Success Story: How Bernard Lachance's Creative Personal Branding Got Him on Oprah

Bernard Lachance is a French-Canadian singer who had a dream and achieved it with a creative personal branding strategy.

He tells it best:

10 lessons we can learn from Bernard Lachance’s inspirational success<

Believe in yourself<

Bernard had no agent, manager or promoter when he decided to rent the Chicago Theatre for his show. Only someone who truly believes in their vision will be willing to spend their entire life savings on a one-time risk without any outside help.

Don’t fear failure<

If someone is willing to take such a risk, it’s because they’re not afraid of picking themselves up in case of failure. In fact, as Bernard tells in this French interview, a recording contract with Universal Music that fell through at the last minute led to a short depression but he got back on his feet and eventually headed to Chicago.

Experiment and learn<

Only by experimenting with meeting success AND failure can we really learn how to move forward. In the same French interview above, Bernard explains that his biggest challenge wasn’t selling his music, it was selling himself. People assumed that if he had no agent/manager/promoter, it was because he simply wasn’t any good. By letting people on the street meet him and hear him sing, he breaks that misconception and builds his brand.

Build on success<

Bernard’s tactic of selling tickets to people on the street in Chicago was something that had previously worked for him in Montreal and Quebec City.

Have a plan<

Bernard knew that an appearance on Oprah could act as a catapult to stardom. The steps he took show that once he aimed for that goal, he mapped out a path of action to achieve it.

Know your target audience<

Do you think Bernard’s appeal to Oprah would have been as impressive if it had been anywhere else than in front of a theater she knows well in her own hometown?

Be creative<

Whether it was the T-shirt seating chart, taping the video in front of the Chicago Theatre itself or just the idea of a YouTube appeal to Oprah, Bernard’s creativity is making him stand out.

Inspire emotion<

“So I called the Chicago Theater, tell them my story and they thought I was crazy.” How can you not smile when you hear that? Crazy? No, he’s a very clever guy who knows that emotion is the key to going viral.

Give other people a reason to build your brand<

Not only does Bernard’s story make us want to share his audacity with others<, according to the Montreal Gazette Bernard recruited his choir and musicians through ads in newspapers and on the Internet, which encouraged those people to then get their friends and family to buy tickets to his show.

Know yourself<

None of this would have worked if Bernard didn’t have singing talent to begin with. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses before deciding what you can achieve and how to do it.<