The Mary Kay Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit 2017

The Mary Kay Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit 2017

There are few opportunities I cherish more than those involving the professional development of women entrepreneurs. When asked to speak at the Mary Kay Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit, I immediately thought of the women who influenced me and helped me achieve success in my career. I started as a young entrepreneur with the dream to one day own my own business. This dream was achieved with the help of those who supported, encouraged and pushed me to accomplish the goals I set for myself.

At the Mary Kay Summit I spoke on a panel about building your personal brand. Your personal brand is ultimately a reflection of who you are as a leader and is one of the most important tools an entrepreneur must develop when setting a vision for their business.

Here are my four tips for building your personal brand:

  1. Be authentic – As the leader of a company, you live and breathe your core values every day. It is important that your personal brand is authentic and true to who you are. The first person who needs to follow and embody your brand’s values is you.
  2. Be passionate – Discover what you’re passion is, find a way to make a career out of it and never let that passion go. You can achieve any dream, accomplish any goal and become the leader you want to be if passion is your driving force.
  3. Be intentional – Relationships are key. Your relationship with clients and customers should be unique so that you can offer customized solutions tailored to their specific needs. It is essential to be intentional about the brand you represent because at the end of the day, your brand is a sum of your customers’ experience with you.
  4. Be present – A leader worth following is one who leads by example. It is necessary for you as a leader to hire employees who embody your core values. You will not always be the one representing your company, therefore it is important to hire those who represent you and your brand well.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Mary Kay Entrepreneurship Summit and speak alongside my respected colleagues, Holly Mason and Jessica Nunez. For 53 years the Mary Kay organization has been empowering, mentoring and promoting women to accomplish their goals and I am honored to have been a part of an event that believes in the bright future of women entrepreneurs.

– Heather Capps