You, Inc

There is a book I picked up a couple of years ago at a library sale.  It is called You, Inc.  Discover the CEO Within.  Author: Burke Hedges.  It is a great look at the idea that you need to promote yourself rather than your company.  In traditional businesses as well as MLM or direct selling if you have people who follow you they will follow wherever you lead.  If you go to another company they will go with you.  If your company gets shut down or you get laid off you still have contacts that you can influence from another company.  Do you have all your contact info at work?  What happens if you lose your job?  If you use a contact manager system that is online, your company can’t take it from you.  It is also free from the hazards of hard drive failure, theft, natural disaster, etc.  The book You, Inc. is a great source for getting your mind wrapped around the idea that you can promote yourself above your current job or company.  It’s not just a good idea, it’s critical in this economy.  Example:  http://steveorris.com I’m not promoting Yahoo, Wordpress, or Blogspot; I’m promoting myself because I have something to bring to the table no matter what company I represent at the time.  (Not that I’m thinking of changing companies.)  Pick up a copy of this book.  If you don’t have a business of your own it can apply to you too.