Have you ever considered that the thing about yourself that you most want to hide–that you are most embarrassed for the world to see–could actually be the thing that sets you apart and attracts a loyal following of raving fans?

When I started my business at age 24, being young was the last thing I wanted to be known for. If another person called me cute, I swear I would flip out.

I wanted to be taken seriously and I thought that by being young, people would think I was less competent and credible.

I did everything I could to hide the fact that I was young, including buying fake glasses to make me look older (totally embarrassing to admit now).

What do you think could have happened if I approached this differently? What if I had owned the fact that I was young by making it into something special that set me apart from the crowd?

I recently came across a 19 year old entrepreneur who is doing just that. His name is Andre Mills. He is a motivational speaker with a signature brand that uses his age to set him apart from all of the other speakers. Visit his website, www.andremills.com and you will see how his age is a huge factor that makes him a desirable speaker for the right audiences.

What if Andre didn’t highlight his age as part of his signature brand? To me, it would make his brand fall flat, and make him a less desirable speaker, because I actually like the fact that he is so young!

Lizzie Valasquez is an author and motivational speaker with a congenital disease that prevents her from gaining weight. She has 0% body fat and has been called “the ugliest woman in the world” by online bullies.

Instead of hiding behind a curtain of shame and embarrassment, Lizzie owns her condition and has built her signature brand around it. She is the author of three books and a motivational speaker on topics such as bullying and self acceptance. This past Spring a documentary film was released about Lizzie’s life.

You may not be surprisingly young like Andre, or have a disease that makes you look different from everyone else like Lizzy, but I promise…there is something about you that sets you apart.

If you’re not sure what it is, I dare you to look at the parts of yourself that you try to hide.

The thing that you are trying to hide from the world could be the very thing that helps you build a signature brand that motivates and inspires a tribe of raving fans.