top of page
archetype images.png

The Brand Archetype Breakdown They Never Warned You About

A Micro-Insurgent Founders Guide to Archetypes, Distorted Behaviors, and Desires That Drive the Damn Brand

Archetypes aren't  brand personality quizzes you take before launching a Canva template. And your brand ain't a fucking costume party. It's sad that is what a lotta Founders are doing out here, that think they know how to rock a brand archetype - picking archetypes like they shop'n for an outfit to “match their vibe” instead of building a brand that reflects their core.

The industry has turned archetypes into visual cosplay:

👉🏾 The Ruler wears navy and gold.
👉🏾 The Rebel drops F-bombs and glitch graphics.
👉🏾 The Lover uses rose gold and whispers in soft cursive fonts.

 

Cute. But no cigar. That's because when desire and distortion take the wheel, the real brand shows up. That’s when Founder stops performing and starts behaving some kinda way.

 

And that’s where this guide comes in. This is not about finding the right “fit” for your brand. This is about naming the flavor of what already lives in you; the impulse, the illusion, the instinct that drives how you lead, market, and magnetize.

So if you came here looking for brand cosplay tips or curation hacks, A B see yourself out.

But if you're ready to confront the desires that drive your brand, the distortions that derail it, and the behavior that reveals it, then pour yourself a stiff one. This is a breakdown that hits like a good 100 proof bourbon.

black dude smoking and cigar and enjoying a drink

Archetype Proof

The 70/30 Mix, Bottled Behavior, and Brand Burn

Let’s start here: Archetypes aren't a costume. And they sure as hell don't fit on a content calendar. They’re your behavioral proof; what shows up when you walk in the room, lead a team, fire a client, or hit record.

Most folx try to water-down to something palatable. But if you’re building a Founder-First brand? You're not meant to be 80-proof and mass-marketed. You’re here to burn clean with bold character and a long-ass finish.

What the 70/30 Mix Really Means

This is not about balance. This is about blend. Your dominant archetype, the 70%, is your cask strength. It’s who you are when the mic’s hot and the pressure’s high. It’s not the vibe you post; it’s the energy you pour. But don't sleep on the 30%. The 30% is not an afterthought. It's the fucking flavor note. 

 

Your 30% softens the hit, sharpens the edge, or flips the tone entirely. Sometimes it smooths you out. Sometimes it spikes the whole pour. It's not meant to sit politely in the background. It influences how the 70 shows up.

Brand Behavior at Full Proof

For clarity’s sake: Your 70% hits first. It carries the weight. It shows up in how you speak, sell, teach, market, and make decisions; even when you’re not thinking about it.​

 

👉🏾 70% Sage? You drop frameworks like bourbon wisdom; measured and structured.
👉🏾 70% Rebel? You challenge the norm before your coffee hits.

The thing is you can't be 100% anything and still have depth. The 30 is where the money resides

The Burn and the Finish

The 30% isn’t decorative. It’s the behavior that shows up in your blind spots. It's the mood behind your message. It's the snap in your delivery style, or in the softness in the storm.

👉🏾 30% Lover? You’re a Sage with sultry metaphors.

👉🏾 30% Outlaw? You're a caregiver who doesn't flinch; you flex.
👉🏾 30% Explorer? You’re a Rebel with roadmaps nobody’s seen before.

 

This is where brands stop being predictable and start being complex. The ones that linger? That leave a taste in the mouth or trigger a memory in the room? They’re the ones who don’t skip the finish.

So What’s Your Brand Proof?

Don't treat this like a, "I wanna be..." exercise. Lean into what your behavior’s been telling the room all along.

👉🏾 120-proof Founders burn hot; bold, raw, maybe even polarizing. Uncut clarity. May need structure or brandparenting to avoid burnout.

👉🏾 90-proof Founders? Still potent. Still real. They sip smoother but still leave an impression. Their blend holds depth without demanding attention.

👉🏾 80-proof Founders? You might’ve over-diluted to be marketable. But baby, safe doesn't scale. Safe doesn't convert. And safe sure as hell doesn't taste like shit.

 

Before You Meet the Archetypes…

Don’t just read these next sections trying to find your match. Read them like you’re doing a tasting. What’s your dominant note. What’s your dominant note? Where's the finish? And where’s the burn?

 

Because if you’re just playing a role? You’ll show up like a mocktail; smooth on the label, weak on the finish.

black woman kicking up dust

Founder ≠ Brand ≠ Branded House

So we're clear. A Founder is not the brand. A brand is not the business. And none of that makes a full blown branded house. Your brand may have your face, your flavor, and your voice, but it is not you.


It’s built from you, yes. But it’s not here to stroke your ego or babysit your imposter syndrome. It’s here to make money. To communicate. To attract. You're the cornerstone, not the fucking castle.

