Brand yourself: whether you work for a corporation, run your own business, or freelance, use your name to gain significant power and influence. (Career Management).

LITTLE DID TAVIS SMILEY KNOW that being fired, after five years, as the host and executive producer of Black Entertainment Television's (BET) BET Tonight With Tavis Smiley, would turn out to be a major career transition. In fact, it was the start of the branding of Tavis Smiley.

"I didn't realize my value because I hadn't gone outside [of BET] to find out," notes the author, lecturer, TV-radio personality, and political analyst. Even though Smiley had interviewed some of the world's top personalities, and snagged President Bill Clinton's first interview following the Monica Lewinsky incident, Smiley wasn't prepared for the flood of offers he received.

Within weeks after leaving BET, Smiley sealed an unprecedented trio of deals--as a correspondent on both ABC's Good Morning America and CNN's Primetime Live; and as host of a one-hour syndicated talk show for Buena Vista Television. "We did this all within eight to nine weeks," says Smiley. "And it only took that long because of all the paperwork."

The hot streak kept blazing. Smiley renewed his contract with ABC Radio Networks to continue his popular political commentaries on The Tom Joyner Morning Show, along with his syndicated spots, The Smiley Report, to air afternoons on black radio stations nationwide. National Public Radio tapped him for a daily one-hour morning show to air on 600 stations. Add to this, a two-book publishing deal with Doubleday and a product deal with Hay House Inc., a self-help book publishing company in Carlsbad, California. The result is a multimillion-dollar package of contracts.

Smiley made his name work for him and you can too. Whether you're a corporate exec, business owner, or freelancer, you can gain power and prestige by branding yourself. Branding means equating your name to a certain topic, product, or service. Through branding, your expertise is transformed into a valuable commodity. So brand yourself by following these steps:

STEP 1: FIND YOUR NICHE

First, you have to find your brand. Do this by "looking at the patterns of your life," Norma Thompson Hollis, founder and CEO of Black Speakers Online (www.blaekspeakers.net; 310-671-7136), which represents Smiley, success expert George Fraser, professional orator Patricia Russell-McCloud, and businessman Stedman Graham. "There are themes in your life that keep popping up." This could be your brand. Fraser, for example, used his love of networking to teach others how to schmooze with the best of them. Today, Fraser is considered one of the foremost authorities on networking and building effective relationships. His SuccessGuide: The Networking Guide to Black Resources has been self-published in 20 versions in nine cities.

Before presenting your brand image to the world, reassess your life, career, and what you want to achieve. "What are your strengths? What are you already known for? What are you passionate about?" asks Bob Baker, author of Poor Richard's Branding Yourself Online: How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field (Top Floor Publishing, $29.95). "Done right, you'll be promoting your brand for many years, so make sure you choose an identity you'll be able to live with for a long time." But don't just pull an "identity" out of the air, cautions Baker. "Never look at the market, see a void, and then mold yourself into a personality that fills it."

Instead, your brand should be a natural extension of yourself--but not every aspect of yourself. A brand identity that displays your every interest rarely works. To pursue other interests, start a new brand, complete with a separate Website, newsletter, etc. That doesn't mean you have to change your name. Consider using a new business name.

Once you settle on an image, you'll want to describe it to others. "Create what I call a Brand Identity Statement (BIS)," advises Baker. "A BIS spells out who you are and what you do. The ideal BIS should be short and specific, while indicating a clear benefit."

When choosing your brand, don't let your job describe you. "One mistake people make is that they identify their job title as who they are," notes professional executive coach Max D. Ellzey, Ed.D., owner of Culver City, California-based The Ellzey Group and president of the Los Angeles chapter of Professional Coaches and Mentors Association (www.pcmanonline.com). "Look at your purpose in life. What do you want to accomplish? What impact do you want to have on others? Once you are clearer about who you are and who you are becoming, you can move forward."

That's how Yvonne White started building her brand. Twenty-one years ago White catered events to make extra money during school breaks from the University of Colorado, where she majored in journalism. Now the 39-year-old entrepreneur puts on corporate functions for clients such as BMW, Ford Motor Company, Columbia Tristar Pictures, and MTV.

