To build an authentic personal brand, you must be honest. – Eve Voyevoda | Branding | Coaching

Do you want to have an original personal brand? Be genuine and authentic. People can sense a lie. Don’t risk losing your reputation for a pretty picture. You need to know your customers, but first, find yourself, accept yourself, and align with your core values. Your story is worthy of being known and recognised.

A common dilemma between real and made-up personal brands can be described as “unprepared vs fake”. So I’d like to discuss authentic branding and the “real you” in this post.

But let’s talk about Fake brands first!

What defines a fake brand, and how to recognise them?

A brand promise that was never fulfiled. Such influencers usually promise the world easy methods to get what you want. Also, very manipulative.
Replacing valid human values with “preferable social presentation.” From fake filters to constant bragging about x-figures business and money. Yes, money does not define you, not making you good or bad, so as car, house, flat, spouse, culture, or religion. But for fake brands, these are the only things that matter.
No evidence of the significant transformation of pain made up the rags to riches story. In their stories, you will find that everybody was guilty of their failures. Also, if you will investigate a bit deeper, you will find that their success is not related to the story they tell.

By the way, we can’t call them brands, but as they can themselves brands, it’s essential to know how to see through it.

How do genuine brands behave?

Your personal brand represents you in any case. But unfortunately, when people try to show up as authentic, they often believe that “no makeup & no dress-up” means natural. This approach doesn’t mean real; it means unprepared. So what is real then?

The authentic brand is a leader.

When you know your “Why” and learn a lot about yourself, you start getting ideas about where you are heading in life. Then, as you’ve passed through a few powerful transformations that changed your way of thinking, your lifestyle, your mindset, and your belief system, you’ve got the experience. Finally, when you set your vision and are on the way to building your own individual path to success, this is when you learn how to lead.

You become a personal brand that leads when you “walk your talk”. You know what you stand for; you have planned where you are going and are ready to take your followers on a journey.

Why is it important to understand that a personal brand, or any brand, is a leader?

Because if you take this idea into consideration, the “no makeup” or “no dressed-up” view no longer matters. What matters is that you know where you are going and can show your audience a path. There are many instruments of a leading brand: storytelling, values, purpose, why, vision, mission, tone of voice, and strategy. All of these tools will help the audience to find an exemplary leader for them.

Authentic brands give “brand promise” to their audience. They do everything possible to deliver and fulfil it. The authentic brands are living, breathing examples of transformations they have experienced. They lead people confidently because they have been in the shoes of their audience. They constantly adjust and work on their methods, inspired by their audience outcomes.

Would you like to build an authentic personal brand that reflects your true personality? If so, you may like to join my program “Find Your Brilliance“. Let’s chat on LinkedIn and see if this program is the best fit for you :)