At times when we are dreaming of the future of our business, whether its just beginning or its simply time for some fresh change, we might want to take our brand in several directions. There are so many amazing topics, products and areas of expertise – how can we know what exact space we fit into and if people will truly love what we do, especially if we are just starting up a new business? Well, I have good news for you – not everyone has to love your brand!

You will not be able to please everyone with what you do and how you do it, BUT there is a tribe of people out there that are eagerly waiting to fall in love with your brand! Those are the people that you want to hone in on. After all, the goal of business should really be to focus on the people who believe what you believe, and not just with people who think you have a cool product. At CHAR co, we define the WHY as the driving force behind your business. It is the reason you do what you do and is the very heartbeat of your brand.

The truth is, your business will most likely fail if you are trying to serve everyone with your product / service.

Too many directions in your brand to try to please all the people can lead to confusion when your audience observes who you are and what you do. It can also lead to several areas of your brand getting overlooked or falling through the cracks because you are spreading yourself too thin. And most of all, your audience will notice that you are a bit all over the place. They are observing you on all the different platforms and they will notice if your product is not speaking to a specific target client or if you have too many different services on your website that they don’t know what it is you really do.

Here are some ways to avoid trying to please everyone ::

1. KNOW YOUR WHY

Your why is the very foundation that your story is built upon and it sets the tone for the rest of your brand. If you haven’t identified your why ( your purpose, your cause, your belief, the reason you get out of bed in the morning ), others will not be able to identify it either. This is a great place to start!

2.  BRAINSTORM & CHOOSE

If you are full of ideas ( which you most likely will be, because come on, you are an entrepreneur after all ), think through them! Discuss them with your team or outside perspective. Choose the ones that align with your WHY, even if that means putting aside some other ideas that you really loved.

3. KNOW YOUR TRIBE

What are the likes and dislikes that your target client faces? What problem do they have that you can offer the solution to? Knowing these people and really diving deep into who they are and what they ultimately desire will help SO MUCH in not worrying about trying to please everyone. Some people really might not be attracted to your brand and THAT IS OKAY. Remind yourself of this on those hard days when you feel like quitting. All you need to start with are just a few people that absolutely 100% believe what you believe and are so in love with what you are offering them that they will eat it up right away. Seek your tribe out, serve them, care for them – show them that THEY are what your brand is about, not yourself and the awesome things you can do ( no matter how awesome those things are ). Keep in mind too, that as your brand changes over the years, your target audience may change as well.

4. “WHAT YOU DO PROVES WHAT YOU BELIEVE” 

We love this Simon Sinek quote! As you implement your ideas, and capture your target market with that emotional connection, always come back to that WHY. Don’t neglect or forget that bottom line and the heart of your brand story. This will keep your tribe engaged and coming back for more.

5. STAY CONSISTENT

Don’t confuse consistency with never changing. Refusing to change will stunt your growth while staying consistent in your brand will help people to identify “Oh THIS is the work of so and so” and help you to develop a strong brand foundation. Coming back to your WHY will help you to keep your ideas aligned and your vision and mission clear.

You don’t need to be loved by all to be a successful business. If you focus your attention, time and finances on what really matters and are bringing in those clients who are head over heels for your brand and the connection they feel to it, you will feel much more satisfied with your work! 

We know all of the steps to building a powerful brand story can be SO overwhelming at times and we are here to walk you through that process so you don’t have to do it alone! To learn more about what we offer, you can go here and to directly inquire about working with us, you can go to this link. We would love to get to know you more!

---

words by bethany – community creator & photographer