When you think of shoes, which brand springs to your mind? What about clothes, a car, or a phone? The name that’s on the top of your mind occupies that exclusive place for several reasons. A good reputation is one of them. For artist manager Charles Kieu, it might be the most important thing to work on as you start your career.
We may be developing at a rate faster than any in recorded human history, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our ability to find credibility in a good reputation. It brings to mind images of satisfaction, contentment, and freedom and is the main reason PR companies worldwide thrive and matter as they do.
Yet, reputation might not be among the first things that would occupy the minds of a newbie entrepreneur. According to Charles Kieu, that must change. He says, “Today, everything is available for everyone to know, all thanks to social media. Even when you are starting out, in some sense, you are already out there. This means that people can track down what you’ve been up to, whether it’s your comments on Twitter or your sense of life on Instagram. All these things come together to create an image of you in their mind. And it’s a split-second intuition-thing, really. Either you’ll stick, or you’ll slide. The best approach is to create an image that sustains the promises your venture makes.”
While social media is an excellent avenue to build a good reputation, word of mouth has got it beat. Charles Kieu says, “When customers, users, and employees speak well of you, it reflects on you more than anything else. This creates a strong image in the mind of your potential client and, therefore, matters.”
A good reputation is a matter of time and patience, values that will also stand you in good stead in your journey.