The following is a guest article by Joseph Gustav of Pounding the Pavement.  Enjoy!

There are some situations that employees dread: the evil necessities. These situations are uncomfortable for many people because one has to assert oneself and often do so to authority figures. However, they are necessary to get what you want, need, and deserve as an employee. Here are some of the most common awkward work situations and how to approach them with confidence — and handle them professionally.

Asking for a raise. Money matters are always hard to deal with, especially when asking for more of it. First off, research your company or firm’s pay raise policies. There may be a process for asking for pay raises, or you may receive an annual pay bump automatically. After you’ve scheduled a meeting, prepare your case — prove that the work you’ve done is valuable enough to warrant a pay increase. Your request should be based on reasons of merit rather than your own financial status. Be straightforward, be specific about what you’re asking for, and if your request is denied, do not take it personally. Instead, ask what you need to do work-wise to make it happen in the future.

Disagreeing with a supervisor. Though this may be extremely uncomfortable, it is your duty as an employee to let your boss know when you think a decision of theirs is hurting the company. When approaching your supervisor, be completely objective; anger and defensiveness have no place in these kinds of meetings (and I emphasize meeting, NOT confrontation). First, think through as much as you can your boss’ perspective on the issue. During the meeting, let him or her have the floor first and voice their reasons. Ask questions to help you understand better their rationale. Then present your case as diplomatically as possible. If it becomes clear that your boss agrees, ask for a follow-up meeting to work further on the topic.

Expressing an unpopular opinion. Again, this is not easy, but necessary for the good of the company. Telling a boss their new plan has serious holes in it or telling a co-worker their work is subpar and hurting the firm is an unenviable task. The best way to go about it — without hurting feelings — is to justify your responses and offer solutions. Come off as a critical thinker looking out for what’s best for everybody rather than someone looking to attack others’ work and person. Be tactful, not caustic, be honest, and be positive.

Alerting a supervisor to a troubling situation. You’ve got a situation on your hands, like a deadline will be missed, you may lose a client, or your numbers are down, and your boss doesn’t know yet. It’s always better to be proactive and up-front rather than hide; doing so will increase the ramifications of the event and show you to have less integrity and professionalism. Be responsible and acknowledge your part in the situation, be direct and forthcoming about the situation, and then offer solutions. More often than not, your boss will be all ears to work with you on righting what is going wrong.

Joseph Gustav regularly shares his insights as a guest blogger for Pounding the Pavement. He also works as a contributing writer for Guide to Career Education on topics related to completing your high school diploma at home.

Photo credit, Jake Mates.

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To some, Lady Gaga is the ultimate poster child for personal branding success – and to others, she represents a perfect example of taking it too far.  Gaga is truly a polarizing figure, and her tendency to do things like wear dresses made of meat ensures she will remain that way.

Yet, one particular lesson learned from Lady Gaga isn’t extreme or shocking – in fact, it is quite simple and rooted in common sense.  During a recent concert (which I attended, insert jokes in the comment section), Lady Gaga hinted at her upcoming album and a few early critiques she has received.  The critical consensus is that the album might not appeal to those who aren’t fans of hers already.  Her response… “Who cares?  Nothing matters more to me than my current fans.”

Thus, I give you the Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking:

Appreciate the importance of your current network.  Finding new connections should be secondary to maintaining existing relationships.

Admittedly, this can be a difficult rule to remember – especially across the social web.  With your number of Twitter followers, Linkedin connections, Facebook friends, etc on constant display, it’s easy to get caught up in the “hunt for more”.

And of course it is true that Lady Gaga likely has about 200 million more “connections” than you.  No matter. This principle applies whether your network totals 4500 or 45.  As with most things in life, successful networking is “quality over quantity”.

What are a few ways by which you can show your appreciation for your current network?  We are presented with endless opportunities everyday, really.  Here are a couple of easy ones:

• Dig through your old Rolodex or contact list and dial up a few old connections with whom you’ve lost touch.
• Monitor your Linkedin connections for recent profile updates.  Profile updates show when a connection may have been hired, fired, or promoted – all instances in which you’d likely want to reach out.
• Make a Twitter list of your favorite tweeters (especially folks you know “in real life”) and seek opportunities to retweet their articles or individual tweets.
• Check your email inbox – any messages from your network that have gone unresponded to for far too long?

None of the action items described above are rocket science.  (Unless you are a rocket scientist who has lost touch with your fellow rocket scientists…)  But, tasks like these are essential to nurturing existing relationships.

So, while the lure of the “new connection” and unseen opportunity around the corner can be enticing, keep the Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking in mind.  Show each friend or current/former colleague how much you value them – and avoid turning a solid relationship into a bad romance.

