MBA 050: Elevate Your Personal Brand with JEN SU

Jen wrote the book From Z to A Lister: Building Your Personal Brand and advocates the fact that you are your own brand. This isn’t optional, it’s a necessity. Your brand is what you are able to offer others, a trait that is unique to you. Once you have created and established that brand you can start to market your personal brand.

Elevator Pitch: Who is Jen Su?
Jen Su is a television and radio presenter. She’s been a news anchor for Business Day Television and also Sky News African Business Report. She worked as the Hollywood reporter on Gareth Cliff’s show for many years and later on CliffCentral as well. Su was also a presenter on SABC 3’s Expresso. Acting lists as another one of her many talents. These days she does a lot of brand ambassadorships, events and social media activities.

Starting Out
Jen’s long journey spans six countries. She was born in the USA in Philadelphia but is of Chinese descent. Her school years were spent in Taiwan and from there she moved to Thailand and later Hong Kong. After that she relocated to South Africa and recently to Shanghai, China with her expatriate husband. Moving so frequently was especially difficult for somebody so career-focused, because she had to start from scratch in each new location. The immigration consultant wasn’t very hopeful that Jen would be able to secure a job in South Africa with her Chinese face and American accent. It was difficult and Jen had to work very hard at it but she was eventually called for a few interviews.

Upon finding out they were moving to South Africa she was scared of the way the country is portrayed in the media as a crime-ridden place. Only once the immigration consultant told her of her slim chances of working in the entertainment industry did she feel motivated enough to give the country a fair chance. What they perceived as her drawbacks – looking and sounding so different – actually became her unique selling proposition.

Manage Your Reputation
Consistency is very important. Jen suggests working hard, being persistent, networking and follow up with all your contacts. Show appreciation by writing a thank-you note every once in a while. Use social media to your advantage. Combine all that with what Jen calls “old school grace, charm and etiquette”. Whenever somebody was sick at work Jen would fill in for them - that highlights reliability. Be thoroughly prepared for your job and always look your best. Be sincerely interested in people’s lives. Keep in mind that you need to continue this process even once you ‘make it’ to uphold your image.

Passion for Your Work
Jen loves the fact that she can help others through her platform – that is why she wrote her book, to help others with the struggles she faced. It’s this passion for her job that gets her up in the morning. She agrees that her job can be very exhausting especially when you don’t get the feedback you anticipated. Charity work helps Jen see why she is in this business, helping others is worth all the hardships and criticism.

Writing a Book
A book is a fantastic way to establish your own personal brand and a great marketing tool – it stays with you for life! Take extra care that the book is well written. Don’t bother writing it chronologically, just start writing! You can also try using voice notes on your phone and speak it out if you find that easier. Jen’s strategy was to write a short anecdote every time she was on an airplane. Slowly but surely her content grew. Writing online is another good idea. This could be in the form of a blog. If you’re comfortable in front of a camera you may want to try a vlog.

Starting Out with Social Media
When asked which social media platform to focus on when you’re just starting out, Jen mentions that it is dependent on your market and the business you’re in.