putting the "personal" back into personal branding

Personal branding...whoa, did I open a can of worms there or what?! When I started "studying" the concept of the personal brand after stumbling upon my first fateful tome on the subject circa 2001, I had no idea what an impact it would eventually have in our new, emerging world. Slowly, we've seen great brands built around people (and what a no-no that used to be) succeed like Oprah, stumble but eventually persevere like Martha. Economies have faltered and jobs have been eliminated. We've had to take a frankly objective look at ourselves to regain our income-earning, title-having, respect-commanding status. We've put together resumes and cover letters and attended networking meetings, putting our very best foot forward. We've turned into master sellers of our most important product: us. And, believe me, as an independent I totally understand this process because otherwise I couldn't support my rather deadly lipgloss habit.

But isn't this also about separating ourselves from our jobs, in a way? I don't mean that bull about work/life balance (but that's an entirely different post for another day), but about NOT identifying ourselves in that pre-conditioned, Americanized, job-first way. About identifying ourselves with what's really, truly, deeply important to us?? Think about our culture: what's the first question strangers ask you after being introduced? Is is "Tell me about your family?" or "What's your life's quest?" No, I'm pretty sure that the standard opener is "So, what do you do?" And they don't mean, where do you derive your energy...

I've really seen it play out in my own personal world, as well. Not having a firm grip on my own mission, vision, values, image and so forth has slowed me. Looking back now - after having had many years of wild and wonderful, uncomfortable and unreasonable, well-intentioned and downright stupid life experiences - I think I intuitively realized that I had a path, but I frequently wandered off of it in search of something I THOUGHT I needed. I have done this with jobs, many of which I have loved and learned a lot from but haven't served my vision well. I've done this with personal relationships, again learning and growing, but straying from my journey time and again. Yes, part of this could simply be chalked up to growing older, growing up. Living and learning. But don't you get the feeling sometimes that there are people out there that "got it" so much earlier in life than you? What makes them so damned smart? Why can't I seem to get it?? Whether or not you believe in such things as reincarnation, there is a this-life equivalent that's widely understood: you will learn the same lessons - a.k.a., make the same mistakes - over and over again (date the same guy, hang around the same people, take the same ill-fitting job, lose the same 10 lbs) until you decide to stop. Until you realize where your path is taking you and what you need to do (and...ahem...stop doing, for pete's sake) to get yourself back on the journey.

I've been reading some incredible books and blogs and stories lately about personal branding. I even put together a couple of posts myself and threw them on Twitter only to see my own following grow and grow in response. This is a hot-button topic out there, people! But, I wondered, did I call it the right thing? Am I REALLY talking about Personal Branding the way these insightful people are? Because I felt like the incredible breadth of knowledge out there didn't really capture the finer essence of what I meant to say. No, I don't mean to say that I've struck on something new. But I do feel like I'm trying to highlight something important, something slightly different.

I mean here today to start putting some separation between Personal Branding: The Key to Success and Personal Branding: the Finding Your Way Forward version. Because if you take a strictly business view of branding and what it brings to a company, it's obvious to most why this is important. You see why branding yourself appropriately can lead to that businessy/career-type success. You may not know how to do it (and if that's the case, there are many fabulous experts I'd be happy to direct you to) but you know it's getting to be one of those no-brainer things to do. However, if you take it back to a PERSON inside of all of this, there are many ways that personal branding becomes just as applicable in your holistic life. Have you thought about:

• why people struggle meeting their mate? keeping a marriage healthy?
• why you keep fighting the weight loss battle?
• why you're even keeping that ongoing family feud going?
• why there are fears (named and unnamed) lurking around in your head?

There are MANY subjects such as these. I think we've all either been there, are there now or are watching a good friend struggle though something like this, right? And I guess this is where things start to get a little therapy-self-helpy but in my mind, getting a grip on who you are and what you stand for is the first step toward finding not only career or outward success. But toward finding internal contentment as well. In my circle of friends, we sometimes talk about acceptance. Not that you have to accept that your life is your life and that's all you're going to get, so buck up. But moreso that once you quiet down, acknowledge yourself and accept that you are really quite good right here and now, then doors can start opening for you. You will have a better perspective on your personal goals and assessing whether or not they're serving your real life's mission. You will start to see how you're sabotaging yourself from your REAL goals by letting false ideas suck up your time and mess up decisions. You can see why hanging so much of your pre-bottled expectation on a simple first date can send you spinning. You will figure out why panic and fear don't make good job search coaches. You will take responsibility for the role you played in some of your past not-so-stellar-moments. And so forth.

