Building a personal brand

Personal branding requires you to take risks — and to develop a thick skin.

Ten years ago, one of then-leading advertising bloggers called me a “lady douchenozzle.” I am still not sure what that means, but I’m certain it is not a compliment. It’s one of a number of insults I’ve weathered in my 16 years of working first as a strategist in the world’s most renowned advertising agencies and then as a brand executive. The internet isn’t always a great place, particularly if you are a woman and a foreigner.