Less brand theory, more application
I recently wrote about signs it’s time for a rebrand. Same-ish topic today, but this time, let’s dig into something a bit less theoretical and more applicable.
In an episode of the Balanced Black Girl podcast (which I watched as a YouTube video instead because…the algorithm), the host Les gave some super concrete exercises and examples around a personal rebrand.
And since she’s a founder-forward entrepreneur and content creator, the crossover to business-building was super clear to me.
(In fact, since I watched the video, she has literally rebranded her podcast, now called She’s So Lucky. So clearly she’s been thinking about this topic of a rebrand a LOT.)
She related a personal rebrand to updating your operating system on your phone. So you might have new features, better bells and whistles, or you might just run more smoothly.
It’s the same phone (you’re the same you), but the operating system got an upgrade (aka your rebrand).
I ALWAYS say our values are our “how” and literally compare them to our operating system in our business, so her ideas were hitting home.
No surprise, my favorite prompt was a 3-word exercise to anchor your new direction and guide your subsequent actions. (Very similar to your “style language” in personal style content, or values exercises like I facilitate.)
If you’re as nosy curious as I am, my words were vibrant, centered, and expansive.
The first 2 came to mind really quickly. And I really struggled with a third one. But you know, straight-A-me had to complete the assignment (as assigned). And I do think the third concept rounds it all out.
And how we define our values or vibes really make a big difference, so let’s unpack them.
(Of note: you can see that these 3 words aren’t a 1:1 match with my existing values, but they do run parallel. I wasn’t aiming to rebrand my business when I did this exercise, just to get a little perspective shift and breathe in some new self-reflective life.)
For vibrant:
I want to be full of life. I want to be full of energy. I want to be showing up for myself. I want to be showing up for others. I also want to be inviting permission for other people to do the same.
I want my life to be beautiful and colorful. Not overwrought, not drawn too thin, not constantly on the cusp of burnout (where I tend to hang out), but nice and juicy and full.
I don’t want to tone myself down or fight against my nature or my whims or (what I’m finding to be) my neurospicy brain. I want to be a beacon of light, inviting it in, shining it on others, being a source of possibility and positivity.
Me living my fullest, most vibrant life also has the ripple effect of giving permission to others to do the same. I LOVE that role and want to do more of it.
For centered:
I’m a homebody. I always want to feel like I have a home base that I love to go back to, even when I explore. (Exploration is one of my core values.) And I’m talking both my physical home, my body and personal style, and my professional home (aka my brand).
I’ve felt really detached from my body over the last few years with a chronic illness diagnosis and management (latent Type 1 diabetes, if you can relate), two pregnancies with two postpartum periods and two breastfeeding journeys, a broken toe, getting back into exercise amidst all this.
Centered to me also means coming into my own value system, how I want to show up, how I’m most confident, what I’m best known for. (Essentially, the work I do so well and so enthusiastically for other people.)
And it means really prioritizing what’s in front of me, what I want and need—being able to see AND articulate that. This seems basic, but I really struggle with all of the above. And I know I’m not alone.
And maybe surprisingly, I don’t want to be particularly “grounded.” That’s not what I mean when I say centered. I want my head to be in the sky a little bit. I don’t even want to be focused (necessarily). I want to be able to go a million in one directions, as long as they can eventually point back to that center, whatever that center is. And the center can be a moving target too, right? Think of how our center of gravity changes as we stand up and sit down—still centered, but in motion. I like that flexibility.
For expansive:
It’s not necessarily about being or having or doing more. (Although sometimes more is more, so it’s also not about minimalism or the ever-popular “doing less” movement either.)
I imagine expansive being about new opportunities, new relationships, new experiences. And not even always entirely new, but also deeper—deeper with the people in my life, deeper with the subject matter I already talk about, deeper with the clients I already work with, deeper with the offers I have. Or if not deeper, then bigger or better in whatever way makes sense in that moment.
So for me, that expansiveness is multidirectional, multidimensional, and really encompasses how I want to be feeling and what I want to be doing and producing.
And sometimes in motherhood, you (or at the very least, I) can feel really, really stagnant. Kids are constantly growing, changing, developing, exploring and sometimes it feels like you’re just kind of there for the show…or to keep the show running smoothly. So expansiveness in this phase of my life is wanting to be a more active participant in my own life. And simultaneously more active and a big presence in in my kids’ lives, in my clients’ lives, in my friends’ and families’ lives. (Yes, I want it all, unapologetically, if not in entirely equal proportions.)
So often clients come to me either because they’re on their brink of great momentum or because they’re feeling super stagnant and they need to shake things up. I love holding that space for them and I want to do the same (or find the same) for me too.
And I’m also thinking about more concrete expansion—revenue, reach, audience growth, what I’m capable of, who I am, what this life is, even expanding my kids’ horizons. Again, not growing necessarily “bigger,” but always better.
(That progress that seems to be such a central theme in my life and work lately.)
So that’s my current vibe going into the rest of this year, or however long.
I’m SUPER curious what your words are. Definitely send me a DM or voice memo to share yours.
Were yours 3 words your values directly, or more of a feeling or description like mine were?
Regardless, an exercise like this can be a great starting off point when you’re thinking of a rebrand, refresh, or anything in between because it’s essentially a boiled down brand messaging prompt.
Words have power to root us, center us, drive us. They’re not just character counts on a page. The messages we tell ourselves and share with others really do matter.
If you think a rebrand or refresh are on your horizon, let this be your green light to just start.
And if you don’t want to “just start” alone (because we all know, it’s not always that simple), let’s chat about how we can work together via a free Alignment Call.
This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.
