The one with branding of a work at home woman

Saw this article. a good read :) 3 Tips to Discovering Your Brand as a Work at Home Woman Tags: Brand, Branding, Business, Discovering Our Brand, Martine de Luna, Personal Brand, The Work at Home Woman, Work at Home Women Posted in Marketing & PR 2 Comments » By Martine de Luna Building a personal brand is something I sort of “fell into” or did “by accident.” It was sometime last year that I realized this, over lunch with a chic and acclaimed, couture bridal designer here in my country. Looking at my blog, she quipped, “You don’t just have a blog; you don’t just write; I can see you have built a brand.” By this, she meant two things: One, that I had grown my blog to a certain level of influence and that it became synonymous with certain qualities. Two, that I had developed enough of an online presence, so that people could identify me as a kind of “go-to girl” if they wanted to start a blog, or build a website, and my blog as a “hub” for women who loved working from home. We All Are Our Own Brands: Like I said: I did all this unintentionally; it sort of just happened. That’s the thing with being a brand: it’s who you already are, and the emotional connections people have with you when they think about you. You don’t fake it; it’s not a put-on. As work at home women, we each are our unique brand. The question is, do we know what our brand is? And if we do, how are we going to leverage our personal towards our business or freelancing? 3 Tips to Discovering Your Brand as a Work at Home Woman: Your brand — the way your existing and potential customers see you — is directly aligned with what you are known for. It’s worth it to delve deeper into your brand, so that you can gain insight into the services you provide (like if you’re a virtual assistant) and the products you sell (if you’re a product-based business owner). Here’s how to know what your brand is, and how to leverage your brand towards your success. 1. Discover Your Brand, if You Haven’t Already. One of the best ways to find out more about your personal brand is to ask people: existing clients, potential customers, even friends or family. What do people say about you when you’re not around? What do people perceive about you? These findings are all related to your brand. You can use these to work on your brand, to improve your personality, and even make a few changes, if needed. You can use guide questions to help you along this act of discovery. For instance, ask yourself: What do people associate me with? What am I known for? What do I bring to the world? What comes to people’s minds when they hear my name? For instance, when someone hears “Holly Hanna”, they associate it with The Work at Home Woman, with Holly’s platform as an expert in the work-at-home lifestyle. In your case, what do people associate your name, your services, or your business with? Use this to help you understand your brand. 2. Create a Definition for Yourself. When you know a bit more about how people perceive you, as well as your work, your services, try to create a definition for it. This is much like a “company vision” or mission statement. Business coach Jess Lively (who helped me to further refine my brand) recommends that business owners or solopreneurs imbibe their “purpose equation.” This is essentially the result of two key elements: your unique gifts + helping people = your purpose equation. As work at home women, this is something we naturally imbibe, but have likely never clearly defined in our work or business. What is your purpose equation? For me, it’s “to provide creative business solutions that help small businesses thrive,” because that’s what I am known for and what I excel at. What could be yours? Define it, and let that give you clarity. 3. Craft a Brand Identity. Once you decide you want to establish and build your brand, it is wise to invest in a brand identity, or the visual elements of a brand. Many work at home women — especially those that offer professional services, or have a business — invest in a professional logo and photography. A great photo, even on your About page, is key to personal brand recognition. These visual elements of your brand should be seen across your website and social media profiles. Your photo should accompany everything from your author bio, even your email signatures. This way, your clients and potential customers easily recognize you, wherever your “brand” follows you. Investing in a brand identity, however, takes a lot of time and clarity. Spend time developing these visual elements of your brand, because they will represent you, your values, your brand promise. These are just some basic steps to discovering and defining your brand. Having a brand can really help give you clarity about your ideal customer or client, so that you can refine your offerings and really work with the people who are perfect for you. Finally, branding is never a “once-over” process. Your brand evolves as your offerings evolve, even as you evolve. Knowing and understanding your personal brand is really about bringing the heart and soul of who you are as a work at home woman into your business, into your unique work ethic. Most of all, it can give you the satisfaction of knowing that you are fulfilling a unique purpose, based on your natural gifts and skills. Have you started building your personal brand online yet? Have you ever even thought about what your brand is or might be? Let’s talk about it in the comments. Martine de Luna is the director of The WAHMderful Life, an inspirational business suite comprising a blog and live training events for work-at-homemakers. The WAHMderful Life blog and workshops are designed to inspire and equip mothers and married women to work from home, profitably and with intention. Martine began working from home as a freelance copywriter, and eventually ventured into blogging; her lifestyle blog, DaintyMom.com, has received accolades internationally, including an award for Best Home and Parenting Blog at the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards. Today, Martine runs a boutique consulting service, which offers mentoring for mom bloggers and work-at-home women. She also conducts writing workshops for women, writes marketing and communications copy for for small-to-medium businesses, and offers web design services for SMEs. Connect with her at Martine de Luna Creative Services and the WAHMderful Life website.

