Last week was about exploring the problems your personal brand uniquely solves.  This week is about understanding you and your brand aren’t for everyone… and that’s okay!

I was in an interview once and they asked me what one of my favorite brands was.  I explained that it was Sprecher Root Beer.  I enjoy a high-quality root beer, and that’s exactly what Sprecher stands for.  It’s root beer made with Wisconsin honey giving it a smooth taste.  It comes in thick glass bottles.  You only put things in glass bottles if they are worth something, and we all know beverages from glass bottles are always better than beverages from cans or plastic.  Restaurants and places that carry Sprecher root beer show me that they care about quality and about doing things a little differently.

I imagine that most of you reading the blog this week don’t care much about root beer.  You probably read the above paragraph and was like, “That’s nice… I guess.”  You won’t think about root beer again or you’ll say to yourself, “A+W and MUG root beer are just fine.” All of this is okay.  At the end of the day Sprecher is NOT a brand for everybody.  It’s a brand for people who enjoy high quality root beer, and not everyone can be as awesome as me 😉

What does this have to do with personal branding?  As humans, I think we naturally feel the pressure to please everyone, and as a result we want a personal brand that is liked by EVERYONE.  I know I feel this way sometimes (or a lot of times).  When this thought kicks in, I try to remember two things.  First, pleasing everyone is impossible.  Second, attempting to please everyone would require you to water down so much of who you are that you wouldn’t be you anymore.  Much like Sprecher root beer, if your brand is truly built on you and who you are, then your brand shouldn’t be for everyone and for every situation.  There is power in embracing this.  Just because my brand doesn’t work for you and for a situation doesn’t mean it’s bad or I’m bad.  It just means the situation isn’t the right fit, and having the right fit is more important than force fitting something.

The challenge: Can you accept that your brand isn’t for everyone and every situation?  (Per previous challenges- Who and what situation is YOUR brand for?)

Bonus deep thought/confession:  I’d argue that reflecting to define your brand is relatively easy.  The harder thing is deciding to accept yourself (and your brand) for who you are, what you do, and how you do things.  Earlier in my career I had this weird love/hate relationship with being known as this inclusive storyteller poet guy.  (Truth be told, this love/hate relationship still continues sometimes, but it was fierce and brutal when I was younger).  I had decided that “the world” only rewards people who are seen as “technically smart” in certain areas and often doesn’t appreciate “soft skills”.  As a result, I had this inner battle and sometimes outward flinching even when people were giving me compliments about my inclusion and storytelling skills.  It’s like I’d get irritated at them for seeing me for who I was, because I didn’t think who I was would be valued by the organization.  People would give me compliments and I’d essentially be like, “Yeah, but nobody cares about that stuff.  I need to do and be X.”  Does that make sense to anybody?  Have you ever felt that way?  I often felt that I was less than and not good enough.  Over time, I’ve come to realize and embrace that my inclusive nature and storytelling skills are superpowers that make me unique and enable me to make a difference wherever I am.  If you ever go through something similar, I hope you ultimately stumble into this understanding and peace as well.  (Side note, Tori Brown, if you are reading this, I know you’re smiling/laughing/smirking after having this convo with me a few times in my career.  At least this shows I heard you 😉.  Along those lines, I hope you all have a Tori Brown in your life who helps you realize you are just totally wrong and blind for not embracing yourself.)

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry