Kathy Ennis, LittlePiggy
When you work for yourself, the idea of building a brand for your business may seem like something you don’t have to worry about. So, what if I was to tell you that creating a values-driven brand will attract more loyal customers?
Should you bother with all that branding stuff? It’s not like you’re in charge of a multi-million-pound company, with thousands of employees. Your business is you. You’re running a side-hustle from your spare room, or you’re a self-employed freelancer working on the kitchen table.
No matter what their shape or size, there’s one thing all businesses need, and that’s customers.
Attracting the right people to your business becomes much easier when they know what you stand for, and when those prospective customers have got a good idea about what you’ll be like to work with.
That’s why every freelancer, side-hustler and self-employed solopreneur needs to develop their values-driven brand
Your Brand is (Much) More Than Your Logo
Let’s be clear. When I say values-driven brand I’m not talking about spending money you haven’t got on a fancy logo, or a swanky website.
These are the ‘bright, shiny’ things that people often mistake for a company’s brand.
They’re not.
‘Brand’ is the collection of thoughts, feelings and emotions that customers have about a business.
What does this mean? As a single-person business your brand won’t just be made up of your logo, website and products and services. More importantly, it will include your personality, ideas, reputation and your core values – the element that underpins them all.
The Importance of Brand Values
A clearly communicated values-driven brand will help potential customers feel they know you and your business. It will also help with practical things, such as, helping you define your terms and conditions, plot out your customer journey, and decide the kind of work you will do and (more importantly) won’t do.
In developing your brand this way you are more likely to attract those customers who share your values (these are otherwise known as the “right” customers!). It also means that those customers you attract are more like to be loyal, supportive repeat consumers.
Defining Your Brand Values
When you work for yourself, you’ve got a clear advantage over the big boys.
They have to spend months on defining their brand values, which are usually set by the business owner or executive team, before slowly filtering them down to all the different people who work for the company.
But as a solopreneur or side-hustler, your brand development is all about you. You have to define what’s important to you personally, then put it straight to work!
Creating Your Values-Driven Brand
Don’t try to be somebody you’re not, because it doesn’t work… just be yourself and stay true to your core values
Ben Quayle
So, to help you to create your values-driven brand and identify those core values, you can try my Five Words Exercise
Here’s what you need to do …
Step One – Grab a sheet of A4, and brainstorm all the words and phrases you feel best describe you – who you are, what you believe, the things hat are important to you. You will probably start with the ‘headliners’ such as honest, trustworthy, quality etc etc.
What I would like you to do is dig a bit deeper; what makes you, you?
- exclusive
- quirky
- fabulous
- introvert / extrovert
- attention to detail
- spontaneous
- and the list goes on …
Step Two – Hone and define your list. Remove or merge any duplicates or synonyms. What you are working towards is five words or phrases that you are certain get to heart of who you are.
(This step could take some time to get right – and you’ll know when it is, so try not to rush it.)
Step Three – Now, this is where you put what you think about yourself to the test (remember, we aren’t always the best person to ask about ourselves)
So, what you have to do is ask at least 10 people to give you five words or phrases that they would use to describe you. Don’t tell them yours and make sure to tell them you don’t want any explanations of their choices – just the words and phrases.
It’s important to ask a variety of people, not just friends and family. Include colleagues, ex-bosses, customers, trainees… anyone you can think of. This will give you a more balanced and consistent view of how others see you.
Step Four – Bring together all the words and phrases your 10 contributors give you. Search for similarities that describe how you see yourself, and how others see you. Hone this list down to five also.
Why do we ask others and not just rely on our own thoughts and ideas?
Because our unconscious behaviours identify the real ‘us’, rather than the – often skewed – perception we have of ourselves.
Step Five – Now combine your list of five and your contributors list of five. Do their perceptions of you chime with your ideas about yourself? Does their feedback make you challenge your perception of yourself?
The final stage is to ‘accept’ the five words you feel most summarise who you are.
The conclusion, you will have five words that are ‘you’ and a set of deep-rooted core values.
BTW, if you’re interested, these are mine:
- FUN LOVING
- SYSTEMISED
- INSPIRATIONAL
- PHILANTHROPIC
- COURAGEOUS
If you want to know how they are embedded within everything I do in my business, let’s have a conversation.
Now There’s No Stopping You!
A values-driven brand will embed attitudes and behaviours at the core of your business. It will make it easier to take business decisions because you will know what’s truly important to you. For example, if you’re undecided about a course of action in your business, you can simply ask yourself, “will doing this compromise or contribute to my values?”
Your customers, meanwhile, can be sure that they are working with the kind of person – and brand – that they can really buy into. The way you and your business ‘behaves’ will be the thing that differentiates you in a crowded marketplace, allows them to choose you as a preferred supplier and keeps them as loyal, repeat customers.
If you’d like some help defining your values-driven brand statement as a side-hustler, freelancer, or solopreneur owner, why not book a half-hour, complimentary conversation to talk through some ideas?
