Step-By-Step Guide For Building Your Personal Brand

Step-By-Step Guide For Building Your Personal Brand

— January 9, 2014

The personal brand is an underestimated necessity for every professional. It helps you bring in great opportunities and reach your goals. While most people think about business branding, we should be smart and work on our own personal brand a much as we can.
Since you are reading this article, there is a pretty good chance that you already started building your personal brand. Although all brand aspects are important, make sure you understand the strategy tips that we mention below before you start thinking about everything. Although the big moves are those that will count the most, you do need to take care of the small things, too (i.e.Facebook photos).
Here’s a step-by-step guide for building your personal brand:

1. Understand Why You Build Your Personal Brand
This is the first thing that you have to do. You will need some time to figure out exactly what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. A good exercise to help you out is to write down reasons why you accomplished different tasks in the past. For instance, why did you choose this domain? Why did you choose the company that you work at? Go through these “whys” and eventually, you will see why you want to build a personal brand.

2. Determine What Makes You Stand Out
After you understand why you want to build a personal brand, it is time to see what makes you different when compared with other specialists in your field. You need to stand out for all the proper reasons. This can be the difference between failure and success. For instance, your services might be cheaper. Maybe you are better at your job. Maybe you manage to finish tasks faster. Do not force traits, but if you find them, use every bit of information in your overall personal branding strategy.

3. Network with the Right People
When we build our personal brands, we often think solely about us; without taking the time to understand how important networking is. In order to establish yourself as a high-end personality, you need to be seen with people that are in the same niche, people that have a high authority. This works in both real life and in your online presence. Being connected with authority figures in your field will help you get credibility.

4. Make a Great First Impression
Any type of branding is about communicating what you are all about to your target audience. Unfortunately, many end up communicating their brand improperly. For instance, let us say that you are a tech blogger and you have your own popular tech blog. You cannot market yourself simply as a tech blogger. You need to make yourself stand out.
Let us say you have an affinity for Apple products. In that case, the first impression you have to make is that of a tech blogger who is specialized in Apple products. That creates a niche in itself and you stand out. People will start to know you as the Apple guy (or something similar). Think about what makes you special in your industry and try to highlight that.

5. Never Rebuild – Rearrange
When you create your new brand, you will probably want to start from scratch. Never take this approach. You should never try to start creating a new personal brand from nothing because you probably already have access to something that can be used as a foundation.
Never rebuild your personal or professional life in order to fit a specific image. These should be separated. The brand you build should express what you are. Since you are already a unique individual, there’s no need to start from scratch. Find what is unique, repackage it, then sell it

SOURCE: LEADERSHIP

Business News Anchor Terryanne Chebet Quits K24

K24's business news anchor Terryanne Chebet has quit the station after a short stint that saw her spearhead business news efforts of the newly relaunched Media Max owned TV station.
Terryanne left  CCTV as a business anchor when K24 was poaching top shots.  Royal Media lost a good number of its staff to their new rival on Kijabe Street during that period.
Her reasons for quitting are unknown but Alice Odera's departure from Citizen TV may have occasioned the move. Alice and Michelle Morgan  were left holding fort in business news anchoring at Royal Media after Terryanne's departure.
However both of them have since left with Alice Odera taking up a corporate communications position at Kenya Airways while Michelle Morgan got poached by a new cable TV station, Ebru TV setting up shop in Kenya.
This left a gap in business news and Terryanne is probably the best replacement Citizen TV can have. The anchor has been one of the most accomplished and consistent business news reporters in Kenya having worked for CCTV and CNBC, one of Africa's most recognized business new outlet.

SOURCE: VIBE WEEKLY

List of the richest pastors worldwide

This is a list of the richest pastors worldwide and amazingly Nigeria produced five preachers in the Top 10.

