BRAND PERSONALITY
‘THE’ BRAND PERSONALITY GUIDE TO GETTING UNDER THE HOOD
You’ve made the biggest decision of your life.
Finally, you can call yourself a business owner, aiming for world domination. Fist bump and virtual high five!
But what the heck now?!
You’re the captain of your tiny dinghy and have set sail into the bloody ocean of sales, branding, innovation, power editors, webinars (aherm) Happy Hours. Sorry Dre!
You’ll be OK. Just lie down until the overwhelm passes.
I’m sure the magic business fairy will wave her magic wand over you and suddenly you will have arrived on the scene…
WRONG!
Disclaimer: I use UK english and Scottish colloquialisms so if you see a typo then
please don’t write in. Instead I’ll do a happy dance as my readership just went global.
Knowing your innovation style, your personality, your Modus Operandi (M.O.), as well as your kryptonite, is as necessary as eating and breathing.
Yep, you read that right and whilst it seems as if I’m being a tad over dramatic, I ain’t kidding.
‘They’, you know, spy type folks, employ profilers like me to stalk seriously nasty criminal peeps for a reason (and that was exactly my previous life heading up intel analysis for a covert agency if I said anymore I’d have to…you know how the rest goes), getting under the hood and into the psyche of what makes them tick, their M.O. that’s how to stay one step ahead, getting to grips with their criminal business model.
It’s no different for solopreneurs, understanding your M.O. and motivation is fundamental to your success.
Here’s the gig, and I feel that a quote from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody is entirely called for at this juncture…
Sing it with me…
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality
This is an almost perfect description of what a day of inner chatter in the monkey mind of a solopreneur sounds like.
Loads of uncertainty, temptation to escape and not sure if the current opportunity that has presented itself is reality or fantasy, because let’s face it, opportunities never show up how you expect them to.
I’ll let you into a secret.
The key to slapping uncertainty, overwhelm and confusion in the chops, is to get under the hood of your personality. Your unique inner blueprint.
Will you step up and captain your tiny dinghy or will you have to walk your own plank? (Hint: do the former)
Without further ado, let’s get under the hood of your brand personality and start tricking it out and tuning it up…
1. ROCK HARD FOUNDATIONS
By sorting the foundation of your business which is YOU by the way, warts and all, gradually you’ll uncover your unique personality blueprint and when you do you’re onto a winner right from the bang of the starting pistol.
Ask yourself…
1. “What are you the ‘go-to’ person for?”
You know, that thing that when you’re doing it you can’t believe you’re getting paid to do it and will get found out e.g. organizing everyone’s ass, branding queen, copy writer extraordinaire, rockstar leader
2. “When you become part of a new group or team, what is THE thing you cannot help but do?”
e.g. Represent the underdogs who’s voice normally gets the volume turned down, lurk until spoken to or become the social event meister
3. “How do you recharge your energy?”
Do you always crave to be around people, your friends and family and catching up with everyone on the phone or in the pub or is it a G&T on the couch fixated to the new episodes of X-Files?
4. “As a solopreneur, what is it that makes you get your ass out of bed in the morning despite several snooze button slams and the sheets being just at the right temperature?” (What is that all about? — topic added to Cat’s ponderings)
5. “What voice do you want your clan to connect with?”
e.g straight shooting (think Dre and Erika Napolitano) or is your brand voice a little softer than that?
Forget any skills you have accumulated in your arsenal at this point and only focus on what you are fabulous at and yes, before your monkey mind chips in, there will be several things you rock at.
Skills are picked up along our merry way in life, but it’s strengths that make us tick, describe our motivations and values and explain why we love what we do.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Give yourself permission to embrace your strengths like they’re your bestie because these strengths will translate into the type of brand you share with the world and tribe you attract…and you sure as heck want to attract the right tribe.
2. SHOOT FOR THE MOON
Do you think you’re reaching your full potential? I know I’m only skimming the surface of mastery in my biz and can achieve so much more. I’m committed to moving towards it every single day.
When you understand your personality power you; sort your precious time and priorities so they become so much easier, find the right role models and install new brain software that gives you laser-sharp focus.
Being overwhelmed with a shit load of advice and knowledge on the interwebs can be like wading through treacle, but putting your personality power into play can squash the feelings of anxiety by putting your focus firmly on what you are exceptional at.
I may have more money than you, but money doesn’t make the difference. If there is any difference between you and me it may simply be that I get up every day and have a chance to do what I love to do, every day. If you learn anything from me, this is the best advice I can give you. -Warren Buffett
But are you ready for success? Are you ready to shoot for the moon? Are you ready to be a solopreneur spaceguy/gal?
