Personal Branding Alert!
I feel it is time to put my point of view (POV) across about the term and the process of Personal Branding.
I would rather not use the term at all. But, in the name of SEO and keyword searching, I have no choice in the matter 😉
It is more of an evolving, discerning dislike that does not fit with the feeling and nature of who I am and what my business is truly about.
Let me explain…
The words just don’t sit well with me anymore. I don’t think they ever did.
For a start, in the dictionary, personal branding is described as a particular identity or image and regarded as an asset. It sits alongside an abundance of descriptors related to livestock branding, slavery, criminals, a mark of disgrace, stigma, swords and burning wood. The term was initially used as part of livestock branding and was adopted to differentiate one person’s cattle from another’s by means of a distinctive symbol burned into the animal’s skin with a hot branding iron. So, this conjures up the feeling of being just one of the cattle, where some external force has decided to burn… yes burn… a permanent label onto us…an external label to identify us as this or that.
I don’t know about you, but personally I feel that I am always evolving and can even show up differently depending what part of my menstrual cycle I am in (but that’s another blogpost). I feel quite boxed-in by the idea of spending money branding myself into a pigeon-hole.
No wonder we get overwhelmed and blocked by the very idea of personal branding, as it feels like a permanent mark, stain, spot, blot, taint to then be placed in a certain field of livestock. Which field?
Do you know what I mean, right?
I understand and acknowledge that branding has it’s place in the world today, with the fierce competition between global companies and the social conditioning we are used to in our culture. We have learned to recognise and rely on brands that we trust, or that align with our values. Research shows how we are affected by colour psychology etc and, with a simple Google search, there is plenty of online information to inform us of this.
But, over the years, I have moved away from the big brands and have increasingly searched out for those, say, little independent cafes, the friendly man serving at the local store, the quirky independent bookshops that also sell hats etc: something deliciously different, yet resonant at the same time.
Why?
The ‘independents’ feel more authentic to me, more aligned with my values; different, unusual, connected, more whole in some way:a feeling… I am bored following trends and buying into big brand promises and polished expertise. They never seem to quite deliver an enduring warm and fuzzy buzz in my heart.
I acknowledge they have their place, so please don’t feel I am totally anti-brand. I am not throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak.
This is just me expressing that I sway more towards a certain POV. I feel the need to place my stake in the ground on where I stand with the whole idea of personal branding. After all, it is an important part of the fabric of my business. I want to embrace that it helps to set us apart from our competition and I know its place. That aside, I don’t want to conform with the mass understanding of branding and the formulaic labelling and claustrophobic boundaries it provides…To ‘brand’ is to run the risk of establishing and confirming a fixed label at the exclusion of all our other qualities as a human being.
When we brand our businesses as solopreneurs, we effectively are packaging our identity up into a combination of logos, fonts and colours and an online expert-driven presence, labelling it as our brand label to define us, or how we want to be perceived. We are influenced by our comparisons with our peers and also the overwhelming tips and advice attacking us from every angle:exhausting. It may leave us finding it difficult to be confident in our brand and be true to our nature.
The consequences of personal branding
If we carry on like this, we are all going to look the same. We are all going to be ‘on trend’. We are all going to look like the brand-laden cities and towns that now blot the landscape and we no longer will be the quirky independent businesses that light us up in some unique way…Do you know what I’m saying? We lose our soul branding.
I see the hunger we all have for something different, something that appeals more to the whole of our true nature– call it whole-hearted. But it is something that needs to reflect your within and connect to your without and it can be paradoxical and unpredictable at times, but a pleasure to connect YOUR tribe with the real YOU.
Not just a permanent mark, I also see branding as a bit of a mask. We decide how we want to show up in our business and align with our business values…But are they are true values, or what we think we should be confining ourselves to? We run the risk of splintering ourselves off from other qualities within us, qualities needed to run a successful business. What if we wanted our business brand to strictly appear as soft, gentle and always open….It may feel awkward and ‘off-brand’ if we then have a client who oversteps our boundaries, forcing us to show our firmer side (which, of course, is a healthy response needed to protect our own sacred boundaries).
