Borrowed Land vs. Owned Brand: Why Personal Branding Matters More Now Than Ever!

Big companies buy, sell, merge, and rebrand all the time and with Compass Real Estate's recent acquisition announcement, now felt like the perfect time to talk about why personal branding is SO important for ALL entrepreneurs!

This isn’t just about real estate. 

Your personal brand is your most reliable insurance policy, no matter what industry you’re in.

This episode is your reminder that if you’re building your career or while hiding behind someone else's logo, you’re building on borrowed land. This is true for brokerages, social media platforms or affiliate partners!

Check out Candice's Instagram carousel about this topic!

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• Candice Carcioppolo
• Kat Torre

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Transcript

 Newsflash. Clever crew, big companies buy, sell, merge, and rebrand all the time. This is not new. Take a breath. Most recently, compass announced a major acquisition in the real estate world, but we're here to tell you that this is not just about real estate. It's a reminder that if you are building your career or business on somebody else's dime and brand, you're building on borrowed land.

This is bigger than real estate. It is about brand, it is about culture. It is about values. And today we're talking all about why your personal brand is the most reliable insurance policy regardless of what industry you are in. So pull up a digital chair. Take the notes. Candace and I are coming in. Like hot fire flames.

So yesterday I canceled like half my day because the news came out and my dms were flooded with people saying, oh my gosh, what does this mean? What am I gonna do? Like I didn't sign up for this. Like, why is this happening? All the things. Mm-hmm. But I also know that clients that I've worked with for the last few years are getting flooded with dms from.

All of the other brokerages who are like, Hey, there's a place for you over here. We'd love to have you, and they're being sought after. I was actually on with one of our clients this morning and he was like, I got dms from a named five different brokerages that have reached out to him and said, Hey.

Mm-hmm. If you're thinking about making a move, we wanna talk to you first. And that's because he has a strong personal brand and he is not gonna be scrambling or concerned because a strong personal brand has given him options and opportunities. He's being sought after he does not have to chase. Mm-hmm.

So I stopped my day yesterday because I wanted to make content about it, made a couple videos, made a carousel post, and, um. I got a lot of dms about the carousel post saying, you know, this is fire. Right on. Like, I actually wanted to do a little, uh, recap of the comments that I got. 'cause they were funny.

They were like, fire Right on. Yep. Oof. And I was just like, these are just like little funny soundbites. Yes. But it is, it's hitting with people because they are realizing that yeah, I may have signed up to be with Sotheby's because I. Thought they had a strong reputation in luxury, and that is where I wanted to be.

But if you haven't spent your time at Sotheby's, really growing your brand to be that luxury brand. Mm-hmm. And potentially now you don't get to use that name anymore. We don't even know what's gonna happen. But potentially we don't. It's too early. What, why doesn't your name represent the thing that you want it to?

And it's probably because you haven't spent the time to really understand that there's value in your messaging, in your content. This is so important because in an age where consolidation is gonna continue to happen, whenever there is chaos, there's opportunity, there's acquisition and mergers. That's it.

That's true. That's the thing. There have always been, there's always been that pattern and. In an age where a lot of people throw around the term personal brand and they think it just means marketing yourself. They think it just means having a good reputation. It's really all of those things and more those are ingredients in a larger personal brand.

And those agents that are getting the dms, they have positioned themselves as an authority. They have been very clear on their value proposition. They have been very succinct. They have had dis. Distinct messaging. They have put themselves out there. They have really cultivated this experience where people appreciate how they feel when they work with them.

They're very memorable. They're very top of mind because brand when done well creates demand. And these agents who have been putting in the work, probably being made fun of by other agents who are like, oh, who does he think he is? Who does she think Candace? How many times have we had our clients come and confide in us during coaching sessions?

Oh yeah, we have, and yet, now who's the one who's freaking out? Right. Because Right. The larger thing too that I see is. You might have joined a particular brokerage or a team because you aligned with their brand, their values, what they stood for. But then when a new sheriff walks into town, you're like, well, I don't necessarily align with that person's values, especially in an era when CEOs of companies are held to the standard and at the mercy of.

The comment section on social media. We saw that with astronomer, CEO. We saw that with Tesla's, CEO. We saw that, I don't even know if he's CEO anymore. We, and now we see that with Compass's, CEO. So it's just, it's a very interesting time. But I think as the dust settles brand is always going to be my biased answer here.