And, my theory? You'll start to see how to fix 'em.

happy green day!

It's Earth Day! This year, more than any that I can remember in the past, there has been a lot of attention and focus on Earth Day in the mainstream - retail, media, internet chatter. I can personally say that I understand many non-Americans when they wonder why every day isn't Earth Day here in the United States. I often wonder that too. Just looking at Japanese and European lifestyles, I'm still surprised where we are today. We're slow to the party. But I feel like we're warming up quickly.

For me personally, I have always been a recycler. My mom has always had a productive garden. But moving into my loft three and a half years ago, I started taking other greenie causes more seriously. I don't know what it was about living here - perhaps the smaller foot print, the attention paid to green building, the lack of storage space leading to creative lifestyle changes, me and my social circle simply paying more attention to our surroundings, I'm not sure. But I know that I have taken many new (to me) principles to heart. And I know I have a long way to go.

This year, I'm making several Earth Day commitments to myself, my community and our planet. Are they revelatory? Perhaps not. But if this blog ever has a message it is that you can start anywhere, anytime and feel good about it. There's no measurement for your success as an individual, eco-freak, or what have you, other than the satisfaction you take from taking baby steps and moving forward at your own pace. No one's looking for a radical lifestyle change off the bat. But, as I've learned, once you start paying attention and learning the basics, it's awfully tough to turn away.

So Earth Day, for me, is about celebrating my own steps forward, assessing where I am in my journey, and putting some actionable goals out there in front of me for the coming year. This isn't just a day; it's a commitment. Mine happen to be:

1. continuing my education about food - I've been shifting focus to sustainable, local, organic and intend to keep moving in that direction
2. figuring out how to bring composting to my neighborhood (all condo and apartment dwellers...so this is a challenge)
3. making my own non-toxic cleaning products wherever possible
4. getting smart (and then reducing)my own carbon footprint - figure out all of these PCs, appliances, and the car...and use them in a cost- and energy-efficient manner
5. paying attention to the ingredients list on my skin care products and cosmetics
6. supporting local farmers, retailers, service providers through things like the farmers' market and the 3/50 project (a fun blog - new to me - that is written my a local fella and former colleague: http://www.simplegoodandtasty.com/)

Happy Earth Day everyone. Won't you give some thought to what you might do?

the soul of a restaurant...a cautionary tale

I spend far too much time watching Food Network. I can't help it. If there's one thing you could accuse me of it's being waaaay too into food. Mostly, I'm a food experience junkie. I have become a student in what makes the enjoyment of food...well...enjoyable, and it's a job I take quite seriously.

For me, this all started in the mid-90's with the maven that is Martha Stewart becoming more mainstream. I poured over her original Hors d' Oeuvres cookbook imagining the first "big" party I would soon throw. And in the intervening years, I've continued my study of cooking, plating & presentation, serving pieces, thematic events, and generally bringing a heightened level of attention to the finer details of food experience. In the end, these details shouldn't stand out but instead become a backdrop to wonderful food, interesting conversation and the feeling of contentment that a well-enjoyed meal brings.

My travels to Europe have been more about sitting in restaurants than visiting museums. I was fascinated to see how people dined there - the type of glass used, the way the menu was organized, how the service was conducted, the length of time people lingered at the table. It was a very different world than ours and I must say it changed the way I enjoy restaurants. I became more intrigued by the process (the process of enjoyment, I guess) than the destination (a satiated tummy). I started warning servers when we sat down, "We're going to be one of those long, lingering tables" and started not ordering my entree until appetizers, wine and salad were handled. I wanted a slower service and the connection with my dining companions, the server or sommelier, and the restaurant. If the restaurant and I connected, I'd be a fast friend returning time and again. Something all business owners strive for - because it's almost always cheaper to keep a customer than get a new one.

After I started seeing more and more of a little Canadian show called "Restaurant Makeover" on the Food Network, I started paying attention to what the chefs and interior/restaurant designers were dealing with. Sure, they picked at the menu, the ingredients, the lighting, the tables & chairs, the chefs. But they also railed on about quality ingredients and the chefs' capital-P passion for the food. So much of this was couched in or formed around the one element that tends to go missing in restaurants: soul.

