The Power of Intentional Personal Branding

Welcome to the Tori Barker podcast, the ultimate destination for all things personal growth. We also talk about entrepreneurship and the exciting journey of building a brand. I'm your host, Tori Barker. This podcast is all about sharing my journey as an entrepreneur. We'll cover the highs and lows and find the passion that fuels business success.

But it's not just about me. This is a place where we connect with fellow entrepreneurs to dive deep into their experiences and foster connections. Let's empower each other to excel in our own entrepreneurial endeavors. So buckle up for this adventure. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, the Tory Barker podcast is your source for inspiration, tips, and real talk about the business journey.

Welcome to the Tory Barker podcast. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to episode 2 of the Tory Barker podcast. I appreciate you being here today. If you didn't listen to episode 1, episode 1 was my first solo cast in the rebrand of my podcast.

And I talked a lot about the Tory that you're seeing now coming out behind the curtain as if I was Oz. And I think that that has really sparked something in me that I'm excited to share with everyone and really shed light on this new journey that I'm on because I think there's so many people out there who can relate, who want to listen in, and follow me along this journey because them themselves are probably going through the same thing that I am. And I always felt like lending a hand to help someone is really what what it's all about. So before I hit record, I was thinking, obviously, about the conversation and the topic that I wanted to speak about today, which today I'm gonna talk about intentional personal branding. And it came to me, which is probably the universe telling me that this is something that I need to look at for myself.

I always believe in this serendipitous world. Things don't happen just by happenstance. And so the thought that came to me was this you have to define who you are before anyone else can. And let's just kind of think about that for a minute You have to define who you are before anyone else can. So when it comes to intentional personal branding, you have to know who you are before you start putting out this persona perception brand, whatever you wanna call it, of yourself.

Now, there's there's different types of personal brands, right? Like, there's a business brand, there's you, your intellectual property, who you are your brand. And then there's, you know, these other versions that, you know, people have. I think it's interesting. People there's conversations.

People talk about the way that you come to work, your different personality or, you know, perspective than when you are at home. And I think that so many people get into this mindset that they have to be somebody else instead of just being who they are all the time. So intentional personal branding starts with knowing who you are and the brand that you want to put forward so that you can define the perceptions that other people have of you. So if people are gonna make their own perceptions, their own ideas, why not provide them with the authentic and true you versus them coming up with conclusions on their own? So, for example, let's talk about when I first started my business creative marketing.

So I went out on my own after being in corporate for 15 years, and I was very narrow minded in geographically, you know how far my network was starting a marketing agency done for you digital marketing. So I thought very, very narrow. Who are the people that are around me geographically that could be potential clients? How can I help them? Will people only know me for the industry that I came from like that marketing niche?

Or could I branch outside of that background that I had in marketing? And so it has taken, you know, a journey. I'm still on the journey, you know, to be completely honest, of discovering who I am and what defines me and what my zone of genius is when it comes to the marketing space. But so so the perception of, you know, who I was, the people that was, that were around me, knew me for this industry. And so I felt stuck.

Right? Like, I was only known for this one thing, and I went through this exercise. I I heard a podcast cash. I don't even know whose podcast it was. It was 5, 6, 7 years ago.

And they prompted you to do this exercise where you would ask people what they know you for. What do you like? Who are you? Who, you know, what do you do? And so I, you know, asked some friends, I asked my spouse, I asked my family, and they all said different things.

None of which that I thought defined really what I did or loved doing. And so that really opened my eyes to identify that if I want people to know me for an expertise or a topic, I have to be the one to put that out there. And so that's why shifting my podcast from creative visionaries to the Tory Barker podcast is not only a journey and an exercise and a personal growth thing for me. It's also a way for me to build my personal brand. Exactly what we're talking about.

So I want to be known for the experience and the thought leadership that I have, because, like I said in episode 1, I've been hiding behind this curtain. I've been hiding behind this business brand I've been hiding behind the corporate space that I was in. I've been hiding behind other people, and not letting my expertise, my knowledge, my gift, if you will, come to light. And so I think it's so important when you are looking at yourself in whatever stage of life that you're in. And, you know, you don't have to be a business owner to have a personal brand.

