Exit Wound…

Okay - The heat is turned up now! 

Over the last 30 - 45 days I have given you a glimpse at what I feel will be a huge space in the world of Online Personal Branding. Microbranding is an emerging space and the definition Microbrandology is powerful in it’s right. I will continue to cover the space because I feel it’s relevant. In fact I am convinced that it is relevant. 

I have met some amazing people in this space and I am sure I will meet even more. This industry is HUGE - very huge and I cant see where it’s losing momentum - BUT as for me, this is my exit wound. This is where I say “peace”. NOT 100% gone - but just leaving this space. 

As a gift - I wanna leave you with a name. 

Kela Price. I need you to wrap your mind around this name, because after a brief conversation I had with this Indianapolis based “PR Guru” - I strongly feel that many of the traditional Personal Brand folks are gonna have a force to reckon with. Not only is she a “power-house” in the PR realm - she is also a crafty Brand Agent who is breaking the ground in Social Media. Imagine that… PR/Personal Brand/Social Media - wow… 

Keep Branding! 

The Art of Changing Midstream: Part 4

Wow - How time fly’s and what happens in such a short period of time eh? Well let’s get back to it. In the post before we were able to tell our minds to “SHUT THE FREAK UP”, and if you only knew how huge that is you would be screaming right now… In fact.. Go ahead… SCREAM! Yeah, at the top of your lungs, SCREAM! 

Finished yet? 

Okay let’s get on with it… We have managed to shut our minds down, well, at least the part that is talking against us - and hopefully we have been able to get into that part of our mind that is going to launch us into our “change” the “solution based” mind. The solution based mind is the one - that enables us to flow freely in our purpose because it’s is always willing to give us room to shift and apply our talents, gifts, and passions in a profound and meaningful way. It’s when you start to give your Solution Based mind more “creds” that it can really go into overdrive and start to truly transition you. 

The Foundation

I told you that I am going to start to give you the foundational pieces that you need to truly make a shift, and make that shift affect your Global Microbrand in a positive vs negative way… Here are the steps - don’t write them down… Just come back here and get em… 

1. Tell the world about your new role in the earth - Go through all 1,000 of your social networks nd stand brave on your new role in the Earth, and tell em - I am now a “blah, blah, blah” 
2. Change all of your signature blocks in your email accounts
3. Go talk to a Printer so that she/he can start designing your new business cards and stuff
4. Start to talk to your Blog Readers - start telling them NOW that you are changing focus - THIS is where you will find your Supporters or Big Fans, there ARE two types of Readers you know…
5. Start Evangelizing your new area of focus - I mean rant and rave about it.

Personal Example

As you know, I am writing this because I am in the midst of a shift 1. Because I feel a N E E D  to, and 2. my Agency will need me in a new role as we move forward this year.  ABOVE AND BEYOND both of these reasons though is that I had an encounter with ME that blew my mind - and now I am going to walk in that flow.. Okay.. End of Praise Report…. 

I am shifting… The first thing I did was #1 and that was scary AS ALL HELL! But the fact is - when you are multi-talented and gifted in many arena’s you have to find the balance, and know when to shift to become a solution. I started “taking down my tents” in all of my Social Networks. AND if you are connected with me you saw this happening. If fact on my MySpace page I started saying.. “Changing right before your eyes…” NOW THAT IS BEAUTIFUL! Changing my title (which I hate) was the tedious part because I had to define what I do in a simple blurb - thus: Digital Storyteller, Founder - was born. 

SIDEBAR: At Sapien Harbor, it is my role to turn our work there into digital imagery, video’s, art works, and other media that allows us to get the message across about our defined projects. Right now we are working on Resident, Health & Fitness Catalyst - Matt Hardwicks program - Choose 2 Lose 2008. 

SO once I got that done… Went in and updated all of my Public Profiles with the new data, I then moved in to step 2 - Real easy… Here’s my new signature block… 

Vincent A. Hunt

Digital Storyteller | Founder

Sapien Harbor

iPhone. 229.518.8628

Email. vincent@sapienharbor.com

Web. www.sapienharbor.com

Agents of Change & Human Advancement

Rethink. Redefine. Reinvent. 