Cooking and feeding people - according to those who love to do it - is about love. Putting your own personality, love, and attention to detail into an expression of your appreciation of those that you're feeding may indeed be the highest form of compliment. When you decide to package that love and open up a restaurant, I think, restaurateurs may neglect the point. Yes, you have to pay strict attention to critical elements such as food costs and labor issues, and fine tune atmospheric elements such as wine glasses and the comfort of the bathrooms, but if you lose sight of your goal of sharing your love of this food with your customers it's easy to mislay the soul of your business.

I recently had a terrible dining experience at a restaurant on the lovely Grand Ave in St. Paul. They have been known for their southern-style cuisine and I remember several great meals there. And I love spending local! This is a restaurant that's held on through the years, has recently freshened up its interior and beautiful new patio, but managed to deliver a mediocre - at the very best - brunch. I was just sad through the whole thing. First, I generally hate buffets because they're difficult to execute in a way that lets the food shine. Second, they didn't give you the option of ordering off the menu in addition to the buffet so our hands quickly became tied. Third, the quality of the food and the ingredients was lackluster. Scrambled eggs looked like Styrofoam and the roast that was sliced for us was like leather - overcooked, overworked and sitting for far too long. Fourth, I sort of wasn't getting the interior design. It just felt weird in there. Many elements were beautiful and well done but many were disconnected. As a southern-style restaurant, they had many directions they could go - Floridian, Creole, Tara, New Orleans, French, etc - and seemed to take a page from each one. And what of the large screen TVs and the toy train circling above the bar? Nothing shone through. But worst of all, for me, was the fact that they had many great opportunities to let the food stand above all the riff raff, and they missed the mark wildly.

(Ok, I don't know why I'm being so secretive about the restaurant name. If you are from the Twin Cities, you probably know the place by now. I don't want to offend anyone but at the same time, as a customer and food lover, I WANT THEM TO FIX THIS PLACE SO I CAN ENJOY IT AGAIN! So fine, it's Dixie's. Sorry.)

Previously, their food generally was quite good and they were known for some specialities - pulled pork, BBQ ribs, fried okra, their signature beef jerky, gorgeous biscuits, etc. But was ANY of this on the buffet? No. And I get it, it's brunch. But do you have to give up your identity to deliver it? The jambalaya had no seasoning and no kick. The red beans and rice were underwhelming, and I love me some red beans and rice! What do unaccented scrambled eggs, greasy bacon, chunks of pineapple, A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN for god's sake, and chocolate pudding have to do with Southern cuisine?! It was all too much. Yes, there was a lot of food but I could have been at Old Country Buffet for all I could tell. The bottomless mimosas were the only thing that kept us from feeling completely ripped off from the $19.95 per head that we paid. So we had 3 apiece. And started plotting.

Do I have some ideas for this place? Oh yes I do. I watch too much Food TV and believe I can spit harebrained ideas faster than the next person; I'm shameless that way. At my re-imagined Southern-style restaurant on Grand Avenue I'd be asking the proprietors to pick: is this a family restaurant for everyone, a special cuisine destination stop, a local bar that happens to sell food, what? I'd be wondering: is this Southern food with a Creole influence? (Because I think it should be...unique, loaded with food opportunities, thematic style options, etc) I'd be thinking: how will we get the word out? What will people say about us? What do we want them to say and are we managing that goal into everything we do?

Because I would want to rave about the perfectly seasoned jambalaya with delicate fresh shrimp. I would want to point out that they gave a little riff on the mimosa by adding some unique twist (a hurricane mimosa, perhaps?!). I would want a signature omelet menu instead of a list of basic ingredients I can get across the street at the Embassy Suite's free breakfast. I would like to see brisket and roasted chickens on the carving station, pulled pork and buns in the chafers. I would like to try the Key Lime Pie instead of it running out at 1pm. How about biscuits and gravy? A gumbo? Something that makes me feel the restaurant, experience what it's offering me. See into its soul.

