Personal branding: A make or break

Personal branding is necessary and contributes to creating a positive first impression, among other things.

Personal Branding consultant, writer and speaker at Talitha Consulting, Pako Moshaga the foundation of a person’s brand is their self-image and mind set. Moshaga believes that in Botswana, the level of personal branding is still growing and it is essential that a lot of people consider it to benefit them across their various fields of work.

“Most of the talks I have presented have been focused on explaining what personal branding is in detail and how it applies to students, employees and business people,” he said.

Each of these specific groups deserve more attention in the professional and corporate space, according to Moshaga, as it is essential for positioning and advancement.

He appreciates the fact that there are some local image consultants who also focus on the matters of branding. “It is only fair to say awareness is there but there is certainly room for more especially with regards to social media use. What we post on our profiles affects our brands and can result in either winning or losing opportunities,” explained Moshaga.According to Moshaga, the foundation of a person’s brand is their self-image and mind set, and therefore people should always look into this before they step out. He reiterates that personal branding about packaging and presenting oneself according to their unique level. “I have observed that this field is often overlooked, especially areas like first impressions but the truth is that people first look, and then judge,” he said. “People unfortunately do judge the book by its cover hence the need to always package ourselves well when going for interviews, events and to our work places,” he said.

This he says also adds to the belief that when one looks good, they also feel good and confident.

Some people wake up and take their time to prepare for a certain event and even adhere to the dress code of the invitation, but some believe that it is only their presence that matters. Moshaga condemns this and says that success first starts in the mind. “As you see yourself as capable to achieve, success would be the outcome of that because we can’t accomplish what we can’t first imagine,” he said, further giving an example of the renowned Steve Jobs, who would wear jeans and a plain black T-shirt during his talks, but wears suits during the day. “This is a typical example of building a brand. What we wear gains us points before we could even say a word,” he said, adding that the aim of personal branding is to make an impact with how they appear.

Moshaga was motivated to establish Talitha Cumi Consulting, a firm that particularly provides coaching and talks, because he realised that most people need someone to motivate them to do better. “I got into this field through overcoming my own negative self-image and low self-esteem.

I discovered the impact that presenting and packaging myself well had on my mind and self-confidence,” he explained.

I have observed that this field is often overlooked, especially areas like first impressions but the truth is that people first look, and then judge