When folx slap an archetype on a business without understanding the Founder behind it, they end up with shallow ass branding. It looks cute, sure, but it's a bucket of water with holes. Archetypes don’t live in color palettes or clever copy. They live in behavior.

  • How you lead

  • How you show up

  • How you move in rooms

  • And most of all, how you attract or repel

 

That's where the real brand lives.

Take Brandma, for instance: Leads with Caregiver energy (because I N.A.G.—nurture, advise, guide), but my undercurrent is straight Rebel. That 70/30 mix isn't a gimmick. It’s the tension that defines how I show up. I can pour into you while also lighting a fire under your ass. And that duality is the difference between branding and behavior.

There are a gang of Founders are out here performing archetypes:

👉🏾 Playing Sage with a stack of quotes but no lived strategy.
👉🏾 Posing as Lover while self-abandoning for likes.
👉🏾 Screaming Rebel with no cause and no clarity.

 

That’s the costume party energy. Embodying an archetype, though? That’s a whole different story. When you embody it, it bleeds into how you lead your team, price your offers, hold boundaries, and build your brand culture. It’s a recognizable rhythm, not a role.


And yes, sometimes it gets distorted. But distortion doesn’t mean destruction. It just means it’s time to check yourself before you wreck yourself. That’s what you're doing here.


Checking in with the archetypes, the behaviors, and the brand beneath the surface.

black female hero

12 Archetypes - Distorted, Desired, & Drip'n With Brand Behavior

Here’s the thing they don't tell you about brand archetypes. Every one comes with a desire driving it and a distortion waiting to derail it.

You might think you’re leading like a Hero or building like a Creator, but when you’re stuck in survival mode or performing for validation, that archetype is fuckery of morphed into something it was never meant to be.

This section isn’t some cute brand moodboard. It’s a mirror.


You’ll see yourself in ALL of these as a person. But when it comes to your personal brand as a Founder, it's either in alignment or deep in distortion. And how you show up determines what your brand attracts, repels, or repeats.

Each of these 12 profiles gives you:

  • The core desire you’re chasing

  • The distortion that sneaks in when you’re off balance

  • The brand behavior it creates (for better or worse)

  • A bourbon pairing, because this breakdown ain’t dry

  • And a link to the deeper side if you want the full pour

Here’s the thing they don't tell you about brand archetypes. Every one comes with a desire driving it and a distortion waiting to derail it.

You might think you’re leading like a Hero or building like a Creator, but when you’re stuck in survival mode or performing for validation, that archetype is fuckery of morphed into something it was never meant to be.

This section isn’t some cute brand moodboard. It’s a mirror.


You’ll see yourself in ALL of these as a person. But when it comes to your personal brand as a Founder, it's either in alignment or deep in distortion. And how you show up determines what your brand attracts, repels, or repeats.

Each of these 12 profiles gives you:

  • The core desire you’re chasing

  • The distortion that sneaks in when you’re off balance

  • The brand behavior it creates (for better or worse)

  • A bourbon pairing, because this breakdown ain’t dry

  • And a link to the deeper side if you want the full pour

Signature Archetype Mixes

 

As a human you’re not just one thing. But in branding you can't be all the things. When you think about how you make your money. What parts of you surface and get the job done?  What behavior shows up with the most courage when it's time to lead, pitch, sell, or serve.

 

You’re not some clean-cut “Hero brand.” You're not a perfectly packaged “Sage.”

You're an archetype cocktail shaken with values, desires, distortions, and default settings. This is not a personality test. It’s not "Which brand archetype are you?" quiz.

 

It’s “What patterns do you repeat and what do those patterns cost you or create for you?” That’s your Signature Mix. That's your behavioral proof.

That’s how your 70 gets flavored by your 30. Because let’s be real, your 30 might not lead… But it damn sure influences how the fuck you show up, how you serve, and how you sell.

Caregiver / Rebel

Behavioral Proof:

  • You set high-touch standards and go above and beyond until you don’t.

  • You protect your folx, then snap when your boundaries are ignored.

  • You undercharge out of love, then overcorrect with fire.

 

Flavor Note: The Rebel 30 supports AND sharpens, but your nurturing comes with a warning.

In Alignment: You give with clarity and stop rescuing folx who won’t rise.
In Distortion: You become the overworked savior turned silent assassin.​


Sage / Creator

Behavioral Proof:

  • You build frameworks that become gospel.

  • You teach in ways that make others feel seen and smarter.

  • You delay launches to tweak one more thing… again.

 

Flavor Note: Creator 30 pushes you to express, but it can also keep you busy
In Alignment: You lead with layered wisdom and creative depth.
In Distortion: You disappear into theory, never delivering the goods.​

 

Explorer / Magician

Behavioral Proof:

  • You constantly beta-test, map new methods, and chase what hasn’t been done.

