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Recently I walked into the EXPRESS clothing store and as usual I had no plan to purchase anything. But my mind was too weak to resist the allure of resplendent colored polo’s garnished with discount tags hanging precariously from their sleeves. I was instantly hooked and found my self picking and testing numerous polo shirts. But this was my normal ritual to be honest…I always bought polos from EXPRESS but today something else caught my eye…it was a pair of sunglasses on a shelf.
 

I had been looking for replacement glasses for a while now and this fit the bill perfectly. They were reflectors and the price tag plus discount tag screamed deal! The $20 cost was a far cry from the $100+ shades I had seen in other stores. I instantly jumped at the glasses and chucked them into my shopping stash…but not before I noticed a little golden sticker on the front of the glasses. It was the same one I saw on packages I bought from the local market in Nigeria. The same sticker that made people turn their nose up in disdain. It was the golden MADE IN CHINA sticker. Here I was, in one of the most popular stores in the world…known for high quality products and apparels…holding a made in china pair of sunglasses. If I saw the same pair of glasses in Nigeria I would probably have snuffed at it. But with the 7 letter word EXPRESS engraved boldly on the edges of the glasses it seemed priceless. And that my friend is the magic of branding and the secret (really not a secret, but it flows) of America’s economical success and your success as an Entrepreneur.
 

Simply put it is not enough to produce products or services and call it a day. You have to be actively involved in the branding, because that is what customers pay for. Product quality is quite very important, but after a certain threshold branding takes over. That is why America is so successful despite not really producing much. Polo shirts are made in Asia, Air Jordans are made in Asia, Apple computers are made in Asia…but their true value…the things that transforms it from a simple peice of shoe to something special…is MADE IN AMERICA. And it is done through powerful branding.
 

So how are you branding yourself and your business? Are you simply focused on creating products and services or are you focused on branding. Remember, the value of the Sunglasses I bought at the Express stores were created through TV commercials, catalogues, fashion magazine and others. Thus if you want to infuse more value into your business, then you have to start infusing more investments into your branding and your image. Investing does not need to be financial, it could be as simple as cleaning up your facebook page or picking an appropriate website name and address. But whatever you do decide to do, ensure that you start branding!
 

Ofili is an award winning motivational speaker, author, success coach and entrepreneur who blogs about life, success and entrepreneurial excellence. Follow him on BB pin:32A137F8, twitter , facebook or subscribe to his blog for more success TIPS!” His latest book is titled HOW STUPIDITY SAVED MY LIFE, to find out how it saved his life click ofilispeaks.com/read-book
 

Wishing You Extreme Success,

Have a question for Ofili? CLICK HERE or leave a comment below. Ofili strives to answer every question he is asked.

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