand made products to sell globally. There are options for businesses to make handmade accessories that can boost your business to the next level in diverse ways. INSTAGRAM MARKETING (innovation) Instagram marketing is a type of social media marketing in which marketers use the Instagram platform to promote their business. Instagram provides a great marketing platform to reach potential customers from every corner of the world. Instagram […]

Ingredients to Spice Your Brand I wish I could cook scrumptious meals effortlessly like my grand-mum. Well, if wishes were horses… However, I learned some things about cooking from my grand-mum which can be translated into the branding and business fields. You may be in the kitchen of your brand, cooking what you hope to be one of the best meals – delicious, mouth-watering, yummy and nutritious. What would be a good spice for this meal? Today, we are using the kitchen and cooking as analogies for building our brand, drawing from everyday life. Here are the 3 ingredients to spice up your brand.  1. Creativity Branding is about differentiation, and without differentiation you have no brand. You will just be like any other without a brand, a commodity among the lot. However, if you creatively find ways to set yourself apart from the masses, your brand will gain the needed attention. Creativity is a key differentiator factor of brands. Building your creativity comes in at various stages and forms – from visual representation, to your brand, to the intangibles – storytelling strategies, et al. The first thing to do is to identify which area that you can easily stand out. Then you capitalize on that as a differentiation factor. Once that is done, you don’t settle, you work on other areas creatively. To stay top of mind and top of your game, you need to have at least 3 key areas of differentiation.  Ask yourself, what three main areas or things would people find different and attractive? Granny’s tip and lesson: I wonder how granny can make sumptuous Jollof from leftover stew. Sometimes, she just combines herbs here and there, adds some vegetables to make a great meal.  Her secret: “Keep experimenting, never be afraid to try uncharted paths” Tips to help you creatively: – Sometimes, just go against the tides; do the opposite.  – Listen to the pains and problems of your audience (there lies a solution in there).  – Ask your audience of best ways you can help them (sometimes they have all the answers).  – Simplify, less is more.  – Have fun; play along with your thoughts.  – Sample the best in your field and pick cues from them.  – Read books and blogs.  – Try ideas from totally unrelated fields (e.g. Applying Snail farming ideas to Fashion Bags).  – Crowdsource for ideas, ask Facebook, Quora, etc.  – Ask weird questions.  2. Credibility Trust is a very relevant ingredient that has stood the test of time. There may be new ingredients to add in the future but this has become the salt of brands. Without trust, you have no brand and no business. You can afford to fake everything, do all the nice things to get traction, grow followers, and make a name but, if your trust quotient is broken, your brand will come crashing down. In an age where people are quick to use things about them for fame and name, brands that desire to stay relevant and make more impact must be trustworthy. Let your products and services be of premium value and not to embellish them with ads, social media posts, and sleazy sales tactics. If you win the trust factor, your brand will thrive. Trust triggers word of mouth marketing for your brand. Granny’s tip and lesson: Even when we didn’t know what granny was up to at the kitchen mixing various ingredients, we were assured that something spectacular and tasty was being prepared. She had earned our trust.  She said: “I may not always cook the best meals but I will offer you the best I can.” She admits when her meals occasionally don’t turn out as expected. We grew to trust her beyond the kitchen. Tips to help and prove credibly online: – Deliver what your brand promises (over-deliver).  – Don’t project and promote what you don’t have. – Say what you mean and mean what you say. – Take feedbacks gladly.  – Get testimonials and reviews for your products and services(brand).  – Have a contact number you can be reached on.  – Respond to requests/questions and orders promptly.  – Avoid ambiguity, be clear on what you offer. – Share success stories of your clients.  – Engage your audience.  – Stating/showing a physical address(location) increases trust.   3. Consistency It is one thing starting something and another sustaining it. Several people start with great ideas, strategies, and designs for their brands then soon after, fading into oblivion. One of the many factors that leads to a brand’s failure is a lack of consistency. The ability to take one thing, hold onto it for a long time till it thrives. Let me make this clear, consistency doesn’t mean holding unto one idea foolishly for a long time without improving, and no results. Consistency demands bettering your best, updating, oiling your wheels, growing steadily, implementing proper feedback. The currency of consistency fuels your brand’s success. Brands that become top of mind are relentlessly consistent. They consistently deliver on their brand promises; they are consistently improving. Consistently marketing, consistently listening for feedbacks and consistently adapting to relevant trends and charges that will help the brand and its audience. Remember to consistently stay relevant if not you will be relegated. Granny’s tip and lesson: Sometimes I wonder how she picks all the different ingredients into her soups & stews without any sort of measurement but still ends up having the same delicious taste.  She said – “consistency”. To perfect your brand be consistent, keeping track of that which works. Tips to help you stay consistent – Monitor your progress and document that which works.  – Consistently repeat what works.  – Keep your communication channels open 24/7.  – Keep improving gradually.  – Don’t implement a sudden total change.  – Be accountable to your clients.  – Focus on your niche.  – Stick to your delivery timings (online or offline).  Lastly, grandma told me that to perfect that art of cooking takes time. It’s a process that […] The post Branding Lessons from Granny’s Kitchen appeared first on Bernard Kelvin Clive.

