The world is full of bad advice. The worst I’ve heard recently (and I’ve heard it from more than one internet business guru) is that it doesn’t matter much what you call your new business or product; it’s more important that you just get on with it.
I beg to differ.
It’s July 5, and you’ve set today as the deadline to finish your research for your brand (or lose your first five pounds, or weed your unruly garden, or write and mail your thank you notes). You wake up and see the date circled on your calendar. You’re terrified; you’re not any closer to completing this goal than you were the day you set it. Naturally, you choose one of two rational courses of action: a) spend the day hiding from your calendar in a pile of tasks requiring immediate attention, or b) organize the silverware drawer. You helplessly feel the day slipping away, the deadline beating at the back of your skull like a tension headache.
By bedtime, you’re deflated. You’ve let yourself down. You’ve been irresponsible. You’re a flake and a failure.
You’ve come down with a horrible case of Arbitrary Deadline Syndrome.
The worse part? You brought it on yourself. Continue reading
Branding, like any other aspect of business, is a puzzle. It’s natural to feel a sense of overwhelm when we stare at the pieces in the box. But the more time we dedicate to studying the shape of each piece – and how it might connect to the next – the more clearly the finished picture emerges.
When I was a kid, my brother Allen, ten years my senior, almost always had a jigsaw puzzle in some form of completion on a card table in his room. I would lie on his bed and watch him during the initial set-up, when he would carefully take each piece from the box, flip it over to display the design side, and set it on the table for later consideration. I remember feeling stressed out for him as the thousands of tiny pieces made their way onto the table. Continue reading
Every day your brand steps out in social media. You hope potential customers will see you, like you, follow you, tweet you, buy from you. There’s an amazing temptation to go with the trend. To follow the crowd. To fit in. Continue reading
Stress is created in the disparity between what we expect, and what we actually encounter. It’s not so much what happens, but our disappointment in what does not happen (that we expected to happen), that causes us to feel angst and stress.
As brand creators, if we’re not careful, we become stress creators. Crazy makers. Continue reading
A great practice for building a brand is balancing for an extended period of time on one foot. What you do with the other foot is incidental initially. It’s enough just to lift it off the ground an inch or two. As you learn to focus your gaze on a specific spot on the floor or wall in front of you, you’ll eventually be able to lift the other foot higher, put your arms in the air, stare over your shoulder or up at the ceiling. You’ll be able to hold the pose even if a door slams shut. Continue reading
It’s so easy to come from a place of lack as we build our brands, our images, our companies, and our customer bases. At times a sense of panic sets in. “I’m running out of time, money, ideas, patience.” It’s true that some resources are finite. But most often when it comes to what we need in business, there’s always enough. And if we’ve exhausted our supply in the present moment, we can make more. Continue reading
Early in my marketing career I worked for a boss who told me never to apologize. She said apologies made us look weak, as a department and as a company. It never felt right to me, and I’m glad the world has changed. Today, apologies aren’t viewed as weak. They’re honest, and they’re necessary. Honest brands build loyalty and connections. Honest brands look at relationships over the long haul.
Given enough time, each of our companies is bound to make a mistake. When is it time to apologize? Continue reading
When I was a teenager and got my first paycheck, my mom sat me down and talked to me about how to tip. She wanted to make sure I entered the world of commerce politely and with a sense of gratitude. She told me that I should tip anyone who did something personal for me. “Juju, if someone washes your car, fixes your hair, serves you food, parks your car or shines your shoes, it’s a real treat. You could have done these things for yourself. You should make sure you tip these people well.”
