After growing bored with her career, she stepped out on her own and founded Be Your Own Brand. At BYOB, Coates is sharing her years of image building experience but she’s doing it with a new twist. “Be Your Own Brand is a concept based in helping people empower themselves with their image so that when they make their entrance into a room, it is a lasting, powerful first impression,” offers a poised Coates.
During Black History Month, Coates traveled around the country for Macy’s “Celebrate You” tour. During the 10-city tour, the author and entrepreneur hosted a panel of local African Americans, who are known for being true to their personal brands. “We provided a good mix of panelists to speak to different generations and [people of] different backgrounds. The panelists [spoke about] the attributes they bring to their jobs and those that they live by personally. Beforehand, we [the panelists and Coates] had a dialogue so that no one spouted off their résumé because you can Google that information.” Some of the panelists included BET’s Debra Lee, NAACP’s Todd Jealous, Pastry Footwear’s Angela and Vanessa Simmons, and public relations executive Robin Beaman. Each panelist shared their personal brand statement, which included three of their strongest attributes. When put on the spot during this interview, Coates ticked off her personal brand statement: “I am a confident, powerful, sexy leader with flair.”
–yvette caslin
Coates authored her first book, Mama Used to Say…Be Your Own Brand. A Little Book of Common Sense on Style, Self and Body (Volume 1).