  • You sell possibility. You drip potential.

  • You ghost your audience when you lose excitement.

Flavor Note: Magician 30 makes your wandering visionary, but beware the hype artist.

In Alignment: You reinvent systems that change industries.
In Distortion: You romanticize chaos and sabotage consistency.

 

Ruler / Everyman

Behavioral Proof:

  • You run a tight ship, but want everyone to feel like they have a seat at the table.

  • You standardize success and then second-guess yourself to stay “relatable.”

  • You build empires… and then apologize for being the one in charge.
     

Flavor Note: Everyman 30 humanizes your power, but can also make you shrink to stay likable.

In Alignment: You lead with structured generosity.
In Distortion: You weaponize humility to avoid backlash.

Lover / Innocent

Behavioral Proof:

  • You draw folx in with tenderness, tone, and trust.

  • You don’t “sell,” you seduce through emotional resonance.

  • You ignore red flags in team, clients, and collaborations to keep the peace.
     

Flavor Note: Innocent 30 keeps your brand warm, but can make you naive to bullshit.

In Alignment: You turn intimacy into impact without over-sharing.
In Distortion: You default to “nice” and neglect your needs.

This is the point where visual branding fails most Founders. Following in the footsteps of corporate persona's, you pick an archetype based on aesthetics, but you behavior contradicts it. That's why you gotta go deeper. 

Your Signature Mix isn’t a mood board. It’s the method to your movement; in brand, business, and boundaries you hold (or break).

black man reading the financials

Map How You Make Your Money
Not How You Live Your Life

Archetype Mapping for Founders Who Move Like They Mean It

Let’s go ahead and kill the noise: Your brand archetype isn't about your horoscope energy. It’s about your revenue behavior. The way you show up when money’s on the line, clients are watching, and the work needs to work. And I'm not talk'n ass kiss'n services.

Too many folx try to map archetypes by asking, “What feels most like me?” Nah, Brandbaby. Ask: “What part of me shows up with the most courage when it's time to do my thing?”

Because that’s the part that knows how to move a room, lead a call, set the fee, close the deal, and build the fucking brand.

Step 1: What’s Your Money-Making Mode?

When you’re in the zone, being brilliant, owning the room, what archetype shows up?

That’s your dominant archetype. Not the one you admire. Not the one you were told to pick. The one that gets paid.

Think about your best moments:

  • That coaching call where you cracked someone wide open. (Caregiver)

  • That launch where you broke all the “rules” and still sold out. (Rebel)

  • That podcast where you taught like a professor but hit like a preacher. (Sage/Creator)

  • That workshop where folx leaned in because your presence dripped with charisma. (Lover)

 

Don’t look at your brand assets. Look at your brand actions. How do you move when you’re most powerful and paid?

Step 2: What’s The Flavor That Follows You?

Now listen close: Your 30% archetype is talk'n to you. It’s the vibe that colors how your dominant shows up. Is it a soft whisper or a double edged sword? If it's the saboteur, hit reset.

We're talk'n patterned presence, not panic. That 30% is:

  • The edge in your empathy

  • The defiance in your discipline

  • The warmth in your wisdom

  • The mischief in your method

 

 

You’re a Ruler, but your Everyman 30 keeps you grounded.
You’re a Sage, but your Rebel 30 makes you teach with fire.
You’re a Lover, but your Explorer 30 makes you crave novelty in every client.

Your 30 is the flavor they don’t see coming. It’s the surprise that makes your brand stand out or the seasoning that turns blanding into branding.

Step 3: Your Signature Mix = The Rhythm of Your Revenue

Your dominant archetype makes you marketable. Your flavor archetype makes you memorable. Together they shape:

  • How you lead

  • How you sell

  • How you build

  • How you protect your peace while make'n paper

 

Example:
You think you’re a Sage because you drop frameworks and clarity on command. But your content hits different because your Lover 30% drips metaphor and sensuality into your teaching. 


👉🏾You’re not just a Sage. You’re a Sage with sass.

👉🏾 Your mix lives in your money, not your mood.

 

And if you don’t own it, your brand will keep glitching under pressure.

Ready To Explore Some More

Knowing your shit and doing something about it is not the same. If you’re not ready to get N.A.G.ed, fine. But don’t sit on your ass acting brand new. Talk to yourself, school yourself, and stop calling it DIY. This is you getting your shit together.

Cask Strength

$333

333

Every month

For Founders who wanna be in the room when it happens

Valid until canceled

Everything in Classic Pour +

Two Monthly Group Sessions

Strategic Reset on high-level topics

Distortion & Desire Reset of Brand Behavior

Progress through awareness, alignment & authority

bottom of page