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With so many lifestyles and community-driven brands out there, it's a massive struggle to decide if you're "you" or "many" when it comes to how you present yourself online as well as offline in your marketing efforts. When you build lifestyle community brands, the entire idea and the benefit of it is that it isn't you, one face, one voice, one spokesperson. But it takes time to get there. Also, when you have the community, it's about many people sharing your message and spreading your word, which is a positive thing because all the marketing efforts aren't necessarily on you. Still, your message can be distorted along the way. How do you decide if you should take a "you" approach or a "many" approach regarding social media and your marketing efforts? It comes down to, in the end: what are we trying to get from all of this? If you're trying to create yourself as an influencer, "you." If you're very controlling about the message, and that's a positive thing, not a negative, then it should be "you." If you're trying to build a brand recognition name so that you can become a speaker or potentially sell the business or something like that along the way, "you." If you're trying to create a movement that is so not about you, and you never want it to be about you, "many." If you're trying to just create change, "many." Most of us really should be focusing on ourselves. We don't like to say it, and we don't like to admit it, but it totally plays with every social story about being a narcissist out there, but it's truly what is the best for us in the end and, more importantly, best for the brand as well. We are the faces of our businesses. We are the heart of the messages. And yes, down the way, we'll have followers, but they will always be behind us because these followers are looking for a leader, and that's you. That's your heart, and that's your message, and so you have to stand out there. You can always have people by your side, but in the end, you're the one leading the charge. For many lifestyle and community-driven brands, you got to be fearless, you got to be bold, and you got to be the leader.

Building an empire isn't the easiest thing you've ever done. Heck, just building a brand or building anything isn't as easy as most people assume it is. But yet, just because you're coming up against a struggle and opposition, is it the right time to, well, quit, keep going, or pivot? Most people just think, quit or keep going. Give up or just keep running into the wall. Yet far too many people don't pause to think about one of the best answers, which is simply a pivot. When you come up against opposition in person or business, it doesn't mean that it's a stop, don't go, don't collect your $200. But sometimes, it simply means that you don't keep going straight. It's that you have to pivot, that you have to turn your perspective, the way you're approaching it, your delivery method, and the type of client that you're going after. That it's a simple pivot in a mindset or in a positioning that is what makes your brand go from running yourself into the wall crazy to being crazy profitable. So, if you find your business struggling, if you find yourself continually not bringing in the income you need to bring it, not having the client base you want, not having your content convert, consider a pivot. Pivot in the way you're approaching it. Pivot in the way that you're delivering it. Pivot in who you're talking to, or simply pivot your mindset about what you believe this action should be delivered to you. When we decide to pivot versus simply give up or can simply keep going in a bullheaded approach. We give ourselves the freedom to course correct all along the way to reach our goal sooner. So, consider the pivot over anything else because the pivot can make you quite profitable.

The idea of making a splash may sound a bit cliche, but when it comes to your marketing endeavors, we all say we want it. (Yet we don’t.) Think about it, what makes a splash when you are at the pool? You can have kiddies waving their arms and kicking their legs, but that isn’t the type of big, huge, industry-influencing title wave you were thinking of. To create that type of splash, you have to do a cannonball off of the highest diving board possible. To make the size splash you want, you must go big, clean, and bold, go away from the conventional, be willing to accept a little bit of pain, and always swim to the top. Are you doing all the following 5 steps with your marketing? The answer is no. Go big. Going big is about using the platforms others won’t. It isn’t about choosing the medium that all others say “can’t be done.” Go clean and bold. With your message, design, and offer. Go away from the conventional. There are going to be lots of opinions on what you should do. Don’t listen. Be willing to accept a little bit of pain. The moment you achieve the splash you were aiming for, it may feel more painful than successful. Always swim to the top. Once you achieve everything you wanted, it may not look like it. Just remember, don’t stop. Keep swimming to the top.

