Own your virtual presence

April 7, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner, By Lori Milner, author, entrepreneur, thought leader, and founder of Beyond the Dress

In a nutshell, our personal brand is how we show up in other people’s minds. We tend to only think of dress or body language as a key indicator of how we come across. This is only a tiny piece of the personal brand pie. Our virtual brand is about how we represent ourselves across all the channels and touch points we utilise, including social media, email, WhatsApp, text and phone calls.

Entrepreneur Advice from Lunice Johnston: Be disciplined and professional

February 16, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Lunice Johnston, founder of Lunice Johnston Communications (South Africa) — **Lunice Johnston,** founder of Lunice Johnston Communications (South Africa)

Be disciplined and professional…

“Be disciplined - wake-up every morning with a purpose… dress up, take your handbag and physically go to a workspace, even if it's at a dining room table. Don’t ever fall into a habit of working in your PJs. Allow yourself enough me-time, as you will certainly bear the fruits. Be professional - your personal brand is of utmost importance in building your business.”

- Lunice Johnston is the founder of Lunice Johnston Communications, a South African communications professional with a passion for guiding her clients on their own business journeys in the public domain. Her company specialises in media relations, PR, reputation management, crisis communication, stakeholder management, social media management and training.Read Lunice’s startup story.

Quote of the Day by Raksha Mahabeer

June 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Raksha Mahabeer (R) is the co-founder of SummerTime (South Africa) — Raksha Mahabeer (R) is the co-founder of SummerTime (South Africa)

"If you are in it for the long haul, you need to look at your personal brand as a necessary investment that will outlive you. The projects you work on will come and go, but your personal brand will persist and add value to everything you create."

- Raksha Mahabeer is a co-founder of SummerTime in South Africa, a vibrant creative design studio that specialises in fresh graphic design, comprehensive brand development and innovative marketing support services for both SMEs and corporate clients. Raksha is a connector, a communicator, a purpose-driven, inspired inspirer! She prides herself in partnering with SMEs in establishing new South African brands with a view to creating jobs in South Africa.

Entrepreneur Advice from Basetsana Kumalo: Build a successful personal brand

May 31, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Build a successful personal brand….

“When you wake up each morning, you have to think of yourself as a brand and act accordingly. How well you do that will define the brand’s success. If you live the brand well, people start to believe in it and buy into it. Over the years, people have shown great confidence in the Bassie brand and that’s been really humbling.”

- Basetsana 'Bassie' Kumalo is a South African television personality, beauty pageant titleholder, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1990 when she was crowned Miss Soweto and Miss Black South Africa at the age of 16. Since then, Bassie has become a formidable force in the business world and is widely respected as both an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. In 2011 she was honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.