- Your Mid-Week, Mid-Morning, Full-On Kick in the Inbox -

The anything but “mid” newsletter for creative entrepreneurs, visual artists and unapologetic rebels committed to finding their authentic edge!

3 Minute Read

Whisper

Are you still trying desperately to achieve work/life balance?

This is your invitation to STOP: The notion that you can balance work and life is ridiculous and the expectation that you can just work harder to attain it is miserably futile. It's a lot like the notion of perfection. It's shiny and attractive but unattainable. The idea that you can balance work and life simply expects too much of you. There are countless unpredictable, unwanted and undesirable variables that you can't control. Rather than seeking balance, I'm inviting you to achieve work life integration, harmony and flow. That way your work and your life don't exist in opposition to one another; they operate together.

Story Shot

It's been nearly 15 years & this branding lesson is still true today!

A decade ago I was invited to do a talk at a national conference. They asked that I create a talk dedicated to the importance of branding. So, I did what any professional speaker and proud business owner would do; I used our company rebrand as a case study to illustrate how to create an authentic brand, establish a strong brand position and create real brand buzz in a highly competitive & saturated market.

Branding Is For More Than Just Cattle 🐮

Yeah, that's what I titled the talk and I make no apologies for my clever little jokes and puns. It was the absolute best metaphor I could come up with that highlights the importance of branding.

Cattle is raised on ranches. They are sold at market. Ranches and markets are not near one another so they had to use trails to get the cattle from where they were raised to where they are sold. Ranchers didn't have their own trails so they all moved their herds together.

If you've seen one cow, you've seen all the cows so each ranch needed a way to create IDENTITY and OWNERSHIP of their cattle. So, what did they do? That's right, they BRANDED them. There was no mistaking who owned which cow or what ranch they were from.

Fortunately for you, branding your business doesn't require a white hot metal brand being seared into your skin but the contemporary process of branding can often times feel just as painful, figuratively speaking of course.

Create Identity & Ownership

It can be daunting and frustrating to work in highly competitive, over saturated markets. Thoughtful and intention branding may not solve all your problems but it's always a step in the right direction.

Ask yourself:

• Is who you are interwoven into your brand?
• Are you highlighting your unique knowledge as you develop & evolve your brand?
• Is your brand vision a reflection of who you are?

These are hard questions that you get to consider as you build or update your brand so that you create an unmistakable identity and clear ownership in your market. Hey, at least it's not a white hot metal brand like the one in the cartoon above. 🤠

I invite you to send me something about your brand that you are particularly proud of so we can celebrate you and your business or position with a company you love!

Next Week: Let's give your brand a voice...

Creative Corner

Few people are the artist and the muse. Emily inspires me everyday and creates something magical every day. Here is a recent image of her capturing photos of the lead singer of The Wildlands on the beach in California before they attended the ASCAP Experience conference in LA last week.

The other image is of her creating beautiful music with her new Viola because apparently playing the piano, bass and violin weren't enough for her 🤣. Check out the shiny new website for her music and you can check out her Danny Elfman inspired scores and soundtracks and her pop/rock inspired musical creations. —> EMILYMAMONE.COM​

This newsletter is hitting your inbox to provide you with insight, inspiration and perhaps even a little bit of entertainment. I want this to be a welcome weekly message that exists above the fray of today's overwhelming digital communication. Pure signal, no noise.

Similarly, I welcome and encourage your replies. Let me know if there is something you are curious about, wanna chat about or that I can help you with. Hit reply and share you story with me. Tell me more about who you are, your journey and the powerful impact you're having on the world! 🌎

On The Social Scene

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