U R a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success

A Top Ten List of tried-and-true strategies, plenty of exercises, and "brainstormer" tools in each chapter make hands-on practical what it takes to package a personal brand with a powerful visual and verbal identity, think in terms of markets, and execute a tactical marketing plan that generates the buzz needed to become an effective brand builder. U R A BRAND! gives voice to dozens of executives and savvy professionals who have realized the power of these self-brand principles to move up the corporate ladder, reenergize a stalled career, start their business, or establish an intrapreneurial enterprise that generates both personal and organizational growth and success.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

A big boost for my small business, 2008-09-16
As a person who runs a small business, I'm always alert to methods for getting my message out. U R a Brand gave me some great (and inexpensive) ways to identify and define me, my product, and my market. In particular, I found the chapters on the Principles of Visual Identity and the Power of Names, Signature Words and Phrases to be clear, easy to implement and to yield great results. Anyone who is dependent on other people, in part or in whole, for business success will benefit from Kaputa's ideas.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent Book on Branding, 2008-07-08
I really enjoyed reading this book--it was filled with examples which made it easy to read. The author does an excellent job of showing the importance of knowing your unique promise of value for business success. Branding is about being your authentic self and making sure that the image you want to exude is how you are perceived by others. Knowing your strengths and your unique value of promise is indeed what sets you apart from your competition whether you are climbing the corporate ladder, career seeking, small business owner, etc.


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Snooze., 2008-06-24
For a book that is all about marketing and perception and jazzing up your image, this book was one of the most boring, dry takes on the topic that I've read in a long time -- and as a business book reviewer, I read a LOT of books. Very academic and non-inspiring. I suggest you skip this and read something a lot more interesting, fun, and helpful -- like something by Seth Godin or Barbara Corcorin.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Self Brand = Higher Perceived Value, 2007-12-17
I read this book on a Sunday (it takes a lot for me to dedicate my whole Sunday to a book, so that give you an idea what I think of the quality).

The most important message that I took away is, whatever you do, when you have a brand, you'll have more value.

If you have a job, having a brand for yourself will increase the perception of your value in the eyes of key stakeholders (your boss, your customers, your team-members, etc.). This means that YOU control how they see you, and you can position yourself for what you want- a raise, a promotion, greater respect, increased responsibility, new customers, whatever.

If you own a business, having a brand for yourself will increase the fees that you can command. Everyone wants to hire or buy from the best, and your brand will show how you are just that. You become memorable (because brands are memorable) which means that your marketing process becomes much easier.

With a brand your clarity and confidence greatly increase. You know what your value is and can therefore articulate it to others.

The takeaway message that Catherine Kaputa says is essentially: If you don't brand yourself, someone else will, and it probably won't be the brand you want.

Don't let that happen. Read this book.

Larina Kase, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Confident Speaker



2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Worth your money and time, 2007-09-29
If you are looking for a book to enhance your career, this book should be in your list. It says, flatly, that being good and skilled in your job is insufficient in getting head. It is actually more important to be perceived and noticed as a person of excellence.

It should be noted that the author already assumes you have some marketable skills. Without it, you don't have anything to build a brand around. "If you don't stand for something relevant to the marketplace, you have no value", states the author.

Influencing how others perceive you and your ideas starts with a building a brand. One must brainstorm one's strengths and how one's strengths align with the market (or employer) values. Then one should focus on one's strengths and highlight its relevance in the marketplace in a emotionally connecting way.

Branding is executed primarily through visual (good attire, personal appearance, body language) and verbal (communication through effective rhetoric and tone). The book also highlights the paramount importance of gettting noticed by the right people. If you are not invited to the right meetings, author notes, you are dead in the water (of real career progression).

Overall, I felt this book contained as much good career advice as any I have read. I highly recommend it.

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