Preparing for the day when you must become 'You' Ltd

A lot of talk and good talk has been in the media, over the past year in particular, in respect to 'the brand call you' and what this actually means for you. In today's society where trends in social and business networking are necessitating the need to communicate personal differentiation, it is very important to see yourself as a personal brand and more importantly what it takes for your brand to be perceived how you intend it to be. What you think and what others think can be completely separate things - this is one of the most important rules of knowing yourself.

However I see personal branding a little more than how you dress, how you speak etc. I see the whole concept more about 'You' Ltd, meaning you have to see yourself as a company in itself. In addition to branding, you need a strategy, goals, financial targets, development plans and processes that will permit you to succeed in achieving your goals. Society is moving away from relying on big business to provide jobs for life, guarantee your future or provide the personal and professional development you desire. Remember big business is also run by people who for most part will put themselves first. I am aware of large organizations that are planning today to contract out large sections of their workforce in order to better control cost, streamline the organization and be able to control the resources they utilize. That means if you are not prepared for the day when your company asks you to take redundancy then you will not be in a good place.

So what I wanted to do is provide a few key steps in getting you thinking about the day when you may have to take your skills and work as an independent.

1. Think about your overall strategy and what you want to achieve from your work. This includes personal development, lifestyle and financial needs and wants. Write yourself a business plan on 'You' Ltd. Undertake research on the market to see what careers may be in demand in the future and why - or go to someone who can assist in this area like a business and career consultancy. Dynamic Life Creations undertakes such research for a lot of its clients in this space.

2. Consider the competititive advantage do you bring to the market. What skills do you have that others do not. Which sectors and organizations would want your skills and what period of time are we talking.

3. Before the time comes perhaps consider networking with others who can provide complimentary skills that can contribute to you achieving your overall strategy.

4. Update your basic skills around goal setting and management, networking, financial management, marketing and the internet - these are skills you will need to ensure 'You' Ltd succeeds. Even if you won't be actively involved with everything, when running your own business you need an understanding of all facets of your organization in order to manage them.

5. Speak to others already running their own business. Events never happen until they do and not being prepared for a changing economy will be something you will have to deal with when the time comes.