The one with open letter to my gradeschooler

Dear Simone, I could not believe that time is like a bullet train with you. Cliche but true. And now that you're in grade school already, i thought i'd handle it well and think that it's just grade school...I was wrong. I can say the first six years with you was really an adventure. You were not high maintenance as a baby but i vividly remember how cute your cheeks were, how hard it was for you at times to poop, and how much you loved to sleep on my chest. I thought it was the hardest part of my life, having to give birth to you but since i had no choice, (i had to do it anyway) I realized what harder challenge can i get after this. I found the answer the first time you got sick. We were in puerto galera. it was the first time i had to leave you for 2 days. your dad and i felt we needed a breather but we were hesitant to tag you along since you were just over a year old. When i found out you got a fever that same night, i knew i was'nt meant to leave you alone. I went back first thing in the morning and rushed you to the hospital. It was the biggest mistake i made, having to leave you just so i could relax for a while. after that anak, i never left you. wherever i go, I can only have peace of mind if you're with me. Six years forward, I'm sending you to your school. First day was a breeze since you were just out for 3 hours. 2nd day, i found myself crying having to see you looking for your assignment notebook in your big, big bag. and i thought to myself if i should go inside and help you find it. When after a few seconds, you found it, that was my moment. You're really trying to do things on your own...without me :( when i told the story to my husband, i cried. I cried because it's just too fast. I hope there's a slow motion button so i could cherish each day with you. Thank you anak for everything. thank you for being you. thank you that we've come to know faith and love because of you. :)

The one with officially missing you

I'm officially missing my blog and i never realized how much i do up until i started scanning my previous posts and thought that this blog is really my life journal of events and it would be such a waste if i stop updating it. So from now on, i'd be more serious in blogging again. Highlights of my life for 2013 ~ Simone is a gradeschooler already. a separate post on that one ~ Really enjoyed summer vacation with the grannies. went back to canyon cove :) love love love! ~ My brother in law, Jayson, left for Riyadh already. super heartbreaking but i salute them for the sacrifice they had to do. ~ Got a new car for simon, hehe. A Mirage. so prooud of you beh. you deserve it :) ~ Underwent D and C last Feb. It was not yet time.. All in God's time. promise to post more pics and stories soon. see you around!

The one with online shopping

My new hobby -- online shopping! Got hooked with the online buying sites but i make sure that i check their seller's official website first to know more about their deals, if it's really on sale or not. There's this store of swimwears, profile by gottex swimsuits, where i can purchase any size or color but the thing though since im not base in US i can't buy it but the items would have been really great on me. :)

The one with business requirements

When handling businesses, one thing that eats time from my schedule is getting requirements done, specially logistics-wise. I'm due for replenishing items in Partyboosters. I also wanted to check if i can start on making carpentry and crafty items for the business like the letter stands i so wanted to do for the longest time, and also the wooden fence i so wanted to start with. I also need to finish printing business cards or maybe just order some again. hahaha, have lots of things to do, have'nt started with anything yet.

The one with churchgoer again

I'm so happy my brother after more than a decade of being absent in church has finally decided to attend service again and i came with him. was so happy to see my brother going back and attending church again, reconnecting with God. I don't know what made him realize to go back to church but it was really an answered prayer. I also wanted to commend him for being able to quit smoking in an impulse. He won't be one of those guys going to a leaf cigar bar and i hope there'd be more good changes to see. love you bro! :)

The one with yoga regimen

Laely, i've been feeling that i'm on my heavy side once again that's why i tried surfing the net for some activities i can try. I inquired for some yoga sessions near our place. They say it will make you more lean and give you more strength. i just hope it won't be as expensive as i thought it is. Just the yoga accessories towel is a little pricey, as well as the mat but gym has made me a more bulky so i really wan to try this one. hope it goes well :)

The one with canyon cove 2013

super fun filled summer outing with the grandparents. :) thank you Lord for all the blessings.

The one with partyboosters summer outing

We had our recent partyboosters summer outing in a clubhouse in village east. We had a night swimming. it was so much fun having to spend time with our team, get to enjoy the evening breeze and water. It was also a bonus that the pool lights were pretty cool. It was really well maintained and it was really big for a clubhouse pool. :) It looked like Jandy pool lights in other premiere hotel pools. Hope next time we'd be able to spend our outing on a beach resort. hehe

The one with bike hobby

It's been months since my husband has been checking some bikes so that he'll have something to use for when buying things in the store, or for some exercise. A japanese bike is nice too and we some some in a japan surplus store but had second thoughts coz i'm not sure if those are the nicest ones.  I have yet to check the yakima rack, if there's something we can buy.  I hope i'd get the hang of it as well. :)

The one with Gumbo night

We are into trying out new restaurants these days.  You'd be surprised to see that the restaurants that you think are pricey have reasonable rates too.  Rather than eating in the usual restaurants we go to, we want our dining experience to be more exciting.  Last night, we went to Gumbo. ive eaten here before but not really often.  And best of all, they have  a promo.  Buy one, take one on main entrees, pasta, pizza, salads. (everything except appetizers) soo happy! we ordered USDA steak and chicken. With 495, you get to enjoy this along with two side dishes.  so technically, it's like ordering one entree for half the price. :)

