These days when people ask me what I do, I respond:
I’m a Brand Poobah.
You know how everyone tells you that you need to have a brand but nobody tells you how to do it?
What I do is work with independent professionals to craft a unique trust-based brand they can use to build a business, a career and a life of joy.
If you are interested, I’ll give you brand examples and hard data on the transformations we have achieved.
But today I want to focus on the word Joy. A life of Joy has been part of my promise to clients for while now, but I didn’t always think that way. A dentist and his wife changed my ways.
I’ve never forgotten the lesson Mark and Maria taught me.
I had agreed to meet with them at their home after the practice had closed for the day and both of them were free to talk. I’ve always started with a straightforward assessment of what folks wanted to get from my strategic marketing assistance. I asked them to write down their three objectives without letting the other know. They did and passed their notes across the kitchen table to me.
I opened each in turn and then said, “You don’t need me now. You two need to talk to one another.” With that said, I picked up my notebook and handed each the other’s note. As their tears welled up I let myself out.
He had written:
- Schedule more hours including evenings every day we are open.
- Build the business to $000,000/year
- Get an assistant so Maria doesn’t have to spend every day in the office.
She noted:
- Make the business successful
- Be able to spend more time with Mark at home.
- Have a baby.
Our second meeting was full of joy.
Joy that they now had a joint view of what a successful business would look like for them.
Joy that both were more concerned about loving each other.
Joy that a child was being planned for.
Joy that their Brand idea changed.
They moved from being a dentist and office manager trapped in a practice that would count on extended hours to reach for a number that allowed no intimacy to becoming a dentist and his wife who had a life, a family and a Brand to share with the world.
Love ain’t work.
You know you are going to have a brand whether you work at it or not. Everything you do impacts it. Imagine the difference if you are doing what you love. You will quickly realize that if you are doing what you love you are not working. But it can be different for those closest to you.
Step back. Have a candid conversation with your team, the ones in the business and out of it. Is there a change that you could make that would bring everyone the delight you enjoy? That’s a better brand.
Too often we look at the income we want to generate and proceed to build plans to accomplish that goal without counting the time we will have to put into it and the impact that plan will have on everyone involved.
A better brand…guaranteed.
You cannot do it alone. Solopreneurs sooner or later feel lost and alone. But they don’t have to be. They can make friends, become a member of a meetup group or, with luck, find that special someone. I’ve been on both sides of that equation and having others in your life and your business is the better way. And it leads to a better Brand, guaranteed.
Mark, Maria and Michaela are a joy!
Michaela is now a teenager. The dental practice is doing well. Maria still does the books and supervises the office staff. We positioned the practice with a huge smile wearing corrective braces and the words “The Mark of Fine Dentistry”. Mark specializes which allows him to keep the hours he and Maria like, make the income he wants and cheer Michaela on the soccer field.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.
Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com
DIY Training: www.ingomu.com