Slick huh?  NOW this is where I am now… Going to see the printer… LOL!! I am now having to merge my Personal Brand with my Agency Brand, and being a Designer THIS takes much thought. BUT you can see where I am going with this.

BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION. 

Break down what “was” and build what will be. We are living in a time where information is absolute King. We are living in a time where to change your personal Global Microbrand - you have to have very dynamic admin skills so that you can insure that everything that you do is complete and accurate. HOW can you maintain all of this? I am a BIG TIME FAN of Mind Mapping - because you can start to organize your content in a way that will flow for you and also help you organize your thoughts. 

So rather you are JUST starting to build your Global Microbrand OR Re-Define your brand, then thisshould give you a good start!! 

Think Change! 

The Art of Changing Midstream Part 3

2. Quiet the voices in your mind. They will talk you out of your destiny. 

Let me start off with an example of this one, and you will se EXACTLY what I mean. 

Have you ever been driving along in your car, or riding your bike, and you pause or even stop your vehicle for a second to either let someone cross the street, or to avoid making “road kill”, or simply to OBEY THE LAW and stop at a stop sign for that extra second or two? Then when you get up the road you see an accident that happened RIGHT BEFORE YOU GOT THERE? I bet that in that moment you said to yourself.. 

“Wow, if I had not stopped at that stop sign for those two seconds THIS could have been me…” 

And if this has not happened to you, I can tell you that it happens millions of times each and everyday, BUT it happens in different parallels too. For instance, you are sitting in your office, and something tells you - “Post that article about blah, blah, blah, or whatever…” and then there is a second voice that says.. HOLD UP!! That’s not within your capacity or your scope!! Now.. This is where it’s tricky - That second Voice is the voice of “Lost Opportunity” the First voice is the voice of “Innovation” - The first voice is the one that will open a new door for your life and allow you to express your unique value proposition in new and creative way - showing off your dynamics… 

Tell the second voice to SHUT THE FREAK UP!!!! - 

I want to use another word there but “freak” will work just fine …. Yeah - that’s right - Tell the second voice - the conditioned voice to SHUT UP!! and do it quick so it does not have a chance to build up a case against you… Cause it will… The second Voice is your Ego - or conditioned mind building up walls that it wants you to work within, and this is usually tied to emotional strongholds like, fear and doubt. The moment you can start to operate out of your creative and “forward” mind - the part of you that is always changing and adapting to the “solution based” way of thinking vs the “complacent mindset” the sooner you can discover your true dynamics. 

I bet you thought I was going to give you some scientific way to quiet your mind… Didn’t you? Come on - BE HONEST! Lol!! Fact is you have a LOT of control that you probably have not exercised in a long time. The simple truth is that you need to allow your self flow - even if it’s against the norm or what you have been taught to be “the norm”. So here lets sum this up - Tell the voices in your mind to… 

SHUT THE FREAK UP!! 

Now that you are no longer afraid of Public Opinion and you have the ability to flow in your “solution based” mind… We can now start to build the foundation of the “change”… You know the drill… You will get that tomorrow… 

Think Change! 

The Art of Changing Midstream Part 2

1. Never sacrifice ”change” because of the fear of “public opinion

Yep I said it… Just as plain as day… NEVER SACRIFICE CHANGE BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF PUBLIC OPINION…If you are reading this you are probably a “Brand Guru” or someone aspiring to be. I have a few listed in my links over to your right if you need some more insight on becoming one, BUT for the sake of time and argument I am going to cut to the meat of this… 

I promised I would share with you how you can effectively Change Your Role Midstream with very little “fall off” of break down of your brands integrity. Before I can get into all of that, I have to first break the stronghold in your mind that will not let you shift because of public opinion. This public opinion is also reinforced by the belief system that you were fed from the age of about ummmm 10 to about 18 - that says… go to school, get an great education, graduate with a shiny degree, get a shiny job, and retire one day… NEVER DO THEY MENTION THE TARNISH!!! What’s tarnish? Hmmmm… Downsizing? Outsourcing? Need I go on with that? Nope? Didn’t think so.. I think we all hate TARNISH… 

The Public Opinion - The Breeder of Shift Fear…. 

