Are You Bailing on Your Success?

Brand Trajectory

This week’s concept is about the entrepreneurial direction or the brand arrow. A few colleagues and I have been kicking around the idea of owning the direction of your arrow. What I mean by that is this. Brands come to us often for a re-brand, or a fine-tuning brand refinement. There’s a huge difference between re-calibration, and the fine-tuning of that arrow by 1, 2, 3 degrees, versus actually redirecting that arrow. What we’re finding is, if there’s a redirection, there’s something else going on as to why you’re re-positioning your arrow’s aim, the line to your target audience, who you serve, and why. This is sometimes fueled by fear, by lack of clarity, but almost, it’s fueled by realizing some level of success.

Abandoning Your Mission

Let me explain what I mean by that. If you actually define your brand, you’ve got some business, you actually are getting success, the entrepreneurial mind says, “Oh that problem is solved. Let me create a new problem. Let me solve a new problem.” As opposed to staying focused on your well earned success trajectory, where you’re supposed to be playing, and where you’re supposed to be serving. By saying, “Let me just shift over here,” you’re actually abandoning your mission. Now, there’s a reason for this. I’m not sure of the specific reason, unless we work with a brand, and uncover what’s cooking underneath. Chances are, the fear of success or the fear of failure, and in this case our brands are hitting success. You are achieving that milestone. So now you may have to take it to the next level, right? With that, as you know, new level, new challenges. New growth, new bravery needs to be sourced. That is the entrepreneurial path. That is the journey. That’s the road that we talk about all the time.

Own Your Arrow

What I’d like to do is ask you to take a look at whether you’re redesigning your services, or you’re re-calibrating, I want you to look at why you are fine-tuning your directional arrow. Own your arrow. Are you shifting because being in the struggle feels safer? That feels less confrontational. What I’d like you to do is to not fool yourself. “Oh no, no, no. It’s because …” A lot of chatter will come up.

What I can say about brand identity, just like personal identity, is it’s hardwired. Who you’re meant to serve, where you’re meant to play is your authentic identity. You will return there. The question is, what will your roller coaster and pattern be, to return and actually step into what you stand for, even more fully? That is my goal for all of us.

Your self-expression is an act of courage. Arrows don’t hit the target from a faulty or a swaying directional. You owe it to yourself to hit the mark, and make the difference you came in to make.