Although the Los Angeles-based Yvonne E. White & Co. (www.YEWandCo.com) was launched to provide catering services, along the way the company narrowed its focus and found its niche. "My godfather, Boy Schultz, a celebrity chef who counted Frank Sinatra as a client, got me started in catering, but I wanted to plan events; so today we do event planning and organizing parties. We do have a catering division," says White.

Throughout the years White focused the mission of her company even further. "I no longer do parties for under 100 people. I realized it was just as much work to throw a party for 20 as it was for 100," notes White, who employs 78 full- and part-time workers. White also stopped planning weddings and made her specialty in providing corporate affairs events with a twist. "I add a personal touch to events. I treat each event as if it [were] a party I was throwing in my own home. I do everything I can think of for the comfort of the guests. I even make sure the walking distance from the valet parking is convenient," she says. "The key to having a successful business to me is to find out what your competition is doing and provide something the competition isn't providing."

STEP 2: IS YOUR BRAND MARKETABLE?

OK, You've defined your brand, but is it marketable? Says Ellzey, "I ask my client, `What need can you satisfy better than anyone else, and how much are they willing to pay you for satisfying that need?' This question will determine how strong your brand is."

Look at the market. "Examine the environment and what's in demand," Hollis points out. "Currently, the entire country is looking for experts to help them deal with our changing times, experts on healing, financial advisors, etc." In fact, Hollis' most-recent presentation, "Be At Peace in Time of War," is very timely considering the post-September 11 tragedy. The topic is also very marketable. Speakers Etc. has organized special retreats, panel discussions, and symposiums on "helping people and organizations heal, rebuild, and achieve balance," she says.

Do your homework. "Go to a good search site and enter keywords related to your identity. Visit those sites that come up in the search," suggests Baker. "To have success branding yourself online, you must be able to identify a good number of highly traveled Websites, forums, and online publications that reach the people most likely to become your customers."

Listen to feedback. "Trust that if you have a desire to share your skills and/or knowledge, there will be immediate feedback about whether what you are sharing is valuable to others," says professional certified executive coach Dr. Barbara Walton of KTD Coaching Services (www.knowthedifference.com) in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

But, adds Hollis, don't try to appeal to everyone. "Focus on a niche market and narrow it down," she says. "The more you narrow down, the more of an expert you'll become on a specific topic." B. Smith used her fame as a successful restaurateur to become a culinary and lifestyle expert, and later turned that expertise into a business that includes products, books, and a magazine (that eventually folded). Her TV show currently airs in 187 markets (www.bsmithwithstyle.com).

Iyanla Vanzant, a self-made lecturer who used her life experiences to help others overcome obstacles, also used her popularity to launch speaking engagements, books, and now her own TV show.

For Smiley, whose passion for politics started at age 13, becoming a political-social commentator was a natural step. "I wanted to enlighten, encourage, and empower," says Smiley, who began his professional career as an aide to former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

Test the market. When martial arts expert Billy Blanks decided he wanted to create a new form of exercise called Tae Bo (a combination of aerobics, martial arts, and boxing moves), he decided to try it out on his target market. After trying it out on his wife, he approached the workers and patrons of a beauty parlor near his martial arts school in Los Angeles and offered them free Tae Bo classes. After receiving positive feedback from women who took the classes, he knew an audience would pay for Tae Bo lessons.

STEP 3: SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP

Through the branding process, you may need professional help. Career coaches can help formulate and promote your brand. Find a coach through the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association or the International Coach Federation (www.coachfederation.com). Their fees range from $200 to $1,000 monthly, or $100 an hour.

Black Speakers Online (www.blackspeakers.net) offers a consulting service for $125 an hour to help pinpoint your brand. And if speaking professionally is a goal, you may need to sign up with a speakers' bureau. "It will save you money in the long run," notes Hollis. "We package and market you by putting together a professional kit with your biography, audiotapes, videotapes, and print-marketing materials."

STEP 4: PROMOTION, PROMOTION, PROMOTION

Speak for free, advises Hollis. That's what Vanzant did. Using her life experiences as a platform, she began lecturing to women on public assistance for free. Locally, Vanzant became recognized and then published the first of her self-help books, Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Black Women (Harlem giver Press, out of print), in 1992.