Making Your Brand Stand Out from Your Competition When you are running your business, you will find that there will be a lot of other businesses providing the same services as you. This leads to a fierce competition as you’ll all be fighting to secure customers. The good news is that there some great ways that you can make your brand stand out from your competition from providing new products and services to trying new marketing strategies and more. Find out some of our tips in the article below. Study your Competitors One of the first ways that you can make your brand stand out from your competition is by making sure you have a look at your competitors and find out exactly what they are up to. When you do this, you can see what is working for them and what isn’t. Found something that they don’t offer? Use this information to make your brand shine. Promote Your USP If you have a look at your business competitors and notice that they all focus more on certain products and services then, you should have a look and see if there is anything that could be seen as your USP. You’ll want to promote this as best as you can to make your brand stand out. When it comes to promoting your services you will need to make sure you utilise Social media so you can create ads and use social media to push and promote your services. Make Your Prices Reasonable The next thing that you should do if you want your brand to stand out from the competition is to make sure you make your prices reasonable. If you make your prices affordable and reasonable then, you will find that more people will be inclined to use your services over others. Make sure not to drop your prices too low, of course, as this can affect your profit. Introduce Employee Benefits Raise Brand Ambassadors If you are wanting your business to be successful and stand out from others then, you will need your employees to do as much work as possible to take on new tasks and clients. To get your employees motivated to do more, you should consider introducing employee benefits to your team. Consider using an employee benefits platform in order to provide tailored benefits to your employees. You can also motivate them by hosting team days and setting goals in order to make your brand one that matters. See the benefits and roles of brand ambassadors. Follow Your Own Ideas To make your brand stand out and not look the same as your competition, it is important that you try and stick to your own ideas instead of copying others. This is because it will make your brand look different from the others in your industry. It will also be a lot more personal to you as it will be all your own creative ideas and not from others. Put a face on your company and use this to get some customers on board. Be different at all Cost Overall, there are a lot of different brands out there that you will need to compete with and you need to make sure that you stand out. Brand awareness is one of the key things you’ll need to focus on so don’t forget to put some strategies in place from the get-go. Do some competitor research and motivate your staff if you want to beat the competition and make your brand stand out.  Hopefully, all of our tips will help you to achieve that. Resources: DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by BKC Branding Courses The post How to Make Your Brand Stand Out from Your Competition appeared first on Bernard Kelvin Clive.