Yeah. Same. And I, when I was writing. The carousel post that I posted yesterday, I was thinking like, this is from such a specific lens. There's so many aspects of this that people can talk about, but obviously Kat and I are in the branding realm, and so of course we're always thinking through that lens, but there are many other lenses that this can be thought through that just.

Not necessarily where, you know where our expertise lies. So this is what we're gonna talk about because we know that today, if you're listening in and you're in a place where you feel like you didn't choose, your brand is actually gonna give you power. It's actually going to give you opportunities, options.

And that's why we talk about this all the time. I actually got a message from, um. From someone who I've known for a long time since my clubhouse day is five years ago. He messaged me and he said, oh shit, Candace, is it too late for me? And I realized I need to be mindful of my own words when I'm sharing, because I don't want anyone to ever see like, oh, see, I should have done that, but now it's too late.

I should have started that. TikTok, I should have started on Instagram. I should have started making YouTube videos. But now because. Everything's saturated or the algorithm's gonna hate me or whatever. It's too late for me and it's just not. So if that message ever comes across, I don't want it to be that you can start, yesterday was the best day to start, but today's.

You know, and that will always be true. Yeah. Right. That's for anything. Yeah. Right. And so whether we're talking about, you know, your exercise program or getting started with your, um, brand mm-hmm. Like, let's just start now, that way the next time something like this happens because it will mm-hmm. You don't feel the same way that you might've felt yesterday if you haven't been spending time.

Building your brand. Yes. And I think another trap that I saw people fall into was, okay, well if I need to or want to build my personal brand, do I have to go it alone? Do I have to not be with Sotheby's? Do I have to not be with Century 21 or Compass or whomever? And that's also not what we are saying.

The it's, it's an and. Situation. Because if you think about it, if your entire success relies on somebody else's brand equity, somebody else's name, your employer, your broker of record, whoever it might be, that's borrowed authority and borrowed a credibility, and debts always have to come due. Right? And while we.

We do always preach collaboration. We absolutely believe in partnership. Mm-hmm. And we know that there is value in collaborating with someone that will help you to increase your own brand equity. Mm-hmm. If you use that partnership or collaboration appropriately, if you're smart with your time and your intention and your energy so that you are still putting out your.

Prospective ideas, thoughts, content, you know, all of it. And not only relying on the other. Entity and the partnership. Yep. And I think aligning with people who have that abundant mindset, like, you know, obviously like manifestation is one of our pillars here at not Nice, clever, truly believing that you can enter into a mutually beneficial partnership.

You can. Build your brand and your name alongside in partnership with another company. Don't feel bad about that because the company is getting your talent. The company is investing in you and you are investing in them. This idea that you need to stay hidden, you need to stay small, you need to stay in your place, you need to.

You need to insert whatever it is, limiting belief that you have. I feel like those old rules are done and, and, and becoming quickly out of date. And the more that you can build, concurrently build with the company that you're with, because they have a lot of resources, they have a lot of history, they have way more trust and equity than you have, help them.

Obviously you're there for a reason, but also help yourself. And build together because you'll make the company better with your fresh eyes, your new perspective, your energy, the network you bring. And then they, by extension, will also help lift you up too. Because one of my favorite quotes is A rising tide lift all ships.

It's like everybody gets to win as long as you have the mindset and you're aligned with people who have those similar values too. Absolutely. So. If you are in a place where you, even if you're not in real estate, if you're in a place where you are feeling like you are kind of at the mercy of your employer or the brand you work alongside, we want you to know that you have an opportunity.

To get really clear on your brand and begin showing up, starting now, starting today. Fresh slate for you, and you did not miss the boat on this. There's still an opportunity. And what would you ka recommend someone do if they feel like, okay, I wasn't one of the people that people are calling, or I'm not a sought after person today.

What can they do right now? Right. Uh, well first I don't want you to like beat yourself up and compare yourself to everybody else because that's only gonna dilute and distract you. Mm-hmm. Right? We need to stay focused on where you're strong 'cause you have strengths and expertise. So, two things. One, I would immediately Google your name.

What comes up when you Google your name, because that is what other brokerages, other team leaders, other HR heads, other employers, other insert person who wants to give you an opportunity is going to do this. Day and age, people wanna see the receipts. So look at through an unbiased lens how you're showing up on Google.

