CORPORATE GREED WINS OVER HUMAN RIGHTS – AGAIN

Elections ask the fundamental question: what do you care about? And the message from this election is clear.

Money wins.

The majority of voters in America demonstrated that they care more about paying less for a box of cereal than they do about women dying. They don’t care about politicians and evangelicals thinking they know more than doctors. They don’t care about women being stripped of their agency and bodily autonomy. They don’t care about women. Even the majority of women don’t care about women.

I didn’t need this election to tell me that. Women don’t have equal rights in the United States. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed in 1972, only fully ratified in 2020, and still isn’t a part of our Constitution. I’ll give you one guess as to which President blocked it. And there’s no rioting in the streets.

The real kicker here is that MONEY DOESN’T EVEN EXIST. It hasn’t been backed by the gold standard since 1971. It’s just metal, paper, and numbers on a screen that’s only backed by collective belief. And that belief is powered by survival instinct. It puts power and control into the hands of those who have it and takes it away from those who don’t. It’s why free markets and trickle-down economics don’t work. They make the rich richer and the young, the old, the poor, and the sick even more vulnerable. Survival of the fittest. Good luck.

Most people believe their way through life rather than acknowledge the hard truths of what money (as power and control) actually creates in their own backyards. War. Climate change. Sex trafficking. Kids in cages. Women dying because doctors aren’t legally allowed to treat them. The rich don’t have to think about those things. Their money gives them a get out of jail free card – which means they will never experience the consequences or bear responsibility for their choices. We do.

From my perspective, this election has never been about Republicans and Democrats. It’s always been about the 1% owning the news, fueling fear, and dividing our country to gain even more wealth, power, and control for themselves. They think they know more about the purpose of our lives than we do. Human beings are resources to be used as workers, consumers, and soldiers – and let’s not forget baby-makers because America is famous for burning resources out of existence. And people don’t want to be unplugged from The Matrix. They make fear of the unknown bigger and more powerful than themselves.

For decades, the legal system has been manipulated to give corporations more power and control over individuals. Little by little, they are being unshackled from limitations related to political spending, the corporate tax rate, and pesky regulations related to public health and safety. And without limitations, they can charge whatever they want for that box of cereal. And they have. Since the Pandemic, unchecked corporate price gouging has been impacting the American wallet far more than inflation, but no one wants to believe it. The Republican party has always been a tool for big business. And now, without any checks or balances, all bets are off. This election is the most expensive box of cereal ever purchased and the cost will be in lives.

Women are vulnerable. Without equality and equity, we have always been at a strategic disadvantage. Before 1974, we couldn’t get a credit card in our own name. And when a man co-signed for us, it increased his credit score, not ours. We weren’t allowed to have one. Even today, women have a lower lifetime earning potential than men. Take the gender pay gap, for example. Extrapolate it over a 45-year career, without any retroactive adjustments, women earn just under $1.5 million dollars that they will never receive, can’t save, invest or accrue compound interest over time. That’s a lot of money women are leaving on the table. Why give women equal pay though, when we work just as hard without it? In our earn and deserve judgment culture, blame and shame keeps us on the hamster wheel.

And did you know that marriage is just a legal contract tying you and your husband together financially? Once married, all the money you earn will also be his. It doesn’t matter who earned it or whose name is on the bank account. Historically, marriage made women property. And even though that isn’t the case anymore, it is still used for control. And in this day and age, it’s sold to women as love. Isn’t it crazy how love and control can get so confused? The only place where women are treated equally in this country is divorce court. So, if you out-earn your husband by working a lot harder for the same buck, it will all be equalized in court. A sweet deal for him and a punishment for you.

We can’t assume the few rights we have gained over the last 50 years are inviolate. No one thought our national abortion rights could be taken away and look how easy it was. It’s a slippery slope and we know where this is going. We can’t change the country, the government, or big business. We can’t change people’s minds. We can create our own FINANCIAL FREEDOM though. When we make FINANCIAL FREEDOM our agenda, we create more opportunities for ourselves. We make more money and we protect it with sole access to our cash, credit, and bank accounts. We fight for our independence and leave anyone or anything that doesn’t value us. And we support all those other women, who feel just as betrayed as we do right now, to do the same.

And we have to DO IT NOW before it’s too late.

So, if you want that raise, promotion, or new job – do it now.