Photo credit, VJ Alisa.

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I’m a pretty frugal guy.  OK, who am I kidding?  At times I’ve been known to make Ebenezer Scrooge look like a spendthrift.  But even I know that cracking open the wallet for the right items can be immensely valuable in the long run.

As you build a personal brand and prepare for your future, the same principle holds true.  Don’t spend recklessly, but do drop a few pennies now and again on the most important items.

Here are 7 ways to wisely invest in your future:

1.  A Smartphone

This item is the most expensive one on the list, especially when you factor in long-term data charges.  No matter.  I simply can’t imagine operating without a smartphone today.  With an iPhone or Droid in your pocket, you are never more than two clicks away from news, email, social networks, to-do lists, banking information, live traffic and weather…the list is never ending.

If you dream to be a well-informed machine of productivity and connectivity, you can’t afford to go another day without a smartphone.

2.  Your Domain Name

If you only make one purchase out of these 7 items listed, let it be this one.  Buy the dot com for your firstlastname.com right this second if still happens to be available.  Or if taken, choose one of these alternates that Jorgen Sundberg suggests.  Even if the thought of writing your own blog or posting a bio on the web scares you to death today – take the plunge and buy your domain name anyway.  Twenty years from now, will you really have missed that $7.99 a year?

3.  Web Hosting

Deciding to self-host your own blog can be a tough choice.  Why pay money for something that WordPress and Blogger offer for free?  Oh, let me count the ways.  By self-hosting your own blog, you…

• Get to use that awesome domain you purchased in #2 above.
• Can design your website to look exactly how you envision.
• Become less dependent on your blog platform provider.
• Can implement the most robust tools and plug-ins.

The list goes on and on, including one hidden reason that is uber-valuable.  Hosting your own site forces you to learn how the web works in a way that would otherwise be impossible.  Painful at times, but well worth it in the long run.

4.  Premium WordPress Theme

This blog is “powered by Thesis WordPress Theme”, and thank goodness that it is.  Without the aid of a premium WordPress blog theme, I’m quite certain I would have gone crazy by now.  The user-friendly interface and enhanced customizability opens your current or future blog up to a world of new possibilities.  And the support forum is literally priceless – ask any question on almost any topic and you’ll have an answer quicker than you can say “What’s CSS?”.

5.  Business Cards

Haven’t business cards gone the way of the dinosaur?  Absolutely not!  To those contacts you meet who might not be as web-savvy as you, a business card is the best method for delivering your contact information.

And today, business cards are totally flexible – you can include as much or as little info as you desire.  Those Web 2.0 sites you know and love, like your website URL or Twitter and Linkedin profiles?  Include them all on your business card.  Looking to get hired?  You can even insert a QR Code linking to your resume.

6.  Flip Cam or Web Cam

We are living in a truly visual world today.  YouTube exceeds 2 billion video views every single day.  Heck, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine.  How can you capitalize on these painfully obvious trends?  It is pretty tough to do so without some method of capturing video and audio.

A Flip Cam lets you record video from wherever you are, whenever you choose.  A web cam allows you to stream live on the web – which might sound like a crazy thought today, but will soon be far more commonplace.

7.  Books

Twenty years ago, your book choices were: paperback or hard cover.  Today, your choices are: Kindle, iPad, hard copy, audio version, eBook, Google Books, etc.

No matter how you choose to read them, you simply must read books – and read them often.  The brilliance put forth by authors such as Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin far outweighs the measly $10 it might cost to purchase the book in whichever form you choose.

These 7 ways to invest in your future are the tops I could come up with.  Have I missed any other brilliant buys that warrant cracking open the wallet?

Photo Credit, AlanCleaver and SeeMingLee.

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Confession: I’m obsessed with thinking up new and original ideas. Unhealthily obsessed?  Maybe.  Some time ago, a reader here commented that there’s “nothing new under the sun”.  In other words – people have been on this Earth for a long time and nearly every good idea has already been taken.  And she was 99% correct.  But that remaining 1%?  That 1% is what keeps me up at night.

Many bloggers today run successful websites and drive loads of traffic by repackaging and finessing work that sits elsewhere on the web.  Take an existing idea, tweak it a bit, slap it on the web, and repeat.  This practice is nearly fool-proof in attracting site visitors and wooing search engines.  But, it is fool-proof in all ways but one – these bloggers are actually fooling themselves.

In my view, your blog should be an outlet of your brain.  Take those one-of-a-kind neurons firing around in that head of yours, and deliver messages that are uniquely yours.  Communicate enough unique messages, and before you know it your “personal brand” tends to emerge.