"Test your skills and get feedback. It's also an opportunity to sell your product or services." Ellzey suggests. "Pick a topic that aligns with how you want to be branded, develop a speech or presentation that fits the category, and then volunteer to speak at a luncheon or some other event. You will begin to have more opportunities to speak, thus creating a tremendous amount of exposure." Speaking engagements that pay may soon follow. According to Hollis, speakers can earn from $5,000 on the low-end to $50,000 for celebrity speakers.

Look to the Web. "The Internet still offers a mountain of opportunity for sensible self-promoters who have a clear brand identity and a well-defined target audience," says Baker. "The low cost of entry makes it ideal for guerrilla marketers who prefer to use creativity instead of cash to promote themselves. The Internet allows you to use a wide range of tools to reach people--not only Websites and e-mail newsletters but also discussion forums, e-mail networking, online media coverage, e-books, free articles, digital file sharing, and more."

Tune in to local media. Following an unsuccessful bid for a spot on the Los Angeles City Council in 1988, Smiley needed to remain fresh in the public's mind because he had planned to run for office again. He created a 60-second political commentary show called The Smiley Report; he found sponsors and ran the spot on local black radio station KGFJ-AM. From there, the show went into syndication. Smiley developed a following, which led to a job as a commentator with Los Angeles' KABC-TV news in 1994. Smiley also co-hosted Twentysomething Talk for KABC-AM radio. BET and The Tom Joyner Morning Show would come next.

Through his segments on the Joyner show, which has more than seven million listeners daily, Smiley led several national on-air campaigns, including a calling on the carpet of CompUSA for its lack of advertising in black media. In August 1999, Joyner and Smiley began urging listeners to mail in sales receipts to prove that black consumers did, indeed, shop at CompUSA. Five boxes of these were sent to CompUSA without a reply. Smiley threatened to "take it to the next level" unless CompUSA responded.

Eventually, CompUSA agreed to an action plan that called for the company to advertise in black media outlets. Smiley's goal of becoming an advocate for black America had become a reality. Smiley got the word--and his brand--out by authoring several socially pointed books, five to date, with two more coming out this year.

STEP 5: BRANCHING YOUR BRAND

In order to take your brand into other arenas, make strategic alliances, says Smiley. That he did. "We've been very careful about how we brand Tavis Smiley, and who we make deals with," says Smiley, who launched The Smiley Group (www.tavistalks.com) as an umbrella company. "We turn down much more than we accept." One of his alliances is with Microsoft Corp. Smiley spoke on the "Build Your Business Tour," sponsored by the software giant. This year, Smiley will tour several cities with Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, doing a summit series on "BIT: Blacks in Technology," part of the Build Your Business Tour. Smiley has also developed a relationship with Wal-Mart, sponsors of The Smiley Report.

In 1999, Smiley launched the Tavis Smiley Foundation, which holds youth-leadership seminars and workshops, awards scholarships, and has a national mentorship program.

STEP 6: GOING BEYOND THE BRAND

Once your brand has become popular, look for ways for it to sell itself. According to Smiley, his product deal with Hay House will broaden the brand beyond his personality by packaging his speeches on audiotapes; distributing his gift products (i.e. Tavis Smiley empowerment cards), and direct-mail products. "The next phase in our development is that the brand flourishes without me having to be there," says Smiley. "So much now has to do with my taking part, and I can't be in 10 places at once." The Smiley Group's free, corporate-sponsored symposium series, which has grown to six a year and attracts 5,000-plus attendees per event, will be developed where Smiley doesn't necessarily have to take part personally.

Vanzant and B. Smith have expanded their brands. Vanzant launched her Inner Visions Worldwide Network Inc. and Bookstore (www.innervisionsworldwide.com) in Silver Spring, Maryland, which hosts personal growth classes and weekend workshops for men and women. And B. Smith added a pattern line to Vogue Patterns, while Oprah has O magazine and Harpo Productions, a TV and film production company in Chicago.

White, who has gotten all her clients through word of mouth, has never advertised or marketed her company--at least not yet. "I am going to create a video series on event/party planning," says White, relying on her staff to pick up any slack. "I've surrounded myself with a great group of people." If all goes as planned for White, her name will become synonymous worldwide with party planning.

Be careful, however, not to spread your brand too thin. There is such a thing as too much exposure, says Walton, especially if it isn't in alignment with your vision.