HERE’S A QUICK SUCCESS AUDIT:
1. “Do you take full responsiblity for your actions without playing the victim?”
2. “Do you have a strong belief in what you want to shoot for?”
3. “Have you set up achievable goals that feed your soul and aim towards that big vision of the future?”
4. “Do you know how to smash those monkey mind thoughts right in the gut?” {or indeed ‘junk-punch’ them to quote Dre}
5. “Do you have the right kind of people around you?” {ditch those energy vampires!}
6. “Do you focus on your core strengths every single day?”
Give yourself a bit of headspace away from the daily grind to answer each one and get into the psyche of you as the chief trouble maker of your gig.
KEY TAKEWAY:
Before shooting off for the moon and taking the wrong trajectory give yourself time for reflection to get into the headspace of your personality and what feeds your soul. Be honest! And hey, if you shoot for the moon and reach the stars instead, that’s not a bad second place.
3. ROLE MODELS
It’s great to have role models with one non-negotiable condition that I enforce (I’ll send the boys round if you don’t comply!).
A role model must, must, must have the same personality type as you. There is no point in idolising and trying to emulate Steve Jobs if you are a charismatic people person!
If you are a creator type, you know, great at the big picture thinking and head firmly in the clouds dreaming up all sorts of stuff, then chances are you are great at coming up with new ideas but not so great at getting your head down and making your ideas jump off the page. You know who you are!
Having the right role model can propel you forward as you start to use your signature strengths FOR you, not against you.
It’s like going through the pain of buying a new pair of jeans (heavy sigh as you grieve over your favorite pair as they slowly disintegrate from years of love). Most of your mates can no doubt go and buy a pair right off the peg but you, no you have got to be different.
Most off-the-peg jeans are too tight to fit around your perfectly crafted solopreneur ass, from hours of sitting at your laptop, or you have that funny hollow in your lower back that makes any belt you put on look like your paying homage to 1982. You need to spend time finding the right pair.
Where am I going with this analogy I hear you ask? Stay with me…
Straight Talking Alert!
Be careful not to aimlessly follow the crowd in pursuit of the latest entrepreneurial celeb success story i.e. off-the-peg jeans.
Don’t get caught up in promises of teachings about 6 or 7 figures {smacks palm of hand on forehead} as most of it apart from being utter crap is like buying those off-the-peg jeans that will never quite fit.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
It’s worth taking the time to find the right role model just as you do with a pair of jeans. Let’s face it getting the wrong one can end up in a solopreneur ass wedgy! Note: not sure if I’m still taking about jeans or role model entrepreneurs here? (end of weird lesson)
4. SCIENCY BIT
The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help.
Think tennis. If you start to play tennis and your teacher is someone who is at the level of play akin to the Australian Open or Wimbledon, you are going to feel pretty overwhelmed and pretty inadequate.
Learning from someone who is at the top of their game when you are just starting out can put you off instead of lifting you up. The same goes for the solopreneur career path, whatever stage you are at.
Find a community within your ZPD I.e. folks who are guaranteed to give you a boot up the ass when you need it, accept your odd grumblings as part of the process without letting you wallow in victim-ville and boost your work like they’re your number one fan (Hint: The Badass Solopreneur Society is where it’s at)
Role models and communities will continually change dependent on what stage you’re at on the solopreneur roller coaster.
Crikey at times I know for a fact that I don’t meet the height requirement for this ride but thankfully I’ve found folks in my ZPD that are exceptional at the role of accompanying adult.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Being in the right community of like-minded folks will accelerate you much faster because you can actually see tangible results from all your hard work and focus, get some much needed accountability call-outs and makes your goals feel much closer and achievable. Bonus points!
5. COMPARISONITIS
There’s no point in having green-eyed business envy or stalker tendencies for someone’s brand that is all pastels and heart-centered if you have a foul mouth and tell it like it is. That’s as crazy as putting hot fruit on a pizza! (Hawaiian = wrong!)
Comparing yourself to others will drive you to the funny farm long before left-field life events do.
Unleashing and following your unique blueprint of brand personality is how you capitalize on your strengths and face the crappy challenges that pop up when you least need them, which includes business envy, but it works in every aspect of work and life.