Emailing Branding Strategies Making the most of your emails. “In the world of digital communication tools, email has become the king”.  According to Statistica, there were about 293 billion emails sent daily in 2019 and the number is expected to hit about 347 billion by 2023. (Statisica.com) Electronic mails referred to as emails, one of the earliest digital marketing tools, (and)have become so powerful over the years. Emails have become a primary communication tool on the internet. One cannot afford not to have an email address. Importance of Having Email Address Emails have become part of one’s daily virtual life. It’s therefore imperative to make the most of it. Here are a couple of reasons why you need to have an email address. Your email serves as a form of digital identification tool. It is one of the primary ways to register for almost any digital service. Social media sites require an email address for registration. It’s your address to receive Digital goods. For eCommerce purposes, emails are required for translations. Even if you’re purchasing products that would be delivered physically. The address is used to receive product details, receipts, and tracking information in some instances. In purchasing digital goods, most often the products are delivered via emails. Without an email address, you virtually become handicapped. You can do very little online without an address. Emails addresses reveal your identity to an extent and also speaks volumes about the personality behind it. Email addresses are used to confirm your virtual identity. Most often activating subscription services, are sent via emails. Businesses are transacted via emails; it eases transactions and makes it easier tracking with emails.  Families, friends, and loved ones keep in touch via email communications; one of the most used means of sending and receiving information among friends The Role of a Branded Email address Majority of internet users do create email addresses using mail services by yahoo or Gmail, the latter being more popular and widely used. These providers help with free email address creation, a good way to begin with.  However, to step up the game for your brand, requires that you get an email in your personal or company’s domain name, an example would be: cynthia@cynthiaclive.org,  john@javenturecapital.com  The branded Email address has numerous benefits including: Trust Building: emails would be more trusted than that from a generic email service provider Establishes authenticity: Many digital service providers would prefer emails activated from branded domains than that of the generic provider. Brand promotion: since mails are used more often, the more people see the address the more brand visibility gained and chances for them visiting your website would be very high. Mark of professionalism: not only is it nice to have a branded email address, but it also speaks to your profession. Your firm would be seen as more professional having its domain email address. Privacy control: having a self-hosted email addresses limits the fear of compromised emails, as it offers you full control over the privacy of your mails Using Email Signature for Branding & Marketing One of the underutilized features of emails has been the footer section. The Footer is the bottom part of an email that allows you to input content that will automatically accompany every mail sent. You may enter details such as; company brief, contact numbers, social media handles, official website, etc. The goal is to enter relevant information that stands the chance of promoting your brand. Don’t ever leave your email footer blank, especially for your brand/company.  You can use it to advertise an upcoming product, service, a newly released product, events, etc.  Quick tips: Stick to a particular font style Font and style should be legible Use company brand colors Don’t make it clumsy by overloading it with content If you need to use HTML codes, get it done professionally Have a standard one for all your company emails for every staff. Showcase your expertise Be brief, fewer lines the better Have a Call-to-action message/button How to create your email signature/footer Mostly the button can be found in the “settings” menu in the mail, either using self-hosted, webmail, or a third-party mail provider. For example, if you use Gmail or Yahoo mail.  Log in to your mail.  Locate the settings icon at the top right of your mail Click the settings, scroll down to the Signature Section, a text box displayed below it. Type your signature message or copy and paste your content. Clive Save. You are done! Go back to Compose mail then look at the bottom of your mail to see your signature You can save yourself some stress by using a third-party app to have the footer created for you with ease. The following are good ones to try:  Wisestamp Free signature generator https://wisestamp.com Free basic HTML signature https://htmlsig.com Hubspot email signatures https://www.hubspot.com/email-signature-generator mysignature.io Design Hall signatures https://www.designhill.com/email-signature-generator Free HTML Signatures https://si.gnatu.re/ Now, it’s your turn, let your emails do the speaking for you! Resources: DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic Branding Books by BKC Branding Courses