Bishop TD Jakes

1. Bishop T. D Jakes: Bishop Jakes lives in a $1,700,000 mansion, he has been called America’s best preacher and has been featured on the cover of TIME magazine. He is a writer, preacher and movie producer. Thomas Dexter “T. D.” Jakes, Sr. is the bishop/chief pastor of The Potter’s House, a non-denominational American mega church, with 30,000 members, located in Dallas, Texas. T.D Jakes wears custom made suits and sports a diamond ring the size of a coin. This man of God has been endowed with a $150 million net worth.
2. Bishop David Oyedepo: Bishop David Oyedepo is a Nigerian Preacher, Christian Author, Founder and Presiding Bishop of Winners Chapel known as Living Faith Church World Wide. Has been hailed as the wealthiest preacher in Nigeria with a total net worth of $150 million and properties like 4 private jets and homes in the United States and England. After the foundation of the Living Faith Outreach Ministry in 1981, it has evolved to be one of the largest congregations in Africa and has a flourishing mission in Nairobi.
3. E A Adeboye: This messenger of God was listed in an African magazine, NEWSWEEK, as the most powerful man in Africa and one of the top 50 global power elites in 2008/2009, among others such as President Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy. Pastor Adeboye heads the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), something he has done for the last 28years.Amongst his posessions are private jets.
4. Benny Hinn: Israeli televangelist,Toufik Benedictus “Benny” Hinn has an estimated net worth of $42 million. He is best known for his regular “Miracle Crusades” – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, “This Is Your Day”. Hinn was born on December 3, 1952.
5. Chris Oyakhilome: This is the man behind Believers’ Loveworld Ministries, a.k.a Christ Embassy.His church has an estimated net worth of $30 million – $50 million last year, the charismatic preacher was at the center of a $35 million money laundering case in which he was accused of siphoning funds from his church to foreign banks.
6. Creflo Dollar: American Bible teacher, pastor, and the founder of World Changers Church International, Creflo Dollar, has an estimated net worth of $27 million. As his name suggests, this preacher’s “manna” comes in form of the green buck.
7. Kenneth Copeland: He runs Kenneth Copeland Ministries, was one of several televangelists whose finances were investigated from 2007 to 2011 by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa.
According to an article by the Associated Press that ran in 2008, “His ministry’s 1,500-acre campus, behind an iron gate a half-hour drive from Fort Worth includes a church, a private airstrip, a hangar for the ministry’s $17.5 million jet and other aircraft, and a $6 million church owned lakefront mansion.
The article later added that while Copeland has not released up-to-date salary statements, “the church disclosed in a property-tax exemption application that his wages were $364,577 in 1995; Copeland’s wife, Gloria, earned $292,593. It’s not clear whether those figures include other earnings, such as special offerings for guest preaching or book royalties.”
8. Billy Graham: American evangelical Christian evangelist, William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr., has a net worth of $25 million. The Southern Baptist evangelist rose to celebrity status as his sermons started getting broadcast on radio and television. Graham was born on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina in 1918, he has conducted many evangelistic crusades since 1948 . He is now a world renowned televangelist raking in millions of dollars.
9. Matthew Ashimolowo: Ashimolowo, the owner of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) gets an annual income of $200,000. Having his humble beginnings as a priest in Foursquare Gospel Church, a Nigerian church that sent Ashimolowo to open a satellite branch in London. Pastor Matthew had other ideas and decided to set up his own church instead. Today, his Kingsway International Christian Center is reportedly the largest Pentecostal church in the whole of the United Kingdom.
10. Temitope Joshua: Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) has an estimated net worth: $10 million – $15 million Nigeria’s most controversial clergyman is also one of its richest and most philanthropic. T.B Joshua heads the Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), a congregation he founded in 1987, which accommodates over 15,000 worshipers on Sundays. VibeWeekly.com

