Dan Schawbel is the founder of WorkplaceTrends.com and bestselling author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success.

>>Back to the Big Book of Questions

Q: What is a personal brand and why is it important today in business?
DS: Personal branding is about unearthing what makes you unique and special, and communicating that to the right audience. I always push people to focus on niche because that’s how you can be found.

Q: How have you successfully branded yourself?
DS: I’ve created a blog, a magazine, an online TV series – all focused on the topic of personal branding. I’ve also created multiple businesses, authored books, written 1,500 articles, interviewed over 1,500 people and did 27 research studies.

Q: How can busy salespeople find time to build their personal brands?
DS: You’re always selling yourself. Even when you’re not even thinking about it, you should be. Everything you do is a branding/selling opportunity. You can’t avoid that.

Q: As you build a brand, how do you decide what personal info to keep private?
DS: Don’t talk about political, religious or gender views. Definitely avoid anything that would cause controversy – unless you’re in the business of causing controversy.