Building your Digital Presence on a Shoestring Budget Tools, Tips, and Strategies Seasons and times will compel many to chart unknown waters, others out of curiosity and necessity.  Regardless of the trigger, having an online presence and brand has become a must-have in this age. More so, the pandemic has propelled and created a sense of urgency to digitize.  Over the years I have noticed that several people struggle with getting started with their digital presence, where to begin and the basic tools and strategies to utilize. Today, I will be sharing with you tools and tips on how to kick start your digital footprints. 1. Get a domain.  A domain is your website address, where users can find your website on the internet.  I recommend you use your name or your brand/business name. An example bkc.name, bernardkelvinclive.com, cynthiaclive.org, eugeneayim.com, samueladjei.com, ebenezerasumang.com, dailyaccra.com, ghanaweb.com. There are many top-level domain extensions, the common ones being .com, .org, you can have. blog, .info, .me, .name The average costs of a .com domain extension are $12.99 You can purchase a domain from godaddy.com, namecheap.com, domains.google.com, bluehost.com, etc. Once you get a domain, quickly create an official email address with your domain name. That becomes your official email address.eg. info@yournamedomain.com, firstname@yournamedomain.com It positions you a serious professionally 2. Get a blog/website designed and hosted.  That would be your official internet home. Your website becomes your 24/7 online storefront. To market and promote your brand and business. It increases your brand visibility, authority, and breeds trust. I recommend you using WordPress.org, Medium.com, squarespace.com, wix.com because they make a blog and web design quite easy without much technical know-how.   You can hire a professional web developer to set up your website/blog for you. With a budget if $100 minimum, you can have a simple blog/website set up for you. Search in your locality and you are sure to find a web designer to help you with a website and blog. You can contact www.bkc.name/consulting  A basic blog site should have a home page, about page, blog page, and contact page.  Once your website is done you need to be populating it with content- quality, timely and relevant content! 3. Get a mailing list. A list of subscribers (emails of people) you can regularly communicate via emails. You can use your website to capture email addresses of people by creating a landing page/ squeeze page. A dedicated page where you offer something in exchange for users’ email addresses. You can offer whitepapers, eBooks, checklists, audiobooks, infographics, webinars, etc. Just ensure that you are giving out something they would love. You can use the following services/ mail providers to help you set up, capture, and manage your e-mail lists: mailchimp.com (highly recommend as the free version can help you achieve a whole lot), leadpages.com, constantcontact.com, sendinblue.com, convertkit.com, mailerlite.com, aweber.com, etc. If you are using WordPress there are lots of plugins that can aid in setting up a landing page and collect email addresses easily, Sumo comes highly recommended. Use the one which meets your budget and can still provide the basic needs such as a signup form, landing page, autoresponder. Your mailing list is your goldmine for your online brand and business. 4. Get your social media handles Your social media handles are the names you choose for your brand. Either you get a handle or edit the URL(link) of your social media channel. Example Facebook provide an automatic URL(link) when you sign up using your name unless you change that deliberately it may be showing a link like facebook.com/kwame-amoah235, I changed mine to facebook.com/bernardkelvin  You would certainly need social media, so right from the beginning check and secure your names/ handles on the major social media platforms i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube For branding purposes, ensure that the handles are unique and the same across the various channels. For example, I have @bernardkelvin for all the channels listed above. The idea is that even if you don’t have plans of using those channels immediately, it still saves you a lot from losing them. 5. Get your brand creatives(designs) done. Designs for your brand; from your brand identity to social media cover images.  You may decide to hire a graphic designer to design your stuff for you. And I highly recommended that especially for your logo.  Apart from that, you can create some graphics yourself, using any of the Do-It-Yourself design apps and services. I recommend the following canva.com, easel.ly, visme.co, infogram.com, stockphotosecrets.com/stencil You can use it to create your quotes, memes, infographics, etc. with ease. 6. Create a Content Strategy: Develop a calendar of how you would be sharing content on your website and across the various social media channels. Check Postcron’s free content calendar https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsKxtai-b7NqdGdqODJyd0xwc0xTQ3h4M2I3aUlPSWc&usp=sharing#gid=0 Another content calendar by Bobangus http://bobangus.com/free-editorial-calendar-template/ You can use services like Hootsuite to help you schedule posts and share them on social media. This saves you lots of time. Check the following for social media software for posting; buffer.com, coschedule.com, mavsocial.com, hubspot.com In conclusion, here are three critical principles to keep in mind: Be Consistent.  Constantly deliver value with your content and creatives. Consistency instills believability.  Be Credible.  Don’t try to cut corners to win favors. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Stick to your brand values. Be trustworthy, deliver on your room promises. If people can trust you, your brand and business will grow. Trust is the currency for growing your brand and building your business. Be creative. Branding is about differentiation, so be creative about your brand presence. Don’t become a ‘me-too’ brand.  Find your differentiation factor and nail it! Recommended Resources: Digital Disruption ebook visit www.bkc.name/ebook Brand Mastery visit www.bkc.name/courses

