People love and hate successful brands in equal measure and finalist in this week’s Apprentice Stuart Baggs is no different. Watch his audition here – he certainly has “The Marmite Effect“, that enviable trait of forcing people to have an opinion about you, but will he succeed? I find this season’s Apprentice all the more interesting as a brand consultant, because of all the Apprentices that we’ve seen so far, Stuart is the first candidate every to refer to themselves as a personal brand.
“I’m not a one-trick pony, I’m not a 10-trick pony, I’m a whole field of ponies – and they’re literally all running towards this job“. Stuart Baggs
Personal Branding is an interesting concept and one that many of us aren’t comfortable with because it implies that we need to package and present ourselves in a certain manner, before we “sell” ourselves to the world. Must we really manage our communications in the same way that a PR firm might manage a companies reputation?
If you are reading this article, chances are you’ll also have a twitter and a facebook account so whether you like it or not, you already are a personal brand on-line with multiple communications and messages representing your brand. You might not realise it – or you might not be doing a deliberate job of packaging yourself in a particular way, but every one of us has an on-line identity no different from any other corporate. Also, if you are reading my blog because you want to set up your own business at some point, branding yourself in the right way now is crucial.
Stuart “The Brand” Baggs Top Quotes!
- “I’m Stuart Baggs ‘The Brand’ – I’ve got a certain type of charisma.”
- “I’m alive: there are so many people that aren’t alive or have died, unfortunately. I’m alive; that’s a gift, frankly. I wake up early every morning once I’ve had the sleep I need. I go out and make money.”
- “Everything I touch turns to sold”
- “Excuse me Sir, you look like a sausage connoisseur.”
- “Come on ladies and Gentlemen, fancy a taste of my jellied eels?”
- “I don’t want any arse-covering. I hate that as a practice. No arse covering – happy days!”
- “I’m not a one-trick pony, I’m not a 10-trick pony, I’m a whole field of ponies – and they’re literally all running towards this job.”
