BLOG 157: WHAT’S YOUR BRAND? 3 WAYS TO DISCOVER IT IN A SOULFUL WAY

business tips Jun 03, 2022
what's your brand

As you might already know, I’ve recently felt strongly called to share more of my knowledge and experience in building a successful wellness brand. After 17 years of growing my Face Yoga Expert business, I’ve learnt a lot about what it takes to create a brand that is both successful and fully aligned with my soul purpose.

And that’s what I want to talk about in this blog post – how you can discover your own brand and use those insights to create a business that is authentic to who you are.

I believe that is where success truly lies – when your business is fully aligned with your deeper soul purpose. I know from my own experience that it’s possible to build a career that feels fulfilling and meaningful, and that also gives you the financial freedom and flexibility to spend time with your loved ones.

Understanding your brand is crucial to growing your business and guiding your next steps. This post will give you some ideas for how you can discover your own brand and tips for putting that knowledge into practice.

1. BE CLEAR ON WHAT A BRAND IS

Before you can start defining your brand, you need to be clear on what a brand actually is. Lots of people think your brand is about your logo, your website, the clothes you wear, or the way you talk. And these things can be an important reflection of your brand.

However, your brand is much bigger than any of these details. It is about the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that people associate with you.

We all have a brand, even if we don’t have a business or a career. It is how we make other people feel, the ideas they have about us, and the qualities they see us embodying.

I heard a lovely quote a few years ago – “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” 

In other words, your brand is about human connection. It is about emotion and gut instinct. 

If you already have a business, you may know how much of a role gut instinct plays when people make a decision about whether to buy from you or not. Yes, they will probably do plenty of research too. But when it comes down to making a decision, they’ll base their choice on how they feel about your brand.

So, when you come to discover your brand in a soulful way, remember it is all about that deep emotional connection, not what colours you use for your website.

2. JOURNAL

I find journaling a hugely helpful tool for guiding people in uncovering their business goals. It is a great way to gain a bit more clarity on what your brand should look and feel like too.

Find a notebook and pen (or write on your phone or computer if you prefer). Keeping in mind what we’ve already looked at around what a brand really is, take some time to journal what you perceive your brand to be.

To help you, use these prompts and write down your honest thoughts about each question.

First, write “what is my brand?” 

Describe what you think your brand is currently. Remember, you want to consider what people currently think and feel about you and your business.

Next, write down what you would like your brand to be. It can be really helpful to compare these two answers, which will give you some ideas of where you could start to make changes.

Then, ask yourself “what do I want people to say about me and my business when I’m not in the room?” 

Finally, write “what would I like to feel about my brand?”

Make sure you keep your answers to these questions somewhere safe. They can be a useful reminder in the months and years to come as you make decisions about growing your brand.

3. LET GO OF PERFECTION

Hopefully, the journaling exercise has brought you further forward in discovering what your brand is.

However, it’s also important not to get too worried about presenting some kind of complete and flawless package straight off the starting line. We can get very hung up on thinking that we need to have everything perfect before we can release it into the world.

The truth is, we’re not looking for perfection here. I like to remind myself that people buy from people – and people aren’t perfect. Your audience will respond best to you if you show up as your authentic, genuine, vulnerable self.

Yes, it is important to be intentional about building your brand. However, you can do this and still be yourself. The truer to yourself you can be, the better your brand will be. People can tell when it comes from an authentic place.

Remember, you aren’t going to be the right fit for everyone. I like to think about people in terms of soulmate clients. These are the people who connect with you and your business on a deep level.

You’ll only find those soulmate clients if you let them see the real you. They won’t want anything too contrived.

I also find it helpful to remind myself that done is better than perfect. I talk about this a bit more in this short YouTube video on moving past perfectionism so your business can grow. 

START TODAY

So many times, we wait to have the perfect logo, the perfect website, and the perfect brand before we launch our businesses. But it is better to start doing things than to wait while you chase perfectionism.

Start making content for Instagram, start posting YouTube videos, start recording those podcast episodes. Whatever you need to do to build your brand, start doing it now.

Just remember to be authentic to yourself. The rest will follow.

And if you already have a wellness-orientated business, come join us over at Soul Purpose Business. This is a place where women who love wellness can learn more about how to grow their brand in a conscious, soulful, and successful way.

We look forward to welcoming you as part of our community!