You have spent countless hours in your role. You have built strong relationships around your brand, and set in place some pretty powerful stuff to help you perpetuate the adoption of your brand, and rightfully so. But its’ the very thing that you built that will hold you captive in a dimension of your brand that has met it’s season. While you know that your shift is indeed - what your brand needs for growth (because its all really about your value proposition anyway… it was NEVER about a title…) you hear the voices of your Colleagues chiming in your mind - saying “Hey - what about our plans? What about the big goals we had…?” - ITS these voices that will cause you to play “freeze tag” in your mind - and will keep you from making the big shift you need to. THEN here comes good ol trainin… “Surely you have not been in this role long enough! Surely you should be looking toward retirement!!” WHATEVER!! LOL!! That thinking, ALL of it SUCKS!!! 

Sidebar: When it’s time to shift - SHIFT or miss your destiny!!! Perhaps…. 

So now that I have revealed this to you… I bet you wanna know HOW to quiet the voices in your mind so you can shift??? I will talk about that tomorrow :) 

Think Change! 

Thanks Be to God For Speedy Decisions…

Finally ended talks with the team at Sapien Harbor. Though my role is absolutely changing, I am excited because I really feel that I will better serve my team in the new capacity. I am not ready to launch the new role just yet - I am trying to let it all sink in before I blurt it out - BUT if you have been following me in the various Social Networks that I flow in you would have gotten a glance at my shiny new role already IF NOT… SHAME ON YOU!! And you will just have to wait til tomorrow OR the next day ORRRRR the next day to find out… I am seriously letting my brain rest a bit before all the hard stuff begins… 

Think Change! 

The Art of Changing Midstream…

Well - after two days of constant brainstorming, the verdict is in.  Let me give you a backdrop to this before I get started so that you can see what happened here, because it MIGHT just happen to you, one day, perhaps… 

As you know - IF you have been following this blog, I have been aggressively evangelizing the role of the Microbrandologist, and yes - Microbrandology. Well at the same time I have been formulating the “Dream Team” at Sapien Harbor, the Agency that I formed a few months ago to fill the gaps that I have discovered in the world of Personal Branding. Well - all was going good until we had a meeting of the minds and we started looking at the collective value proposition of our team. From Fitness Trainers to Career Coaches we have the makings of one heck of a Human Development Company, which is how I envisioned it from the start - BUT what’s amazing is that it’s growing organically even at the value proposition level. We have a lot more to offer than we ever imagined and it’s getting quite complex to be honest. 

So to make a long story short - Sapien Harbor is breaking up into different divisions which will be released in phases. And out from the dust I get a new role - which encompasses a lot more of my Value Proposition. THIS is both good and bad. Bad because I was really on a roll with Microbrandology (which we are still keeping under development) and now I am going to have to deviate a bit to focus on my role a bit more, good because I can stretch my personal content a bit more, and really attack the whole online reputation management piece in a big way. 

Now, HOW do I manage this shift? How do I re-fertilize the digital airwaves with the fresh content that I need to without totally killing my Personal Brand? THIS IS THE QUESTION! In the next few post I am going to share with you my strategy so that you can get a play by play action on how to do this if it Ever happens to you! 

Keep Brandin! 

The Principals Behind Microbrandology

If you have been following along with this blog, you have seen it grow organically into not only a straight forward guide to Microbranding (Microbrandology) but a resource written so that you not only begin to understand Microbrandology, but you can also wrap your mind around it’s concepts and apply it to your practice. Until now you have been engaged in the foundational aspects of Microbrandology - however; over the next couple of weeks as we lead up to the first workshop that I will be releasing under the Sapien Harbor banner “Mind Mapping - Unlocking Your Mind and Awakening Your Potential” - I will start to give you some of the basic principals that have been defined and set in place to truly help individuals discover their Personal Global Microbrand. In this writing I will make it very clear the areas that we focus on when working with our clients, both on the Personal and Company level. 

