Revenue = Reputation

As a personal brand, your revenue is equal to your reputation.

In finances and investing there is no more a powerful figure than Warren Buffet. He has shown a financial return in the worst economies, downturns, etc. no matter the climate, Warren's investment strategies ring true. His name was a secret to people who wanted to win, at one point only working with family and friends.

There is what we call a breakthrough point, at which time your name can no longer be kept a secret.

There is a period in which you work, where it seems like no matter what you do, people just don't know how effective you are. This may be where you are now. You have the education, experience and expertise, but you're the best kept secret. Enough people, or at least enough of the right people, do not know that you exist or how efficient and effective you really are.

This is the point where you do one of two things.

You either press forward for the love of what you do, and the returns, phenomenal service and experience you provide for others, or you tap out. You quit because you're not seeing the returns that YOU'D like to see.

If you choose to move forward and have faith that in time you will be seen and recognized for your work, and you diligently go deeper to gain even more competence in your given craft, then you become like a Michael Jordan, who was cut in high school, only to become the phenom of the 20th century. A household name, and a personal brand beyond compare.

His resilience, relentlessness, and unwillingness to quit became his reputation.

This is in the same vein as all the greats in whatever industry you choose. Jay - Z recalls not being able to get a record deal. He laughs, and says, "No one would sign me, they said - this guy is terrible. Imagine if I would have believed them."

Imagine if you believe them. Imagine if you let the naysayers and the critics dissuade you from being who you are supposed to be, lower your prices, discount your worth, or settle for a life that you know is not for you.

Denzel Washington said, "The aspiration to attain something is God's promise that it is meant for you." It is your choice to go after it. It is your faith to build the reputation that will become your earning potential and your personal brand. People with unreliability as a reputation do not win. They do not pass go, and collect $200. They are lucky to find stability in their lives and reliability in a pay check.

You have to become that which you want.

In the end, your revenue, reward, recognition and respect = your reputation.

This is your personal brand. You start life without one, you are a blank page. Your every action, decision, indecision and commitment, discipline and determination create it as you go. It is possible to change your reputation, but it takes time. This is the most important thing to remember. It takes time to build; days, weeks, months, years and decades, and it only takes a second to destroy it.

There was a time when Bernie Madoff's name commanded the same respect and reverence as Warren Buffet's. Then one second in the public's eye took it all away and reversed what took decades to build.

When building your reputation, take care, be mindful and attentive to every detail, every nuance, and do not allow for anything to encroach on your long term goal. It will happen, just keep building. This is personal branding for success.