Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds.
Recently, I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation.
They said yes, and then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous to your contracts, they said, what the f*** are you talking about, you insane Hollywood a***?
So to recap, we're cutting the price of Mint Unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month.
Give it a try at mintmobile .com slash switch.
$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month.
New customers on first three month plan only, taxes and fees extra, speeds lower above 40GB details.
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As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Ted is traveling to the birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia, for an exciting new initiative.
Together, Ted and Visit Philadelphia are exploring democratic ideas in a series of three fireside chats that will shape our collective future as we work towards a more perfect union.
Our second event about the power of participation took place on September 19th at the historic Eastern State Penitentiary.
Hosted by Sally Cohn, we featured Ted Talks and a moderated Q &A with Katie Fahey, executive director of the nonpartisan nonprofit, The People.
Desmond Mead, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, and special guest Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
We'll return to Philadelphia in November for our final fireside chat of the year.
Thanks to Visit Philadelphia and our supporting partners, Bank of America, Comcast NBC Universal, and Highmark.
Want to learn more?
Go to visitfilly .com slash Ted.
As you may know, I'm a professor at Columbia University.
In academia, the big deal promotion is to get tenure, which basically means you can be a professor at your institution for life.
So it makes sense that the tenure process is really rigorous.
Those in charge have to decide whether they want to be stuck with you forever.
Lots of factors go into determining if someone gets tenure.
Producing great work is definitely a part of it, but not all of it.
You have to get all these letters from leaders in your field decreeing you worthy of the promotion.
And these days, there's a new wrinkle.
It turns out it can be really helpful to have a presence online, be it a website highlighting your accomplishments or a social media account that shows the public wants to hear what you have to say.
Self -promotion can actually help you get a promotion.
And when I was up for tenure, that both terrified and horrified me.
Let me tell you, I joined the world of social media kicking and screaming.
I don't always like people in my business and I don't always like putting my business out there.
So I started and continue to ask myself, is there a way to think about this stuff differently?
How do you build an effective presence online without feeling icky?
I'm Madupa Akinola.
This is TED Business.
Our speaker today is Marcos Salazar, and he's here to help us get control over our own story as we develop an online presence.
He also makes the case for why this personal branding matters and why taking control of our internet identities can be a professional asset.
Then after the talk, I'll tell you how I managed to create an online identity that doesn't make my skin crawl.
But first, a quick break.
It's 2025, and if your B2B marketing strategy for the new year doesn't include improving your ad targeting, you know what I'm about to say, right?
Your ads can get lost in the noise, LinkedIn ads can help by ensuring your message makes it to the right audience, and that is so key if you are running a business or you are trying to find the best people for the openings in your company.
With LinkedIn ads, you can precisely reach professionals who are more likely to find your ad relevant.
Stand out with LinkedIn ads and start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today.
You will have direct access to and build relationships with decision makers, a billion members, 130 million decision makers.
I know as a small business owner, I have to be on LinkedIn because that's where everyone's at.
And if you are trying to propel your B2B business in 2025, what better place to be than LinkedIn?
79 % of B2B content marketers said LinkedIn produces the best results for paid media.
Go where the best is.
Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today.
We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign.
Go to LinkedIn .com slash TED Audio to claim your credit.
That's LinkedIn .com slash TED Audio.
Terms and conditions apply.
LinkedIn, the place to be to be.
Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds.
At MidMobile, we like to do the opposite of what big wireless does.
They charge you a lot, we charge you a little.
So naturally, when they announced they'd be raising their prices due to inflation, we decided to deflate our prices due to not hating you.
That's right, we're cutting the price of Mint Unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month.
Give it a try at MintMobile .com slash Switch.
$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month.
New customers on first three month plan only.
Taxes and fees extra.
Speed slower above 40 gigabyte C details.
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Whether you realize it or not, you have a personal brand.
If I looked you up on Google and didn't find anything about you on the first page of results, that's your personal brand.
If I found an out -of -date LinkedIn profile or a bunch of random social media posts, that too is your personal brand.