That way, first and foremost, you are comfortable in your own god damn skin then you can look out into the world to see what others are doing with their brand, but avoid comparisonitis at all costs (note: I make up words)
Getting to grips with what you’re so amazing at helps to quieten that annoying, nagging little voice that resembles a crazy-assed energy vampire just when the overwhelm and fear try to take hold of your soul.
When you stand in your own [fill in the blank]-shaped place in the real world or on the interwebs, you claim your spot because you have so much to offer that is uniquely you.
So stop stalking the competition — it’s not big and it’s not clever!
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Remember, comparisonitis is a malady that can only be treated by focusing on what YOU need to do in YOUR OWN business. So do that!
6. PERSONALITY POWER & INNOVATION
Innovation, creation and iteration of new and existing products and services is the life-blood of any brand but without getting off your ass and taking action to execute the new ideas, it will die a horrible, nasty, painful death.
Creating new stuff can be exciting and demanding all at once, most behemoth organisations even find it challenging to have the time set aside to stay ahead of the curve, never mind a one-guy/gal outfit with the other 23 hats that they happen to be wearing.
If you understand ‘how’ you innovate according to your own strengths and no, you don’t have to be the creative type to do so, you’ll smash innovation out of the park.
I’m a bit of a Formula One geek. Yup, tyre type, torq and timing belts light me up like a veritable Christmas tree and I admit some of the drivers are easy on the eyes too (I can be shallow, very shallow — don’t judge me).
The point is, a Formula One win does not rely on the driver alone. The driver is a bit like the band front man…it doesn’t work without everyone behind him knowing their strengths, knowing the job they have to do and getting it done with minimum fuss.
Some members of a F1 team are innovative when it comes to the stats used to tweak the car’s performance and optimize the drive (that would be me…geek alert!) and some are innovative when they motivate the team to perform at the highest levels.
Innovation in a business doesn’t just refer to everyone sitting around a whiteboard thinking up big ideas instead, think about how each rockstar team member can bring their own sass to the table using their own strengths innovatively.
Now, you might not actually have a real-life team as a solopreneur, don’t fret, the same applies when hustling to find those that can swap services with you or when choosing a freelancer (or badass mate) to help you out.
Find those people that knock it out the park with their ‘go-to’ thang that can fill the gaps in your arsenal and you’ll be forever grateful.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Personality plays a big part in the innovative process because if you get the right folk on your business bus and into the right seats then Wow! That’s when things start to really take off in your brand.
7. FIND & LEAD YOUR ROCKSTAR TEAM
Do you prefer to create order from chaos or chaos from order? Do you prefer to see the big picture versus the nitty gritty details and stats?
Knowing your solopreneur sass, and your brand personality power, can be the difference between finding the right people to fill the gaps in your arsenal and propel you forward OR attracting folks with the exact same strengths as you and absolutely nadda changing.
It goes without saying that anyone you attract to be part of your empire must have the same like-minded outlook as you and can easily get on board with your vision and the ideals you have for your business…
but above all they must, must, must bring something entirely different to the table.
The last thing you need is to unwittingly bring in an organizational terrorist. They can be identified by their down-turned grimace and continual attempts to bring others onto their campaign of doom and gloom, raising problems without solutions. I bet you are picturing an actual person right now. We all know someone like this and must avoid these energy vampires at all costs.
So here’s the thing, say you are a creative CEO and spend most of your time thinking up new ideas and love par-taking in gorgeous big picture thinking, chances are you are pretty turned off by keeping to project deadlines and completing things.
That’s the guy or gal you need to bring onto your team!
Someone who can be the chief butterfly mind catcher, capture those big high falutin’ ideas of yours on paper, to translate them to action and keep you on track.
Understanding your Power Process not only allows you to focus on your strengths but it lets others fulfill theirs! That’s when a team member is very likely to tattoo the company logo on their ass (that is not a reasonable business expense/staff perk just so you know).
After all, you need fans not fandago’s!
And that’s why The Badass Solopreneur Society is so freakin’ amazing as it is fillled to the brim with raving, like-minded fans.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
When you get under the hood of your own strengths you add something different and sassy to your own blueprint, and seeing the gaps in your arsenal is a good thing because it makes it so much easier to build your own rockstar team for success.
ONE MORE THING!
Now it’s over to you!
Are you going to read this (if you even get this far) then go back to the sweet embrace of your comfort zone and do what you’ve always done?
OR…
Are you going to throat punch all the fears that have kept your unicorn silenced inside and finally let her/him out to play?
WHAT’S YOUR YOUPRINT?
Take the YOUprint Quiz right here and unleash your personality on the world.