Establish yourself as a leader – do it now.

Start or scale a business – do it now.

Get divorced – do it now. (You know this one is already on the chopping block, right?)

If you are reeling from this election like me, it means we are in the minority. We don’t have to be or act small though. Living through this means we have to make ourselves so big, everything else (including this election) is small in comparison. We have to silence the inner critics, get out of fight-flight-freeze-fawn, and DO IT NOW. We need to find one another, connect, create alliances, and support one another. Working together is how we are individually and collectively empowered. And when I say support, I don’t mean superficial words and a pat on the back. We need to walk our talk by showing up for each other and connecting each other with opportunity.

So, if you care about what I’ve written, don’t just read it and move on. Please like, share, and comment. (Do you realize how much that means to small business owners?) Be a part of this conversation. This is your invitation. My door is open.

I want women to win.

That’s what I care about.

Originally published on LinkedIn on 11/7/2024.

 

THE 3 KEY ELEMENTS OF A REVENUE-GENERATING BRAND

Personal brand? Professional brand? It’s all the same when you’re trying to get that raise, promotion or put your business on the map. Most people mistakenly think that a brand is just a logo or visual identity.

It’s not. Or they think that they are supposed to do what traditional, transaction-based marketing says, which is: identify your target market/niche, figure out what THEY want, be THAT and then sell it to them. In both cases, you’d be missing out on an opportunity to create an authentic and resonant relationship with your ideal clients.

Watch my video to learn my perspective on The 3 Key Elements Of A Revenue-Generating Brand and use it to start crafting yours!

10 BEST PRACTICES FOR BRAND DEVELOPMENT & STRATEGY

Brand development and strategy are equally heart and science.

It is created from, and centered in, who you authentically are to communicate your value proposition to the world. It is an invitation to the specific people for whom it is most resonant and relevant. You don’t have to guess what they feel, think or want. You already know when your brand is based on key experiences from your own life. When authenticity and purpose drives brand development and strategy, you’ve said goodbye to imposter syndrome and are inviting your “just right” audience to know you. And your success in creating that level of connection is proven every time complete strangers engage with your brand because they feel they already do.

1. Identify Your Unique Value Proposition

What matters most to you? What do you stand for? What sets you apart from the competition? What are your core values and strengths? What experience(s) inform your unique perspective? What are you promising to current and prospective clients?

2. Know Your Target Audience

Who is your ideal client? What is their connection to what matters to you? What experience are they in right now that mirrors one of yours? What do you know about them, their needs, interests and pain points based on your own experience? What else connects you to them?

3. Develop Your Brand Strategy

Your brand voice communicates the personality, inflection, tone and urgency of your message to create connection with your target audience, It comes from that deeply vulnerable part of you that was formed from your key experience(s). And it speaks YOUR truth based on what you felt when you were in that key experience and what you now know.

4. Choose Your Brand Identity

Choose the most resonant visual representation of your brand’s personality, voice and vibe. Visual elements, such as logo, colors and fonts, are designed to be used across all formats, channels and platforms to create, expand and promote brand recognition, connection and engagement. Document guidelines for the key elements of your brand identity to ensure cross-platform consistency, which is essential for conveying reliability and building trust.

5. Build Your Brand Story

Your brand story is a narrative that engages your audience and connects them to your purpose and brand promise. It is authentic, compelling and emotionally resonant. It clearly defines why your value proposition is relevant for your “just right” audience.

6. Establish A Strong Online Presence

Create a clear, streamlined and structured experience for you audience in all  of their touch points with you through brand-aligned content, website copy and social media posts.

7. Use Social Media To Expand Brand Awareness, Recognition + Engagement

Market to those who already know you. Next, leverage social media to expand your reach with content strategies designed for the platforms your audience uses the most.

8. Deliver Quality Content

Brand-aligned and value-added content is essential for positioning you as an expert, building trust, establishing your thought leadership and engaging your audience. Content strategies typically include blogs, social media posts, videos, interviews, podcasts and other formats.

9. Monitor Your Brand Reach + Your Brand Reputation

Establish the metrics and data sources you will use to consistently test your brand message, identity and reach. Pay attention to what is being said about your brand online. Respond quickly and professionally to all feedback, both positive and negative. And actively solicit feedback from your current client base to ensure you are delivering on your brand promise.