Microbrandology deals with 4 components of the Brand process - 

1. Discovery 
2. Definition
3. Design
4. Deployment

This is where each client starts, rather it be a Personal Microbrand or Company Microbrand. These 4 components remain consistent and seldom ever change. Microbrandology, takes this model further. Microbrandology recognizes and expands on current Branding technologies to include: 

1. Social Networking
2. Viral Marketing
3. Global Niche Market Positioning

Because of the listed technologies, during the 4 core phases of development, discovery, definition, design, and deployment  we are always correlating back to these technologies - optimizing the brand to meet the demands of each of the 3 technologies. This is critical to Microbranding because beyond being a locally recognized, and distinct Value Proposition - we are heavily focused on developing Global dissemination of the brand, broadening the reach of the brand. 

Once we have established the brand and set in place the technologies required to truly drive the brand - we then actively administrate the Global Microbrand in the following ways - 

1. Personal/Collective Content Management
2. Proactive Online Reputation Management

 Once a brand has been set in place - one of the key areas that have to remain in tact so that the brand does not lose it’s value proposition in a cloud of information, that can arise from the Social Media process, is Personal/Collective Content Management. Effectively managing the content that encompasses the Global Microbrand is essential to the brands growth and development cycle. The publishing of content, the release of value proposition is dependent upon personal/collective content organization and delivery. The quality of this exchange is managed through Personal/Collective Content Management. 

Proactive Online Reputation Management is directly connected with the quality of the brand. By proactively monitoring the conversations online surrounding the brand - Global Microbrand Champions can - 

1. Discover new channels of opportunity
2. Insure brand quality and integrity

Though what is written here is topographical at best - it should start to give you a good idea of what is entailed with the Microbranding process, and the principals behind Microbrandology.

Does The Glorious Nike Swoosh Look Like The Subtle But Sweet Adidas 3 Stripes? NO!

This falls more under Personal Branding, and falls a little into Microbranding - BUT I have to talk about this while it’s hot in my mind. After spending over 13 years in the Design Industry I can tell you this.. I have touched a LOT of Brand Icons, I think you call em “Logo’s” right? Well whatever you call em Brand Icons or Logo’s - they are both visual representations of the brands they cover. Nike has the glorious “Swoosh” and Adidas has the Subtle but Sweet “Three Stripes” - I am going national here so you can start to draw a picture in your mind. THIS IS IMPORTANT! 

When I wake up in the morning and I am about to dawn my wardrobe for the day - I consciously think about how what I am going to put on - makes me F E E L. 

DISCLAIMER: I promise not to start rambling right here - stick with me… 

Above how what I put on makes me feel - I also start to think about the idea of what I am wearing “does it authentically flow with my Brand”. Let me explain this…

I ask myself - “Does a suite and tie communicate my brand?” OR does it talk against my brand? Wow right? Then HERE COMES THE BUM RUSH… This Personal Brand Guru wears a suite! That Personal Brand Guru wears a suite! “Successful People wear SUITES!!” Whoa… 

SIDEBAR: Your mind has been trained for literally - decades to believe a set of rules designed by a culture that is clueless even to it’s own destiny… Have you heard of “the blind leading the blind?” 

So as I slide elegantly into a fresh pair of my favorite denim jeans -  DIESEL, and preferably a black long sleeved light weight “T” with the sleeves pulled up just enough to expose my glamorous cross tattoo on my right wrist -  and my favorite black Kenneth Cole time piece on my left arm. I spray on some of my favorite cologne (which ALSO happens to be DIESEL - my wife picked it out), and I check my freshly shaven head for flawless precision - I start “feeling” like my brand and start “looking” like my brand. I MIGHT throw on a Sports Coat - nothing over bearing but relevant. In a crowd of brands I am like a sore thumb - Like a BIG NIKE SWOOSH. As this picture comes together I start to look very much like this… 

How Ironic huh? Calculated? Yes… See the secret is this… I think Steve Jobs is on it - YES it’s 100% correct to dawn your “Sunday’s Best” in some situations - BUT what does your brand REALLY look like? What does it smell like? Sound like? How A U T H E N T I C are YOU - Most importantly - are you walking around as your brand expressed? OR are you a Nike looking like an Adidas? 

