Research.   

One of the most painful parts of the entrepreneurial process. 

In college, it was one of my most despised topics, until I understood just how important it is.   

Turns out, it’s a little difficult to sell services to people you know little to nothing about. 

That, my friend, I learned the hard way.   

I spent a year trying all the hacks I could find to land a client. 

I want to shave some of that time off your business so that you can move forward with a strategy…and with confidence.  

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Check Out The 'Gram

So, you’ve built an online community, your engagement is on point but you’re still not making any sales.

Frustrating, isn’t it?

The truth is, growing your audience is only half of the battle. After all, not everyone in your audience is your ideal buyer.

“Okay…so, what’s an ideal buyer, and why doesn’t my audience count?”

Let’s address the first question:

Your ideal buyer is a specific group of people that resonates with your brand and what you offer. They, more often than not, share the same fears, pain points, goals, and needs.

To answer your second question, your audience doesn’t count because they are a broad representation of those ideal buyers. Notice how I said “not everyone”. This means that there are definitely people in your audience that are a perfect fit for your business.

Your job is to separate these people out by speaking to them as clearly as possible. This can only be done by understanding exactly who they are.

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Once a year, when I was a kid, my parents would take my siblings and me to Myrtle Beach. Now, we were a family of 15 so flying wasn’t really an option. So, we took our van and drove for a whopping 24 hours. Getting from point a to point b was a riot, sometimes it was a good riot, sometimes it wasn’t. One thing’s for sure is that I’m glad we had a roadmap. Without it, I’m sure we would have ended up completely lost in a van full of screaming kids.

I’m currently laughing at the image in my head, but there is some seriousness to this story.

Trying to get from point A to point B without a map is simply asking for trouble.

It’s the same with your business.

Every part of your business needs a strategy, but the strategy I want to talk about today is the one you’re going to use for your brand.

This is going to be a bit of a longer podcast, but it’s packed full of practical information on how you can build a brand strategy for your business. So, grab a coffee, a notebook, and let’s get started!

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My Guide To Creating A Personality For Your Business

Growing up, I was always told to “mind my attitude.” I was a bit of a smart mouth as a kid, and my parents weren’t the type to just let it fly. At the time, I remember being really frustrated every time they told me to “tone it down”. Now that I’m a little older, I am grateful for how strict they were about the way I acted.

Something I’ve learned is that being confident with the way you look is great, but personality goes so much further.

So, what does this have to do with branding??

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, your brand is your business’s personality. The real-life analogy I used above, is an example of why your logo isn’t enough to stand out.

Sure, it’s great as a first impression, but it’s not enough. Just like getting a first impression from someone you just met doesn’t count as truly knowing someone.

I want you to take a moment and think about your business. Does it have a clear personality? If so, what is it? If not, check out my podcast episode to learn how!

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To some extent, I believe most entrepreneurs like to have control over their businesses. After all, we wear so many different hats in order to keep things up and running.

Something I’ve learned over the course of a few years is that we don’t have as much control as we like to think. There are so many moving parts to our businesses, it’s hard to imagine that we truly are controlling it all. I’ve realized that it’s ok to let some things run their course. Sometimes, it’s enough to just plant a seed and wait for it to grow as we focus on other areas of our business.

That being said, you need to be deliberate with which areas you do control. For starters, I would say your brand should be one of those areas.

Against popular belief, your brand isn’t something you create when you first start your business. It’s something that grows along with you and plays a huge impact on the way people interact with you (a.k.a sales).

In this podcast, I’m going to teach you about the different parts of your brand and how you can use each one to its full potential.

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When you think of a brand, what comes to mind? Nike, Disney, Apple perhaps?

The first thing that may come to mind is a logo, or something visual. However, the longer you think about it, the more things may come to mind. Perhaps you’re starting to think of the times you used to lay on your living room floor and watch your favorite Disney movie with your family. Maybe, you think about all the late-night college assignments you completed on your Apple Mac Book.

The experiences you have through a business are what make up a brand.

Even if those experiences were made mostly by you, they were made possible through the business you got them from.

The more I learn about branding and what goes into creating a powerful one, I am always blown away by all the hidden, moving parts involved.

In today’s podcast episode, I’m going to debunk some common branding myths and, hopefully, shift your mindset on how building a strong brand can impact your business.

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Where to begin…

2021 was a whirlwind of opportunities, setbacks, and curveballs…oh so many curveballs.

In January, I set my goals, planned out my year, and got to work. I can’t begin to tell you how much adrenaline I had pushing me forward…it was unreal.

April rolled around and, to my frustration, I tested positive for Covid. Almost immediately, I lost all my drive and passion as I fought with one of the worst colds I had in my life. After I got better, it took almost a month for me to get my head back in the game. I was so behind on my goals that I was too overwhelmed to keep going. With the help of my mentor, I was able to find my energy back and start killing it again.

Through the summer, I started playing around with Instagram Live, Reels, Blogging, Podcasting, and Course Creation. At that time, I was convinced that nothing would push me back into taking a break from my goals. I could get hit by a freight train and still get back onto my feet.

The universe, deciding to test that theory, threw me another curveball.

Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of the story!

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As an international student, Simran has been faced with countless challenges and obstacles, none of which have been able to hold her back from becoming the strong, independent woman she is today. 

Listen as she talks about:

If you would like to reach out to Simran and ask her your own questions, you can find her Instagram handle below!

Until next time, 

Jo

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Today's podcast is brought to you by Anne Marie Espina, an ADHD Coach For Entrepreneurs. I met Anne Marie on Instagram and I was immediately inspired by the energy, passion, drive, and love for coaching entrepreneurs. Immediately upon stumbling across her page I thought: "Damn, she has to be on my podcast!"

So, here we are, chatting about entrepreneurship, all things ADHD all while going off on tangents that are sure to bring a few laughs (and tears) to your day. So, if you're ready to be inspired, put on your headphones, start the episode, and do whatever you do while listening to podcasts. 

Also, I highly recommend following her page @annemarie.espina