How a Personal Brand Can Help You Start a Side Business

Most of us can use a little extra income and developing a personal brand is one way to make this happen.

Plus, there’s something so rewarding about making a side business work. And who knows, it might just turn into a profitable full-time gig.

So, how can a personal brand put extra money in your pocket?

Step 1: Define Your Strengths

When you create a personal brand, one of the things you need to do is get clear on your strengths and capabilities – this will also give you some ideas about how you can earn more money in your spare time.

Step 2: How Can You Make a Difference?

Next, you want to outline how you would like to make a difference in your community. By answering this question, you will slowly start to define who your target audience is, and the pain points you can potentially assist them with.

Step 3: Tell Your Story

Personal brands are built on stories and writing your story down will help you get clear on your core values. Values are important to people because they indicate whether someone can be trusted, and people want to do business with someone they can trust.

Step 4: Build an Online Presence

Your personal brand, and side business, is going to need an identity. Decide how and where you can best reach your target audience. Next, collect the visuals you will require to build your presence on these platforms, including a logo, product photos, and personal branding photos. Decide which visuals are relevant to you, but professional personal branding photos are a must. You also want to ensure your profiles are consistent in terms of look and feel as well as tone.

Step 5: Connect with Your Community

The final step is to connect with your community. This could be in the form of social media posts, attending networking events, or even speaking at events where you can add value. As you start making people aware of your personal brand, they will also become aware of what you offer, sending some extra money your way.

Whether you truly want to make the effort to start a side hustle, or you simply want to test the waters, creating a personal brand is a worthwhile exercise.

Jamie Salima Love is a FingerLakes, NY and Boston MA based Headshot and Personal Branding Photographer extraordinaire. She has helped thousands of small businesses, brands, and entrepreneurs over her 20 yr career by creating updated photo libraries with stellar imagery. She is available for a multitude of services, whether you’re looking to work with her to simply update your Headshots, or to create an extensive Personal Branding Photography strategy and library with all the bells and whistles she’s got you covered.