People tend to think about a personal brand as bragging, self -promotion, and all about yourself.
But it's actually something much more important.
It's your reputation.
In other words, it's how people perceive you.
Your friends, colleagues, or the general public.
And it's what people think about you when they hear your name as well as what people say about you when you're not in the room.
In our connected world, every single one of us has a personal brand, whether we like it or not.
This is because whenever we engage with people both in person and online, that's every interaction or everything we post, upload, or comment on, we're creating a reputational narrative about ourselves.
Your reputation is already out there.
The question is, do you want to be the one who's driving and shaping this story, or do you want chance or algorithms to be doing it for you?
I think most people would agree that they want to take control.
And what this means is we need to make some very intentional decisions so our brand stays in our hands.
Let me walk you through five key steps to building a strong personal brand in a way that feels good.
First, you need to figure out what your goal is.
Let's start by answering a foundational question.
What do you want your personal brand to help you accomplish?
Are you looking to change jobs or transition into a new industry?
And you need your brand to reflect a new skill set.
Maybe you're looking to get a promotion at your current organization, and you need everyone to know all the amazing things that you've accomplished in your career.
Or maybe you're launching a new business, and you want to build your brand around the products or services that you're offering.
Whatever your goal is, write it down and make it specific so that you're working towards a clear outcome.
Next, you'll want to get clear on what you want to be known for.
In other words, how do you want people to describe you as a professional?
Start by answering the question, so what do you do?
And I'm not just talking about your job title.
Are you a teacher who focuses on social and emotional learning?
Or maybe you're a project manager who is reliable and always gets things done on time.
Or maybe you're an artist who makes beautiful ceramic pots from natural materials.
What you want to do is dig deeper into the what, how, and why behind your work so you can make it concrete and easy to remember.
Just make sure to lead with something that doesn't cause confusion.
For example, I once coached someone who called herself a deaf midwife, which no one understood.
But when she started introducing herself as a grief counselor who works with families during a time of loss, all of a sudden, everyone got it.
If you're stumped, think about how you can stand out from the crowd in your industry.
What are the things that make you unique?
Are there specific talents and expertise that you've acquired in your career?
What do you know more about than most people?
Sit down and make a list and you might start to surprise yourself about all the things you know.
Now, let's think about the audience you want to share your personal brand with.
The reality is your personal brand is not about you.
It's about the people you want to educate with the skills, knowledge, and value you can provide.
Who you decide to focus on should be based on two things.
The goal of your personal brand and the people who can best benefit from your unique talents and skills.
So spend some time thinking about these two questions.
Who can most gain from what you have to share?
And how exactly can you see yourself helping them?
Here's where it all starts to come together.
Let's pull all your answers into a single mission statement that describes who you are, what you do, who you do it for, and the transformation you can create in people's lives.
Let's take the example of the teacher.
My name is Alma and I'm a third grade teacher who specializes in social and emotional learning.
I work with students to teach them the skills for fostering empathy and compassion so they can thrive and contribute to a more caring world.
Let's take the project manager.
My name is Jennifer and I'm a project manager for a sustainable fashion company.
I work with teams across different departments to plan, organize, and direct innovative marketing campaigns that engage customers while also increasing brand loyalty.
Mission statements are going to look wildly different depending on who you are in your career.
But whatever your mission statement is, write it down and put it somewhere prominent.
You can use it to make decisions about how you speak about yourself when you first meet someone to the communities you want to share it with.
Let's start building your personal brand online.
There are two key personal branding assets you should think about developing.
A personal website and social media.
What's so important about a personal website is that it allows you to take full control over your online reputation.
It offers the most flexibility in sharing your brand and value to others in a much deeper way than a resume or LinkedIn profile.
People want to work with others they like, know, and trust and your personal website provides you an opportunity to share more about your personality through photos as well as more about your career and life story.
This in turn will differentiate you from others in your industry.
Social media is also a great way to share your personal brand with the audience you're looking to connect with.
However, I suggest trying not to be on every platform.
