about hana kim

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about hana kim 〰️

My Villain Origin Story

Or Why I Decided to Focus on Personal Branding

Woman wearing glasses, a beaded headpiece, green necklace, white lace top, and layered tulle skirt

When I was ready to leave corporate to start my own business, I realized the mistake I had made for 17 years. I had built a reputation that was tied to the corporate ladder and confined to my niche industry. The only personal brand I had was a LinkedIn profile with 300 connections who were mostly former and current coworkers.

When I made the decision to leave corporate life, I had to create my personal brand one post at a time. I started by documenting my journey on LinkedIn and called it my Act 3.

Nighttime view of illuminated high-rise office buildings with purple and pink-lit windows and glass facades

Act 1 was the early hustle of freelance writing and then a short period as an attorney. After a caregiving pause, I pivoted to marketing and corporate communications at an insurance carrier.

Act 2 was moving up the corporate ladder while balancing caregiving. I spent the majority of my career marketing a product that nobody wants to think about. After five years at the VP level, I started to think about what’s next.

Act 3 was my transition from corporate to consultant and also marked my own journey with personal branding.

Modern office building with reflective glass windows illuminated in pink and blue at night

I had experience in brand development and management at the company level but I had never applied this to myself. I started with finding my voice again and began to curate my online brand with intention.

I learned about all the personal branding experts out there and ignored a lot of the conventional wisdom. I wanted to build a brand that was true to my values without sharing too much about my private life.

I don’t have tens of thousands of followers on LinkedIn and I never intended to be a content creator. But all my inbound leads come from LinkedIn.

Visit my profile and you’ll see that it doesn’t follow the typical formula of the average LinkedIn guru. (If you’re already connected with me, you’ll know that I post my dog Rosie every Friday.)

People often ask me the secrets to having an engaged audience. You’ll notice my posts generate a lot of discussion from smart people. It’s because I treat LinkedIn like a neighborhood. I don’t need a lot of superficial connections. I’m taking the time to build relationships.

This is the type of thinking I bring to each personal branding project. It’s never a one-size-fits-all situation. Let’s collaborate and develop a strategy that works best for YOU.