But, if you are simply regurgitating the ideas of others, you aren’t building a personal brand. You are showing that you can turn on a computer, search the web and use copy/paste.  You and about 3 billion other people.

What can you do then, to recognize great ideas that are already out there?  Lots.  Take this article by Naomi Dunford entitled Make Them Love You. THEN Ask For Money. I read it, and instantly loved it.  My first instinct wasn’t to steal this idea and repackage it on my blog.  My first instinct was to share the hell out of it.  In no particular order, I:

• Tweeted a link to it.
• Shared it in Google Reader.
• Bookmarked it to Delicious.
• E-mailed it to a friend.
• Stumbled it.
• Commented on it.
• Vowed to myself I’d find a way to link to it here (check).

Naomi deserved full credit for a superbly intelligent article, and my network deserved to learn from it.  Mission accomplished.

Admittedly though, reading brilliant ideas from writers like Naomi does make me jealous for about half a second – until I realize that we all have the same opportunity to stretch our brains and find a bit of our own brilliance.  That thought is precisely what keeps me up at night.

Case in point:  This article of mine from last year on using QR codes on resumes and business cards seemed to be an utterly crazy idea at the time.  I hadn’t seen the idea anywhere else.  And when I published it, the post seemed to be a major flop.  But strangely enough, fast forward to today and that article of mine gets more Google hits than any other.  Being that it was (at least to me) my own original idea, it makes me pretty damn proud.

So, my suggestion to you is this:  If you are blogging to build a brand – strive to find ideas that you can claim as yours and nobody else’s. Will you swing and miss at times?  Absolutely.  But keep in mind that those other content regurgitators are never going to hit one out of the park – but you just might.

What do you think? Am I overvaluing the power of new and original ideas?  Or, do you have an original idea of yours that made you particularly proud?

photo credit: Cayusa

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A common misconception is that personal branding involves “all broadcasting, all the time”.  In actuality, to build a strong personal brand, the near opposite must be true.  You need to spend a much greater percentage of time bettering and refining your brand than actually showcasing it.  Thus, I’d like to offer the following “85% Rule of Personal Branding”:

While building your personal brand, allocate 85% of your time to behind-the-scenes work and allow 15% for public-facing activities.

The infographic below serves as a visual representation of the rule above.  As seen, the personal branding process can be compared metaphorically to an oceanic iceberg.  Only a small percentage of an iceberg is above water – the bulk of the structure remains hidden, under water.  The same principle applies to your personal branding efforts.  That which is public facing will only make up a small percentage of your actual body of work.

This “rule” need not be adhered to strictly, the percentages are merely a rough guide.  My hope is that it will serve as a reminder that the sometimes monotonous behind-the-scenes work is just as essential as your killer articles and well-timed blog comments.  A constant intake of information is what will inform and educate your brand, and a meaningful conversation behind closed doors can be more beneficial than 100 tweets.

What about you?  What percentage of your branding efforts are behind-the-scenes?

Update: After stellar feedback from Melissa Cooley and Angelique of AFMarCom, I’ve revised the visual to include “in-person networking” in the public view section, and “observe presentations” in the behind-the-scenes category.  An important distinction!

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Last week, Chris Brogan sent the world into a brief tizzy by revealing his services are worth up to $22,000 per day.  If you are reading this, there is a pretty damn good chance that $22k represents a large chunk of your annual salary.

So, why aren’t you getting offers left and right for a paycheck worthy of armed guards and a Brinks truck?  Let’s go exploring for reasons.

Whether you love him, hate him, or are easily intrigued by unique facial hair, you probably know of Chris Brogan.  He is everywhere.  My Google Reader feed tells me that chrisbrogan.com averages 8.9 posts per week, all free for anyone to read.  In 2008, Chris produced this personal branding e-book, and charged a whopping $0 for it.  The guy sends out this newsletter full of information and charges….you guessed it, nothing.

The result of all this incredible content being pumped out for free?  A lot of folks salivating to take it all in.  48,000 blog subscribers and 126,000 Twitter followers soaking it up 140 characters at a time.  Essentially, Chris has been building brand equity over time, keystroke by keystroke.  Throughout the years, his authority and credibility have grown with every unique idea or person or company helped.

Today, it is easy to recognize Chris’ authority on new media marketing, and realize just how valuable it would be for a company to secure his uninterrupted focus.  Yes, even $22,000-for-a-single-day valuable.  So then…

The secret to becoming filthy rich starting “tomorrow”?

Give great stuff away for free today.  Offer even better stuff tomorrow, for a price.

Chris Brogan isn’t the only one to have perfected this art.  Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV is on episode #827, and all 827 are available for less than a penny.  Guy Kawasaki has been giving away advice across platforms for years.  Problogger Darren Rowse essentially teaches a free course on professional blogging that is in session every single day.

