The #1 Way Your Brand Is Keeping You Broke
Part 1 of 4
You may think the purpose of your brand is to make you feel good, look more professional, or position you as an expert in your industry. And, as my teens would say, you're not wrong.
But would you believe it actually has a much more important purpose? The ultimate purpose of your brand is to make you money. Full stop.
That may sound simplistic or even a bit crude, but before you write me off as a money-grubbing capitalist, think about it. If you're running a business, it needs to be profitable, right? Not so you can be a greedy ole bitty, but so you can support your life, your family, and your wider world. (Of course not everything we do has to be profitable. That's fine and even healthy, but we call those things hobbies, not businesses. That's a topic for another day. đ)
If you want your business to be profitable, then shouldn't your brand be pulling its weight? (Full disclosure: yes, it should be!) We evaluate our investment into everything from software to coaches by whether there's a payoffâwill this expense make things easier for me or my clients, move me forward, or have some positive benefit, now or in the future? That's not greedy; it's wise money management.
So how do you know if your brand is making you money or keeping you broke?
Ask yourself this million dollar question:
Is your brand making you more visible or causing you to hide?
I know, I know. Visibility can be uncomfortable, full of squirmy feelings, and riddled with angst. And yet, most of our businesses need visibility to attract new clients and grow. Whether your visibility includes public speaking, TikTok videos, or slow and steady emails, people can't reach out and work with you if they don't know about you or if your last appearance was 8 months ago and they aren't sure if you're still in business or not. Even those wonderful referrals want to see some evidence somewhere that you're still showing up and relevant, right?
Here's the #1 thing potential clients tell me when they're ready to work together:
Their lack of brand confidence is holding them back from being more visible.
And itâs costing themâbig time.
Call it "brand shame" or insecurity, I promise if you fixed this one thing, you'd show up more confidently + create content with ease + and grow your business = profitability. My clients tell me this over and over...
âI didn't realize how much I was hiding until I received my new brand assets and started using them.â â Erin
âI used to waste so much time and energy changing fonts and colors and feeling frustrated. I really wanted to do more business promotion but this uncertainty held me back.â â Jill
I also know it's true because I've been there, stuck with a brand I hated, embarrassed to send people to my website or even tell them my company name. In short, I held myself back until I got sick of myself and finally said, "Enough!" I wantedâno NEEDEDâmy business to be profitable so I could support my family and the causes that mattered to me. I needed to ditch the brand shame and feel confident and proud of what I was putting out into the world. And it started with a rebrand.
Throughout March, I'm breaking down how to know if you're suffering from brand shame, how it may be holding you back, andâmost importantlyâhow to ditch it for good and reclaim your brand confidence. It's time to stop staying small and broke!
If youâre ready to take the next step, book a free consult call and letâs chat!