Role Model: Rachel Ray
If you are a young woman in the business world looking for role models and examples of successes, then consider looking at the example of Rachel Ray. Many people see her bubbly TV personality and think of her as a simple hack cook, but they couldn't be more incorrect. Rachel Ray is a perfect example of how you can take a simple career and create a personal brand that is much more than a household name, but an empire. If you look closely, her career, after a few basic tweaks, catapulted into stardom in a matter of a few years. If you follow her methods, then I am willing to bet that not only can you do it too, but you might be able to do it better than she did.
Rachel Ray had a host of TV shows on several cable networks. You might not remember, but she did a lot of travel shows while she was doing her show on the Food Network. It took her years to create her success, but it almost looked as if she pushed the easy button and boom - she was a hit!
One of the biggest keys to personal success and business success for young women is to separate themselves from the pack. This doesn't just mean that you work extra hard either, but hard work doesn't hurt (in fact it is a requirement). What this means is that you promote certain aspects of your personality and use those to promote your personal brand. Rachel Ray did this by becoming the "girl next door" on the Food Network and people started responding to it. She wasn't one of those classy types or the elegant cook; she simply cooked good food and promoted her bubbly personality in the process. As a result, people started to both love and hate her (people hating you means that you are doing something right).
Eventually, she was offered a talk show on TV, which exploded and become a success in an instant. Stay at home mom's and others watching morning talk shows fell in love with her cooking, her personality, and her attitude. As she continues to evolve (probably in a manner similar to Oprah), I can see her getting even more famous than she is now.
If you are wondering why I keep talking about Rachel Ray, let me break it down for you. You don't have to be the best at what you do, or even the hardest working, but if you identify a part of your personality that you can brand and promote, then nothing else will matter. People love to find things that they can identify with, and this is true whether you are an executive or an entrepreneur. You can start to promote yourself, I like to call it shameless self-promotion, and you will find that people will respond. If they don't, then tweak your strategy until it works.
The days of the personal brand are upon us and if you are a young woman looking to define yourself in the business world, then Rachel Ray is one of the best examples that you can find to learn from. Her popularity, like yours will when you apply these strategies, just keeps growing by the minute. Find a part of yourself that others like and promote the heck out of it. Let us know how it works out.