Business Book Review: Be. by Jessica Zweig
Be. explains that if you’re doing it right, personal branding is not all about you. But it is rather an act of service.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Sounds True
Released: 2021
Key Takeaways for Personal Branding
Best-seller, Be. offers behind-the-scenes insights into what Jessica Zweig shares with global business leaders. From the likes of Google to Nike and many more.
Zweig is a highly decorated personal branding expert. Her book reveals to the masses secrets, often reserved for only top-tier executives.
Her mission is clear. Debunking the myth that personal branding is an act of vanity, but is rather an act of service. Using what makes you special to build a positive future for others.
Differentiated from her counterparts, Zweig’s core value of spirituality shines through. She marries pragmatic techniques with a resolute connection to a higher purpose.
In our modern era, it’s refreshing to see Zweig unafraid to tread here in a business context. As many of the all-time business classics of our century once did too.
Zweig reminds us that everything is energy. This isn’t whoo-hoo, but it is the simple science Einstein himself believed in.
Perhaps most striking in Be. is the example Zweig sets for personal branding. From her distinct voice to the signature sunshine yellow, which permeates the book.
First chosen to help position her as a Snapchat expert, yellow now has a visceral meaning for Zweig. It’s the same colour she says fills half her closet and is the hue of many client gifts she receives. Zweig accredits the exposure she has been afforded to its sheer memorability.
Zweig exemplifies how personal branding connects higher purpose and relentless attention to detail.
Favourite Quotes
"The more you become willing to show up authentically, the more magnetic you become as a person and as a professional.”
“A strong personal brand can be the most powerful business asset you can possess.”
“If you’re doing it right, personal branding is not an act of vanity but an act of service.”
“Remember, when you try to be everything to everyone, you end up becoming nothing to no one.”
“Based on the way you carry yourself, how you engage, and how you treat people, you are thereby constantly telling a story, leaving an impression, and imparting a memory upon everyone you meet…This is branding.”
“Everything is energy…Harnessing that energy becomes a professional competitive advantage. Mastering it becomes a superpower.”
“We process visual information sixty thousand times faster than written or verbal information…style makes not only a lasting but a fast impression.”
Zweig communicates like one friend connecting to another. Be. is unapologetically explicit when called for. But, is equally balanced by love and light.
Be. is permission to be yourself at all costs. While also knowing that if you’re doing it right, personal branding is not all about you. It’s about the people you serve. And being yourself is your greatest opportunity to help them find you.
Be. by Jessica Zweig: Available on Amazon.
