From Branding to Books: Exciting Upcoming Events with VPG!

by Heather Martin, VPG contributor

Over the past few months, thanks to Ashley Cheung and VPG, I’ve had the opportunity to attend webinars that highlight the power of personal branding. As someone who’s often hesitant about self-promotion, I’ve found them to be not only enlightening but also important. I’ve come to learn that personal branding isn’t about exaggeration or performance; it’s about showing up authentically, so others know who you are, what you stand for, and the value you bring. That shift in perspective has made the process feel not only manageable but meaningful. In today’s digital world, an online presence is a must and, as I learned, if you don’t brand yourself, someone else will do it for you.

For this reason, I’m excited to have the opportunity to attend the September 25th Brand Leadership: Trust In Action - Co-organized by VPG, ChIPs, LegalOps.com, and How Women Lead on the 9th Floor patio at Baker Botts.

I look forward to hearing from industry leaders like opening speakers Michelle Heisner, Board Member of How Women Lead and Partner at Baker & McKenzie and Sasha Strauss, Founder of Innovation Protocol (short video remarks), moderator, Melissa Cohen, Personal Brand Strategist, LinkedIn Top Voice, and Founder of MBC Consulting Solutions, LLC, and panelists Ashley Cheung, Principal & Founder, Virtual Patent Gateway (VPG), Ivy Clarice Estoesta, Director, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, PLLC, Shawnna Hoffman, President of Guardrail Technologies, Jason Harrier, Founder and General Counsel, IP Copilot, and Monica Phillips, Director of Learning, ChIPs Network and President, Spark Plug Labs on the importance of building trust through personal and professional branding. I have attended events hosted by VPG in the past and am familiar with the quality and care provided for each occasion. If nothing else, they put on a heck of a spread!

The following month, on October 1st, I will have a chance to put what I learned on the 25th into action. Ashley and I will be part of Bootstrapped & Booked: An Entrepreneur's Self-Publishing Journey, a webinar on self-publishing, organized by Monica Phillips and hosted by the ChIPs Network. Ashley is a three-time self-published author, most recently of The Leadership Catalyst: Igniting Inspired Change. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the process of writing and self-publishing. I am a first-time author of Towards the Rainbow and have served as Ashley’s editor for her latest two books. Together, we will discuss what we’ve learned along the way: the challenges, the successes, and the creativity that makes the journey worthwhile. I look forward to the opportunity to both learn from and contribute to (one) of these events.