And then work the execution. I understand the benefits of buffet brunches. But pick your shots. Have the right dishes on the buffet, don't fill the chafers full and let them sit too long. Make a few more "to order" dishes in the kitchen. Turn your carving guy into a carver and waffle maker, and don't serve those toppings looking like an afterthought. Use the best ingredients you can manage and charge accordingly. I'd gladly pay $25.95 or so for a really outstanding brunch. If I want cheap buffet food, I have lots of options. If you can't do buffet well, skip it. Do a beautiful, but more limited, brunch menu so I can order what I want. But be who you are and don't apologize for it.

Define your brand. Identify your message. Describe your soul. And then let the people eat.

get it gone

Ok this might end up sounding like more of a rant than anything helpful but I have acquired a fresh perspective in the past 24 hours. My beau asked me to help him sell a few things on craigslist.com, and of course I agreed. I have done a lot of eBay, etc in the past and am more comfortable than he is on the PC, internet, basically most technology. He's better in the kitchen. It's a fair trade. In the end, shopping through craigslist - like eBay, thrift stores, my mom's shops (see below for another gratuitous plug) - is the ultimate in recycling. Nothing goes to waste, nothing ends up in the landfill and if you play your cards right, you get a hefty commission for selling off someone else's stuff...oh wait...maybe that's just me? Anyway, it's a good, green (and green$) thing to do.

I'd never used craigslist before but, because of our little vintage resale business I have lots of eBay experience and more than my fair share of garage and estate sales under by belt. So I'm laughing a bit because he definitely thought I was nuts when we got started documenting things for the sale. But I knew a couple of things:

1. people will buy freaking anything
2. it's nearly impossible to sell stuff without decent pictures
3. lots of details help

I know it sounds duh-intuitive but just take a gander at craigslist and see how many BAD listings there are and you'll get my meaning. So there I was, staging a photo shoot for practically every item, taking 6-10 pics of each even though you can only list 4, measuring everything to within an inch of its life. I was a online selling madwoman. He was sitting there thinking "no one is going to buy that" and I went into overdrive as everyone and their uncle started emailing me with interest. This morning I listed the last 4 items but already I have commitments for $1150 and another $650 in sales pending. So I'm feeling pretty keen on this whole craigslist thing!

I also realize that my experience here matters so I'm going to share with you just a couple things that I think made my online selling go smoothly.

• get the description line right - There's plenty of room there so include relevant details like the diameter of the table or the height of the cabinet or - gasp - brands and model numbers! You'd be pained to see how many listings start "wood table" and make you click into the listing to get more. Not super enticing. Oh and if it works, say so. I guess people sell stuff that doesn't.
• clean it - For the love of god, do not try to photograph or sell a microwave with baked on food in it. Dust off the stuff that's been in the basement, give everything a good polishing up. You'll drive good prices if it looks nice.
• take key pictures - Yes, one of the whole item. But also close up shots of details like the back or seat of a chair, the inputs on the back of the TV, the manufacturer label (as long as it's legible of course), the intricate carving work on a statue. You get the idea.
• measure! - adding exterior (and in the case of our chest freezers, interior) measurements can help a lot. I saved myself some quality patio lounging time NOT having to meet someone who wanted to make sure his home brew keg could fit inside the freezer. Between my measurements and his link to the keg specs, we determined that it wouldn't fly and I could quickly move on to the next interested party.
• be nice, respond to everyone and keep good track - The uplifting high of "someone wants to buy our junk!" throws you in a frenzy, particularly if you have multiple listings. You'll get a lot of karmic credit just for nicely replying to someone and letting them know if there's an interested party ahead of them in line, apologizing if they weren't quick enough to get the item, getting back to them when you say you will. No, there's no rating system on craigslist but take the brownie points and be grateful when you need to go back to an interested party because your "I'll take it" guy flaked out.
• and before you list, ask your people - I sold a ton of stuff to qualified, trustworthy and honest buyers: my friends. I uploaded all the pics to flickr.com, sent an email with the details and link to the pics and voila. Instant venue for selling, no listing and dorking around with strangers showing up.

There you have it.

Now if you want to see some really cool stuff that's had the hand of my mother, Queen of Clean, touch it, pop over to one of her stores and look for the booth that says "Pretty Things" at the top. It will be the one with the bright vintage household goods, old school Hawaiian shirts, fancy ladies scarves, and more.

Mall of St. Paul - Selby & Fairview
Sophie Joe's - West 7th, just outside of downtown St. Paul