I’m sure you’ve heard about personal branding and the way it affects people’s perception of you. You might not think it’s important, but it really does have an impact when it comes to people forming an opinion of you.
I know what many of you are thinking: “What does my wardrobe have to do with being a successful entrepreneur?” Well, in just one word… everything. First impressions are everything, and the clothes you wear say a lot about you, before you even say anything. That doesn’t mean that you have to wear tailored clothes or jackets every day of your life, but it does mean that you have to think about the clothes you buy and wear based on the circumstances and the people you are going to meet every day.
First of all, let me explain what makes your personal brand. It comes to life by the way you consistently behave, promote yourself, and present yourself to others. When you show up in person, people will judge you by your non-verbal attributes, (the way you are dressed, your eye contact, your posture, etc.) and the way you communicate creates an impression of who you are and your values. You might not find it fair to be judged by the way you look, but it does happen and even more so in a professional environment.
Every workplace has a dress code, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add your personal style to your “work uniform”. The key is to find clever and unique ways to inject your personality, while still being professional and polished.
So when dressing up every day you need to figure out what kind of message you want people to get when they see you. That depends on what your field of work is and what you are doing / your tasks on his particular day.
If you are a high level executive in a big real estate company you have to look trustworthy, neat and powerful. If you’re a creative in a company that makes commercials you need to look relaxed, chill, and approachable so that your clients are able to trust you and communicate their ideas without feeling threatened by your image.
Next, you don’t want your look to vary wildly from one day to the next. Think of this like your company’s logo and your brand voice. You don’t change the logo every morning, and you don’t swing back and forth from formal to casual with the voice you use for your customers, right? Some days you can be more casual than others, depending on what you are doing on a specific day, but you have to always represent your brand or who you are even on the weekends. You have to be consistent.
Do not forget that in order to look more interesting or more yourself, accessories are the easiest way to inject your personality into your style, without breaking the company’s dress code or the image you want to portray. One or two accessories can pull your entire look together. Depending on the item(s) you choose, they can add structure, elegance, flair, or a modern touch.After you analyze and work towards creating a personal brand that represents the real you, and gives the right message of how you want to be perceived, you will find yourself entering the world with more confidence and enthusiasm, and actually believe it or not, you will start loving the process of dressing up for the right reasons.
By Rosa Pelayo-Stadelhoffer
Rosa believes that fashion is a powerful form of self expression; a way to communicate to the world, "this is who I am". Used the right way, fashion can be a fantastic tool to help a person reach a goal they have set for themselves, not because of the particular item of clothing, but in the transformative power an outfit has over the way one feels, looks, or carries themselves. When a person likes the way they look, the image that is portrayed is one of confidence, strength and empowerment. Through fashion, we can uplift the spirit, feel the vibrancy of life and even realize our dream of being who we want to be.
Rosa also has an International Business Background from ITESM, she is a Chef In French Pastry by the Ritz Escoffier School, Paris, she is a certified Image Consultant through the TICOCO. The Image Consulting Company Chicago. Important to mention is the fact that Rosa has created her own clothing brand Karobi. She designs and produces the garments with a small team in China. In addition Rosa speaks 4 languages, has worked in many different countries.
Karobi Clothing Brand and Karobi Image Consulting are the 2 main areas of her company, the 3rd one: Karobi Lifestyle is here, she along with partners are creating a community for all of her clients and people around the world.