Pick one that aligns with your goals as well as where your audience spends most of its time.
If you're an artist or creative, Instagram is a great fit.
If you work in a more corporate environment, LinkedIn is the place you want to be.
When posting, focus on being helpful to others.
Share interesting articles relevant to your industry, post ideas or opinions that can benefit colleagues, and like or comment on posts shared by the people you follow.
The key is to always engage in a way that both reinforces your personal brand while also bringing value to others.
Look, I know this may all sound a bit intimidating, but try to think of this branding process as an opportunity for personal growth.
It's your chance to dig deeper into who you truly are and who you want to become.
This in turn will provide you the clarity you need on how you can make your greatest impact in the world.
You know what I've realized?
I don't like the phrase personal brand.
Instead, I prefer the way Marcos thinks about it.
Crafting an online identity is an opportunity to share what's important to you and to learn what's important to others.
And I like to remind myself that I don't have to use all social media platforms.
I get to pick and choose what's most meaningful to me.
For example, I engage the most with LinkedIn.
I like that it's strictly professional, and often I'm promoting other people or things that I think are cool and exciting, like businesses some of my friends or former students are starting that inspire me, or a takeaway from a conference I attended that stuck with me.
Using LinkedIn this way feels authentic to me, and I don't feel the pressure to post a lot.
It's quality over quantity.
And then there's Instagram, which for me is totally different.
I have a different community of followers there to begin with.
It's a little bit more personal, and it's a space for me to be more playful.
Posting random things like notes from my tea bags, cute pictures of my parents, stuff that makes me smile, and I hope makes other people smile too.
In my experience, this is the secret to actually getting the most out of social media.
Once we're intentional about the relationship we want with these platforms, it can actually be fun deciding who we are on them.
That's it for today.
This episode was produced by Pushkin Industries and fact -checked by Hannah Matsudaira.
Special thanks to Alejandra Salazar, Michelle Quint, Corey Yejim, and Colin Helms.
I'm Madupa Ekinola.
Talk to you again next week.
Support for this episode comes from the University of Illinois program, known as the IMBA, which provides the environment and resources that empower you to make your mark and put your purpose into practice.
Kara Kasner, a graduate of the program, can attest.
Hi, my name is Kara Kasner.
I am a 2023 graduate of the IMBA program at the University of Illinois Geese College of Business.
I am currently the director of digital marketing at Kendall Corporation, which is a provider of senior living and aging services.
So when I started, I thought it was going to take me two years.
The biggest change was when I found out I was pregnant and I knew I didn't want to stop the program.
I wanted to keep going, but I was able to take a summer off to have the baby and to spend time with the baby.
And because the program was flexible, it really had no adverse effect on me at all.
I was able to just pick it back up when I was ready to and finish.
There's a network here that's really unmatched.
It's huge and it's global and you're going to find someone in your field.
You're going to find someone in your function.
You're going to find people that have commonalities with you, but you're also going to find so many people that aren't.
I think that's really unique to Geese.
I think you're going to get a high quality education.
You're going to meet a lot of people and you're going to do that at a really affordable price.
I think what surprised me the most is how quickly I was able to take what I learned and just take it right to work with me.
I had been kind of reaping the benefits the whole way along.
Really from that first class I took, I was able to exhibit that in my work.
I definitely think that my team at work has noticed and has seen me bring these things to play.
I got pulled into more things than I would have if I hadn't done this program.
I'm glad I went this route.
I think it was the best choice for me.
I think it's a good choice for many people that are in similar situations to me as well.
No matter what your career path, Geese College of Business Online MBA has a curriculum that gives you the right mix of practical and leadership learning to meet your specific career goals and be more competitive on the job market.
Learn more at giesonline .illinois .edu.
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My dad works in B2B marketing.
He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man.
Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend.
My friends still laugh at me to this day.
Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do.
Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign.
Go to linkedin .com slash results to claim your credit.
That's linkedin .com slash results.
Terms and conditions apply.
LinkedIn, the place to be, to be.
