“The point of a brand is to provoke emotional affinity, and no one can do that like a person,” says Jessica Zweig, founder of SimplyBe. In 2008, with no business experience, Jessica co-founded Cheeky Chicago, the largest online platform for singles in Chicago. Despite growing a business that she was one of the faces of, she eventually realized she needed to part ways with her then co-founder.  She sent an email to her network, and before she was earning tens of thousands of dollars a month in retainer fees for her advice and consultation. It was then that she realized SHE was her own best asset and brand. 

People want to buy from people, and incorporating yourself into your branding strategy not only increases your current growth, but keeps the door open for long term possibilities. Some people are understandably reticent to put themselves out there on social media, but it’s worth the potential impact. As Jessica says, it’s crucial to let go of caring what anyone thinks of you.

To grow a sustainable brand, it is crucial to create continuous opportunities. Here, Jessica recommends asking 3-5 people in your life to describe your intrinsic value, explains how our vibe attracts our tribe, and the difference between being a business owner and a shopkeeper.

Quotes

• “When you create a business that is so intrinsically connected to you, which if you’re an entrepreneur it always is, to say I want to walk away from this is equivalent to saying to yourself I’m going to cut off my right foot. It just doesn’t equate because you’re so connected. But I had to follow the call of my soul.” (7:34-7:54 | Jessica)

• “I realized that I had an asset called my personal brand. ‘Cheeky’ was not the brand, I was. And I didn’t even realize that.” (13:13-13:27 | Jessica)

• “People do business with people. That’s my mantra. When a brand message is shared by a person, versus the company sharing that brand message it gets 561 percent more engagement.” (20:06-20:21 | Jessica)

• “We all have a unique reason for being here, and your product and your business can be manifestations and expressions of that reason for being.”(24:57-25:05 | Jessica)

• “People want you to win.” (42:51-42:53 | Jessica)

• “If you have those people who have your back, who are going to lift you up, call you out, but support you every step of the way, you won’t fail.” (44:57-45:08 | Jessica)

Connect with Jessica Zweig:

Website | https://simplybeagency.com/

Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/jessicazweig

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