Real you incorporated: 8 essential rules for women entrepreneurs

Real You Incorporated empowers women entrepreneurs. The book provides insights for women on how to discover and love their personal brand, and how to bring it into the market as a real business—unique and different. In the first section of the book, Find It Within You, readers will learn how to express internal personality, passions and essence to define the internal brand. In the second section, The Competitive Advantage, readers learn how to extend the internal message into the world—to their partners, employees and ultimately their customers. Part branding—the author is a nationally known marketing expert—and part business inspiration, Real You Incorporated includes case studies of real women entrepreneurs from a variety of industries: manufacturing, retail, restaurants, real estate, publishing and many more. Their stories bring the book to life, adding inspiration and role models. The book also includes a visualization tool in the form of a chart that women entrepreneurs can complete and keep with them, to remind them of their Real You, no matter what phase their business is in. Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials For Women Entrepreneurs......Page 6 Contents......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Section I: Find It Within You......Page 16 Real Fact 1: It All Starts With You......Page 20 Life Lesson One: Your future starts now......Page 22 Life Lesson Two: Learn from your past......Page 27 Life Lesson Three: Describe yourself in one word......Page 35 Real Fact 2: Define Your Passions......Page 42 Life Lesson Four: Find the real people in your life......Page 44 Life Lesson Five: Don’t go it alone......Page 51 Life Lesson Six: Follow your instincts......Page 59 Real Fact 3: Discover You Brand......Page 70 Life Lesson Seven: Tell your company story......Page 71 Life Lesson Eight: Define your brand essence......Page 77 Life Lesson Nine: Create your vision statement......Page 83 Section II: The Competitive Advantage......Page 92 Real Fact 4: Bring You Passions and You Brand Together......Page 96 Life Lesson Ten: The five senses of branding......Page 98 Life Lesson Eleven: Create a marketing plan......Page 108 Life Lesson Twelve: Make it tangible......Page 121 Real Fact 5: Create a Unique and Real Work Enviroment......Page 134 Life Lesson Thirteen: Be a creative leader......Page 136 Life Lesson Fourteen: Express your brand in hiring......Page 143 Life Lesson Fifteen: Avoid culture vultures......Page 151 Real Fact 6: Your Personal Brand is Your Business Brand......Page 160 Life Lesson Sixteen: Customers know if you’re faking it......Page 164 Life Lesson Seventeen: Be everywhere she wants you to be......Page 173 Life Lesson Eighteen: The real world is online......Page 183 Real Fact 7: Chart Uncharted Waters......Page 194 Life Lesson Nineteen: Build your business network......Page 196 Life Lesson Twenty: Change the world for other women......Page 205 Life Lesson Twenty-One: Capture your charitable passion......Page 211 Real Fact 8: Creativity is Unstoppable......Page 222 Life Lesson Twenty-Two: Don’t get stuck......Page 223 Life Lesson Twenty-Three: Play......Page 230 Life Lesson Twenty-Four: Share......Page 235 Acknowledgments......Page 242 About the Author......Page 246 Index......Page 248

Praise for Real You Incorporated

What I admire about Kaira is her can-do attitude. She knows what it's like to be in a man's world, but still accomplish things her way. She's the real thing, and after reading this book, you'll feel more confident of being your real you too. Go for it.
-Keith Ferrazzi, bestselling author of Never Eat Alone

Kaira Rouda empowers the woman entrepreneur by simply telling her to be herself. Where other books urge women to fit in with the boys, Real You Incorporated shows you how to create your own unique and wonderful brand. The secret is building it around the real you!
-Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group and author of If You Don't Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails

Really simple and really smart rules for all women. Follow them, and you'll build your brand and find real success.
-Laura Ries, coauthor of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding

Real You Incorporated is a courageous undertaking. Kaira Sturdivant Rouda is the kind of author who is uniquely suited for her subject-she is both a successful woman in business and completely unafraid to share her candid insights and advice. I can see this book being a blueprint for many youngfemale entrepreneurs.
-Justin McCarthy, Google

Filled with keen insights, practical knowledge, and tactical tools to build your success, Real You Incorporated is a concise, friendly read for women who wantmore than just advice. They want answers, and this should be their first stop.
-Delia Passi, author of Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women

"It's a fact; every sixty seconds a woman starts a business. And while women represent a dominant force in the evergrowing business economy, the demand to fit into the corporate "boys club" is still pervasive. In Real You Incorporated, Kaira Sturdivant Rouda reveals the secret to building a successful brand, and thus a successful business, by refusing to fit in. Being successful is all about being you - the real you." "Real You Incorporated offers women a bold and refreshing message: for a brand to truly, deeply resonate with customers, it has to be based on something truly genuine - yourself. Building that personal, genuine brand means being true to yourself in every part of your business - from how you promote your talents to how you interact with the people in your office and everything else." "Rouda's lively book provides readers with a helpful Real You Incorporated chart that captures the most essential elements of your business: you and your passions, brand, positioning, culture, customers, and gifts. Once you fully define your personal brand, Rouda shows you how to use it as a competitive advantage that will prove invaluable to your long-term success."--Jacket Real You Incorporated is about empowering women entrepreneurs. The book provides insights for women on how to discover and love her personal brand, and how to bring it into the market as a real business one that is unique and different than a man's. It all starts with you.