SOURCE: Nehanda Radio

We cheated in WAEC exams

■ 15 now Born Again Christians return certificates to examination body
By GABRIEL DIKE
In what may come as a big surprise to most people, no fewer than 15 persons recently returned certificates issued to them by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). They said they had to give up the certificates because they cheated during the examination, and now as Born Again Christians, they could not live with “the sin.”
Some individuals, Saturday Sun gathered, had approached WAEC through letters seeking restitution after they had confessed how they dubiously acquired their certificates when they wrote the examinations at various periods.
The council wrote back to them, stating that what they were expected to do was to return the certificates awarded in line with the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of the examinations. However, only few responded, including a holder of Teachers’ Grade 11 certificate.
It was learnt that those who complied with the directive returned their certificates to various WAEC offices nationwide and the council took their case to the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), which, at its 55th meeting in Lagos, cancelled the returned 15 certificates.
According to the council’s letter to NEC, “the listed candidates, in their letters of restitution, confessed that they were involved in various forms of examination malpractices in various years as indicated against their numbers. They have returned the original certificates issued to them.’’
The returned certificates by the Born Again Christians were for both the May/June (school exam) and November/December (private candidate) West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
A breakdown of the year the examinations were taken revealed that the oldest dates back to June 1983 with certificate no SG 288999. Next is June 1990 (RS0680084c), June 1992 (NGSS 0994156), June 1995 (NGSS0265147) and December 1995 (NGSP 0169397), December 1996 (NGSP 0575264), December 2000 (NGWASSCP 038771), June 2001 (NGWASSCS 2451037).
Others are June 2002, two certificates with NGWASSCP 4100224 and NGWASSCS 3894794 were returned and cancelled, June 2003 (NGWASSCS 5009313), June 2006 two born again Christian returned certificates with NGWASSCP 7747466 and NGWASSCS 8423755, December 2008 (NGWASSCP 05790031) and June 2010 NGWASSCP 13327157.
There are several Verses in the Bible to support restitution, which conform to what the 15 Born Again Christians did by confessing their sins and sought restitution from WAEC. In 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, the is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’’.
While Numbers 5:6-7 says ’’When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong’’.   Efforts to get the names, and perhaps pictures, of the 15 persons were abortive, as WAEC officials said it would amount to violation of the rights of the individuals involved and that of their (officials) ethics.
In a related development, the N55th and 56th NEC meeting of WAEC has hammered 493 candidates who sat for both the May/June and November/December WASSCE by ordering the cancellation of their certificates/result slips taken at various periods.
A document available to Saturday Sun reads partly: “The under listed candidates were confirmed to have been impersonated in the various examinations and years indicated against them. The result slips/certificates have been returned by the Zonal/Branch Offices concerned to the Post Examinations Department for cancellation.’’
A breakdown of the statistics revealed that at the 55th NEC meeting (result slips and certificates of impersonators in previous GCE/SSC/ WASSC examinations), no fewer than 241 candidates were sanctioned while at their 56th deliberation (result slips and certificates of impersonators in previous May/June and November/December WASSC examinations), a total of 252 candidates had their certificates cancelled according to the rules and regulations guiding the conductor of WAEC exams.
A remarkable thing which Saturday Sun noted in the 55th NEC meeting decision was that the 241 cancelled certificates involved private candidates who wrote either the Nov/Dec GCE or WASSCE. Thus confirming stakeholders’ position that exam fraud is more rampart during the private candidate examinations.
A breakdown of the 241 cancelled certificates revealed that the highest number occurred in 1998 (34), followed by 1999 and 2001 with 26 certificates each.  In 2000, it had 24, 1997 (23), 1995 (22), 2002 (19), 1994 and 1996 each had 15, 2003 (14), 1993 (12), 1987 (3), 2005 (2) while 1985, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007 and 2009 had one cancelled certificate each.
For the 56th NEC decision, again statistics from the document indicate that majority of the 252 candidates whose certificates were cancelled sat for the Nov/Dec WASSCE (240) while 12 others wrote the May/June WASSCE.
Detail breakdown of the 252 cancelled certificates at the 56th NEC meeting showed that 2009 recorded the highest number with 33, 2002 (26), 2007 (24), 2001 (20), 2008 and 2010 had 18 each, 2000 (17), 2004 (14), 1999, 2003 and 2006 had 13 each, 2011 (10), 1995 (eight), 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2005 recorded four cancelled certificates each, 1993 and 1997 produced two each and one in 1989.

SOURCE: THE SUN