February 21, 2017

It's not who knows you, but who will help you.

Share the goods.

Personal brand and relationship building have been hot topics around the 834 office recently. A core part of personal branding is relationships, connections and being visible. That being said, don’t be an asshole because it will come back to haunt you. On the other hand, keep in mind that you can’t be nice all the time. I mean is that even possible?
To be blunt, no. This is absolutely not possible.
I mean…have you met our founder? She is abrasive, blunt and has no problem saying what is on her mind. That is her personal brand, as well as being outgoing, forgiving, loyal to a fault and creative. Part of embracing your personal brand is accepting the good with the bad and not making excuses. You can’t please everyone all the time, and you will make mistakes. Owning up to them, learning from them, and moving on will help you grow and develop great relationships.

It’s not who knows you, but who will help you.

This is a very true statement, and it isn’t meant to be seen as using or promoting others. Communication and relationship building goes both ways. Help others with no expectation that they HAVE to help you or they ‘owe’ you at some undetermined time in the future. Seth Godin (our boyfriend) advocates for being a connector and a linchpin. Make yourself indispensable by assisting others, getting to know people and then saying, “Hey, you would really benefit from knowing this person,” or, “You should get involved with this it will really help raise your profile in the community.”
Do you get where we are going with this?
Here are the benefits of building relationships, defining your brand and being a kick ass person:

Promotions – who doesn’t want to be recognized for being awesome and indispensable?

Happiness – who doesn’t want to be happy?

Compensation – who doesn’t want more money?

Business – who doesn’t want more business?

Perks – who doesn’t want perks?

Be authentic, be transparent and get out there.
We would add one additional tip: Be helpful. Make a connection, help someone grow their business and send a handwritten note. It’s the little things.
As Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, once said, “Your personal brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.”

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Something on Your Mind?

A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

Who made all these rules anyway?

Don’t wear color. Don’t share your ideas. Don’t put yourself out there. Don’t talk about your family.

We’re told to follow them, but @bodespeaks says question every single one. Then uncover your big hairy audacious goal, throw out the rulebook, and build a personal brand that actually works for you.

Thank you to Aggie and Cristy for having Kim on the @badass_women_in_business Podcast and, well... for being total badasses.

Listen to the full episode in bio.

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

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The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

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We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

Showing up to an interview with an iced coffee? Not the move… unless it’s for @bodespeaks

#icedcoffee #agency #PR #trending #grandrapids