Who are you?!

In last week’s blog, I said that I would be writing a follow-up blog on how I set myself apart from the other applicants. Well, here it is… Entrepreneurs, consider this free knowledge, your early Christmas gift!

I titled this blog who are you, because people want to know who you are, what have you done, what do you want to accomplish, and are you really who you say you are. This is all part of your “branding.” You have to build your “brand.”

When I first showed interest in my new position, the General Manager set up a lunch meeting with me, just to feel me out, and see if this new position was right for me. He told me “I don’t just hire the best people, I hire good people.” This meant that he is not going to hire someone because they are the best at what they do, he is going to hire someone for their dedication and ambition to succeed.

Our lunch lasted about two hours and was basically him asking me a series of questions. One question he asked was “why do you want to make more money?”
I replied, “if I make more money, I can give more money.”
He asked me to elaborate on this and I told him if I made more money than I would be able to help people out more.
My motivation to make more money wasn’t so that I can buy a big house and fancy cars. My motivation was to be able to help others out. This gave him a glimpse of my character. I could tell him all these things about me, but do I have what I say to back it up?

Fast Forward, my company had a happy hour networking event. The GM and I ran into each other, and he had more questions to ask me. He said, “a good boss will search you out and see if you are who you are.” Guess what?!

He searched me out on all my social media networks including my website that has my testimony. I know right?! Trust me, I was so nervous at this time, my hands were sweating, I had hot flashes, thoughts of ruining my chances ran through my mind (if you know my testimony), but I was still going to press through. He even read my blogs and recited titles back to me.

Let’s fast forward again; we are in our final interview, and now I’m with the GM and the area manager of my new position. I’ve had a lot of talking time with the GM, but not so much with the area manager; only when I had done an observation at the new location, I was going to be working at.

I came prepared. I brought in a packet all nice and neat in a file folder. This packet included my interest letter, I had recommendation letters from previous managers and area managers I worked under, I had reports of my sales showing I was at the top, and I also put together a list of goals I had for my new position, but also personal goals I had about building my “brand” in my new position.

All of these things set me apart from the others and got me my position! I never once down talked my faith. I was very open about my faith and how my life has been built around my faith. Always remember to give God honor, because He will set you apart!
Let your words match your actions. Let your social media match your character. Let your work ethic speak for itself. Let everything you do and everything you believe in MATCH who you say you are. You are building YOUR own “brand.”

Don’t portray yourself to be one person in public, but then your social media outlets portray you to be someone different. Your brand is what sets you apart. I needed this packet to set me apart, because they didn’t know me, I had only been here for a few months, I had built my brand elsewhere, but it carried over, it followed me to where I am now.

Having great work ethic will follow you, just as much as having horrible work ethic will follow you. You can’t be lazy at work, only do work when you have deadlines, you have to excel at all times. Putting together this packet made me realize that no matter what geographical location I was at, my ethic and branding followed me. I had people recommend me that were in all different states, but they all said the same thing about me on paper.

Let your branding talk for you, let your branding open up opportunities for you, let your branding show how amazing you are, and most importantly let your branding showcase the God in you!
At the end of the day, my success is all because I didn’t give up and I wanted to show God’s goodness in my life. I went from being a high school dropout, graduating a semester early from high school, and going on to get my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree to working my way up this career ladder. All of this wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t have God on my side.

He has allowed my past to be a story and has allowed my present to override my past. My past is not forgotten because it made me who I am today, but what it has done is pave the way for my future success.

I’ll end with this. In the interview, my GM told me there was something special about me. You know what that special thing is… it’s God’s hand on my life!

He also went on to say that it’s amazing how I was able to persevere through everything I been through and still be successful. Now mind you, he has read my WHOLE testimony, so he knows it ALL. There was a girl who was really successful in this position, and her dedication to succeed came from having a testimony as well. I can’t remember his exact words, but the GM basically said that this girl’s success and my success came from overcoming these tragic events that happened to us and it’s those tragic events that have given us the fuel to push through and succeed when life says to give up!

So, don’t give up! No matter what you have been through, you can still succeed. Be who you say you are. Build your brand and don’t forget to give God all the glory, because ultimately it is God who has promoted you first, which cultivates here on Earth. Your future successes await you!

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”