Are you consistent?

Its June, already. Where has this year gone? Its almost summer and so much to do before we settle into what the Italians so aptly term Ferragosta. Which is great if you are not ordering Italian kitchens and bathrooms. Everything shuts down, stops working, grinds to a halt. By the time we get there, I may be doing just the same.

Had the lovely accountant around yesterday afternoon to take away vast quantities of my troubles. So love the idea of just putting all the bits into an envelope, labelling it by month and handing it all over. Wonderful stuff. And then a personal branding session with a client who, when I asked her to describe herself as brand, came up with one lovely word ‘Hermès’. What is it about this iconic brand that inspires so many? I recently helped a friend to find a branding consultancy to establish a brand for her business and when I asked her what she aspired to, she said the same thing.

The brand was founded in 1837 as a saddlery company... now Hermès is best known for leather goods, hand printed silks, jewellery, and assorted glamorous accoutrements and elite status symbols. This is a rare family run business - descendants of founder Thierry Hermès still possess 75% of the company.

So how do we capture the essence of the brand in ourselves? As with all brands, consistency is the key and a good place to start. Thereafter, integrity, quality... throw in a little mystery, exclusivity and you are on your way.