When Ned Tomasavic picked up the phone to call an investor for the first time, he realized he wasn’t just selling a product, the knowledge gained in his career, or his MBA experience. He was asking for an investment in himself. Raising money to start a search fund proved his personal brand was his most valuable resource.
While most MBA’s will not go on to run a search fund -- although it sounds awesome -- developing and communicating a unique personal brand is critical to any job search or meaningful career growth.
“Always, is the time to get started on this,” Ned told the group. “Let your passion drive you.”
Geared with his own stories of contacting nearly 7,000 people and 3 years spent at Ross and the University of Michigan, Ned shared strategies for fine tuning and leveraging personal brand on Friday, Nov. 9 at the first Design and Business lab of the year, Beyond the Odyssey: Developing Your Personal Brand.
Knowing your personal brand is knowing yourself. Students should know where they have come from, how their past has made them who they are today, and where they want to go in the future.
Once you know who you are, Ned advised students to develop a script to communicate the value of their brand. That script should involve answers to the following questions:
- Why are you doing this?
- Who are you and what makes you think you can do this? Why you specifically?
- Do you really know what you’re getting into and how do you plan to do it?
The next step is how? Differentiating yourself from the masses takes creativity, and a little bit of hustling. D+B Chief Academic Strategic Chair Grant Hughes led the group through a brainstorming session to identify some tactical steps to communicate that brand. “What tools can you use to help move you on your passion?” Grant asked the group.
Here is what they came up with:
- Use tools like LinkedIn and Twitter to share your interests and reach out to people you would like to be in touch with. Be bold.
- Start a blog or page on Tumblr, Posterous or Pinterest.
- Engage with people online by starting conversations on LinkedIn Groups, asking questions on Quora, commenting on articles and blogs, or sharing articles with your social networks.
- Connect with people offline through telephone or skype conversations, striking up random conversations in the right places (you never know who you are going to meet when your flight is delayed), attending or speaking at “niche” conferences, and attending unique events in your area (like Selma Café!)
- Use sites like Slideshare, Do.com, Wonderlist, Highrise, Evernote, Contactually, Yesware, Boomerang and Springpad to get organized.
- Stay updated on topics you care about using Google Reader, Google News Updates and reading industry publications.
- Create a “syllabus” for an exploration of your area of interest and stick to it.
Remember, business school is the time to try new things, push yourself and make mistakes quickly. “If you think you can do it, maybe you aren’t pushing yourself enough,” said Ned. “Let your passion drive you.”
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Want to learn more about building a search fund or looking for experience in an entrepreneurial setting? Ned is looking for help with his external marketing. Contact Ned at ned@tomacap.com if you’re interested.
Special thanks to Ned and Grant for leading us through a great lab. And thanks to Sam Chen for amazing photos, as always!