The hardest concept for most professionals and entrepreneurs to understand and embrace is how important it is to identify their vision of the world and how their vision defines their purpose. Your vision doesn’t have to be something as lofty as saving the world’s poor from starvation. Yet your vision is an integral part of who you are and what you want to do with your life.

I recently interviewed Andrew Saunders  and thought that part of this interview would be a perfect way to illustrate the power of vision and purpose in personal branding. Understanding your vision and identifying your purpose is integral to creating a brand that is authentic to who you are, enabling you to stand out from the crowd.

Meet Andrew Saunders. Andrew had a vision. After working in real estate development and sales throughout his professional career he wanted to fix what he believed was a serious failing of the large real estate brokerage firms. Rather than be supportive of their brokers, encouraging them and partnering with them in their success these firms were marginalizing their workers by shrinking work spaces, eliminating support and support staff, and reducing commissions. They were undermining the hard work of those who brought in the revenue.

Andrew’s vision was to work in a firm where support and partnership was the order of the day. He believed that a company that supported its employees and provided them with the tools they needed was critical to establishing an environment where partnership and respect would be reciprocated between management and employees. He also believed that a collaborative and supportive environment would reflect positively on the revenues of the brokers and the firm while creating a better experience for clients as well.

In late 2008 Andrew started up operations for his new business Saunders Real Estate, a company whose tag line is “A higher form of realty”.  He created a real estate firm in a crowded market that stood apart from its competitors. His personal brand, being supportive and collaborative, became the firm’s brand and extended across all the activities of his brokers and those with whom they transacted business. His brokers and clients were treated with the dignity and respect as befits a company “that sells high end luxury properties to high end clients.”

Andrew’s brand is strong. His commitment to his vision and his purpose enabled him to develop a personal brand that is authentic to who he is, unique in execution, and consistent in delivery. The cornerstone of a strong brand is respect. The respect he gained for his new brand of realty helped him grow the firm to 50 brokers and attain profitability in under 1 ½ years. And all this was accomplished in a real estate recession.

Have you defined your vision and purpose? Let me know if you have other stories like this to share.

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Utilizing her experience of over 25 years, Mary Rosenbaum helps entrepreneurs and careerists position themselves so they can stand out from the competition. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.