Building Your Personal Brand by Cleo Quiblat
By: Shiela Manalo
Tags: Career Advice, Personal Branding, Women, Leadership Development, Leadership

We at John Clements Consultants were very lucky to have been part of the Filipina CEO Circle (FCC) x Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) event, entitled “Inspired Conversations: Nothing Left Unsaid,” last October 10, 2019 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.

While a lot of activities happened simultaneously throughout the whole-day event, I was assigned to attend one of the sessions in Track 1, “Building Your Personal Brand.” Moderated by Coco Alcuaz, executive director of Makati Business Club, it featured three distinguished speakers — Angela Dinglasan, president of The Greenhouse Inc.; Lovi Poe, award-winning movie actress; and Zarah Juan, founder of Green Life Eco Bag.

Zarah, a former flight stewardess, was inspired to set up a manufacturing facility for eco bags because of her desire to help eliminate the use of plastic bags, which is detrimental to the environment. Aside from eco bags, her product line has now expanded to shoes, bags, and fashion accessories. She is currently in partnership with Marikina artisans and indigenous designers from all over the Philippines.

Zarah starts her process by identifying communities and what they’re known for. For example, the strength of Abra weavers makes her products even more special. For the purpose of transparency and traceability, she posts her products online, not only for marketing purposes, but also to promote communities and encourage more people to do business with them.

In relation to her brand, Zarah finds it hard to differentiate whether people appreciate her or the products she sells. She believes that branding is a journey — tomorrow can add more value to you, just like raising children.

Angela, on the other hand, used to work for a multinational personal care company. She started her own company because she was inspired to use local raw materials for manufacturing products. She personally believes that she has to be involved in just about anything related to Filipina beauty.

According to Angela, she is grateful for social media — it allowed her to reach out to other people in the business and make friends along the way. But to protect her brand, she is careful about what she posts online. She believes in authenticity; in fact, most of her employees have been with her for a long time.

Meanwhile, Lovi, an award-winning actress with more than 4 million followers, built her brand strategically by building a wholesome image, which includes choosing which clothes to wear. She gives importance to authenticity — what people see is her true self. Being seen as a physically fit person, she maintains a healthy lifestyle and runs very early before going to work.

Lovi describes herself as a risk-taker. She allows herself to make mistakes and treats each day as a learning experience. As the daughter of Fernando Poe, Jr., she narrated that it was quite difficult for her to start a career in show business. Later on, she realized that she and her dad are two different people and she has to make a name for herself. Lovi is passionate about acting — it makes her happy. She shared that the challenging roles she chooses to portray allow her to grow as a person.