“The 21st Century Christian/Church must rethink ministry via the lens of technology. A powerful tool in the hands of the believer.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive Here are Eight(8) Strategies to implement! 1. Give them something worth their attention. What would they see and read? Ensure that your intention for their attention is clear. you know exactly what you want to offer, Jesus was offering salvation ― life (John 10:10). ‘When they saw the miracles Jesus had performed…they followed!’ Your brand visuals must be appealing and attention-grabbing to drive home your message. 2. Wow them! ‘When they saw the many miracles he performed… Jesus always did something spectacular. eg. Turning water into wine. Wowing your audience leads to organic following and engagements and sales. Offer value! People would come to your portal/ page to experience it. 3. Meet their needs all-round! Jesus taught them spiritually he also met their physical needs – hunger. He had compassion for others, driven to meet the needs of others. He fed the 5000 after his live conference/ webinar. Be sensitive to the needs of your fans and followers. Focus on your market needs, and offer solutions. 4. He established his authority and clarity. Firstly, you need to know your assignment as a person and that of your business. That helps you weld your authority and grow your influence to impact and for profit. Know your worth and the value you are offering. Set the records straight, distill popular opinions from facts like Jesus did. The woman at the well got to know Jesus was the true Saviour ― living water. Jesus killed ambiguity surrounding the worshiping of God. His authority was at work. Jesus came to fulfill the prophecy of redemption.  Your authority gives you influence. Clarity breeds confidence! Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” ―  6:35 Authored many books, I declare “I am an author[ity]” 5. Raise brand ambassadors. The woman at the well, after engaging with Jesus, knowing the depth of his knowledge went out freely to evangelize. Your expertise will help create brand evangelists to spread your brand. 6. Use stories and anecdotes. Jesus was a great storyteller, He weaves stories and anecdotes to drive home his messages. Engage your audience with stories they can relate with while teaching them. Stories sell your brand well, creating lasting memories. Great brands use stories in marketing their products and services. What’s your brand story like? 7. Have private and public engagements. Jesus had some private meetings at some level and public ones. He engaged Mary & Martha privately and did so with His disciples (key ambassadors), regularly. Segment your audience to know what’s for the masses and what’s for a select group. Provide products and services for the different categories of your market. There are times you need to engage with some of your fans via inbox(private groups, membership, and premium access)  and other times publicly. Be sensitive and selective with private and public data sharing. So don’t you don’t ‘throw your pearls before swine’? ― Matthew 7:6 8. Understand your audience: Use their language! Jesus used terms based on the cultural background and settings of his market so he could communicate clearly and precisely. Where he had told his disciples he will make them ‘fishers of men’ ― He was speaking to a predominately fishing community. (Matthew 4:19) The ‘parable of the sower’, he used the analogy of farming, with that his audience can grasp the depth of his message. Use industrial jargon in communication sparingly; performing audience analysis would better inform you on the choice of your language, tone, and strategy. Download, Listen and Learn. Resources: DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

In this episode you would learn about branding, cultural and businesses barriers and benefits in doing business in Africa. You will discover: Culture of Business Lessons from the Chinese How to survive in an unknown market My guest, Marek Zmysłowski is a Polish-born entrepreneur and executive, focused on online businesses in Frontier and Emerging Markets. He co-founded Jumia Travel – Africa’s Biggest Hotel Booking Portal listed on NYSE as part of Jumia Group and HotelOnline.co – a Travel Technology Company. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the Ten Most Important People in Tech by IT News Africa Magazine. He is a Lead Mentor at Google’s Launchpad and World Bank’s XL Africa Program. Download, Listen and Learn. Resources: BOOK: Chasing Black Unicorns DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

Building your personal brand in a digital age… what to do and what not. In this episode, my guest Kami, through more light on how to build an authentic brand. Kami Guildner believes women’s voices matter. She is a connector. A storyteller. A success coach for women. Kami’s entrepreneurial journey was sparked by the breath of a horse over a decade ago. This magical epiphany moment led Kami to discover her purpose of leading change-maker women to give voice to their most important messages and create a ripple effect of worldly impact.  Kami weaves soulful-inspiration into mindful business strategies, helping her clients up-level their business. With decades of leadership, marketing, strategic planning and business growth expertise, Kami guides her clients to master their marketing, money and mindset. Kami’s soulful spirit leads her clients to unleash their magical manifestation powers and live out loud fueled with vitality and courage. RESOURCES: Join the Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386664118079263 DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

“This is a good time to ask yourself, what skills are you lacking?” – John Armah The impact of this pandemic has been frightening. ‘…these are not ordinary times for Business Owners, Employees and Households, these are indeed not ordinary times.. the bigger question has been, what is the impact and risk of COVID-19 on Business and what factors can help mitigate this risk What do you do as an entrepreneur or business owner? In this episode my guest John Armah shares strategies to help you overcome the challenging times and bounce back better. John Armah is a Business Development Practitioner and Trainer in business start-ups development, with experience in the development of new markets, start-ups, MSMEs and business strategy, business financing and business development. He is the Board Chairman of Junior Achievement Ghana, and the Chairman of the JA Africa Board Chairs Council, a global non-profit organization committed to promoting entrepreneurship development around the world. He serves on other Boards advising Startups and SME’s on Restructuring, Capital Raising, Growth, and Business Development. John Armah consults for Governments, Major Corporate, Donor Partners, Institutions on Business Development, Business Financing, Startup Ecosystem, and Entrepreneurship Development, He has worked in key markets across the world and named as part of the Forbes 30 under 30 Most Promising Entrepreneurs in 2016 and 20 under 40 Most Influential Business Leaders in Ghana among others. ‘..these are not ordinary times for Business Owners, Employees and Households, these are indeed not ordinary times.. the bigger question has been, what is the impact and risk of COVID-19 on Business and what factors can help mitigate this risk A gift for you! DOWNLOAD the eBook Digital Disruption: Personal Brands that will Crush it after the Pandemic

