Mark Levy – Levy Innovation

October 8, 2012 by
I read Mark’s book Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content, a couple years ago and loved it, but never reached out to him. I ended up meeting him at a small dinner with some friends at an author marketing workshop in San Francisco. He is larger than life and I enjoyed every minute talking to him and hearing his speech the next day. Mark is a genius that I can only hope to afford someday; but I hope our friendship will deepen, and last for a long time.
Mark Levy
Name:
 Mark Levy
 Company/ Blog Name:
 Levy Innovation:
A Marketing
Strategy Firm
Website: 
Click Here
 Home:
Glen Gardner, NJ, USA  

BIO:

Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation LLC, a positioning firm that helps consultants and other thought leaders increase their fees by up to 2,000%.

His clients include Marshall Goldsmith (named by the London Times as one of the 50 most influential management thinkers in the world), Simon Sinek (celebrated TED speaker), David Meerman Scott (author of the biggest-selling social media book ever written), and Cynthia Montgomery (former head of the Strategy Unit of the Harvard Business School).

Before devoting his work fulltime to Levy Innovation, Mark served as Chief Marketing Officer at an Inc. 5000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Hot Topic, Samsung, Time Warner, Tivo, and Stanford University.

Mark has written for the New York Times, and has written or co-created five books. His latest book, “Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content,” has been published in eleven languages.

Mark has also taught research writing at Rutgers University.

In addition to being a positioning consultant, Mark creates magic tricks and shows. His work has been performed in Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas, and on all the major TV networks. He also co-created the off-Broadway show, “Chamber Magic,” which has played for twelve years, and is the longest-running one-person show in New York City.

Randomness from Mark Levy:

  • Mission/purpose: It’s what I do for a living. I have ideaphoria. That is, consultants and other thought leaders hire me to help then come up with their big sexy idea; their signature idea; the thing that they’re going to be known for in the world. Then I help them talk about that idea loudly and clearly in everything they do, like on their website, and in their books, speeches, and shows. That way, they become the flag-bearers for their idea, and anyone who loves that idea has to seek my client out.
  • Favorite Quote: “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” ~ Emerson

Links to Connect With Mark Levy:

 

 

**Note: There are two great, no-cost PDF downloads at his site http://www.levyinnovation.com/: “List-making as a Tool of Thought Leadership” and “The Fascination Factor!”

 

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Kimberly Bordonaro – Brandspiration

October 8, 2012 by
I can’t remember if I met Kimberly through Twitter or Facebook. But her personal branding material captured me at a time I was really trying to define myself. I went through her self-study course and we have shared many emails and communications since then. Her blog posts are awesome and all of her advice is mixed with edge and humor. She wrote a great post for the International Leadership Blogathon and I look forward to a long friendship and years of deepening my personal branding insights from her.
Kimberly Bordonaro
Name:
 Kimberly Bordonaro
 Company/ Blog Name:
Kimberly Bordonaro
Personal Branding 
Website: 
Click Here
 Home:
 Los Angeles, CA, USA

BIO:

As one of the most assiduous branding consultants for entrepreneurs, Kimberly Bordonaro has built a career on combining practical marketing and business advice with inspiring lyrical references to form a philosophy termed Brandspiration™. Her playful yet pragmatic style has been applauded by industry peers, many who turn to her for help crafting their own brands. Unlike some contemporaries, Kimberly views success not only in financial terms but creative terms. Her work is as much focused on defining and creating experiences around her clients’ individual ingenuity as it is in creating profitable brands.