But, if you want 1-on-1 time with one of these three for consulting or speaking – you might want to plan an extra trip to the ATM, it’s going to cost a pretty penny.

Now, on to you.  How do you compare?  What are you giving away for free today that will build a powerful (and lucrative) brand for tomorrow?  Are you…

• Blogging regularly?
• Making certain your tweets/articles/updates add value to your community?
• Engaging in conversation?
• Sharing the work of others as much as you promote your own?
• Building relationships, not empty follower counts?

What about at work?  The same principles apply at the office too, in an even more concentrated way.  Are you…

• Putting in extra time without being asked?
• Working on projects above and beyond your “job title”?
• Helping co-workers without expecting anything in return?

Essentially, Chris Brogan’s $22,000 revelation is the world’s most effective case study on the positive effects of a strong personal brand (no, not a contrived brand built just for appearance’s sake, but an authentic brand built organically over time).

Compile every public tweet, blog post, guest article and keynote speech – and imagine that instead, Chris kept all that “valuable” information to himself.  He’d still be the same brilliant dude today.  But, who would know it?  Without established credibility, what company would want to shell out even $22 for his day of work, let alone $22,000?

No, you won’t really become filthy rich overnight because you gave away great insights and added value today.  Building a brand isn’t a sprint, and it isn’t even a marathon – to do it right, you are going to be running a long, long time.  And don’t expect the path to be paved with riches.  But the destination? It just might be.

What about you?  Are you “adding value for free”, or are you “keeping it for me”?  Either way – why?

Photo credit, Rodrigo Amorim and Koka Sexton.

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For job-seekers today, the most difficult hurdle to overcome is simply getting noticed.  Even with impeccable credentials, you will need something extra to separate yourself from the stack of identical-looking resumes or business cards on the hiring manager’s desk. Why not try something innovative?  Including a personalized QR Code just might catapult you to the top of the stack.

A QR Code is a 2-dimensional “quick response” bar code that contains a set of data (text, numbers, or a hyperlink).  This data can be decoded by QR Readers, which are widely available as Smartphone apps.  Free options are available for iPhone, Droid, and Blackberry – simply take a picture of the QR Code with the phone’s camera, and the embedded information instantly appears.

If you have a Smartphone, let’s give it a try.  Click on the QR Code to the right, print it out, and scan the image with a QR Reader.  The data embedded within is a hyperlink to this very web page – like magic, it should take you straight to this page from within your phone’s web browser.  Definitely cool, but how can this help your job search?  Here are 3 ways:

1. Include a QR Code within your resume that links to your blog’s “About Me” page.

If you are pumping out awesome, niche-related content, your #1 goal should be directing hiring managers to your blog.  Will they type in a URL included within your paper resume? Maybe, maybe not.  Try capturing their attention by including a QR Code in the header of your resume.  Maybe they won’t scan your QR Code either.  But I guarantee they will take note of this unique aspect of your resume, which in itself is a major victory.

In all instances recommended here, be sure to include both your URL and the QR Code, so those without Smartphones can still reach your web destination.  Also, consider optimizing your blog for mobile browsing.

2.  Include a QR Code on the back of your business card, linking to your blog’s “Contact Me” page.

Chances are strong that the back of your business card is a blank slate, just waiting to be thrust into action.  Why not include a QR Code?  Link to your “Contact Me” page, and encourage folks to actually contact you.  After all, isn’t that why you handed out the card in the first place?  See below for a quick example of what this might look like.

3.  Run a print advertisement in a trade show program or local newspaper, linking to your blog’s “Hire Me” page.

This option works particularly well if your industry holds local trade shows or conferences, and small, cheap ads are readily available.  In this instance, you might be the only individual placing an ad – and if you aren’t, you are certain to be the one to stand out!

An alternative to linking to your “Hire Me” page is linking to a particularly relevant blog post, and making certain that your “Hire Me” call to action is extremely visible.

Want to create your own unique codes?  Try this QR-Code Generator Tool.  To really put this method to the test,  monitor the results of your QR Code placements by using bit.ly to shorten your link before creating the code – and use the bit.ly analytic tools to track specific site visits.

Are you skeptical that QR codes are too obscure to become mainstream?  Just yesterday, Google  sent QR stickers to 100,000 small businesses, for display in storefront windows.  These little codes just might make it big before we know it.

What do you think?  Are these ideas crazy, or just crazy enough to work in one of the toughest job markets in recent memory?

Spark image by JonPayne.

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Usually, I’m not one to “sweat the small stuff”. But, when it comes to building a personal brand (especially on the web), sometimes the little details make all the difference. Here are 5 common personal branding errors, and how you can fix each one in under 5 minutes.

