Eenie, Meenie, Miney, BRAND

What would you say the number one difficulty most people have when trying to brand themselves or their businesses? Not a big enough marketing budget? Maybe struggling to find the right graphic designer? Or perhaps even finding the right niche? Nah…none of those are the biggest stumbling block getting in the way of most entrepreneurs trying to create successful brands. Want to know what is?…

LACK OF CLARITY.

As the saying goes, “When the path is clear, execution is successful.” So it goes to follow, when the path is not clear, there’s a whole lot ‘a shakin’ goin’ on, meaning the foundation is not stable. When your intention is not clear, your results fizzle. Clarity is the foundation to any strong brand. But what’s a girl to do if she’s not feeling clear?

YOU NEED TO START MAKING DECISIONS

That means you have to commit. Yikes! I know commitment can be a scary word. The biggest fear around commitment I think, is making a mistake. But hear’s the thing. Your brand is not a fixed point. It is a direction. Toward what? I don’t know, that’s what you have to decide. The good news is if you think of your brand as a direction, your decisions feel easier. You are not committing to knowing everything, you are committing to knowing what you know right now. Did I lose you?

You see, you don’t have to have everything figured out about yourself or your business in order to create a highly profitable and authentic brand. You just have to decide who you are right now and how you want to be right now based on what you know to be true right now. You make the choice and move forward. If you act with honesty and integrity, you will not fail.

Making the first decision will propel you into action which by the way, is the magic sauce of money making. If you like the result of the action you take, you will continue to make more decisions which align with the current incarnation of your brand. If you do not like the results you achieved, you have new insight and perspective about the next kind of branding decision to make.

We tend to think clarity is something we get and then we act, but truth is clarity is a result of action. And action is based on DECISIONS which then informs your actions and around we go. 

So if you need clarity to brand well and you get clarity from actions based on your decisions, how the heck do you make the right decisions in the first place? Here’s my answer:

YOU MUST PROJECT YOUR VOICE

What the…?! What does that mean?

It means nine times out of  ten when I work with a clients, they have the answers they are looking for right on the tip of their tongues. They just haven’t taken the time or found the courage to give voice to their thoughts and feelings. Oh, feelings, we’re going there? You betcha!

How many times have you had a crystal clear thought that when you opened your mouth to speak sounded something like the teacher in the “Peanuts”cartoon. I know I sure have. I once used the word “boo-boo”  in an opera masterclass. In my head it was more like “I think she would have made a more beautiful tone with a closed vowel.” But I digress…

The point is, you must get your thoughts and feelings out. No one gets paid to sing in the shower and almost no one creates a stellar brand in their head. It must be voiced. It must be articulated. You must take “vocal action” to get the clarity you need to make authentic, profitable decisions.

You know, most singers fear cracking, but the singers who go full-out and crack usually break-through to have glorious voices. It’s the ones who hold back in fear of making a mistake that end up with tiny, safe voices.

You gotta choose to move and you gotta move to win. So what’s it going to be? Eenie, meenie, miney=MONEY!

And hey, if you need a sounding board, I’m here for you. I’ve cracked a few high notes in my day so you would be in good company. By the way, I also learned how to sing really well;)

I love to hear your voice!

What stops you from making decisions? What would it take for you to make the leap?

Post your answers below in the comments or find me on Facebook.

If you would like to use this article on your website or ezine, feel free! Just be sure to include the following:

Heather Poduska is a brand strategist, business coach and opera singer who helps entrepreneurs and small business owners create client attractive brands, polished brand images and brand communication strategies to increase their visibility and impact in the marketplace and grow their businesses.

Comments

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Comments

  1. “If you act with honesty and integrity, you will not fail.” So true, of course. Love the changeability of brand. Taking a leap at a time that feels right requires courage and confidence – all the while scary as it might be! Flexibility is key. Flexibility will keep the juices flowing and progress growing. Thanks, Heather – great post.

    • Heather Poduska says:

      Great point Kate.Flexibility is a really important attribute to both branding and business. You just have to always remember to operate from your core so your brand stays authentic and clear.Thanks for the comment!

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