Our brand is not about being everything to everyone, so that our tribe cannot recognise us. I just feel we need to use some discernment when we decide on our Personal Brand and really get to know what we value in our lives and business. Understanding ourselves and what makes us tick (and why) a bit better, ensures we are not splintering ourselves off from parts of ourselves that could be useful in our business, or labelling ourselves one way or another. We run the risk of feeling the straight-jacket of our personal brand and wonder why we feel disconnected or exhausted with our online homes, continually reflecting that ‘it does not quite feel like me anymore’.
Where does that leave us?
So the branding journey is not necessarily about following all the expert information, guidance, should and should not’s, but more about understanding yourself within and finding a more rounded solution that encapsulates a more authentic and resonant you. Choosing the qualities you want to convey for the right reasons and not throwing out the possibilities of change and evolution. That is why I try to guide my clients to keep their websites as simple-connected-expansive as possible, to easily edit and evolve over time. I even try to distance them from logos where possible. We just need to understand why we want to be seen in a certain way, get underneath it a bit more and peel back the layers of the onion.
You probably won’t get lots of typical marketing , SEO and branding tips and advice here (despite the business advice I keep hearing on how to present myself as EXPERT). I am more about an’ independent soul cafe ‘ approach and its going to be a bit quirky at times, but at least I am showing up, in my true nature, in the way it wishes to express itself at any given time…But I want you to know, that I have your whole-self best interests at heart when I am in service for you…
We need a softer approach to branding so that we can discover that there is a human being at the end of it connecting with other human beings who need a service…Just like me who just happens to have a different set of skills (zone of genius) than you and that I can probably help you out sometimes, as you can me. It is practically impossible to be able to do everything in your business…That would be a recipe for burnout 😉
Future focus
To help with a more soulful, softer, true nature branding, I am currently creating resources that will help take you on a different branding journey. One I hope you will enjoy and resonate with. Watch this space…
And finally
If you understand my POV and would like to connect with me further about how I can help you, then do contact me here. I love to meet new people.
If you enjoyed my blogpost, then do consider sharing with your social media preference. Thank you.
Hi, Lisa:
Thank you for this. I too love independent cafes and businesses, and grow weary of seeing the same “brands” appearing on every high street. While I do like the idea of a logo myself, I support a process where it is developed organically, and that it grows with you.
Creating a “feel” is important – but I like how you present it as a way of communicating your values, your self and your service; that the focus is always on connecting with your tribe and being authentic. And that there should always be room to grow.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Thank you Rebecca, I am glad you can relate to the metaphor of independent cafe ( I have more ideas around that) and I really hear you around the idea of having a logo…I guess my thinking is that some people get stuck at the logo point and place too much importance on it ( especially early in business) when all they need to do is show up and be and feel themselves…I love the idea about using our name as the logo. 😉
I agree with you Lisa, soft branding that evolves & changes as we and our business changes & evolves is a great way to go.
For me, the key is that my branding reflects my core values & those of my business & I will amend it if & when my values change.
lesley pyne recently posted…It’s good that we don’t have children
Yes Lesley, totally agree as long as they are values true to ourselves and not what we think they should be….and being soft and flexible around that…I love your metaphor of the butterfly and the journey we find ourselves on if childless by circumstance…it really works for you xx on my own personal business journey I realised that my top few values I placed on my business were restricting me and I needed to bring in a few more and in a different order 😉 I noticed that my important values were not what I initially thought them to be… I place Simplicity, connection and freedom/ expansiveness above my original list and now measure all my business decisions against them…x
Great post Lisa!
It’s really interesting to hear your POV and personal experience. It makes sense from what I know of you 😉
Living from a deeper, wiser place – you’re in touch with what really matters to you – despite what *they* say you should do!
– and I love the idea of “soulful, softer, true nature branding” – can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Ann x
Ann Brown recently posted…3 Powerful Questions To Awaken Your Best Business Self
Thank you Ann. As you can also relate to, the only way is by showing up and embracing your true nature. Thank you for your encouragement xxx
Love that concept of retaining and expressing our ‘soul-branding’, Lisa.
Your soul-brand is shining 🙂
Thank you Linda… We are all shining once we take our masks off xxx
Thank you Lisa for this ‘deliciously different’ POV. You’ve shared here the words and images that convey something I’ve been aware of but been struggling to articulate for some time. I clearly recall one of our very early connections – I apologised for not being entirely clear about where I was on my journey – for evolving. You reminded me that that was OK – indeed, it was actually where the magic happened. You were so right. I feel so blessed to have connected with you – your passion, your integrity, creativity and care. Thank you for continually showing up as your true self.