Video is a huge lever to bring the human element back to business. My guest today is Matt Barnett the CEO of Bonjoro who walks us through how to effectively use personalized videos in your business communications. Listen learn and share. Resources: 30 ways to use video for leads, conversions and creating referrals Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals Are Dead! Branding Beyond Visuals Business Networking Made Easy Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

How to maximize your ‘Stay-at-Home’ Season “It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how much we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our home and to strengthen our family unit.” – Bill Gates Here are a number of ideas and activities you can consider to maximize the moment. 1. Introspection: sit back and review your life, take stock of where you’ve been, what you’ve done and where you are going. It’s a good time to reassess your life. Ask yourself questions, be hard on yourself and gradually get answers to them. 2. Relax: take time to slow down, have a good rest as much as you can, your body and your mind needs it. Don’t get too busy, take it easy on yourself. 3. Read books (materials): use this period as an opportunity to read some books. Read it at your own pace and add to your knowledge. Subscribe to useful online newsletters, magazines and blogs.  4. Listen to audiobooks: one of the quickest ways to consume contents is by listening to the audios. Get as many audio books as you can, listen intentional, listen while doing chores, let it just play at the background. For your kids, Amazon has made available it’s audible platform for kids all over the world to listen to a huge collection of stories for free as along as schools are closed. Visit https://stories.audible.com/start-listen 5. Enjoy music: create your own playlist of your favorite tracks and enjoy. [I’m currently enjoying my classical playlist] 6. Write a book: your story is unique; someone need to read that. Your wisdom is great, share it with the world. Begin today, just write! [Send me a mail if you desire to write a book] 7. Kid’s Time: if you are blessed with children use this period as an opportunity to bond better, get to know them well. Play fun games with them. I bet, this would be one of the best investments and memories you’d never regret. 8. Learn a skill: pick any area you’d like to learn and delve deeper. Take an online course or coaching. Add to what you already know. Enrich yourself. 9. Practice your craft: if you had always wanted to paint, do it. Try some new recipes. Dare something and do it!  10. Drive-Through: not a time through a fast food joint but a time through the woods or hood. Drive slowly through town, observing nature and savoring the moments. Observe all those things you’ve been missing in your daily commute. [This will not be appropriate of your City is Lockdown] 11. Teach a course online: Share your expertise, either as a side gig or voluntary activity. Many online platforms offers such opportunities e.g. teachable.com, skillshare.com, udemy.com you may want to start a YouTube channel. All these could help with some extra income as well. 12. Spark up the love: if you are blessed to be married, make the most of the moment. Revive the love and romance in your marriage. If in a relationship, get creative with SMS to keep the love going. 13. Seek God: get to know your creator the more, spend time praying and listening to God’s voice. It’s good time to invest in prayers. Praying for the affected, pray for family & friends and pray for the world. 14. Plan Properly: a good time to look at your schedules in life. If you have not had any, then do so, set goals and targets to pursue. Plan your career. The aftermath of the crisis will have an impact on many careers, think ahead, plan and prepare. 15. Healthy lifestyle: check your diet to ensure you are having a well-balanced diet. Exercise daily to stay in shape and healthy. 16. Reconsider your Relationships: it’s a good time to prune, know those who really matter and those who matter to you as well. There are levels of relationships and not everyone should have a front roll seat in your life; cut of those you need to and nurture the ones that needs to. Nurture the good ones and disconnect from the ill ones. 17. Create your gratitude list: one of the most fruitful habits to develop in a season like this is gratitude. Be thankful for all the things you have and around you. Daily reach out and thank people who are being supportive. Thank God for life. Stay thankful and don’t nurse any ungrateful spirit to rub you of your joy and blessings. 18. Don’t fret: breaking news here and there may cause some level of anxiety, but don’t entertain fear; activate your faith in times like these. When you harbor fear it weakens even your immune system. You may have a cause to be afraid but focus on possibilities, the best that could ever happen. Stay hopeful, it’s helpful in time like these.  Believe and expect the best. 19. Live simply: don’t complicate things for yourself. This season reminds us of the little pleasures of life. Enjoy it! Bernard Kelvin Clive is an Author, Speaker and Corporate Trainer. Africa’s foremost author(ity) on Personal Branding. An Amazon bestselling author of over 40 published books. As a speaker & trainer he has been known to simplify complex ideas about branding and life and present them to audiences in clear, actionable steps. He has over a decade experience in digital publishing and has globally consulted for entrepreneurs, pastors, and people like you to write books and build brands. He hosts the number one ranked Career & Business Podcast in Ghana. Bernard is a brand strategist at BKC consulting and runs the monthly Branding & Publishing Masterclass.

