Do you find it almost impossible to explain everything that you do while holding a wine glass in one hand and a chicken skewer in another? Do you have three different business cards, five Facebook groups, and three pages. Who are you? How do you answer, “What do you do?”
Which one of you do you lead with?
It used to be complicated to be a mere hyphenate– a writer-director. Or a slash– actor/bartender. But now, many of us are made up of multiple streams.
It’s not that easy to pour it all into one hopper and come up with a single empire– one bright, shiny apple, that no matter where someone takes a bite, it’s still you.
It starts with an old-school business card. An actual printed card. Getting it down to one card is the challenge.
Last night, this boomer went to see JD McPherson at the Teragram Ballroom in L.A. I watched the five guys beaver away at their Rockabilly, but what I saw was one band, one brand, one name. And JD McPherson used to be a middle-school teacher. Talk about branding challenges.
Then it occurred to me; maybe the entrepreneurial women I know, like me, who play with a lot of ingredients in this life are looking for our overarching, solo brand in the wrong places.
Maybe we should stop thinking of ourselves as a small business brand and start thinking of ourselves as a talent brand… or a huge corporate brand. We’re not small business. We’re people with projects and profit centers.
Look at how bands brand themselves. No matter who comes in or out of the band, the band is still the band. An actor is still a single actor no matter how many parts she plays. What she does have is a head shot and a composite– one photo that shows multiple looks and a list of everything she can do on the back. Not a bad idea.
Recommendation? Get a head shot.
Even though you may not be an actor, you need one. A head shot is the new logo. (And I never thought I’d be pro headshot on a business card.) But people are starting to remember people as brand conglomerates, and your photo will help them remember you.
Your solo brand and card can simply be your name and selected contact identifiers. Your roster of projects and the various pieces of your business enterprise can exist peacefully, not frantically, in some other universe, like on your website. They can come and go and be like buttons, whether real or in your mind.
Take a look at the giant corporate players, and see how they collect brands.
Why not you?
You can be work-at-home woman, lead singer in a band, short-film producer and fold all of that under your name. One headshot. One business card. Boom.
Next time someone asks you, “What do you do?” Just say, “I’m extremely busy being me.” Or try one of my favorites, “I’m a mogul.” Seriously, it’s a good icebreaker. Or you can answer, “For money or passion?” That always starts a conversation.
Since MOO is having a sale, I’m thinking about reducing my business-card load to one. Here’s the rough cut.
Brook Dougherty
E: newfeministeconomy@gmail.com
Blog: Brookdougherty.com
Money Biz: beautycounter.com/brookdougherty