Brenda’s Blog
Explore Brenda’s latest thinking on leadership, coaching, and branding. Each post offers practical insights and immediately usable tools to help you succeed — both as a leader and in life.
Brenda Bence to Be Featured on Cover of The Woman’s Advantage 2011 Calendar
Entrepreneur’s Advice Presented in Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar Brenda Bence, Founder and President of Brand Development Associates (BDA) International, Ltd, was selected from 5,000 submissions to be featured in the 2011 Woman’s Advantage Calendar. The calendar provides advice from influential women leaders across the US and Canada. Mary Cantando, Growth Expert of The Woman’s […]
Recent Interview about How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers
Click here to read a recent interview about the second book in my personal branding book series “How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers.”
How Johnnie Walker came to be one of the world’s most recognized whiskeys.
The actual Johnnie Walker logo came from a lunch meeting between a famous cartoonist and JW execs, where, after a meal and a drink, the cartoonist was asked to draw a figure that would personify the brand. It was drawn on the back of a menu. Now, the company and its logo are recognized worldwide, […]
PUMA developed from a rivalry between two brothers…
PUMA developed as a rivalry between two brothers. It has gone from signature soccer apparel to a line of clothing representing a hip, cool fusion of sports, fashion and high-style. Though it used to compete primarily with Adidas and Nike, it now competes with brands such as Gucci, Armani Diesel and D&G. Not happy with […]
Martha Stewart – from ‘busted’ brand in handcuffs & knitted poncho to legendary personal and corporate brand.
Not long ago, the world watched while Martha Stewart’s brand plummeted and the press had a field day as a result of her conviction of stock trading conspiracy. I still have images in my mind of the famous knitted poncho Martha wore in the aftermath of her release …
Top Leadership Personal Branding Tips from Nelson Mandela
Inside my latest newsletter… Join me in my ‘parting ode’ to the South African World Cup by reviewing top Leadership Personal Branding lessons from Nelson Mandela. Clear up any confusion around key marketing terms, including how a “brand” is different from “brand positioning” and “branding.” I share the top 10 most common branding mistakes entrepreneurs […]
Successfully Making the Personal Brand/Corporate Brand Connection
Congratulations to Trish Meecham, our winner! Many thanks to those of you who responded to the call for questions that appeared in my last e-newsletter. We had some great questions that came in on the topics of both personal and corporate branding. Our winner this month is Trish Meecham from Credit Suisse. In return for […]
Nelson Mandela’s Leadership Principles
With all eyes turned to South Africa and the World Cup over the past weeks, I thought it would be interesting to revisit a 2008 interview with Nelson Mandela regarding leadership. Published in Time Magazine, the article outlined eight leadership principles that Mandela used to build his distinguished career – and his very powerful leadership […]
Unexpected Riches: The Six Advantages College Grads Have in a Job Search
As a college student getting ready to graduate, do you find yourself worrying that you’re at a disadvantage in the job pool because you don’t have as much experience as older applicants? If so, you’ll be glad to hear that you have some definite advantages while looking for a job just by virtue of being young and new to your job search.
Customer Complaints: Why Your Brand Can’t Survive Without Them
“You can’t complain on a Saturday.” I paused, certain that I’d misunderstood. “Pardon?” “Our Complaint Department is only open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central time. You can call back and share your complaint during those hours.” It was hard to believe that I was hearing this from a customer service […]
Do YOU Make Any of These Top 5 Job Interview Mistakes?
Recruiters Vote on Grads’ Worst Fumbles in Job Interviews What do more than 50 seasoned college recruiters from top-level corporations and universities say are the biggest mistakes college grads make in job interviews? That’s the question I recently posed to recruiters from companies and schools like Google, Disney, Sony, and Stanford University. The outcome of […]
How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers Wins 2010 National Indie Excellence® Book Award
Author Brenda Bence’s book about how to find a job using personal branding – How YOU™ are like Shampoo for Job Seekers: The Proven Personal Branding System To Help You Succeed In Any Interview And Secure the Job of Your Dreams – is the Winner in the Career Category of the 2010 National Indie Excellence […]
HOW YOU™ ARE LIKE SHAMPOO FOR COLLEGE GRADUATES IS AN AWARD-WINNING FINALIST IN THE 2010 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE® BOOK AWARDS
Author Brenda Bence’s book aimed at helping College Graduates find a job using personal branding – How YOU™ are like Shampoo for College Graduates: The Complete Personal Branding System to Define, Position, and Market Yourself and Land a Job You Love – was named an Award-Winning Finalist in the Career Category of the 2010 National […]
What Is Happening to “Brand Thailand?”
The front cover of this Monday’s Nation newspaper – an English-language publication in Thailand – showed a photo of Thais and foreigners rolling up their sleeves and digging in to help with the massive clean-up process required as a result of the events of the past few weeks. Armed with large plastic bags and rubber […]
Safe in Bangkok now – thank you for your concern!
The situation in Bangkok on Wednesday, May 19 was like a scene right out of a nightmare. But, unlike a bad dream, the violence, fires, and bombs were very real and not only caused death and injury to many, but also displaced thousands of Bangkokians from their homes. That was the case for my husband, […]
