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The childhood fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk, has fascinated people, especially entrepreneurs, for decades. The truth is this idea of magical beans, well, gets us all a little excited. We wonder what magical beans we have, do we offer? And more importantly, how in the world can we sell them and make a great profit from them? The truth is that selling your magic is really what makes an entrepreneur great. It isn't about the logistics of your product or service. That isn't why your audience is coming to you. The truth is they want a bit of that magic, that juju that you bring. But yet, most entrepreneurs struggle with selling their magic because they don't see its value. They don't see that these are the magic beans that they have. They don't realize or recognize what they're creating. The truth is that there's always wisdom in you're weird. That's what's scary. I love telling my branding clients that we are all about making sure that we put they're weird in their brand. It's scary to most entrepreneurs because our weirdness is our weakness in our minds. We've been taught by society that how we don't fit in is not the way to make bank. But the truth is, it is. Your weird, how you see the world, what you love is the magic. That is the goal that creates the relationship, that creates the transformation that your audience truly seeks. So how do you sell your magic? Well, first off, you have to know what makes you weird. You have to know the quirks of your personality. If it's that you're a Star Trek junkie or that you see everything in the shape of a Simpsons episode, if it's the fact that you love architecture, or you're a total foodie, whatever it is, you have to know your weird. The second thing you have to know is how does this relate to your audience? Does your audience have similar weirdness, or do they just feel like outsiders? Have you always felt like a black sheep, and so does your audience? When you understand the connection between your weirdness and their weirdness, that's where the magic happens. Because the truth is - only one is your audience isn't coming to you for the logistical product or service or solution that you offer. They're coming to you for the connection. They're coming to you for the relationship and not feeling alone anymore. By being honest and truthful about your weirdness, guess what? You allow your audience to feel weird and love their weirdness, which makes them feel empowered for who they are. It makes them want to have a deeper relationship with you. So how do you sell your magic? You have to know your weird. You have to understand your audience, and you have to be willing to speak your truth 24/7.

No matter how big or small your empire may be at the moment, the truth is you have to show up. You are the heart and the core of what is going on in your business and your brand. And sometimes, that can be a great struggle for entrepreneurs. As entrepreneurs, we struggle with personal growth and development, still showing up for ourselves, our businesses, our clients, and our teams. So how can you grow personally and still lead your company, especially when you have some of those moments of weakness and self-doubt? Well, to do this, you have to know yourself. I understand that sounds easier said than done, and it is. The truth is that when you look at what you're all about, when you look at your soulfire® when you understand your true why, and you understand your personality, those moments of not being able to fully show up because you aren't sure of who you are in the moment tend to be lessened. Because you know enough about yourself to know that this is a phase and this is an evolution. But at the core of who you are, the why behind what you're doing, and really who you are at the foundational levels are still the same. So if you want to know how to show up even during those times where you're personally developing or those times where you're just kind of feeling a bit lost, remember two things. Number one, remember yours why. Your why goes back to your intention, a deeper purpose for you. Because it's that deeper purpose and passion that's been driving you all along and will continue to drive you in the future when the clarity rises again. The second thing to remember is you still are you. Yes, you're growing, and that's a very good thing. Because you must personally grow and evolve for your brand to grow and evolve. So understand some foundational cores of just who you are no matter what. Are you just direct no matter what? That's not a part of your personality that will change anytime soon. Do you love to have spirited conversations? Is that a part of your personality that isn't changing anytime soon? When you can objectively look at your personality and understand your positive and maybe not-so-positive sides of it, you're able to better understand when you are personally going through phases of evolution. Which will allow your team and your brand to stay on track as you grow and evolve. And more importantly, have them on point for when the clarity rises again so that they know exactly the next step ahead.

It could almost be called an epidemic in branding. The two wildly different approaches when it comes to sharing wins. School of thought number one shares everything with you. “Yea, for me, I got out of bed.”, “Yea, for me, I brushed my hair before my video meeting.”. “Yea, for me, I have two new email sign-ups.” Whereas a school of thought number 2 casually tells you, “My latest book just became a 3x bestseller.”, “ I was selected as the main stage speaker with Sir Richard Branson.” “Inc magazine just featured my brand in a 5-page print article.” These two different trains of thought completely speak to the time of brands they are. The thought number is typically tied to a newbie brand (less than 4 years old). And though their posts of success are lame- they get audience engagement. Whereas school number two is a more mature brand, their massive, amazing news gets ZERO traction because of their understated ways. What does this mean when it comes to your brand experience? Brand experience? WHAT?!?!?! Yes, brand experience. Most of our brand experience is on social media platforms with posts like these. So yes, these posts reflect what caliber of professional you are. Audience number one is having an experience- just with a narcissistic brand. While audience number 2 is having no experience. You are missing a HUGE opportunity for engagement. Now I understand your train of thought. Does this sound familiar? True successful people don’t need to toot their horns. It’s prideful to post your successes. Well, it's just a Nobel peace prize. My big picture goal is …. Your mild manner ways are creating a mild movement for your audience. And you know the truth. Working with you, experiencing your brand - nothing is mild about it. So let’s flip-flop these brands. If you don’t have huge wins, don’t share all of them with your audience. And when you have huge wins, live it up. Celebrate, share, and use it as a marketing and media tool. Your audience wants to know about your wins. By sharing your successes, you give them hope and inspire them to keep going. Plus, you show them what a badass you are without having to say it. And that’s a pretty cool experience.

The idea of having a passion project or a side hustle is very much in vogue. Far too often, we aren't ridiculously passionate about our actions. And, when we lack passion in our lives, we lack truly living and truly going for it. What's your next passion project? What is it that you have been secretly desiring to do? Why haven't you taken action on doing it? When you don't have a secret desire or passion for your life, then you don't play all-in for your life. You just start doing life but not living your life. If, by chance, you're wondering exactly what your passion is, think back to the last time you jumped out of the bed happily. When you were literally that excited that you could not sleep for all the good reasons. When you reconnect with where that is in your life, it's easy to reconnect with your next passion project. And if you're saying, "Well, hey, that's what I do every single day. I love my business. I love my brand. I love what I do every single day," then what are you doing to up-level that? What are you doing to make that better? To be better for yourself and for everyone you have relationships with? How can you create a better experience for you and them? How can you transform this world more, leave a stronger legacy, and play all in on a deeper level? Even when we live our passions daily, it's easy to make them vanilla and take all the excitement out of them. Having passion and passion projects in your life are what make life exciting. It's like having those summer romances. It makes you excited for life. Things are electric. And, yes, you need to have that in your life to remind yourself why you're here and, more importantly, change the world, which is why you're here.

No matter what industry you are in, it is easy to feel like your expertise, eye, or mindset will soon be replaced. Automation, AI, and robots - are seemingly looming. The fear of not being wanted has little to do with how we make our living and hits home to our deepest fear - not being needed. The fear of not being needed doesn’t just mean that we won’t have friends. This fear roots back 20,000 years to being kicked out of the “tribe” and, in turn, our death. And though we understand that logically this fear is ungrounded on many levels, it still raises stress and anxiety in us. The simplest way to rest our minds is to look at the proof. No matter what changes are happening in your industry, there is a perspective and insight that you - a human- uniquely has. This insight cannot be replicated and, in turn, is your golden ticket. Now, that is to say that jobs won’t lessen. Of course not, but it is to say that you need to take this time now to become the Olympic athlete of your industry. By owning your innate talent and strengthening your skill set, you will lessen the mental worries about being replaceable. The truth is that you must own your value inside and out so that no one can ever question your worth.