1. Not claiming your personal domain name.

This is the easiest error to fix, and far and away the most important.  Whether or not you actually set up a personal website now is irrelevant – you simply must lock down the domain! The $8 you pay each year to keep it in your possession will be well worth it.  Search GoDaddy.com for available domains, trying the variations listed below (for more detail on how to determine the best option, read this ProBlogger post).

First name, last name, .com (TreyPennington.com)
First name, hyphen, last name, .com (Sue-Johnson.com)
First name, last name, .net or .me (TimSmith.me)
First name, middle initial, last name, .com (RyanLGonzalez.com)
First name, middle name, last name, .com (mariaelenaduron.com)
Professional nickname, .com (PRSarahEvans.com)

2. Not modifying your Linkedin headline.

Most Linkedin users enter their precise job title in the “headline” field. But it is highly unlikely that your job title alone does you justice. You might officially be an “Account Executive”, but that title tells me next to nothing about what you actually do. Look to these examples for inspiration on how to beef up your Linkedin headline.

Shauna McLean Tompkins – Online Strategy Goddess for Boxcar Creative / Actress

Marci Reynolds – Sales, Marketing & Operations Leader | Entrepreneur | Social Media Educator & Copywriter

Dan Schawbel – Personal Branding Expert, Bestselling Author, Speaker, Consultant, Columnist, Publisher and Blogger

To make the change, navigate to Linkedin > Edit My Profile > Edit Headline.

3.  Dormant social media accounts.

Social media is continually evolving, and the sites of yesterday are becoming obsolete today (think MySpace).  You used to be active on a particular site, but now you haven’t logged in for 6 months.  This will send an incorrect message that you’ve abandoned your network.  What should you do?  I suggest one of two options:

• Delete your account entirely. The easy option, allowing you to move on and focus your efforts on the relevant networks.

• Or, hook your dormant account up to a service that will allow you to update multiple sites at once. Ping.fm is one popular option.  Take 5 minutes to link your accounts to Ping.fm today, and forever be able to update without any additional effort.

4. Not Completing a Google Profile

A Google Profile takes minutes to complete, and can plop you on the first page of search results for your name. Enough said! To be efficient and consistent, simply copy/paste your information from existing profiles.

Here are a few examples of stellar Google Profiles, for your reference:

Ola Rynge
Pete Kistler
Hajj Flemings

Once your profile is set up, take a few extra minutes to include links to your other social media profiles, your blog, etc.  To really ramp up the search engine optimization of your profile, include as many relevant keywords as possible.

5. Not claiming your social media “Vanity URLs”.

Some social networks, like Twitter, automatically customize your profile’s full URL (twitter.com/ryanrancatore). Others, like Facebook and Linkedin, do not. Search engines value a customized URL with your full name in sequence (and so do humans typing in your profile exactly as they expect it).

Which of these looks better to your eye?

http://linkedin.com/pub/ryan-rancatore/16/6/7abc/7d47
http://linkedin.com/in/ryanrancatore

To update your Linkedin vanity URL, navigate to Linkedin > Edit My Profile > Public Profile [Edit] > Your Public Profile URL [Edit], and enter your desired URL.

To update your Facebook vanity URL, visit Facebook.com/username.

What do you think?  Have I overlooked any other common errors that can be fixed in just a few minutes time?  I hope this post was helpful, let me know in the comments section below.

Oops image by ktpupp. www image by Bull3t.  Google logo by Carlos Luna.

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I am beyond excited to bring to you my interview with Gary Vaynerchuk, host of Wine Library TV, and author of “Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion”.  I can’t thank Gary enough for taking time out of an unworldly schedule to answer my 5 questions in such detail.  Last I checked this blog wasn’t Mashable or The Huffington Post – but did that matter to Gary when I asked for the interview?  Not one bit.  Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

Enjoy the interview, and if it inspires you, check out these 10 Ways to Crush It Like Gary V.  And if you want a couple hundred pages just like this, buy Gary’s book, I guarantee you will love it.  Certain portions below bolded by me, for emphasis.

Ryan R: You are largely considered the poster-boy for personal branding success.  But, personal branding is not without its detractors – some think it is a waste of time, others think it is egotistical, shameless, self-promotion.  How would you respond to this?

Gary V: “In response to whether it’s a waste of time, I’d ask one of the millions of unemployed workers if they didn’t wish they had spent time building a personal brand.  People just don’t stay in jobs as long as they used to, it just makes sense to let people know who you are beyond your job title.