“Branding is more of a perception than a product(service).” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Beyond colors, logos and all the visually appealing attributes of brands, there are other intangibles that trigger their success. Today, I will share with you what I call the invisible forces of brands. In countless instances, I have seen a number of individuals and businesses placing so much emphasis on their brand tangibles at the expense of the intangibles? Visuals play a very critical role in branding. However, beyond visuals come the values, services offered, products and customer satisfaction, customer care, consistency of delivery of brands promise, etc. The above mentioned attributes do more good to a brand than just overly focusing on the visually appealing stuff. A couple of months ago I recommended a friend’s business, let’s call it ‘Kim Catering Services’ (KCS) to a client(Vernon) who badly needed their services. I had informed the client and told him the company does a pretty good job. As my recommendations came highly valued, the client took my word for it and engaged the services of KCS. KCS had sent one of her staff to inquire about the specific needs of Vernon. After the first meet up, KCS never sent any message nor invoice, just nothing. Vernon kept asking what the issue was and all KCS did was to keep promising to deliver to no avail. Long and short of it is that, the business between the two parties never happened. Another request came in from the same client for another recommendation despite the first incidence. I recommended another friend’s business to the client. Much to our chagrin, the same back and forth and bad customer-client relationship was exhibited and transactions never happened. In mind-blowing fashion, it happened a third time! Then, I thought to myself, there must be something really bad happening here. Although these recommended companies are great, well-known brands in their niches, they failed the test of brand delivery. They have all the niceties of branding but their invisible forces are killing their brands silently and slowly. This is not only unique nor limited to these three brands but so many other local brands around. They invest in their brand tangibles – logos, colours, signage, social media and make loud noises yet they fail in delivering their intangible assets. Yes, these brands are damn good at what they do – no doubt, yet they haven’t come to the realization that the overlooked aspect of their branding would be undermining their brands. Key areas brands must reinforce in their branding process include but are not limited to: Brand Values: What the brand stands for and the willingness to sacrifice to ensure they stay top of their game. Right from the initial brand building process, every company should sate what their values are such as: integrity, respect, leadership, professionalism, excellence, etc. These become the underlining forces that drive the brand. When customers experience these attributes, they tend to leave a great impression on their minds about the brand. Some time back, I observed something awesome at one of the branches of GCB Bank where an elderly man had entered to withdraw money. Despite the long queue, one of the tellers immediately instructed the security man to offer him a seat and the staff quickly attended to him. An act like this will send string signals to many of their clients about the bank caring for them (elderly). Brands that live up to their values are highly recommended. What are your personal values and those of your brand? In choosing your brand values, ensure that they are meaningful, different, memorable, actionable, clear, and timelines. Take cues from the following global brand values: BMW has ·         Integrity: Asking customers for frequent feedback. ·         Respect: Treating each customer with dignity and courtesy. ·         Responsibility: Holding themselves accountable for their performance. ·         Growth: Focusing on constant innovations and creativity APPLE has been known for innovation, quality and creativity with their tagline “Think Different”. Here are their Core Values according to Tim Cook: ·         We believe that we’re on the face of the Earth to make great products. ·         We believe in the simple, not the complex. ·         We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make. ·         We participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. ·         We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. ·         We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. ·         We don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. Coca-Cola, a leading beverage brand in the world has the following values: ·         Leadership: The courage to shape a better future ·         Collaboration: Leverage collective genius ·         Integrity: Be real ·         Accountability: If it is to be, it’s up to me ·         Passion: Committed in heart and mind ·         Diversity: As inclusive as our brands ·         Quality: What we do, we do well With these examples, you can see how powerful brand values are and what they do for the brand and its customers. Brand culture is basically how a brand lives it values. How they drive home the message they stand for. It’s the governing principles of an organization. It’s the ‘this is how we do it here and why we do it’. It’s the invisible force of a brand’s success. A number of local brands have no culture or […]