Oh Lisa I am so glad you read my blog and resonate…When we worked together, it was a pleasure to witness your soul branding in action..it shows how these things cannot be rushed and the reason I want to create a workbook resource to help connect to your true nature..The Kitchen Table Workshops and 1:1 retreats sooooo suits you and was definitely the seasoning for developing my point of view ….. Xxxx thank you
Thank you for your soul-provoking words, Lisa. True nature, whole-hearted, reflecting our within and our without, connecting to the real us. Yes. Let’s stop trying to fit in and rather find our true selves so that our tribe can find us. XO
Miriam Linderman recently posted…Why Women With Body-Food Issues Donât Trust Their Partners
Yes Miriam, Thank you for mirroring those words back to me : delicious. I am fascinated by the fact that we slowly evolve and peel back the layers in our business journey as much as we do in our personal lives, so nice to think we can feel enough expansiveness to allow ourselves to shine and in doing so allow others to shine too ;)))) x I now realise there is no quick solution to how we package ourselves, so why box ourselves in ? 😉
Thank you for this beautiful article. Reading it was like breathing a deep “sigh of relief.”
I love the idea of the “independent soul cafe.”
I’m much less interested in what the marketing world is relentlessly programming me to do and much more curious about what my ideas, curiosities, inspirations and intuitive nudges are revealing to me as silent whispers in my heart. I think we need to strike a balance between the data and the metrics and our inner life. Often I see people becoming quite obsessed about branding to the point where they forget why they loved what they were called to do in the first place.
We simply cannot brand our way to happiness, contentment and social justice. We cannot create a peaceful world without disconnecting from the very thing that is causing so many people to live in a state of constant overwhelm.
I think this softer approach is in keeping with a new more caring capitalism, which is about people reconnecting with themselves in a way that does not require being anything but a kind gentle and open human being, willing to be a part of the solution rather than part of the noise.
Thank you for this Lisa.
Hi David,
Thank you for taking the time to communicate your thoughts about ‘branding’ and that you resonate with where I am coming from. You articulated this topic so well…thank you. I have read and experienced so many examples of people being blocked, caught up, overwhelmed by how they should show up and obsessed with the visual outcome. They feel the need to show up polished and expert. we only need to do a a Google Search to see the same advice about branding and it’s forcing us to separate from ourselves and look in the wrong direction. My heart always warms when, despite this noise around branding, we still see beautiful examples of a more soul-like connected ‘ branding’ as they move us in some deep way, right in the core of our hearts and not just in our heads where our judgement of what is cool and not cool dominates. So, thank you for connecting to this kinder approach to ‘ branding’ and validating to me more and more that there are like-minded souls out there.
YES. You articulated the many reasons “branding” was a word that I never liked. My journey around this really solidified when I did work with Abby Kerr around my “voice values” and thought deeply about the kind of work I wanted to be doing, how I connect with my clients and support their journey and the values I hold most dear in all of that…Having you do the art work to bring that all alive is much more than a mere “brand” is it a celebratory dance in the world of my voice, my values and the community I am longing to create. Thanks for all you do Lisa, it is very special.
Eow Mo, you voice the essence of this so well.. ‘More than a mere brand, it is a celebratory dance in the world of my voice’ When your website goes live, it will be a celebratory example for me to demonstrate a Soul Branding and ‘ yes’ I love Abby Kerr’s take on a Brand Values…..
I believe that the only way to find and connect with our people and tribe’s is to show up and be who we really are online. I do a lot of work with personal branding which is something that people kind of get like the term marketing. But how we use marketing, personal branding and represent our own and business values is always our own choice. There are so many businesses telling others how to be, how to get it right and how to build tribes. But that clearly doesn’t resonate with everyone or work. Over the last five years my “brand, work and ethos” has shifted as I have evolved. The term personal branding is just a label, but it’s up to us to decide and find exactly who we are along our journeys and then express it with our work, values and creativity comfortably and authentically.
Hi Melanie,
Totally and that is why I resonate with your social media message so much. I can see who you really are and have an understanding of your POV and take on things. There are many examples of us ‘evolving and shifting’ our thoughts about branding and the more we communicate it, the more the people who are sick of the status quo and searching for something refreshingly different, can find us…;) Let’s unite 😉