It is neither a typo nor a spelling mistake. This is how we spell “Accelerate” at “Axelerate Academy.” Please let me give you a background about myself and my branding before publishing 17 articles on becoming a more successful professional/ entrepreneur.
If you read this series and implement the principles I will share with you, I guarantee you will achieve extraordinary results. Each article will have tips, steps, and stories from my executive and solopreneur career. I am a proud graduate of the public schooling system and our national university in Bahrain. After a few days of finishing my final exams at university, I moved to Dubai to join the multinational giant Unilever. My last role was as the Regional Finance Manager for North Africa Middle East & Turkey, covering five multi-billion global brands. I returned to Bahrain in 2004. I joined a startup investment company as their Chief Financial Officer (CFO). It was an exhilarating journey of over 11 years. In December 2015, I quit my C-Level post to focus my energy on speaking, writing & traveling.
Now, let us move to a few areas you may need to consider for starting a business or building your personal brand to propel you to achieve more success.
1) Naming Your Business
Since 2011, I have been operating by the brand name: 3D Speaking. It meant speaking to the mind, touching the heart, and tickling the funny bone. It was my model for teaching and coaching public speaking. As my services expanded, the brand needed to be more comprehensive. I needed to come up with a more inclusive brand name. And what better time to think about this than during the Covid-19 pandemic? The brand Axelerate Academy was born in April 2020.
2) Branding Your Business
Axelerate Academy provides me with width and depth regarding my services and products. The name is easy to say and remember. I am a visual person. I like to convert ideas into something that I can see. For example, my first step when writing a book is creating a dummy cover to motivate me to finish the writing process. This is what I did for Axelerate Academy. I made that logo using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine. I kept hitting refresh until I found the one logo that resonated the most with me. I created an online poll to validate my choice and see what others thought.
3) Securing your Web & Social Media Presence
One of the steps I took before finalizing the name of Axelerate Academy was to check the availability of domains and social media handles. Keep your eyes on the developments in the social media arena because new ones come out regularly. It would be best if you got them. This step is vital because this is where prospects will start searching about you or your business. Depending on your business, you need to focus your energy on the ones that get you the maximum results in converting prospects to paying clients.
4) Engage in Content Marketing
Sales drive everything in business. There is no point in having exceptional services and products without prospects knowing about them. There are many options to start this: Write a blog, host a podcast, create infographics, and record videos. And be consistent in whatever you choose to do. This strategy works for professionals too. If you want to shape and grow your personal brand, create value-adding content.
I hope you found this introductory article insightful and valuable. Over the following 17 articles, I will share the 16 success principles I coined when I started Axelerate Academy. And since I enjoy creating memorable and actionable acronyms. Each principle will correspond to one alphabet in AXELERATE ACADEMY. And article 17 will be the closing of this series.
Watch this space.
It is time to Axelerate your success!