Modern marketing can kind of suck some days. In the age of multi-million viewed videos, what gets the watches are the weird, the gross, and the foolish- three words most professionals don’t want their brands associated with. So if you don’t want to play the fool, you must be fearless. To be fearless, you must be willing to be bold, original, opinionated, and non-PC. And when faced with that, sometimes the being a fool approach may be easier. And that is the exact situation all modern brands are in go against your professional and personal standards by playing the fool vs. being unapologetically, never back down, bold. Far too many modern brands choose to play the fool. Because even though it isn’t who they want to be, the strength and unrelentingness of truly being fearless seem a bit much in this modern culture of backlash. Whichever you choose fearlessly or the fool, choose it and be it.

It's easy when you're starting your business to think that all the answers are outside of you. You don't know how to build a successful business, so you look to others to define how to build a successful business and turn a successful life. But the truth is that the answers that you seek are all inside of you. You have to know how you define success. You have to understand how you define a successful life and a successful business. No one can tell you that, and if you believe the "experts" on this, if you believe their systems, their formulas of what means that you've made it, you'll never feel like you made it because it's not the priority to you. If you want to build a successful life starting now and in turn, have a successful business as well, you have to know your priorities. What matters to you, and what has meaning to you? Because if, in the end, lots of money in the bank account isn't exactly what you were looking for, then it's not going to mean anything to you, and your subconscious mind knows this already. When you set goals, like maybe your smart financial goals that don't meet the heart of what matters to you and set you on fire, then you're never going to achieve those goals. It will always be a struggle because your subconscious mind knows the truth. It knows it doesn't feed your SoulFire®. What's your Soulfire®, you ask? Your Soulfire®'s the whole reason in the world why you're here. What sets your soul, your unique spirit, on fire? It's the reason why you're here on this earth today, right now on this planet, in this country, or with the people around you. It's why you have insights into change, into your industry that other people don't have. You have a way to see it, speak it, and connect with it. It's the passion that you're truly meant to be. Now, if you, by chance, have lost your Soulfire®, and you're thinking this start-up is just a savvy, smart idea, but you don't have this uncontrollable fire and insight and passion for it, put a pause in that step and make sure you reconnect with what your greatest passion is. Unsure of how to do that? Here's the easiest way. Simply think back to when you were a child, as far as you can go. And start to think about what you naturally did, either that you got praise for or maybe that you didn't get praise for, that you got in trouble for. What did you play and imagine? What was it that you were imagining? It wasn't that you liked necessarily playing in the mud, but those mud pies maybe were food to celebrate and share with people or were a way that you created in expressing yourself. When we go back to as far as we can remember and begin to see what we instinctually did, good or bad, and we begin to fast-forward that through life, our Soulfire® begins to get pretty darn clear because we can see by the choices we've made in life, some of the missteps, some of the good steps, some of the hobbies and some of the jobs we've taken, a common running thread shows up of exactly what it is that we're all about, what it is that drives us. Now here's the interesting thing. When you connect with your Soulfire®, it's not going to most likely sound like a sexy marketing term. It isn't going to be this great buzz about business, but it is what everything in your mind should be built-in. You should always ensure that your Soulfire®, passion, and desires are always built into everything you do because when that's the case, no matter what you do, it makes sense to your audience. No matter what you do, it's fulfilling your life's purpose, which means you're to put your heart, soul, and subconscious mind into it, and that's exactly how you get the life and business you want in the end.

Many people confuse branding and marketing to be one and the same, but they are not. Here is the simplest way to understand the difference. Branding is like having the most beautiful prom dress. It fits your body perfectly. The style, color and cut fully express all that you are. When you wear it you feel confident, bold, powerful, and unstoppable. But you can have all of this and still keep your beautiful prom dress- aka your brand - in the closet. Or just wear it around the house for your family to see. For the rest of the world to know how amazingly badass you look in your prom dress. You actually have to go to prom- aka get out in the real world where your audience is at. And as you well know just because you make it to prom looking fab, it doesn’t mean that everyone takes notice. The truth is that branding and marketing have a yin-yang effect. They go together, and they ebb and flow off each other. Sometimes you are building your brand out more which eventually flows into your marketing which then flows back into your brand. Though many times we treat our brands separately from our marketing strategies, they should be on the same page - literally as well as figuratively. As quarter one wraps up, and you look at the year ahead, find ways to begin to merge your beautiful prom dress of a brand into your prom - aka marketing efforts. Because ideally, we don’t just want to be going to prom. We want to be on the stage. So that everyone sees our badass brand and knows the true expert that you are.

