3 Things to Consider When You’re Stuck with Your Branding
Starting something is always the toughest thing to do. It’s a lot easier when you’ve gained some momentum.
Whether it is a new business, weight loss program, personal brand, side project or whatever else you fancy, the start is always the toughest step.
There are a lots of advice out there that goes in the general direction of Nike’s slogan i.e. Just Do It.
I would say that is one of the extreme viewpoints. It’s great of course because it’ll prompt you to take immediate action to just start.
What’s the other extreme? Overthinking and overplanning without taking any action whatsoever.
As with many other things in life, the middle way is often the best. A good balance between taking action when there’s enough thought and initial strategy put into the endeavour.
A good place to start thinking about what you’re about to do is to really look at the purpose of why you’re doing what you do. The Why — one of the hardest questions to answer for any business. However, if you manage to articulate your purpose in such clarity that it could even be inspirational and serve as a rally call for others to join your cause… and of course, you have to truly believe in it… then I think you’ve got a good start.
Defining your purpose
The purpose has to be a few things in trait:
Strong — it must resonate and occupy your mind at all times, almost like you can’t do anything without thinking of it.
Clear — you can string your thoughts into words and convey what it is you believe in, to someone other than yourself. In other words, articulate your purpose.
Unmovable — picture yourself in a situation that might be completely different from where you are today. Would you still believe in what you believe in right now? Would you still serve the same purpose?
Aligned (with your worldview) — your purpose would tie in to what you believe in as a human being, as a member of humanity. It aligns with how you see the world and how you see yourself fitting in. It’s in line with your vision of Utopia, so to speak.
If you can forge a purpose that has the above attributes then you have a weapon you can use in the darkest of times or brightest of moments in this journey of entrepreneurship (or whatever you’re embarking on)
Should you tell people what you’re starting up?
Different schools of thought here… But I’m quite a believer of the opinion that you should not tell too many people about your intentions.
You see, the human mind seeks gratification, validation, and acknowledgement.
If you tell people about your project, and eloquently conveyed the purpose so much so that they express their full support and admiration, you might be tricking yourself to a sense of achievement or completion, when in actual fact, you’ve barely started.
Their well wishes might just be your downfall.
I would suggest you internalise your purpose, strengthen your resolve, and start taking small but exact actions that will move you closer and closer to your goals.
Yes, I believe in starting as soon as you can. But don’t start big as a first step. Here’s what I mean by that:
Say you’re super excited about this new business idea. My idea of starting with small steps would be to first get validation for that idea. Your initial hustle of getting in front of certain individuals that you should be shortlisting as people that may help dissect, examine and hopefully validate idea, should be your first few steps.
Putting your life savings to hire a team of developers to build your app, without even validating or testing the idea, is a poor decision.
Plan as you gain momentum.
As you start to see more validation for your idea, or initial take ups began to increase, you should then go back to strategy. Consult with a trusted brand and business consultant to iron out the details in your execution plan.
As you execute, you will receive valuable feedback and data from various sources that should help you adjust trajectory or make necessary changes to your business.
Don’t overthink.
Here’s the extreme in the opposite spectrum from the ‘Just Do It’ mindset.
Overconsulting, overstrategizing, overthinking and overplanning will do you no good as you might just be building up your anxiety and resistance to action.
Remember, balance is the key.
Try to form a strong, clear and unmovable purpose, then start taking actions using that as a compass to navigate the terrain.
I wish you all the best in starting whatever it is you wish to start — and I hope you and your idea will stand a chance to impact the world positively.