10. Stay True To You

Your authenticity, purpose and core values, as the basis of your brand, serve as your true north for all of your business decisions from marketing and sales through product/service development and delivery. They differentiate you to more quickly connect with and engage your target audience. And consistent delivery on your brand promise creates and reinforces the required trust necessary for sustainable growth and long-term success.

THE 6 TRAITS OF A SUCCESSFUL BRAND

You are communicating ALL THE TIME, whether you realize it or not.

And if you aren’t clear what you are communicating, you are letting the world around you guess and decide what you and your business are all about. Your brand is the foundation of your business. It’s how you show up, interact, communicate and connect. It tells your target audience who you are, what you stand for and why it’s relevant to them. It differentiates your voice in the midst of all the messaging noise that bombards us every day so your audience can easily and confidently CHOOSE YOU. And choice is power, right? These are the top 6 traits of a successful brand. How does YOURS stack up?

1. It’s Authentic

What does it take for a brand to be truly authentic? It requires that you know what’s most important to you. Authenticity is experiential. It is the basis of what makes things meaningful. It comes from what is so meaningful to YOU, it drives your passion and dedication with a singular focus. When it matters to YOU, it most certainly matter to others with similar experiences. Your brand is your purpose, your cause and your rallying cry asking others to join you in the revolution! You need to believe it first before anyone else will.

2. It’s Succinct

In today’s busy world, the most powerful messages are sound bites. Remember, you are competing for people’s attention. So, your brand message needs to be just that. A bite. One succinct bite to taste and decide right away if you want more. Anything larger feels like commitment and will turn people away from exploring any further. It’s a creative challenge to condense what is most important to you, but it is well worth it to offer your target audience a message that is immediately clear. So, make that small bite as tasty as possible!

3. It’s Relevant

There are two ways to think about relevance. The first is that your brand message is meaningful to your target audience because they are experiencing what you describe. They “get it” because they are in the midst of it. And when you describe their experience back to them (because you know it so well), they will see you as the expert. The second part of relevance is that your brand message is current and timely. It needs to speak to what your audience is experiencing RIGHT NOW. When crafting your brand, look at it through the eyes of your audience. What do you want them to think, know and believe about you and your business? What makes it important and meaningful to THEM?

4. It’s Resonant

Your brand message is a radar ping that you send out into the world. Resonance is when that ping comes back to you. It’s a recognition of being in tune and on the same frequency with your target audience. It is validation that your message was understood and worthy of response. Resonance is created from your passion and purpose and is mirrored in how your target audience FEELS. Your brand message is a vehicle for creating resonance in a way that inspires immediate action. So, what do you feel about your authentic purpose? What do you want your audience to feel? They are the same.

5. It’s Differentiated

Your experience, your perspective, your voice is unique. And you need to make sure that your brand message reflects it with unique differentiation. Look at everyone else in your space. What are they saying? How are they saying it? What makes YOUR message stand out? What can you do to bring your personality into your message in a way that allows others to know you? Tapping into what is unique about you and using it in your brand message is the key to differentiation. It’s already yours, so own it. Let yourself stand out from the crowd!

6. It’s Referable

Authentic. Succinct. Relevant. Resonant. Differentiated. When you get these 5 traits right, they automatically add up to equal the sixth. Referable. Your target audience will be so excited about what you offer, they will tell everyone else about it. And because your brand message is clear and succinct, it’s easy to remember and pass on to others. Referrals come before revenue and they are the first key measure of a successful brand. Craft the message. Let your audience communicate it. Expand your reach.

OWN YOUR UNIQUE VOICE

I want you to know that your voice is unique in this world and that’s because YOU are unique in this world.

There’s never been anyone like you on this planet and there never will be.

So, regardless of whether it was you or someone else who constructed the “story,” the “narrative,” the storyteller inherently leaves a mark on how that story is told, but not necessarily a lasting one.

Think about it all those productions of Shakespeare throughout time. Same words, completely different interpretations, through voice, which is created from among other things, perspective.

Perspective is past memory combined with knowledge that you gain through experience combined with imagination.

Future fear. Future desire. And then we throw in some other things like inflection, tone, accent, rhythm, pace, volume, feeling, physical expression.

All of that makes your voice unique which makes your interpretation of that story unique.

You are in control of all of that. It’s also the basis for things like method acting, politics, PR, marketing, media. But I want you to know … you have a voice. It is unique to you.

