It's Hard To Build A Brand

Branding is one of the hardest things a business person has to face. But not taking the time to do it could actually cost you your business.

I hate branding.

Yes, I said it!

It takes way too much time and effort.

The problem is if you are not sure early on exactly what you want your message to be, you will find yourself being very frustrated and very confused. You will also start sending mixed signals to your audience; and eventually they will not want to follow you anymore.

I speak from experience.

I started out in 2004 publishing books. I started a company called Blackberry Literary Services.

I knew from the start that I wanted to become known as the person that people could come to that were serious about publishing their own books.

So, I came up with a slogan and a logo and I began to put those on everything.

I had my elevator speech down pat.

People knew me as the person who had them covered when it came to self-publishing.

But then a few unfortunate things happened to me in my life that caused me to doubt my business.

I started focusing on other things.

One week I was the book publisher.

The next week I was the invitation girl.

After that, I was the nursing assistant.

You see, I had branded myself as the self-publishing expert in Flint.

But then I started trying to become something else.

So, when people would say "don't you help people publish books," I would say, "yes, sometimes."

Soon, my referrals stopped. People weren't telling their friends about me anymore.

I went from making $5,000 a month, down to nothing.

Why?

I had built a brand, then destroyed it with my own hands (and mouth).

That's why I say that building a brand is hard and I hate doing it.

You can't change your mind, or else you have to change the whole damn thing! (Pardon my french.)

That is why it is so important to make sure that the business you go into is one that you won't get bored doing, and is one that has a strong customer base.

'Cause we all know that when the customers dry up, so does the moolah.

And if your business is not bringing in the cash, you don't have a business.

Since then, I have changed my business structure, but now I have learned that you don't have to put your eggs in one basket.

I have learned that I can still be the book girl, and when people come to me with things outside of what I do, outside of my brand, I can point them to someone who can help and still get paid. ( I will explain this more in another post)

But this way, I don't get burned out, and I don't have to stray from my brand.

So, what kind of brand are you trying to build? Tell me about it.

Do you agree that building a brand is hard, or has your experience been different from mine.

Let's talk about it.

Until next time,