If you haven’t checked out a hotel app lately, you should because they are doing a few things right that we should all be taking note of. Over the last few years, the hotel industry has been stepping up its technology game, and its apps are the best efforts so far. Besides being able to book, check in, and check out a property’s details - you can message the front desk of the property you are staying at. Gone are the days of picking up the phone to ask for more towels or to let them know that you will be late for check in- just message the staff via the app. This text-like feature is pretty darn slick yet something we all can do. Many phone line services like Google Phone and Sideline allow you to set up automated text messages and receive and reply to client texts. So let your clients know that texting is acceptable for communication. No other hotel chains like Marriott's The Cosmopolitan use an AI text service in which she (yep, it's she) will message guests free breakfast specials, nightclub passes, etc. The ironic thing with this system is that it doesn’t tell the front desk what gift it has offered to which guest so checkout can be a bit chaotic. But there is something to learn here too. What if we as brands just texted our clients a gift or an inspirational quote? There are plenty of opt-in text services, and many email newsletter services offer opt-in texting too. No matter if you do it manually, via a mass service, or via AI - offering fast ways for your audience to ask for help and for you to respond is smart. Offering gifts, bonuses, or cheeky messages “just because” is fun when properly positioned in your brand. Take note and get to texting.

Everyone wants to make marketing out into this complex system. People want to make it difficult, so that is the reason why they can’t do it or that they are not successful at it. It may be difficult to build that perfect 30-second Super Bowl Ad that becomes a viral situation. I don’t know. I haven’t created one of those yet. But to build a marketing plan that is doable, convertible, and profitable for an entrepreneur or small business - that’s a piece of a cake. Change your mindset. Your mindset is what is screwing you up before you have even left the gate. This isn’t about statistics and sales. Marketing is about connections that create cash. Marketing is all about being that cheerleader who is nice to everyone in high school. You can talk to everyone and make everyone feel special. It doesn't matter if they are your perfect customer or someone who has paid you big- you make everyone feel special and important at the moment. 2. Know what you are really selling. Rid yourself of the mindset that the logistics of your product or service is what you are selling. It isn’t. You are selling the bigger picture that your product or service creates. You are selling the experiences your audience can now have when they control their own schedule. You are selling strength and fearlessness when you feel confident in how you look. You are selling life. 3. Sell by being you. Just like the cheerleader makes people feel comfortable and connected just by being herself. Sharing about your work and caring about your audience should be an organic 24/7/365 obsession of yours. Yes, marketing isn’t a mystery. It just requires consistency.

As a startup, it's easy to think the passion, excitement, and thrill of your new business will keep going every single day for the rest of your business's life. But just like in your relationships, passion does pass a little bit. And just like in your relationships, you can always keep the passion somewhat alive, even though it evolves. You can do this with your brand as well. Like with your relationships, you have to intentionally add a little passion to them. The same holds with your business. Making sure that every single day you're adding a little passion to your business. That could be making sure that 90% of what you do daily is something you want to do in your business. Or that you're always working with people that you love or that you're creating something that you love consistently. Doing that will help keep your passion for your business alive. Also, like with a relationship, to help keep the passion alive, you have to add a little variety to the spice of life, as the saying goes. How can you grow your business? Many times as businesses, especially startups, we listen to the experts who say that we need to stick to our lane, be that one-horse-rider, and just have that one product/service and, in turn, one niche. That approach can be very confining and variety-less when growing your business. Consider adding a new product, a new service, a new offering, or a new way to offer your current services or products to your audience. Simply adding that little variety to your business will begin to add a smidge of enthusiasm back into your life. Lastly, just like with love, you have to care about the other party. Meaning that you have to care about your brand as a brand and what it's meant to do. Begin to think of your business, not just as this thing that you do or the way you make money. Begin to think about your business and brand as your best friend. What would make that experience better for everyone that interacts with? For your customers? For your team members? For your onlookers? Your social media fan? As well as for you? Adding refreshing visual or verbal elements will help increase your love affair and passion for your business. And just like in relationships, it will help bring a bit of that spice back as well. So, don't worry. Your passion will change as it does for any relationship over time. But you can ensure that your passion stays alive for your business if you're willing to. As with all good relationships, invest your time and heart into the relationship and the person or brand at hand.