You don't have to be a superstar or, you know, a movie star to build a personal brand. I think the information that you want people to know about you, you have to put it out there, whether that's on social media, whether that's in video, whether that's in podcasting, blog writing, just the way that you present yourself in a room at a networking event, that's all personal branding opportunities. And so if you can be clear to understand who you are, then I think people are going to understand you even better, and you're gonna attract the right people to you for that purpose. So you have to define who you are before anyone else can, and you need to define the perception others have of you by intentionally building your personal brand. So curate your own content, your own message, your own vision, your own brand.

Be authentically you, and other people will be attracted to that version because it's truly, truly you. And the people who are attracted to you in that authentic self are the right people that need to be in your world and in your sphere. Other thing that, you know, I thought of was give yourself permission to be vulnerable, and to show people the strengths and weaknesses that you have, which is exactly what this podcast is for me. It's a challenge to do solo interviews where I can't hide behind the guest I can't hide behind a conversation that is focused on somebody else other than myself, because I'm the only one in the room. I'm the only one talking So I have to be vulnerable, not only in that way, but also to show people that it's okay.

Right? I've been podcasting for 5 some odd years, and doing a solo cast is not the easiest. But if it's right for you, then it's something that's really, really important that you should do, and you are doing a disservice if you don't do that. And I was on a call today, a mastermind call with these amazing women, and this one girl, she was new to the call. She came on, and she was talking about how she wants to be building her personal brand and somebody had suggested, why don't you do a podcast?

And so she was asking questions about, you know, should I do an interview style? Should I do a solo cast? Do I have to have a season? Do I have to have recording equipment? And all of the women in the group were just like, just do it because there's something so beautiful in the messy middle, if you will.

Right? The mess that we go through to get to this beautiful other side is why it's so important, because we have to go through that journey to to evolve and to grow and to learn so that we can become the person that we're supposed to be. So I think you know if anyone out there, if anyone's listening, I think, you know, be intentional in who you are, know who you are so that you can put that out there for people to see. And like I said, you've gotta, you know, be in your zone of genius, and you're gonna attract people to you for the right reason. So one of the last things that I wanna talk about on this episode is a book that I'm reading, and I haven't finished it yet, but, like, halfway through, and I already feel like there's so many golden nuggets there.

And so I wanted to kinda share this with you because I think it does relate to this conversation of intentional personal branding and finding who you are and knowing yourself and all of those things. The book that I'm reading is The Gap and the Gain, The High Achievers Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success. It's by Dan Sullivan and Doctor. Benjamin Hardy. And there's this passage section in the book that kind of really tells you encompasses, like, what this book is all about.

And so I wanna read that to you because it is so insightful, and it really, really makes you think. So it says most people, especially highly ambitious people, are unhappy because of how they measure their progress. We all have an ideal, a moving target that is always out of reach. When we measure ourselves against the ideal, we're in the gap. However, when we measure ourselves against our previous self, we're in the game.

So if you think about that, I can totally relate to this as an ambitious high achiever. I'm always looking for the next goal So the next thing that I'm going to achieve, you know, I've gotten to this level now I'm getting to the next. When in retrospect, there's so much that I've achieved up to this point that I haven't really taken the time to sit in that and really reflect to be proud of what I've what I've done and where I've come from. To know that I am successful, Right. I've come to this point and I've gone through so many adversities to get to where I am, so I should celebrate those moments.

And so I want to leave you with that, and have you take a moment to reflect and to look at all of the things that you've achieved up to this point to see how successful you are, because I know that you're successful and know that it's good to have goals, and it's good to have to be a high achiever, but don't measure your success on what's to come next. You need to live in the moment and know that it's it's a step process that you'll get there. Take that first step of building your personal brand and go through the messy middle and learn something about yourself along the way. So thank you so much for being here for episode 2. I'm gonna come back again.

I promise you I am going to just keep pushing forward. You know, as I've said, this is uncomfortable, but I feel like it's getting easier. Right? The more you do something, obviously, the easier it gets. So I'm excited for the episodes to come as, you know, I'll be able to get in the flow, totally just have this rocking conversation by myself and have you guys there to listen and cheer me along the way.

So I appreciate you all. Thank you so much for being here, and, look forward to seeing you on the next episode.