As for the self-promotion argument, if you’re providing value to people, they’ll listen.  If not, they’ll tune you out.  The people who are just going out and promoting and treating all these new platforms like traditional media aren’t winning and they’re not going to win.  It’s about engagement now, and so the people who are only about feeding their own ego and dictating the conversation are going to lose, period, end of story.”

Ryan R: While building your personal brand, what’s been the one quality that has fueled your success, and set you apart: personality, passion, or perseverance?

Gary V: “It’s hard to choose between those three because I know that all of them have been important in getting me to where I am today.  If I had to choose one though, it would have to be passion.  I don’t think I’d have been able to be as patient or as personable if I was involved in something that I didn’t love with every ounce of my heart.

As for personality, I want to make a quick point. I always talk about embracing your DNA.  Some people think because they’re not ridiculously extroverted that what I talk about doesn’t apply to them.  People need to focus on their personality and determine what it is that they’re best at.  There are plenty of things I’m horrible at, I just concentrate on what I’m good at and have people pick up the slack on my weaknesses.  If more people did that, instead of focusing so much on their weaknesses, more people would be living happier lives.”

Ryan R: You have nearly a million connections across social networks, yet you still encourage people to e-mail you directly, and respond to every single one.  Some would say this is bordering on “crazy”.  Why do you do it?

Gary V: “I really really like people.  I feel like if someone takes the time to send me an email then they deserve a personal response.  It may not be the most scalable thing in the world and I’m still backlogged into the summer, but I think it’s important.  I’m just extremely grateful for everyone who takes the time to connect with me; I don’t take it for granted.”

Ryan R: You’ve typically been ahead of the curve with tech and social trends (video blogging, social media, etc).  What do you see as the “next big thing” – a technology or trend that will change the game yet again?

Gary V: “I love this new site Daily Booth.  Actually, I love it so much that I became an investor in it recently.  You know the saying a picture’s worth a thousand words, and I believe that storytelling is probably the most important tool we have in building businesses.  Daily Booth makes it easy to interact using pictures.

It also has an incredible community already and Vaynermedia, the consulting company I just started with my brother AJ, has been having a lot of fun using it to help develop the Vaynermedia brand.”

Ryan R: What one piece of advice would you give to people who say they are doing everything you advocate, and aren’t seeing any results?

Gary V: “They need to be patient.  People saw me on Conan and assumed that I just started Wine Library TV and all of a sudden I was on national TV.  There were a lot of days where I was grinding in the trenches, interacting with wine lovers for 16 hours a day and only getting 30 viewers on Wine Library TV.  If you’ve got the chops and you put in the work, you’re going to see results, but they don’t come overnight.”

I’d love to hear from all of you reading this.  What does “crushing it” mean to you?  Are you crushing it right now?  If not, what is holding you back?

Gary V. couch image, by kastner.

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Gary Vaynerchuk is half man, half legend, and half personal branding machine.  Yes, that adds up to 3 halves – but in this instance, it is still an understatement!  (If you aren’t familiar with Gary V, click here for his bio, or scroll to the bottom of this post to watch him in action.  Better yet, buy his new book, “Crush It!“. Trust me, it is worth the $12.)

Gary V is essentially a walking case study in personal branding success.  Using the tools that worked best for him, Gary transformed himself and his family’s business into a global, digital empire.  How did he do it?  Pretty simple, actually:

He out-worked, out-smarted, and out-networked his competition.

I can assure you of one thing – no matter the business you are in, or want to be in, you can do the same damn thing.  But it isn’t going to be easy.  Here are ten ways you can crush it like Gary Vaynerchuk, and start building your own empire today.

1.  Pursue Your True Passion(s)

In today’s age, there are literally zero reasons why you should do anything but follow your true passion.  Gary V is passionate about people, wine, and business development – he has managed to combine those three passions and make money with every single one of them.  Think you can’t do the same?  Nonsense!

Pick any niche, no matter how off-the-wall it might sound, and there is a community to be built around it.  For proof, check out what Melanie Notkin has done with SavvyAuntie.com.

2.  Listen  (No really…LISTEN)

Building a personal brand involves a lot of talking.  Writing blog posts, tweeting your opinions, giving speeches – talk, talk, talk.  But, how often do we stop to listen?  Gary V stops to listen all the time, spurred by actively encouraging folks to @reply or e-mail him, like here or here.  When was the last time you encouraged your entire set of connections to e-mail you with their opinion (and replied to every last one of them)?

3.  Take a Risk – Experiment With Tomorrow’s Tools

The next big thing?

Gary V had a video blog before most folks even knew what that was, and was crushing Twitter before I could pronounce it.  By getting in on a technology trend early, you can stake a real claim and capitalize on the boom (if it happens).  What’s the next big thing out there today?  Maybe it is FourSquare or Google Wave or one of these 8 Trends for 2010.  I don’t know what it might be, and neither do you.  But listen to your gut and take a risk – you just might strike gold.

