Source: becksmithhollywood.com

Branding expert Daymond John talks a lot about the success stories of branding when it comes to products and companies.  How about naming celebrities that do a great job of branding themselves?

“The Kardashians,” instantly replies the “Shark Tank” star.  “They automatically come to mind.  You’ve got to think about it – they actually are really not known for anything…”  So true!  “…and yet they’ve become America’s sweethearts, America’s ‘Brady Bunch’ of today.”  What a scary idea.

He continues, “Kim has become a fashion icon, a beauty icon.  They can brand family, they can brand Hollywood, they can brand beauty.  None of it has to be because they sing or dance or anything else.”  As John notes in his first book, “Display of Power: How FUBU Changed a World of Fashion, Branding and Lifestyle,” “We all have the same engine under the hood.  It’s just that some people understand how to tap into that power.”

John is certainly tapping into his power in a major way.  He’s keeping up with the demands of his own FUBU business empire while on the road promoting his powerful new “The Brand Within” book – wherein readers learn how they, too, can make hay via branding.  He expects to stay just as busy traveling, speaking, meeting and appearing for the next couple of months.  He says he’ll know within six weeks what’s in store as far as the next season of his addictive ABC “Shark Tank” show, in which entrepreneurial wannabes and inventors endeavor to get John and his fellow sharks to invest in their wares.

If you can recognize the potential in something before anyone else, all you have to do it is tap in to that resource and the rewards will come your way. Being the first person to get access to a market, a material, a client or a concept will give you that much-needed head start. Then you’ll have the ability to maneuver outside the constraints of the bottom line.

At the same time you have to know whether or not what you’re looking at is really going to take off. Is this diamond in the rough just a pebble in the dirt? Be absolutely sure that what you’re trying to get is what you really need.

What do you think is the number one factor in generating creativity? It’s happiness. A person that is happy doing something will always come up with new and exciting product. Someone who enjoys what they do, who finds meaning and significance in their work will always be pleased to go the extra mile. It’s not even “work” to them; they genuinely love their job and most of what comes with it.

Now look at the flip side of that scenario. An individual that hates their work will always look for excuses to get out of doing anything extra. Who wants to spend any amount of time after hours doing the things they dislike? Making sure that your employees are content, by affirming that they are in the correct position (sometimes people don’t know that they aren’t cut out for certain roles), is an important part of overseeing a strong and prolific organization.