The one with saving up

One thing I'm proud of my mom is how she taught us how to save, even in small things.  I realize that all of us siblings store this big bottle of water where we put coins in there whenever we come home from work.  I saw my brother's water bottle money banks and i got so excited that we have the same "banks".  I taught Simone this habit of putting extra money in coin banks, and i can see that she has gotten used to it already. :)

The one with holy week 2013

I had a very meaningful and fun holy week this year.  Simon took the rest of his paternity leave and started his vacation since Monday.  It was one whole week of family time.  We checked in at Linden Suites on a Maundy Thursday, then enjoyed our swimming, breakfast in the morning.  Then I also had a good girl time with several church mates.  We had so much fun talking about love life, family, our concerns.  It feels refreshed to be updated with each other's lives.  Then Saturday, we went to see a movie of John Lloyd and Sarah's. really really fun! and of course, Sunday is easter sunday! thank you Lord for everything.  before the holiday started, i also tried to complete my SSS requirements and SSS replacement. I'm so happy I was able to finish it, i wanted to check if i can also find online print solutions at eoncode.com but did'nt find any. Was trying to check if i can actually make some brochures if ever for Partyboosters.

Productive. fun. memorable. = holy week 2013  

The one with newsletter

So while having coffee with my friend Naan, we talked about he new job, my business, our new business ventures, and strategies or marketing techniques that we can do.  Since she's currently employed to an online company, she suggested a website where i can have make a newsletter of partyboosters. It's paper.li. We tried going to the site and i'm impressed. I might really want to try it and maybe it will be lie a brochure printing online too. :)

The one with garage sale online

I have a new pasttime...selling and buying stuffs online.  I'm a member of n@w, it's a closed online group of wives and/or moms who basically share the same roles in life. We formed an online garage sale, that instead of doing a physical garage sale, we post everything we want to sell online, describe it, explain mode of payment.  The first to say "mine" gets the item. it's that simple.

As of this writing, I'm waiting for a Lacoste bag to be uploaded. hahaha. I hope I won't get admitted to a rehab program for this, like one of those California rehab centers. hahaha.

I hope I get to say "Mine" today. :)

The one with addl battery

Everytime i have a new phone, the one thing i would always find myself is looking for an extra battery.  It's a little frustrating when your battery fails you, even on a camera, a phone or any gadget for that matter.  Like during simone's moving up day, I was all set to take pictures only to find out that i wasn't able to charge the camera so after a few shots, the camera turned off by itself.  I should have bought a maha powerex mh-c9000 so i can enjoy longer life for our batteries. It also usually happens to my phone batteries and ipad. hmmm, i really need to find a way to make my gadget's battery life stay longer. :)

The one with summer filled activities

I want to make Simone's summe uber fun this time. So i started by applying her here:

just fill up the application form, pay P550 as workshop fee, choose you schedule and that's it.  I chose April 8-12 for her, 1-3 pm schedule. She's excited already and wants to work immediately. hahaha. Good luch Mcdo!!!

I'm also interested in enrolling her to a painting workshop. So far, i have two choices, Sip and Gogh in Capitol Hills and Fernano Sena's workshop. I have both of their schedules already, just checking which one will be better for Simone.

And last week of April, we'll go back to Canyon Cove with our parents for some swimming and recreation time.

We're all excited!

The one with Kimberly Hotel

In an earlier post, I mentioned that we went here to have some quality time with the family.  We tagged along ate len so she'd have a breath of fresh air too. Then simon just googled playground in tagaytay and one of the top hits was Kimberly Hotel so we took a drive to the place. I got so excited to see the big playground and the organic farm, then the farm animals.  Simone had fun petting the rabbits, feeding them and the sheep, and i had fun buying potted herbs. The big playground was a big hit to all of us. hahaha. It has a small pool where you can dip as well.  In fairness, if i'd be chosen an intimate wedding venue in tagaytay, i'd probably choose this one.  it's really nice and still new, plus you won't see any arturo fuente cigars around as the place is a no smoking zone as well.

The one with music lessons

I'm really interested in enrolling Simone to music lessons this summer but i'm still contemplating if the timing is just right.  She just turned six last month and I'm not sure if this is the perfect time for some music lessons for her.  But when I told it to the husband, he said to just wait until she's more ready to choose what she wants.  It's better if the choice comes from her, to learn and study music.  But seeing her interest in it and her potential to learn makes me more willing to do my own little research when the right time comes for her.  So far, she tried playing around a piano, a flute, a ukelele.  She has'nt tried new Squier guitars coz im sure those are pricey but it would have been great to see her play a real guitar someday.

As a parent, i'll try my best to expose her to all the possibilities of learning or growth for her. Excited for more learning experiences for you baby!

The one with garage sale online

I'm soo happy coz i was able to declutter my wardrobe cabinet and earned almost 4,000.00 in a flash. yey! and almost all of these clothes are second hand, some were really used but still wearable, some were worn just once or twice.  I got so thrilled that from selling these second hand items, i was able to earn some shopping money. hahaha.

I love online shopping! Now, I want to do this every tuesday, to devote some time in posting items online in our n@w group.