Let’s make it count.

THE TOP 7 WAYS TO QUICKLY BUILD KNOW – LIKE – TRUST

“Know-Like-Trust” is the relationship bridge between you and your “just-right” audience.

It defines the experience you and your audience think you are choosing, as well as the one you and your audience actually have. Ideally, those two experiences are in alignment. Creating “Know-Like-Trust” starts with you. It is based on what you know about yourself that is created from experience. We also call that “brand.” And when communicated, your brand message shares what you know about your past experience to mirror what your “just right” audience feels in theirs right now. And that felt resonance creates “Know-Like-Trust” to validate your brand message and power your business.

1. Authenticity
Be authentic in your marketing, communication and client engagements. Sincerity (and the lack thereof) is sensed and felt. You want your “just right” audience to know and trust you based on the resonance they feel with both your brand message and brand promise (created from your perspective of your experience and your definition of your value).

2. Trust
Trust is the foundation of all successful relationships. And consistency of brand identity and message, as well as delivery of your brand promise, is the key to building it. So, prioritize brand consistency and frequency across all touchpoints, channels and interactions. Trust yourself first to model, inspire and establish your “just right” audience’s trust in you.

3. Thought Leadership
When you position yourself as an expert, you are using what you know from your own experience to more quickly connect and engage with your “just right” audience, who are in a similar experience right now. You use the learning and knowledge gained from that experience to create your value proposition, brand and brand promise. And you communicate, share, re-purpose and reinforce it through your content and marketing strategy. Content channels (such as blogs, webinars, interviews, articles, etc.) provide critical metrics for business development and strategy, while also potentially identifying areas of growth and/or new revenue streams. Be authentic in your marketing, communication and client engagements. Sincerity (and the lack thereof) is sensed and felt. You want your “just right” audience to know and trust you based on the resonance they feel with both your brand message and brand promise (created from your perspective of your experience and your definition of your value).

4. Personalization
Personalize your communications (email, social media, website copy) to grab the attention of your “just right” audience and more quickly connect and engage them with your brand. Speak directly to them. Use their name. Tell them what you know about their current experience based on what you know from your similar, previous one.

5. Value
Embed your value into every part of your marketing and engagement cycles. Offer value-added content as part of your marketing strategy to reinforce your expert positioning and give your brand credibility with your “just right” audience. Define a value-based engagement structure that outlines clear scope and provides social proof to validate your brand promise. Everything comes full circle with value being the through-line of your brand and business.

6. Social Proof
Build mechanisms for soliciting social proof (feedback, reviews and testimonials) into your client engagements. Use them (as well as client case studies) as a consistent part of your marketing strategy to promote your brand message, establish credibility and build trust.

7. Relationship
Creating long-term, positive relationships takes a lot of intention. So, prioritize it. Know what you want people to feel in every interaction with your brand. Ensure every touch-point is brand-aligned and valuable. Respond warmly, quickly and professionally. Embrace that your clients always have a choice. So, make working with you an easy one.

WHAT DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOSE?

You want to make change in your life … but you don’t. Why? What do you really have to lose? Believing you have anything to lose by moving forward … in any way… will actually stop you from moving forward at all.  This is why most people don’t go after what they want in life. They are convinced that any attempt to make their life better will actually cause them to lose something. And then, by letting their fear stop them, they actually are losing with missed opportunities and experiences that would grow them.

What is risk? How do you define it? How has risk been a part of your life? Every one has a different relationship with risk. And yet, there are several common elements. Firstly, risk is always giving you a future scenario. And you are powerless in the future. You aren’t there yet. And it tells you that everything around you is more powerful than you. It takes your power out of the equation completely. So, you need to be present … here … now … to fully own your power and know in your heart that you are in control. Secondly, fear is ALWAYS the voice of your fear … never one of knowledge.

The metaphor I like to use when talking about risk is this … you are standing on a sidewalk and want to cross the street. The voice of your fear tells you … Don’t! Don’t step off the curb! You’ll get hit by a bus!. Whereas, the voice of your inner wisdom tells you … Go ahead! Just look both ways! You’ll be fine. So, try to identify the voice of your inner wisdom. Believe in your own power to create what you want. And then, there won’t be any risk. Every one has a different relationship with risk. Redefining what risk really is for you will change your relationship with for the better.