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By:

Divyaa Advaani 

2 November 2024 at 3:28:38 am

Your Brand Is Losing Business

Right now, somewhere in this city, a highly accomplished professional is losing a room — and has no idea it is happening. Not because he lacks knowledge. Not because he lacks credibility. But because nobody has ever told him the truth: that the way he communicates is quietly costing him business, trust, and opportunity — one conversation at a time. I know this because I sat across from exactly such a person not long ago. Decades of experience. Multiple leadership roles. A genuine desire to...

Your Brand Is Losing Business

Right now, somewhere in this city, a highly accomplished professional is losing a room — and has no idea it is happening. Not because he lacks knowledge. Not because he lacks credibility. But because nobody has ever told him the truth: that the way he communicates is quietly costing him business, trust, and opportunity — one conversation at a time. I know this because I sat across from exactly such a person not long ago. Decades of experience. Multiple leadership roles. A genuine desire to give back, to guide, to create impact in a new chapter of his career. When he spoke, you could feel the depth. And yet, within minutes of any conversation, something would shift. The other person would grow quiet. Questions would stop. Follow-up calls would not come. He could not understand it. I could see it immediately. "His problem was not what he knew. It was that he could not stop sharing all of it at once." This is what I call the knowledge trap — and it catches the best people. High-achievers, founders, senior professionals who have spent decades accumulating expertise. In conversation, they give everything. Every insight, every example, every caveat. The intention is generosity. The impact is overwhelm. The listener does not leave inspired — they leave exhausted. And they do not come back. Think about the last high-stakes conversation you had — a pitch, a partnership discussion, a client meeting. Did you walk away certain it went well, only to hear nothing for days? Did you find yourself wondering what went wrong when everything felt right to you in the room? That silence is not coincidence. More often than not, it is a personal brand problem wearing the disguise of a business problem. When we began working together, I did not start with his online presence — even though it badly needed attention. I did not start with his positioning or his profile. I started where every personal brand must start: the inside. Specifically, his communication — the gap between what he intended to convey and what the other person was actually able to receive. He resisted at first. Like most accomplished people, he found it difficult to accept that the very habits that had built his career were now working against him. But when I showed him the framework — and more importantly, when he tested it in a real conversation and felt the room respond differently — something clicked. He called me shortly after and said: "For the first time, I felt in control of the room — instead of just being in it." "The goal is never to empty yourself into a room. The goal is to make the room want to come back for more." That is the exact moment a personal brand begins to work for you. Not when you know more than everyone else. But when people feel understood by you — and sense there is more where that came from. Once that foundation was solid, everything else followed. His online presence — scattered, confusing, unconvincing — was rebuilt around a clear and authentic narrative. Inbound enquiries, which had been absent, began arriving. He stopped chasing conversations and started attracting them. Here is the question I want to leave you with — answer it honestly: when you walk out of a room, do people feel energised by the exchange, or quietly relieved it is over? If you hesitated even for a second, that hesitation is your answer. And it is costing you more than you realise — in deals not closed, partnerships not formed, and opportunities that quietly chose someone else. Your personal brand is not your logo or your LinkedIn headline. It is the impression you leave in every room, online and offline, before you have said a word and long after you have left. Building it right — from the inside out — is the highest-return investment a founder or business owner can make today. The founders who invest in their personal brand stop chasing business — and start attracting it. I offer a free 30-minute Founder Brand Audit — a focused, no-fluff conversation where we identify exactly where your personal brand is working against you and what one shift can change. I take on a maximum of four of these calls each week. If this article made you stop and think, that is reason enough to book yours before this week's slots close. Book your free session here: calendly.com/divyaaadvaani/founder-brand-audit (The writer is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

US Vice President JD Vance, his family arrive in Delhi

  • PTI
  • Apr 21, 2025
  • 2 min read


NEW DELHI: US Vice President J D Vance arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit to India against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between the two strategic partners to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance is accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri and their three children Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel and a delegation of senior US government officials.


The US Vice President and the Second Lady were received at the Palam air base by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.


The American leader was also accorded a ceremonial welcome on his arrival.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian ambassador to US Vinay Mohan Kwatra are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by PM Modi at the talks.


The focus of the meeting is likely to be on early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact as well as ways to boost overall trajectory of ties between the two countries.


Besides Delhi, Vance and his family will travel to Jaipur and Agra.

Vance's first visit to India comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries, including India.


New Delhi and Washington are now holding negotiations to seal a bilateral trade agreement that is expected to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance and his family are scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Monday night.

In Delhi, the US Vice President and his family are staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel.


On April 22, the Vances will visit a number of historical sites in Jaipur, including the Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort. The fort is a UNESCO world heritage site.


In the afternoon, the US Vice President is scheduled to address a gathering at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur.


Vance is expected to delved into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Donald Trump administration during his speech that is expected to be attended by diplomats, foreign policy experts, Indian government officials and academia.


The US Vice President and his family will travel to Agra on the morning of April 23, people familiar with the matter said.


In Agra, they will visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram which is an open air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts, they said.


After concluding their visit to Agra, the Vances will return to Jaipur on the second half of April 23.


The US Vice President and his family will depart for the US from Jaipur on April 24, according to the people cited above.

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