Be You No Matter Where You Are
Personal brand translates into all areas of life
By Sheryl S. Jackson
One of the most frequent questions asked of Sheila P. Coates, creator of B.Y.O.B.-Be Your Own Brand, how to manage different wardrobes for business, personal, and social attire.
“When you develop your personal brand, you are identifying who you are all of the time, not just in one place or on certain days,” explains Coates. Taking an example from her days of consulting with entertainers, she points out, “Beyonce is Beyonce whether she’s a guest on Oprah or hosting the MTV awards,” she says. “She may dress differently because her audience is different, but her personality and her style are the same.”
One of Coates’ clients complained that she had no problem during the workweek. She had developed her branding statement, was confident that she portrayed the attributes she wanted to communicate, and felt good about herself. “She told me that her problem was the weekend,” says Coates. “She had children who needed to be driven to soccer and other events on Saturdays and she was always just grabbing whatever clothes were handy as she rushed out the door.”
The woman did not want to spend much money on a weekend casual wardrobe. The solution was simple, says Coates. “I told her to pick out two or three pair of nice sweatpants and some cool t-shirts,” she says. With neutral colored pants and an assortment of t-shirts that would match any of the pants, there would be no problem finding something to wear, she says. “These ‘go to’ clothes made Saturday mornings less hectic and enabled the woman to maintain her brand, even in casual clothes at the soccer field.”