To brand boldly is to recognize the strengths behind the brand. It's your strength and the brand strategy you put behind it. If you own your role as a brand leader, then it may be easier than you think. When it comes to branding people, identify with your strengths even if the reason you rely on the strength of branding is because no one buys weakness. And as much as corporations are used as brand models, they did not start out big. They found their strength and got bold with it.
There is one easy and two not so easy ways to find your strengths. To know your strength is to recognize what will make you famous. If you shy away from fame then you will have a "tough row to ho" as my momma would say. If you're ready to face your fame let's take 3 baby steps.
Before we get to the steps we have to tackle a hurdle. You gotta be brave enough to face yourself and your fears, no matter what they are. You were brave when you decided to tell the workforce to kiss your ass. Your boldness came when you decided to stand 10 toes down in it. To go from brave to bold in the face of branding is to say out loud what you should be famous for. Yes! To brand boldly is some scary shit because you want folx to notice you, but you don't want them to judge you.
Now, let's get to finding the strengths of a bold brand.
Get Your Strength From A Book
Yes, a book help me find my strength and it wasn't what I thought. Growing up as the tall, skinny girl who hated her looks I tried to find it in all the wrong places. As a woman, I constantly looked for it in my sexuality. I thought everything about me was wrapped up in what I wore, who I was around or what I could give. I was poster child for being self-conscious and socially awkward.
It wasn't until I was given a book title Strength Finders 2.0 that I truly understood where my strength came from. This was back in 2016. It opened my eyes to who I was at my core. It was never about what I could do. It was about who I be. When I figured this out and understood it, I felt like I had been bitch slapped. The assessment told me my top five strengths are developer, empathy, activator, ideation and input.
Without going into the detail of the report it, I dismissed it until I began to see how it affected my entrepreneurship. It became more apparent when I stopped working with my husband and found my way into branding. It says I have developer and empathy strengths which are about relationships. I have activator strength which is about influence. And I have ideation and input strengths which are about strategic thinking.
These are the strengths that not only help me brand boldly, but also help others do the same. They are truly why I'm good at what I do. It has nothing to do with being an introvert or extrovert. It has nothing to do with how much profanity I do or don't use. They are what's left when you strip away everything else. You're welcome to read the full report if you like.
Get Your Strength From A Job
This only works if you had a job once upon a time. You know those judgmental performance appraisals. Yeah! It doesn't matter if they say you were good or bad at your job. It's a matter of identifying strengths that you can use in your business and your brand. This might be a hard one if you can't look at it objectively. If it makes you feel some kinda way about yourself, throw that shit in the trash can of your memories.
My last performance appraisal ended with my boss telling me I should quit. I had a government job so I guess she was to lazy to write the paper trail to get me fired. The reason she told me to quit was because I spent all my slow time working on my business with my husband. He had already quit to work the business full time, but dude was not about the paperwork. "Babe, can you send an invoice?" "Babe, can you look over that contract?" And so it went.
The book helped me define my innate strengths. The last performance appraisal told me what was and was not good about me according TO HER. That's because she needed me to do a job that benefited her and the company. But picking it a part I saw things that help me find some strength. My greatest strength was my resolve. I came back three days later and gave my two-week notice, much to her surprise. That was July 2019. I was 44 and my daughter was about to turn two. And as rough as it got, I lived off that resolve until it got better. I'm still here and she still has a job I guess.
Get Your Strength From Friends & Fam
Alright, here is the scariest one of all, friends and fam. They are the ones who know you best and will treat you the worst to make you better. Yes, there are some family haters and frenemies in there but we're not talking about the. It's focusing on the ones who you choose to be around and the ones who choose to be around you. That mutual attraction is your strength.
There is something that attracts people to you. Being able to identify that and boldly step into it is a part of what draws people to your personal and business brand. My husband has told me for YEARS that people like me and like being around me. I always ask why in return. That's because I always looked at what I considered my flaws. Or, I would name all the people who didn't want to be around me. That was MY weakness.
Straight up ask what they see as your strengths. I'm talking about the folx who pour into you on the regular. And don't include the passive aggressive folx who knowingly hurt your feelings under the banner of "I'm just keepin' it real." You know the ones. Go find your cheerleaders, the people who show up and show out no matter how big or small your accomplishment (parents excluded). They may not be your target market but that doesn't mean they can't help identify your strengths.
Even if you're a loner type like me, that's not a hinderance. I still gots people who love me and give me my loner space.
What To Do Now
You've identified some of your strengths, now you can create a personal SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis has been around since the 1960's and is still widely used as a business growth strategy. I'm suggesting you use it as a personal growth strategy. It's an exercise I do with my clients.
Doing a personal SWOT analysis requires you to step out of your comfort zone and dish out as much honesty as you can handle. It is not an excuse to further pick at your weaknesses.
For example, one of my strengths, based on StrengthFinder 2.0, is developer. It means I recognize and cultivate potential in others. I could say a weakness is that I don't always sugar coat shit. I discovered that on my own but is it really a weakness or do I need to find clients who prefer candor? The shoot from the lip behavior could also be a threat to my business, but the same exception applies.
Using your strengths effectively is what multiplies the boldness of your brand. If you're not sure if you're branding boldly, book a Brand Ego® check if you can handle the candor.
Ghetto Country Brandmother®
Certified as a Brand Strategist, Business & Life Coach with a degree in Business. She is also a former bbq restaurant owner & certified bbq judge.
She is making it her personal mission to show entrevivalist™ how to connect the dots of their
life, brand & business one brandybaby® at a time.
