Jake Steinfeld, of Body by Jake Fame, Inspires InterCall Webcast Participants, Delineates Best Practices for Business, Branding Success December 18, 2012 @ 10:47 AM | By Tonya Hottmann

Last Friday, I watched InterCall’s December webcast featuring Jake Steinfeld, whom you might know better as Body By Jake.

We teamed up with Jake to help him spread the message that individuals and businesses can realize their potential by not settling for anything less than success. To that end, Jake’s key points included:

• Define your goals and passions
• Take your passions and turn them into a career
• Build your most valuable asset – your personal brand

Jake explained how he was able to galvanize his own dream of success by starting with an idea, exuding emotion and energy, and finding the right people to help him set off on his journey.

Jake also shared advice on networking, saying, “As an entrepreneur, it’s all about ‘dialing for dollars’. You have to network and use your connections.” Jake related a story of how he was able to obtain advertising in a popular publication during the ‘80’s by reaching out to a friend of his who had just been put in charge of ad space. Though it may seem like an imposition, Jake stressed that these are the sorts of steps you have to take in order to realize success. In the end, Jake was able to offer significant value to his friend at the publication through additional connections, and the situation turned out to be a win-win for both of them.

I’d like to share my favorite quote from Jake with you. This is his take on personal branding:  “You are your own product. Before you sell anything, you’ve got to sell yourself.”

What do you think about Jake’s process for success? Which steps do you need help with?

Tonya Hottmann is the director of marketing at InterCall, responsible for small business marketing. Before joining InterCall, Tonya ran a boutique marketing consulting firm for 10 years. An avid baseball fan, she enjoys reading, traveling, exercising and spending summer days at the beach.