Keep Brandin!

Who is Vincent A. Hunt Anyway?

Wow - How raw can Personal Branding get? LOL!! I was challenged yesterday by a Colleague of Mine Hajj Flemings ( I have mentioned him several times on my blog lately, he has been pushing the bar a bit..) because he just started a series called “What is Your Brand Story” - now you see the scope of this. If you take a moment and read his post —>HERE<—- you will see what he means about “What is Your Brand Story”.

Who is Vincent A. Hunt Anyway…

I am a Blogger, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Futurist, Conceptualist, Change Agent, Market Maker, Deeply Creative, Attractor of Information, Philanthropist, Human Independence Activist, Fearer of God…”

Ever since I was 12 years old, I knew that I was uniquely different. I was always thinking about how business worked and how to re-invent processes to simplify things. Deeply creative, I could take concepts and ideas and compose them into pictures and story lines that were easy to digest and understand. At 13 I started my first business  opening my eyes to the possibilities of Entrepreneurship. By the age of 17 I was aggressively evangelizing the power of business ownership and made it up in my mind that I would be a Creator of Opportunities and an Ambassador of Independence.

Quintessentially - I am the guy that will change your life forever. Vincent A. Hunt “the brand” is quite simply a “Change Agent”. The passion behind the brand rest in the desire to see Humans come into face-to- face contact with their inner core, their passions, and dreams and to walk in purpose and destiny. My brand developed the terms “Microbrandology” and “Microbrandologist” to help articulate the practice of Global Microbranding. The Vincent A. Hunt Mantra carries throughout my Agency Sapien Harbor…

“Rethink. Redefine. Reinvent” 

 

Definition - 
I am put on this Earth to challenge the norm and to help others tap directly into their Value Proposition.

Connection -
I am best connected with individuals who have a strong desire for change, transformation, and above all liberation.

Value -
My brand is uniquely positioned at a time where people are authentically realizing that living the “Duracell Battery Life” just is not enough anymore, and sacrificing destiny and purpose is no longer acceptable.  

 

Okay.. How is that? 

 

Keep Brandin! 

The Power of Completion

Yesterday I was sitting in my home office and a friend of mine named Jimmie Fair came by and he started rambling on about the goals that he has for this year. We started talking about some of his writing projects, ones started, ones 75% of teh way done - so on and so forth. The conversation was going along just fine until he said these words… 

“I just have a hard time completing stuff…” 

Wow. What if Bill Gates had this problem? Steve Jobs? Oh LORD not Steve, If he had this problem I would not be able to be sitting here gleaning at 24 Inches of iMac glory… What if Nike had this problem? I would have to conclude that if the major brands that we engage from day to day had the problem called “hard time completing stuff” then we would be in a pretty bland world. Well at least - to some degree. 

So this small nugget of thought leads me to this… Does YOUR brand have a problem with completing stuff? I mean really… Do you find yourself at the bottom of a stack of Brand Ideas that are just festering with “incompleteness”? Heck - when I think about it - I personally have a project or two that sits within my “to-do” list just calling my name, begging to get done. Thanks be to God that I am not Nike right? BUT what does this do to my Value Proposition? Really - Think about this… One of the projects that I have just hanging out there is a book that I feel will change lives - much how Nike changed how we run with their “Shox” line of running shoes. I REALLY FEEL THIS WAY ABOUT THIS BOOK. But where is it? Yep.. Sitting in my “to-do” list. 

“One of the greatest skills that a brand can have is the Art of Completion…” 

I mean that, I really do. Being able to divinely envision a project that will be the next cure to Brand Starvation is one thing - to COMPLETE it is totally another. As a Global Microbrand you have to be willing to stick a thing out, stay on the boat, run faster, whatever it takes to get your value proposition in the Earth. Yep - you sure do. 

Keep Brandin!