What shows up there? What are the results? What does your LinkedIn profile say about you? Do you have a personal website? Do you have a Google business listing? If you're a small business owner, you have a brick and mortar, do you have social media profiles that are really consistent and up to date and those college photos are, are archived or hidden?

Mm-hmm. You know, from view? Mm-hmm. Um. That's step number one because that is gonna be the immediate perception. Doesn't matter how good you are or how many years of experience you have, it's, it's almost like in law. 'cause like my parents worked in the court. So like I think often in those analogies it's unfortunately sometimes not what actually happened.

It's what you can prove. So in this case, it's not actually how good you are, it's how good you appear to be online. That's like a hard pill for people to swallow. It's so funny in one of my. Newest talks. I have a slide where it's a triangle, and at the base of the triangle is your experience and experiences.

So your experience in the industry and your experiences in life. So me being a mom, going to college, whatever the experiences that I have in life. Right. And then on the, mm-hmm. Other side of the base of the triangle is your skills. So the things that you know how to do, um mm-hmm. In the middle of this triangle, all these points come together to like encompass your brand.

The top of the triangle is what I call perception, and it's the place that people don't like to talk about because just as you're saying, you do have to build people's perception of you. And when people use the word perception, for some reason they think fake. But that's literally not the definition. I absolutely looked it up and I can do it right now for you 'cause you know, I love looking stuff up while we're here.

Oh, I love that. Please. No, um, you're so good to me, giving me the actual definition of a word. I love it. Um, I looked it up. It doesn't have anything to do with fake. It says the ability to see here or become aware of something through the senses. So your job to perceive is to make people. See, hear, and be aware of something, in this case you, that you exist that you can help them.

Mm-hmm. And so you have to have the strong base of the triangle. You have to have the experience and the experiences. You have to have the skills and the knowledge to be able to create the perception. Mm-hmm. And do it authentically. Yes. Authentically. Yes. We want you to be you. Right. We want you be, we just want more people to know you.

Right. That's all. So if you're listening right now and you're like, okay, Candace, but I'm like a brand new insert, whatever it is that you do, I'm brand new. I really don't have the knowledge and skills. I really don't have much experience, but I am making content. I'm putting myself out there. I'm talking about what I do.

The only problem with that is that if someone does hire you and you don't know how to help them, then the next person's not hiring you because. They're gonna talk, they're gonna say, well, I hired her, but she didn't really know what she was doing. Right? So what you do in that case is partner with someone.

Maybe it's joining a team, maybe it's joining the right brokerage. Maybe it's be, you know, being an intern, maybe. Whatever it is, you have to partner with someone and borrow their knowledge and expertise so that you can build your own knowledge and expertise and that perception. Is still valid. You're not faking it, right?

It's still there because you're leaning on someone else's knowledge and expertise, and you're still making sure that the client is taken care of at the end of the day. So everyone wins. And if you feel weird about that, don't, because the person that you're partnering with, the team that you're joining is excited that you, little newbie brought them business opportunity, okay?

You can't keep the business without them, but they didn't even get it without you. Win-win. Exactly right. Thank you. Yes, that's exactly it. And you're bringing a new fresh perspective. Maybe you're bringing skills that they don't have. Um, and it's definitely win-win. Mm-hmm. So you have to be thinking about building the perception of you.

And it's so funny that you said to Google yourself because last night I just went into chat DBT and I said, Hey, what do you know about Candace Cario Polo? Wait, was it in your custom PT though? Or was it the main gt? No, it was not. It was not just the main. Um, and then it just like, you know, pulled up everything that it learned about me from online.

And the funny thing, it was like Candace has worked with Nare, with, um, you know, the Women's Council of Real Estate. She is, you know, worked with all these different organizations and, you know, she's, you know, trusted in personal branding and real estate, blah, blah, all the things. She's a speaker, she's a podcast host.

Talked about our podcast, all the things. Yeah. What it did not say was that I work with Ryan Shan. Ah. And I was like, that's funny. And so I asked it and I was like, what could I do online to ensure that when someone looks me up, they know that I've been working with Ryan for the last four years and it gave me specific things to do to make sure that sell it and Sirhan are, are in different areas to make sure that that shows up.

So that is. A hot tip for y'all today. Google yourself chat, GPT yourself. Mm-hmm. If you don't like what you see, or if it's not enough or not robust enough, ask it. What can I do online to ensure that X, Y, Z shows up? This is so cool. So one of the suggestions it made is, you know how people have on their website, like a little bar that says, as seen in.

