A Lesson In Branding: Antoine Dodson

One of the most important words that every business woman must know and understand is BRANDING. Whether you're selling a product or yourself you have to know what your brand is and how you're going to get people to recognize and give you money in exchange for it. This is the stage I'm at in my business so I've read tons of blogs and books on the subject. I'm still tweaking exactly what the ReallyRashida brand is, but one person who has branded himself perfectly is internet sensation Antoine Dodson. The video above made this dude somewhat of a celebrity. He went from doing an interview about how somebody tried to rape his sister in the projects to performing on 106 & Park. He even has an album and a book in the works!

Here's what we all can learn about branding from Antoine:

• Don't be scared to be you. No matter what you do some people will love you and some won't. The point is to get their attention, show them what you got, and be memorable. Antoine has been called a homo thug and everything else under the sun, but he is still smiling that toothy grin of his all over TV.
• Embrace what makes you unique. Be proud of your talents, whatever they are. It could be a singing like Beyonce' or burping the alphabet. Just like one man's trash is another man's treasure, one girl's pointless gesture is another girl's talent. Antoine doesn't give a damn about who thinks he has talent or not. His song has the entire nation buzzing and he's proud of that.
• Everybody is a star in their own right. Antoine is living proof that anybody can have their 15 minutes of fame, even you. I know you want more than your 15 minutes so instead of chasing fame be dedicated to building a solid brand. Learn how to recognize opportunites and grab any that are benefitial to your brand. Surround yourself with people that will help take your career to the top of the charts.

So take this advice, let it marinate, then act on it. If you don't "you are so dumb. You are really dumb. For real." Lol. (Corny, I know...)