4.  Stick to Your Strengths

If you asked Gary V to write your kid’s essay on The Great Gatsby, they’d probably end up with an “F” (and be expelled for the choice language within!).  Gary is no amazing writer, and he really doesn’t care.  He connects with his audience via video – because his passion shines through strongest with that medium.

What about you?  Are you a brilliant writer stuck recording Podcasts, or an amazing graphic artist writing text articles?  Nothing wrong with widening your skill-set, but the majority of your communication should come via your strongest method.

5.  Put the “Personal” in Your Personal Brand

All too often today personal branding is characterized by being a conformist robot (in a power suit) that is all business all the time.  Forget any of that crap right away.  The most successful business brands today are those with a strong, identifiable personality (think Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, etc).  The same is doubly true for individuals.

Deep down, people care about other people.  I care when Gary V tweets his heart out that the Jets lost.  Don’t believe me?  Try sharing 20 nondescript links in a row, and then send out one update linking to a picture of your family.  People will click!  And the next time you send out a link to your blog, you just might get a few more clicks there as a result.

6.  Work as Hard as You Can…Then Work Even Harder

I thought I was a pretty hard worker until I watched the video at the bottom of this post.  Then I realized – I AM spending too much time “watching F’ing Lost“.  Putting in 45-50 hours a week at your day job is good, and probably better than most.   But if you are reading this, I’m guessing “better than most” is not your goal. “Crushing it” does not involve a magic formula that equates to less work.

(The actual time of the day I finished this post. Inspiration + caffeine will have that effect.)

7. Forget About Pleasing All of the People All the Time

This is a tough one for some – myself included.  Gary V starts each episode of Wine Library TV with a high-energy, over-the-top introduction.  As he states in his book, he loses 12% of viewers right then and there.  But the other 88% totally dig it and keep coming back for more.

When you write blog posts, are you more worried about the 12% or the 88%?  Does one negative comment in a set of hundreds cause you grief?  The key here is to remember that some folks aren’t going to fall in love with your personal brand.  That’s fine.  Take it in stride, and get back to work connecting with the other 6.7 billion people who just might.

8. Find Your Audience Where THEY Live

Gary V is kind of like Visa – he is everywhere you want him to be.  It doesn’t matter if you happen to hang out on Twitter, in Barnes & Noble, on YouTube, in La Guardia Airport, etc…you can find him there.

You don’t like Twitter or Facebook, and think they are a waste of time?  Get over it. Your audience is there, your colleagues are there, your competition is there – can you really afford not to be there too?

9.  Meet People (And Not Just On the Internet)

The social web is beyond incredible for networking and building a personal brand.  But let’s be honest, none of us can fully be summed up in 140 characters or by a static profile image.  The experience of meeting someone in person will never be matched by web interaction.

Gary V recently embarked on a maniacal, certifiably insane journey to meet people in person, during “The Hudson Hustle Tour“.  He flew to 6 airports in one day, just to meet folks along the way.  WOW.  My takeaway?  Even if you have a million Twitter followers and a throng of online connections, there is just no substitute for shaking someone’s hand.

It is easy to turn down those invitations to networking events, trade shows, etc – but is there more value there than you might think?

10. Be Patient

Now for the ugly truth.  You might follow all 9 steps above and still not be “crushing it” in 3, 6, or 12 months.  Neither was Gary V.  His “overnight success” took a few years to materialize.  In the meantime, his passion fueled the fire to keep video blogs flowing every day of the week.

Having patience in a Web 2.0 world is admittedly pretty damn tough. A new blog can be started in 15 minutes, and it is easy to expect an immediate rush of followers and admiration.  Not going to happen.  But I’m with Gary V…find what you love, do it every day, and do it better than anyone else.  In time, you will reap the rewards you deserve.

What do you think – are you “crushing it” today?  Has Gary V, or someone else, inspired you to redirect your focus towards your passion?  Let’s hear about it!

Gary Vee B/W photo by affiliatesummit.  Gary Vee book signing by TheFemGeek.

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A personal brand statement is a quick blurb that describes your unique focus, experience and expertise. They are hugely popular today. But I must be honest – due to a few common flaws, I’m tempted to suggest not using them altogether. Here are three reasons I dislike most personal brand statements, and why in the end I still encourage you to write one.

1.  Rigidity versus Fluidity

A strong personal brand needs to be flexible and reactive.  As technologies and trends update, so should your personal brand.  I worry that folks with a structured, well-defined personal brand statement will allow outdated features within their personal brand statement to linger for too long.