How Brands Can Stay Woke in Epidemics  “To have your brand deep-rooted in the hearts of clients & customers requires empathy – humanize your brand” – Bernard Kelvin Clive Life happens! Life is filled with the unaccepted, regardless of how carefully and practically you plan, sometimes things may just go off unannounced and unexpected. What you do in times like that is as relevant as your plan. In the wake of the current alarming epidemic, a number of brands have suffered losses and others are making gains, however, it’s not about win or lose. Yes, whatever the case some may win others may lose but exceptional brands that care for its people will be looking at staying relevant but not just cashing in for profit. Today, let’s consider ways brands can stay relevant and make impact and continuously stay top of mind. I have identified 3 main ways brands can drive change regardless of ongoing cultural or global crisis.  The very first thing brands can do is to prepare for the unexpected; have precautionary plans, anticipate likely mishaps and develop strategies to handle that. If these steps are taken care of, it reduces the shock and likely negative impact of the unforeseen and unexpected  Here are the three main things you can do to salvage the situation: Evaluate: The good old book has these wise words to govern us, it reads “…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…” – James 1:17. In times of pandemics, brands must put on their best listening ears, to gather all they can before they take any other steps.  The first most important step to take towards resolving crisis is to get all the needed information at hand. Ask all the necessary questions regarding the current happenings to understand the situation. Now, with enough data, you would be in the best position to handle it and address it right.  The caveat is that in a digital era, it’s easy to sample data on social media, which may not be accurate, so always verify source, get to root for authentic messages. Once you have the needed information, you are in a good position to align that with your strategic plan to help curb the situation. You prepare and plan on how to use the information gathered effectively.  Empathize: People love to identify with those they love and those who show them love. Great brands are people-centered, they show care and support. To move men to take action in areas you desire requires you to touch their hearts.  In times of crisis and pandemics, people get affected in many ways; which in one way or the other may impact your brand. Yes, you may not have anything directly to do with them. The truth is that we are in a connected world, what affects one, may eventual affect the other. If not directly, its consequences may be damaging. The best way to get your brand out there is to identify with those affected, show care, love and support. Let them know they matter. You don’t just stop at sympathizing with them you go out to help. You offer support in many ways that you can. At the heart of crisis, people need support not brands making loud noises about their products and services or trying to cash in by selling their brands. Great brands give, you may decide to offer massive discount, free gifts and offers etc. You should consider these acts as an investment of your brand in the lives of people. It may cost you a lot but its potential returns are huge. Your brand will be engrained in their hearts as a caring brand and if they want to do business or recommended a product or service, surely yours would come highly recommended.  I recall one act that Nestle (GH)Ltd, did for its distributors/retailors during the erratic power outages (Dumsor) in Ghana(Accra); they gave out high quality solar powered lamps out for free. These little acts meant a lot to their distributors and retailers; which is still been talked about by some of them. One little act of empathy and support can greatly affect a brand.  What is your brand doing for others now in the midst of global economic crisis and pandemics? You may be at the losing end but you can still offer some support, it could be in kind. A kind word, well spoken; a press release; social media posts of encouragement, care and concern. You have no idea how these little deeds can mean a lot to clients and customers. “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” —Theodore Roosevelt  Educate: Never stop learning; information empowers! In times of crisis, to stay on top of your game and remain relevant demands some education. Education here is in two ways, firstly educate yourself, your brand and firm about the current situation. An uninformed staff can cause more damage to your brand. No staff should be left out, even if it’s totally unrelated to what they do. Secondly, educate the general public, clients and customers. It will interest you to know that a number of them are totally ignorant and at risk of deception by the masses. Make it a point to share useful resources to help clients and customers understand the current situation and what they can do about it. If you have an online presence, post relevant information about the situation; you could use infographics, videos, podcasts, images etc. You share these content in addition to your brands digital strategies. One shouldn’t override the other. A balanced approach is needed during the educational process. You are giving something to the public and you are subtly promoting your brand.  Key take home for brands is this: in times of crisis, evaluate the situation, empathize with clients and educate them. If you blend these things effectively your brand would stay top of mind. RECOMMENDED Resources: Awaken the Giant in You CEO Branding Goals […]