[Reposted due to database problem]

I'm not one to combine politics and business, but it occurred to me when I saw the early morning news today that there's a serious connection between branding and the Supreme Court Justice nominee process that's going on here in the U.S.

Bush's latest nominee, Harriet Miers, is apparently a workaholic dedicated to her job. Regardless of your politics, that in and of itself isn't a problem (though I prefer to work fewer than 17 hours a day, thank you very much, unlike Ms. Miers). But she isn't flashy. Doesn't call attention to herself and her accomplishments, either on the job or in the church in which she is active. No one knows who she is, what she does and why she may or may not be good at doing it.

That's fine and good if you don't want to achieve a high level of success -- in your career or your small business. If you want to succeed, however, you need to create a solid brand for yourself and/or your small business.

We like to tell ourselves that we should be able to remain true to ourselves and get noticed in our own right without our having to work at it. With all due respect, however, if you believe that, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you ...

People are busy. Their lives are crazy. These people -- your prospects -- have more distractions today than they've ever had in the history of time. Cell phones. PDAs. Just logging onto the Internet provides more distractions than you would have had in an entire day 20 years ago.

You need to shake things up, figure out what's special about yourself and your small business and then go out and spread the word! What are you waiting for? If you're up for Supreme Court Justice someday, wouldn't you want people at least to have some clue who you are? That's what High-Concept Branding is all about. And in a shameless plug, my forthcoming branding book will launch in just weeks. So stay tuned for more info.