For an exaggerated example, take “Bob the Beeper Guy”, and his personal brand statement: “Dedicated to delivering premium pagers and beepers to the Southern California business community, with a focus on unparalleled customer service”. At some point in time this statement went from awesome…to awesomely out of date.  I realize this example is a bit extreme.  I also realize we all can change our personal brand statements at any time.  Even still, my worry remains that some folks will blindly become tied to obsolete features of their brand.

"Hi...1993? I'd like my personal brand back, please."

2. Don’t Tell Me, Show Me

If someone is truly interested to learn what your personal brand is all about, I can promise you this: your personal brand statement isn’t going to fully do the trick. They need to see and feel your brand through your blog postings, portfolios of work, recommendations by clients, etc.  Too often I’ve seen individuals put all their time and effort into crafting the perfect personal brand statement – and they forget that it is the action behind those words that truly matters.

Keep in mind that a personal brand statement should be a quick, inviting prologue – the rest of the story better be damn interesting too!

3. One Size Doesn’t Fit All

In today’s working world, most of us wear many hats.  Maybe you’re like me and have both a day job and an outside passion (that are related, but not identical).  Or maybe you have two roles that are completely different – accountant by day, jewelry designer by night, for example.  How do you address this situation within your personal brand statement?  Will someone looking for custom jewelry care about your accounting expertise?  Doubtful.

With all these negatives, why do I still recommend personal branding statements?  Because sometime, somewhere, you’re going to wish you had one prepared and memorized.  Maybe you will coincidentally meet a venture capitalist or hiring manager in an elevator.  You have 20 seconds until to you reach your floor, and they’ve asked “What do you do?”.  Quick – what is your response?

My unprepared response might be “Um…I, um…I work in the advertising department for a big company.” (Nice, right?)  Now what if I answered instead, “I help businesses and individuals build and promote lasting brands, using the social web as a tool to spark conversation and encourage engagement.” Much better!

So, I suggest that you do write and remember a personal brand statement (or two).  If you decide to do so, here are a few recommended guidelines:

1. Constantly review your personal brand statement to ensure all qualities and features described within still apply.
2. Make certain that you “walk the walk”, don’t just “talk the talk”.  Substantiate the claims within your statement, and continually build and improve upon them.
3. If you own a wide variety of skills and experiences, consider multiple personal brand statements that vary by audience.

For other views on personal brand statements, check out these articles by Dan Schawbel and Brand-Yourself.  What do you think?  Am I being overly critical here?  Care to share your version, or an example of a time your personal brand statement helped you?

Thumbs down by striatic. Bob’s beeper by ePublicist.

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Aren’t bobbleheads great?  They smile adoringly and nod their head up and down in affirmation no matter the circumstance.  Perfect behavior for an office accessory – but a terrible example to follow while building your personal brand.

It is easy to hit the brain’s snooze button and mindlessly agree with everyone – especially with those in positions of authority (experts in your field, your boss, established media outlets).  We blindly accept every order from management, leave positive comments on every blog we see, cruising around life like a sheep that can type.  But you know what?  Sheep don’t get anywhere. Neither will you if you don’t voice your own opinion and blaze your own trail every now and then.

Two particular events this week confirmed my belief that voicing an alternate opinion can be an awesome move.  On Sunday I wrote this post recommending that everyone follow back all their Twitter followers.  And I got skewered for it.  Just roasted.  The comments section filled up with well thought-out, reasoned explanations of why folks disagreed with me.  Even Robert Scoble stopped by to intelligently blast me out of the water.

But a strange thing happened in the process.  A few of the commenters e-mailed me saying they like this blog.  Ironically, I connected with almost all of them on Twitter.  I voiced my opinion, they voiced theirs – and in the process, we connected in a way we never would have otherwise.

See any unique personal brands here?

The second event of note happened yesterday, when I read this blog post from Matt Cheuvront’s “Life Without Pants“.  In the post he describes in a very personal way how disappointed he is that Maine voted to reject same-sex marriages.

The issue happens to be close to my heart too, and Matt’s post was pretty damn inspirational for me.  I wasn’t alone, because the already successful Life Without Pants had more site visits yesterday than ever before.

Really, Matt made two statements of disagreement.  One, in response to the day’s events, and two, to the notion that professional blogs should be void of truly personal dialogue.

Think about yourself now.  Pick a time that you really stood out at work or in school. Was it because you did exactly what the person before you did?  Or was it because you voiced your own unique opinion and initiated change?

What do you think?  Opposite opinions on the matter are (obviously) welcomed!

Bobblehead image by dayglowill. Image of agreeing sheep by James @ NZ.

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