1. Take note of all the things “you” first.

Take a good look at yourself. Write out your strengths and your weaknesses. Be honest with yourself. Now, this could also be a great time to have that come to Jesus talk with your inner self on how you can possibly turn some of those weaknesses into strengths, just sayin’. It is December, the time where we praise the good Lord that Jumanji 2020 is coming to an end, and when we start thinking about how next year will look. You know, the time where we reflect, write down all of the things we are going to do that will completely change our lives for the upcoming year – those things. If you see some weaknesses that need to be moved to the strengths column, jot it down on a sticky note and we will come back to that when we talk about goal-setting. Now that we have weaknesses out of the way,  identify what your passions are.

Think about what you’re good at and what you like to do. Think about what people tend to come to you and ask advice on. What do you find yourself talking to people about? What do you find yourself doing that you really enjoy? Take note and use this to begin building your brand values. We have a lesson on “Choosing Your Dream Career” in Femme Boss that will walk you through a series of questions that guides you to knowing what the perfect dream career for you. Check it out, download the workbook, & you’ll breeze through this branding piece!

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Stop comparing your insides to other peoples outsides.

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2. Highlight how you are different. What makes you/your brand special and different?

There are quite a bit of talented and dependable people out there in every industry and sister, there is only one YOU. The world may have five million life coaches or five million fitness trainers, but the world does not have anyone else like you as a fitness trainer. You are special, even though it may be hard for us to find out what our “special” is sometimes, you are damn awesome. There is something about you that the world needs as a fitness trainer. We tend to compare ourselves to people who have “made it”, those who we feel are better than us in our industry. #1 Stop comparing your insides to other peoples outsides.

You do not know how long it took Mrs. Celebrity Trainer to get there, regardless if she told the world it took her five days. Psh! Girl, bye. They may have made it to the top in five days, but what they didn’t share is that they spent the past five years climbing that ladder as an assistant to another celebrity, networking, sleeping on the floor because they made $.50/hr., ate Ramen for two years, & once they had skin in the game, learned the best business strategies from said celebrity, they got licensed as a trainer and five days later, their business blew up. See where I’m going with this?

#2 Look at what others are doing well in the industry, and look at how you can fill the gaps. What can you offer, that others may not? Pinpoint your uniqueness and broadcast it. I know, this may be tough at first, but really take the time to think about what people come to you for advice on, how you go above and beyond in areas, or how you will go above and beyond because maybe you’ve noticed a gap in the market or in customer service in your industry. Maybe you’re a stager who calls clients throughout each stage of selling a home, taking this task off of the realtors plate, and providing additional support to the sellers. Or you’re a photographer who has a glam crew that provides convenience for your clients that ensures each photo your clients receive, they feel as if they look like a million bucks. Define what your awesome is and own it! 

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Define what your awesome is and own it!

3. Talk about the benefits.

Let your target audience know what you can do for them. Remember when we talked about serving others? How can you help your target audience? You don’t have to broadcast how you sponsored all of those school events on social media to show you serve others. You can simply serve your audience and serve them well – and authentically. If you own a business, it probably falls in the category of one of your passions. Serving others through the benefits your business offers is killing two birds with one stone. Not only will you be promoting your benefits, you’ll be serving your audience as well and you’ll enjoy doing it, which I’m pretty sure is where the “If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.” quote stems from. Here’s what I’ve found people seem to want in terms of benefits. 

If you can save someone time or offer them convenience, they will legit throw their credit card at you. 

Here’s a real-life example from this week: I needed 5 dozen cookies for a cookie exchange party where we had to share the recipe & bake them. 

#1. I cannot cook or bake to save my life. 

#2. I do not want to be baking for hours on the weekend, I do not enjoy baking whatsoever because it always tastes like garbage. I suck at it, so why the heck would I enjoy something I suck at doing? Nope. 

#3. No one wants to eat anything I have put in an oven or cooked on a stove. This year I made a beautiful birthday cake for our daughter that tasted like vinegar. Long story, but yes, that happened. Bad. 

Here’s where the benefits came in. I needed someone – anyone to make five dozen cookies for me and I was happy to pay them whatever they wanted. Convenience and saving me time – let me throw my credit card at you, I don’t care how much it is. 

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4. Summarize your mission in 10 seconds or less. 

Remember that incredible workbook from pillar 1 you downloaded that helped you write out your mission and vision statement? If you didn’t download the workbook, you can grab it below. These are all related!What is your elevator pitch? You need to capture people’s attention quickly and let them know what you do in 15 words or less. You can tell you’re on the right track when they ask for more details. If you need help or guidance with this, because it can be tricky and overwhelming, Femme Boss has a great mini course you can view with an easy formula you follow and you’re done with your elevator pitch. 30 seconds and you’ll have your elevator pitch!

>>DOWNLOAD<<

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5. Ask for feedback.

If you’re having difficulty with any of these tasks, don’t be afraid to ask for someone else’s opinion. Survey your family, friends, customers and colleagues to find out what they think of you and your abilities. Now, don’t go and ask your husband who will tell you how amazing you are in fear of getting B&@! slapped for critiquing you, but don’t go ask Negative Nancy who thinks she knows it all and is going to tell you everything you do sucks. Neither one of those situations is one you are going to end up benefiting from. Find someone you trust, who knows you well and who will tactfully deliver the positives as well as the weaknesses. Bribe them with coffee or lunch and don’t forget to show your appreciation for the constructive criticism they’ve given you so that they’ll continue to share it with you!

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6. Revisit your mission, vision, and action plans.

That mission & vision statement you have that’s written out and displayed in a place where you will be seeing them each and everyday is one that may change as your brand evolves and changes. This is why it’s important to write down these statements and revisit them. Revisiting these statements will keep you focused on where you are now and where you are going. Remember, vision is where you see your brand going, mission is what you’re doing now to get there. 

Review your personal mission statement every six months. Make new action plans so that you’re always getting closer to your goals. Your mission and vision will develop as you do!

That my friends, is Pillar #2. Next week I have a BIG surprise coming your way with our last pillar, Marketing Your Personal Brand. I’ll give you a hint – ok, I’ll just tell you what it is 👇

>>Grab your 👇 Branding Checklist 👇 if you haven’t grabbed it yet! <<<

>>>DOWNLOAD<<<

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