Who do you admire?

5 Steps to Clarity, Part 5

Step 5: Take some time to learn from how others present themselves and their brand. Look up people or businesses, similar to yours, that you admire. How do you feel when you look at their branding? What's unique about what they offer? What do you like and dislike? Download the freebie: BRANDING CHEAT SHEET.

I have to be honest here, this is not something I succeeded at for myself, when I first started my business. But I find it absolutely essential to discuss deeply with my clients. After discovering how valuable this step truly is, I did finally take some time to explore other brand designers to see what they were doing in their businesses and what I could learn from them. This step then skyrocketed my processes and ability to serve my clients at a higher level.

In the beginning, it made me uncomfortable, so I get it totally if this is how you feel too. I didn’t want to compare myself, I didn’t want it to be a competition, at the time, I had only really thought of other brand designers as “competition” for my business. But once I did some personal development on this, I was able to realize that there is no such thing as limited supply in a world this big! That it doesn’t have to be “competition” if I choose to look at it differently. So I left the competitive mindset behind and decided to embrace the creative mindset instead.

So now, I don’t call them “competitors” when I ask my clients to research, instead I call them “people you admire,” those who have businesses that you aspire your business to grow to be like. The most important thing here is to know that it is OK to see others doing, in their business, what you want to do with yours, the supply of business opportunities is never limited, only our minds are. Gina DeVee taught me “She’s not your competition, she’s proof it can be done!” and I’m beyond grateful for that lesson. It gave me a whole new perspective.

It is important for me to say here that I do NOT encourage copying or stealing a business’s content in any way. I believe your content should come from your original thoughts and ideas, which might be influenced by the people you admire, but they should always be original to you. Really what I’m referring to is looking at the way the one you admire is presenting herself, what you like or don’t like, and the possibilities that she is showing you! The fact that she did it, means that you can do it too!

Think about the feelings that came up when you looked at their brand, how does their vibe make you feel? There is so much we can learn from those who have made it work, who have succeeded in a way we wish to succeed. How does their messaging connect you to them? Does this give you ideas of how to position your messaging? How about their colors and fonts, take notice of their designs, write down what feelings you get from looking at their branding. Then when you start choosing your own branding, ask yourself, does this make me feel that way too? How can I make my audience feel what I want them to feel when they look at my branding?

My hope is that we can all look around and see ourselves as one big community who are all here to serve one another and help each other grow. Respect each other’s intellectual work and realize that we have that ability too. We don’t have to compete because this world is so big, there is space for us all. It’s your decision how you want to look at it, with competitive eyes or creative eyes. But if you choose creative eyes, then download the Branding Cheat Sheet I created for you that is available here, will serve you highly in determining your brand in an authentic and powerful way!