Randomness from Kimberly Bordonaro:

  • Mission/purpose: Turning tenacious entrepreneurs into profitable brands.
  • Passion: My family, music/pop culture, creating remarkable experiences, and having fun.
  • Claim to Fame: Less than 6 months from its launch, my “Brandspiration” blog began receiving endorsements and praise from a number of top marketing experts. Consequently, other branding professionals have turned to me to help with their personal brands and I’ve unofficially become the consultant who “brands the branders.”
  • Favorite Quote: “Go!”
  • Biggest Fear: I’m not too keen on camping and wild animals. I’m a city girl.
  • Biggest Pet Peeve: I have no time for rude people and passive aggressive behavior.
  • Weirdest Habit:  I leave the house at time increments of five. A bit OCD and weird, no?
  • Favorite Cartoon Character: Wile E. Coyote. That guy never gives up!
  • Anything else? I love cupcakes and espresso. 🙂

Links to Connect With Kimberly Bordonaro:

 

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The Leadership Brand: How to Discover Your Personal Brand Persona

March 7, 2012 by

Personal Leadership brandingAs a leader in your field, it’s particularly important to create an authentic personal brand. When colleagues or potential clients think about you, they should be able to associate you with a certain set of qualities that you exude. Those qualities are your brand persona, and your brand persona should be present in everything that you do in order to give your brand the most genuine impression possible.

To help you discover your brand persona, I have listed twelve of the most common archetypes into which leaders fit and included examples from the 2011 TIME 100 list of leaders. These types vary based on personality, style of leadership and a number of other things.

As you read through these common archetypes, keep in mind that we are all unique and dynamic, so it would be very rare to say that someone fits exactly into one archetype. Instead, you may find that you generally fit into an archetype more so than the others, while still exhibiting traits of one or two other ones. Think of this as if you were wearing a great suit (your main archetype), but you accessorize with a secondary archetype (watch, briefcase, shoes, etc).

12 Personal Branding Archetypes for Leaders

1. The Chief

The Chief is a goal-oriented, decisive, hard worker who likely was born to be a leader. These types are confident, responsible and love being in charge of making important decisions. Example: Major General Margaret Woodward

2. The Visionary

The Visionary looks to the future for possibilities and does not focus on the past. They value big picture thinking, innovation, and enjoy strategizing. Example: Ai Weiwei

3. The Confidant

Simply put, the Confidant is the “nice guy” or “nice girl” of the group. You are exceedingly kind almost to a fault, as you go to lengths to avoid confrontation. You are caring and dependable. Example: Colin Firth

4. The Performers

The Performer takes control of a room simply by walking into it. They have big personalities and enjoy drama. They may tend to exaggerate or be melodramatic but they have star quality about them that naturally attracts others and places them in a leadership role. Example: Mark Walberg

5. The Caregiver

If you are the kind of person who others go to with their problems, you may be the Caregiver. This personal brand type is sensitive, compassionate and empathetic, and also quite generous. Example: Gabrielle Giffords

 6. The Truth-Seeker

This is the truth-seeker of the brand types, a person who is reflective and analytical. School likely comes easy for them, as they are natural students, and have an insatiable desire for knowledge. Example: Mark Zuckerberg

7. The Explorer

Explorers crave excitement and get bored with repetition. They seek out new experiences and love to travel or seek out adventures. These people are independent and place a high level of importance on freedom. Example: Reed Hastings

 8. The Combatant

The Combatant is a natural protector, honorable to the bitter end. He or she is noble and has a set of principles from which there is no wavering. Chances are this person will be prone to self-sacrifice. Example: General David Petraeus

9. The Spark

The Spark is playful, spirited, and full of energy. They tend to be bold and are often described as the person that “lights up the room”. Example: Amy Poehler

10. The Revolutionary

The Revolutionary is dedicated to helping people find the good in themselves, acting as a catalyst for inspiration or change. He or she may be spiritual or charismatic, or have a passion for healing. Example: Wael Ghonim

11. The Purist

Happy, trusting and honest, the Purist is a natural people person. They have a type of innocence that attracts people from all over. They are wholesome, forgiving and kind. Example: Kate Middleton

12. The Rebel

Rebels have big dreams and strong ideals, yet can tend to get themselves in trouble with their fearless and revolutionary nature. They are not afraid to break cultural norms if they are doing what they feel is right. Example: Julian Assange

These brand persona’s and the need to define and differentiate your personal brand, knows no international boundaries.

Keep the conversation flowing… which archetype best describes your personal brand?

Connect with Kimberly Bordonaro : Website | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

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