From Individual to Empire: A Guide to Building an Authentic and Powerful Brand

Do you ever wonder what makes household names like Oprah, Ellen, or Beyoncé so powerful? ​It’s all about influencer branding, and Laura Bull will tell you everything youneed to know. Bull spent ten years with Sony Music Entertainment, becoming one of the company's youngest executives and spearheading artist development and marketing for globally recognized brands. She is an expert who specializes in transforming entrepreneurs into viable brands and teaching what it takes to become a powerful "influencer." Whether you are an artist, blogger, performer, politician, author, or thought leader, this book will change the way you think about your “brand” and your future. Bull marries positive psychology principles with traditional branding strategies and reveals her revolutionary Brand Matrix that will have you soaring past personal branding into the very different world of influencer branding. This intelligent, breezy read provides tools, exercises, and additional resources that offer real-world support to tackle your own engaging, competitive, and authentic brand identity. Entertaining examples from pop culture and politics round out this book that can truly take you from individual to empire. "With small steps, big changes can occur. In this book, Laura Bull shows you how to step by step cultivate and articulate not only a successful personal brand, but also an authentic and powerful one." —Shawn Achor, New York Times best-selling author of Big Potential and The Happiness Advantage “Engaging and informative, this book is a treasure trove of golden nuggets.” —Jim Loehr, world-renowned performance psychologist and best-selling author "Laura Bull has achieved something remarkable. As the youngest executive to ever to work for Sony Music Nashville, she discovered early on what it really takes to establish an artist as a brand. Now she takes her knowledge to teach others how to build their own powerful and authentic brand." —Thomas R. Baldrica, former Vice President of Marketing, Sony Music Nashville "In today’s DIY music environment, artists must not only create great music, they must also develop an authentic brand identity that resonates with fans. Individual to Empire provides insights and strategies for building a successful career in music, literature or any field where communicating and influencing are key. A must-read!" —Denise Shackelford, Attorney, The Primary Firm, and Assistant Professor, Recording Industry, Middle Tennessee State University "An indispensable guide to building an authoritative brand for budding influencers." —Kirkus Reviews "Author Laura Bull draws from years of professional experience to offer aspiring readers expert tips on establishing and expanding their brands and influence. With frequent references to stars, moguls, and entrepreneurs, Bull provides a fun and engaging reading experience, while laying out clear steps and smart strategies for readers to achieve their goals on their own terms. Bull's tone is professional, yet conversational. The author recognizes her audience and provides them with a straightforward, assertive, and sometimes humorous narrative approach to the topic. While other titles may tackle the idea of branding, Bull livens it up with vivid examples, psychological insights, and quick-witted prose. Bull contextualizes the concept of a "brand" in a manner that is insightful and surprising. Using real-world examples, she urges readers to think about their own unique talents and contributions in order to most authentically present their product to the world." —BookLife Prize Review Laura Bull is a bestselling author, brand strategist, and speaker who specializes in transforming people into competitive and sustainable business brands. In addition to running her branding agency for more than a decade, Bull has been an adjunct professor teaching disciplines in marketing and music business at multiple colleges and universities, including SMU's Temerlin Advertising Institute. She resides in Dallas with her husband and two daughters.