…nothing against you, it’s just human nature.

Background

A strong personal brand is a springboard in life - especially for entrepreneurs. While it takes work, getting funding, partners, clients - everything needed for a successful business - is much easier when you have a strong personal brand. So it’s a worthy pursuit.

Aha

Now, when it comes to the strategy…

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. -Dale Carnegie

Twitter, Facebook, Chamber of Commerce, Cocktail Parties… What’s your strategy in these environments? Are you focused on getting other people interested in you? You wouldn’t say that and you make sure it doesn’t appear that way, but is that your intention?

Or are you, like Carnegie suggests, focused on other people, generally interested in them?

My Experience

A couple weeks ago I went to an event in Miami for web professionals called Refresh Miami. I had a great time. It was a great group of people.

I had some great conversations with a number of very sharp people. What never ceases to amaze me, though, is how few questions about me I ever get in these conversations. This doesn’t bother me because it gives me more time to learn from them, but I do feel like that habit keeps them from some great opportunities of learning from other people - more than just me of course.

You With Me?

Lets do our best to engage with people with a genuine interest in them, both through social networking and the “real thing”.