"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard" - Oprah Winfrey

In the 15 years of owning a PR and brand business, my experience has repeatedly illustrated and confirmed that the same principles of marketing are applied whether launching a company, a product or a person.

It is always the same recipe, just using different ingredients. You need to chart your course using the resources that you have.

There are many pleasures in this field of work, but one of the frustrations is working with clients who do not really know what they want. I always say "the end result will be as good as your brief". If a client came to me with a product or company to be launched, at our initial meeting I would start by asking two simple questions: "What is your brief and what is your budget?"

If I were conducting a personal brand strategy session with an individual, I would ask: "What do you want to achieve and what resources are available to you?"

See the resemblance? Spot the difference? There is none, except in the terminology. In essence, promoting you as an individual is as vital as launching or promoting a product or company.

To formulate the brief, ask yourself: "Where am I?"

But before you answer, allow me to interrupt and remind you that you are presently poised on your launching pad. Research, be it of an informal or formal nature, is of great value. A situation analysis will be one way of deciding where you are as an individual in your life, and where you are positioned in your industry.

Are you a prominent key player?

Do you get involved in trade associations and networks?

What is your current Q factor - are you known only within a small network, your company, your community or the country as a whole?

What visibility have you attained?

Do you know what you want to be and achieve?

Only once you have decided where you are, can you decide where you want to go, and plan out the route map.

Jenny Handley, author of Raise your Profile, is a brand strategist and speaker. Call 021 686 0287, visit www.jennyhandleypromo tions.co.za or e-mail info@jhpr.co.za