I’ve been doing some thinking about personal branding the past few days. On Flipboard and Zite (apps), I’ve come across plenty of articles that speak to this topic. I decided this morning during a 5:45 am walk with my dog, Gage, to write some thoughts about a personal brand. Some of what you’ll read is from personal experience and some is from observations and then more will be insights I’ve pulled from reading I’ve done in the past.

We all pretty much know what a brand is – it’s that “something” that a company/person is trying to sell. It could be a product like tires, coffee, or clothes. It could be an experience like freedom, uniqueness, or fun. It could be an idea – excellence, perfection, fashion.

But what is a personal brand? It’s not too far off what most companies brand. In most cases, personal branding has been recognized as how to market yourself. But to get at the reality of a personal brand, I am simplifying it to 3 statements:

1. Who I think I am
2. What I do & say
3. Perceptions of others

At the intersection of these 3 ideas is reality – the real you, your personal brand.

Over the next couple of posts, I want to flesh out what I mean by each of the 3 statements. I’ll identify 3 types of people in your life: Haters, the Herd, and Helpers. (Don’t get worked up by the word “Haters”. You’ll soon learn what I mean). I’ll talk about price tags and our tendency to place the biggest price tags on things that don’t move us forward.

During the next few blog posts, I welcome your comments and insight.

As always, you can begin following this blog or follow me on Twitter @jimmyjohnsonfw.