Posts in “collaboration”
Take Twelve: Power and Priority: A Mother and Daughter Founding Team Builds an Empire
By: Dr. Gaby Cora
According to the US Department of Commerce, the number of women-owned businesses grew by 44% between 1997 and 2007, twice as fast as men-owned firms. We have grown accustomed to father-son founding teams through history. On the other hand, we don’t know the exact number of successful mother-daughter teams of entrepreneurs.
Is Branding Limiting Your Celebrity Status?
By: Dr. Gaby Cora
Why is Anderson Cooper struggling to survive on daytime television? Aside from competing against Ellen DeGeneres and Dr. Oz, is there another reason he is having trouble? Some speculate that it’s because he’s looking for his voice. I feel that its more likely because we as viewers are expecting him to do something that he has never really done before. Cooper is a celebrity—and this is why he is hosting his show. However, his celebrity status is tightly connected to his journalistic branding style and not for his ability to interact with guests in less serious, and more casual situations. TV personality Nancy Grace may have ventured into Dancing with the Stars in a publicity attempt to make her appear more likeable and less antagonistic while creating some public appeal, but it was difficult to see the hard-core prosecutor as someone having fun on the dance floor.
Expert consultants thrive while focusing on niche areas. Once brought in, and particularly after establishing a trusting relationship with their clients, they are asked to help resolve numerous situations outside of their expert area. The consultant is in the process of becoming a “celebrity,” so to speak, to his client: a trusted collaborator.
Having a highly valued brand is not inconsistent with becoming a celebrity. It’s just a matter of timing. Most celebrities had a brand in the beginning of their careers and, over time, grew to become gurus in their field, adored in many ways, attracting many people to them beyond their focused brand. Thus, they branched out from branding into celebrity status.
While keeping a brand is important—you wouldn’t imagine Oprah running a Jerry Springer-like show—experts with star power who continue to focus on their area of expertise even when people think of them as celebrities, may cloud opportunities beyond what they originally imagined. In a way, by continuing to be only a brand, that person will limit their own path to achieve celebrity status.
How about you? Are you in the process of designing your brand at the beginning of your career? Are you a well-established brand? Are you a celebrity? Are you both?
Subscribe to watch videos on effective branding and entrepreneurship at http://www.YouTube.com/DrGabyCora
Take Four: Transform Passion into Action
The unemployment rates for the newly graduated class of 2010 was 9.1%. Unemployment rates are even higher in young adults without a college degree. Plus, two thirds of these graduates are in debt.
Most of us go to undergraduate and graduate schools to seek knowledge and a greater opportunity at a professional career. However, experience is a must if we want to stay competitive. The more we can intuitively align our knowledge and experience with a clear vision of our future, the greater potential for success.
Watch Episode 4 of Dr. Gaby’s Take: Make Life Interesting, as I interview Jason Liebross, who went from unemployed newly grad to sports social media entrepreneur. Enjoy!
Watch the full episode–with additional, never seen clips–at http://www.DrGabyCora.tv on Friday.
