05/04/10: Personal Branding with David Cohen and the Atlanta Street Food Coalition
What is a personal brand and why do you need one? That’s what we asked David Cohen of Equation Arts who is an expert on personal branding. The reality is that you have a personal brand whether you know it or not. The question is, “What are you doing to highlight the positive traits of that brand while downplaying your shortcomings?” Nobody’s perfect after all. David offered some great insight about what people can do to promote themselves and get to do more of what they like doing and less of what they dislike doing. We also talked about the difference between your professional and personal brand and how the two intersect. He had some great free advice as well which is “Be yourself.” Like us, David is a big fan of authenticity. He thinks people need to be themselves but obviously the best version of themselves that they can be. Definitely listen to this interview. Great advice for all of us!
Next up we were joined by Hayley Richardson and Greg Smith, founders of the Atlanta Street Food Coalition. Both Erik and I are huge street food fans but the only problem is we can’t get good street food in our own city (legally, anyway)! Street food has been around forever but there’s a new breed of street vendors popping up around the country that are serving up not only gourmet cuisine but healthy, locally-grown produce as well as creative entrees and desserts. Many of them have large numbers of fans who follow them (literally) as they post their whereabouts on sites like Twitter and Facebook. In an economic climate where opening a restaurant might be out of the question, a food truck is a more affordable alternative. We 
really hope Hayley and Greg get some help with their efforts. They’ve only been around four months but Hayley said that there is a lot of interest. While they wait on the laws to change, they’ve begun organizing events around the city on private property. They just had an “Urban Picnic” at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market downtown. For more information, follow the Atlanta Street Food Coalition on Twitter or Facebook and via their website. We really enjoyed having them on the show! Thanks, guys! :)
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