And like they have the logos or names? Logos, exactly. Yeah. It said that I need to put the logos there, which I, I thought you had a press bar last and maybe it was on a prior. I, yeah, because I have one, used to have one, but I don't see it anymore. So, um, it said that was one of the things that would help, which was interesting.

Um, and. I have to actually go through the list 'cause I haven't um, implemented that yet. But it was a funny exercise, funny that I just did it last night in Totally funny. I'm like looking and it knows. This is so wild guys. When you know that you are really building in public, which is one of our favorite phrases from our friend Neil Dinga, um, in the forward community says Chachi, BT knows that my Enneagram type is eight.

It knows that I'm an INFJ with strong leadership trait. That I value creativity, independent spirituality achievement, and contributing to something bigger. I mean, yeah, that's so, well, very accurate. So yeah, so Google yourself chat, CBT yourself, and then the question that we want you to ask and keep in mind anytime you hit send on an email newsletter, hit publish on a reel, hit publish on a LinkedIn post any, any form of content that you are putting out there, ask yourself if you are.

Being and using your voice as a contributor in your industry, or if you're just repping your company, like are you speaking to the larger patterns, trends, innovations that are happening, or are you just regurgitating what the latest and greatest is at your current company? There's a, there's a difference there.

And not to say that one is better than the other, but they serve different purposes. Yeah. Right? Yep. You want to have your own voice and be clear on your own message. With all the politics that are going on right now, a lot of people are trying to remain so neutral that they can't say anything because mm-hmm.

They're too scared of getting canceled. And really, the, the thing is you have to consistently, authentically be yourself. You can't be so scared of getting canceled that you don't say anything at all, which I know is happening to some of you today. Some of you're listening and just saying like, I just kind of threw my hands up in the air, Candace, because no matter what I say, someone's gonna be pissed off.

And it's true. Even, even something that's, that shouldn't be political. Me talking about personal branding, I was like, someone's gonna be mad because I didn't talk about the full picture of this. But I don't need to talk about the full picture of this because that's not my lane. This is my lane. This is what I could talk about.

Right. But I, I knew, right, that there's opportunity for someone to talk shit about what I posted. Right? Because they're gonna be like, well, you didn't touch on this. You didn't touch on that. I know I didn't, because that's not for me to touch on. And I think you have to kind of build. Thick skin and know that when you are sharing your own opinion, you're sharing your own thoughts and your own perspective, the right people will stay and the wrong people will leave.

And you can't be so concerned that you never put yourself out there. Mm-hmm. It's not gonna serve you in the long run to try to make nice with everybody to try to play nice. Like you can be professional and above board. And I'll always go back to that phrase. That you shared Candace, and I don't know where the, the origin is, but share scars, not wounds.

So if you can't talk about something without getting triggered by, don't talk about it. Right. It's not the right time. Yeah. So I like to, I've been thinking about specifically having, having. Your own personal brand is like the greatest investment you can ever make investing in your own personal brand because no matter where you go, you get to take that brand with you.

Even if you happen to hop industries. Like if I decided that I was going to be in a different industry tomorrow, I still have my background. Personal branding. I still have so much content out there. I still have so many relationships that I've built. So many people who will still be happy to refer me because if they trusted me in one lane, they might trust me in another.

And that is brand equity, personal brand equity that you get to take with you and it never goes away. So. I know, I feel like I'm saying this over and over again, but I can't tell you enough how important it is to start thinking of yourself as an asset. When I think of someone who does that really well, Taya DiCarlo, she's with Compass.

It's very clear. Everyone knows she's with Compass, but not because every one of her posts, you know, there's a Compass logo spinning in the background. That's not what she does, right? She has Taya Tia's 2 cents. And if you will put it in the show notes. You need to watch and listen to Tia's episode here on.

Not Nice, clever. She's an incredible human. But if you look at her content, she does a great job of absolutely bringing her own knowledge, her own, um, her own love for life, like her own energy comes through, and that is so magnetizing, it's so magnetic. She happens to be with Compass, and you'll see that sometimes, but not in every post.

Thanks for joining us. On, not nice, clever. Remember to follow our podcast wherever you listen to audio and head to www.notniceclever.com to connect. For more drop a question, we'll shoot you an answer. We're not gatekeepers here signing off. You're not so nice, but also clever besties that mean business.

See you next week.