One of the most frustrating things for me to watch is a beautiful new brand destroyed by the ignorance of the brand’s owner - aka you. So for the love of all things holy, please stop doing the following things. Stop building your graphics. You may think you understand the visual look and feel of your brand, but you don’t. There are details, nuances, and subtleties that you aren’t seeing, but when missing, make your brand less impactful. Stop adding. More is not better here. Stop adding one more form. That old sales copy that you love so much, etc. Edit. Edit. Edit. Stop loving your system over the service. Many times entrepreneurs fall in love with a system because of how easy it is for them to use or how much money they had to invest into it. But we don’t stop to see how our clients have to interact with this service. For example, you may love an email service, but the forms your client must interact with are clunky and overwhelming. Refine your client experience first. You second. Stop building your brand as you “fly.” Yes, your brand should evolve and grow. And yes, there are rarely the “perfect times” to launch a new product or easily roll out a new product line. But not giving yourself enough time to execute, market, and make profitable- does no one good. 5. Stop going off-brand. Your brand, on many levels, should encompass your personality. So you should organically be able to live, breathe, and embody your brand and what you are about. It does you and your business no good to have a beautiful-looking website and online experience, but when they meet you, the experience falls apart.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just don’t want to get out of bed? Or do you need to show up for a meeting where you own the room, but you feel more like a fraud than a professional? Or do you want to own the stage, but you own the bathroom stall instead? Then use your style to your advantage. Make sure that you love your look- whatever that may be. If you love it, it will show. You will walk more confidently, talk, and your tone of voice will strongly reflect your confidence - are you seeing a theme here? When you love your look, your nonverbal communication comes across as loud and clear. And though most of society does not consciously realize it, it is our nonverbal communication that we read long before we ever hear a spoken word. So what is your go-to look? What makes it special? Is it the color? Cut? Fabric? Flow? The accessories? Whatever it is, pinpoint what makes it special to you and repeat that combination repeatedly in every look, even your gym look. By taking the time to dissect what makes your go-to look THE go-to look for you- you empower yourself with what fashion was designed for anyway- a tool. A tool to increase your productivity and the power of your relationships.

When we're talking about numbers, when it comes to creating social proof and social media, many people instantly think of followers. But no, far too often, as entrepreneurs, we fail to look at the numbers of what it costs to get that lead. Yep, that ROI of it all. ROI is just simply sometimes way too difficult to quantify. How much time did it take to get this one prospect? Especially when you're relationship-focused, it can be a challenge to get that ROI. How good are you at building relationships? I don't know, ask your last boyfriend. When it comes to understanding the numbers and what it takes to grow your social media influence or just your social proof overall. We have to take a step back and say, where are we investing our time and energy, and where are we just wasting time? Especially when it comes to social media and any kind of online engagement, far too often, we as entrepreneurs play more than we work. We're not focused on getting something created quickly; we're just focused on, "Oh, look, that's a shiny object. Oh, look, that's another really interesting thing. I wonder what this is all about." We get sidetracked way too easily, so therefore, our numbers don't give us an accurate description of what our ROI is. Take a pause. And for the next two weeks, be very diligent about doing your work efficiently. As if when you are turning your computer off for the day, if you had a 9-5 job and you could no longer get online or do anything after hours, you had to get your work done during a certain timeframe. It's amazing how you're going to be less sidetracked and more focused on making sure that your work gets done promptly, which will help not just your ROI from a logistical perspective. But it'll also help your ROI from a relationship perspective. You know, and I know that when you have a limited time with the one you love, you make the most out of it. You are about creating as many experiences and as many memories as you can in one timeframe. That's going to help grow your relationships faster, also giving you better ROI. When looking at the numbers, what's it taking to create the social proof, create the influence, and build that social media, don't just look at the time being spent. Look at what real-time is being spent. Focus your energies, and guess what? It's not just going to make your ROI better. It's going to make the relationships better, too.