You are your brand.

We ALL struggle with ourselves. Call it an identity crisis if you may. Let's face it, you are not the same person you were 10 years ago. You're not the same person you were 3 years ago. Hell, you're not the same person you were yesterday. That's the beauty of life, we can adapt and alter ourselves and that my friends, is what we call growth. The decisions you made in the past got you to where you are now, and from my experience, some decisions I made, yielded wretched outcomes. But, it made me realize that if I didn't walk the paths that I did, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I wouldn't be my brand and my brand wouldn't be a reflection of myself. When creating your own startup, there are innumerable things you must contemplate. Sure, the underlying concept is to make some money, however, in some instances, quality is salutary as opposed to quantity. As a student, they'll teach you that higher quality comes with a cost. And they're right. I've had occurrences where I've been told that my prices are too high. I also had testimonials stating that my prices are way too low for the quality of the commodity that I provide. That's the thing with operating your personal business, people will make you sell yourself short, but as long as you're confident in the quality that you produce, the prices you charge, and the after-sales services that you provide...you shouldn't worry too much. Because well, you're doing you! 

There will ALWAYS be people in life who will grumble about it and that's okay. Constructive criticism should always be welcomed but there's a fine line between someone belittling you and constructive criticism. If you know that you're doing the best you can, you shouldn't feel dejected, but you should be open-minded and be teachable. That my friends are traits of an entrepreneur. You wouldn't find that in a textbook, you'll learn that from your own personal experience and I'm here to prepare you for it. 

Growth stems from uncomfortable situations. It shapes you to be a better person and that's what you want your brand to reflect...the best of you. Provide quality products and quality services that YOU will want to indulge in. Even if your target audience has a particular budget, provide the best quality at that cost. As an entrepreneur, you may need to tweak your standards to adhere to your target audience and facilitate customer satisfaction, etc. While these tactics are crucial for business success, don't lose yourself in the process. Remember, you are your brand and it's okay to say "no" sometimes, it's okay to provide commodities that fit your capabilities. However, it is NOT okay to provide crappy service to your customers because well...YOU ARE YOUR BRAND and that's a reflection of you as a person. 

The best advice I can possibly give anyone, regardless of your situation, whether you're a student, entrepreneur, teacher, mother...be teachable. There are so many things that you're oblivious about. Knowledge will unlock so many doorways for you. Not just academically, but it will give you new panoramas and perspectives to live by. Let it add value to you and your brand. Find a quote that best suits you and let it guide you. Hey, come up with your own quote and live by it...let your vision and mission statements not only give your business a sense of direction and purpose, create mission and vision statements for yourself. Remember, you are your brand!