Today we are answering the question on every entrepreneur’s mind: What’s the best success strategy for a new brand in a post-pandemic marketplace? And for this unique episode, instead of giving a list of things you should do, I’m going to give you the #1 thing you should NOT do, so your path is clear to Come Out of Nowhere. And stick around, because at the end of this episode I’m also going to give an exclusive link to The Answer Key for Passing the Blink Test, which is the first make it or break it branding test that every brand must pass in order to Come Out of Nowhere in 2021.
In today’s digital market, Brands that don’t live up to their emotional story are deleted from sight within the first 3-5 seconds. Researchers have dubbed it “The Blink Test”. It sounds a little scary, but it is actually necessary for anyone- for me, you, and for every digital consumer on the planet just to be able to navigate the internet at all! Understanding that the emotion, the vibe within the community your brand is cultivating, needs to come through in those first few seconds, (Boom! Name! Tagline! Logo!); possessing this knowledge can be an edge above the rest.
It’s the first bullseye we aim for as a brand, and getting it just right takes focus, inspiration, and dedication, and it all comes down to love. The love you have for what you do.
Taking the leap to spearhead your own brand, means you are ready to do what you love. Congratulations on making that first, very daring and exciting step toward loving what you do! You couldn’t have come at a more important moment of our history.
In 2021, the opportunities for entrepreneurs to Become an Inspiration to Millions have skyrocketed because the pandemic up-ended life as we know it. And as we all work together to collectively heal—we are realizing that many things will never be the same. And one thing in particular has shifted drastically: People are now going to be expecting a lot more from their relationships with the brands they support.
You can feel it can’t you… And you can feel it because entrepreneurs are experts in human happiness! Did you know that about yourself? Now you do. Pretty cool right? Step into that. You are an expert in human happiness. Feels good doesn’t it?
The product or service you are striving to bring into existence is going to make people’s lives better. You’ve identified a need within humanity, and you have a calling to meet that need. That’s pretty amazing. I want you to answer that call, So on that note, let’s get right into it so you can soar past them on your journey to Becoming an Inspiration to Millions. (Yay!)
The #1 Thing You Should NOT Do as an Entrepreneur is: Not Do What You Love
Look, when it comes to being an entrepreneur there really is no such thing as failure. There really isn’t, so you can just let that fear go now. As an entrepreneur, your path to success is largely unmapped, and trial and error is vital to your process. That’s just facts, okay? Mistakes are not failures for a new entrepreneur because mistakes provide useful information that become stepping stones. Of course, whenever we can avoid mistakes, or better yet—learn from someone else’s mistakes—then it’s like, “Okay great, let’s do THAT instead,” right? Which is why I am putting today’s episode out there for you, so you can avoid this major mistake that many entrepreneurs are making in 2021. But there will still be mistakes! Don’t worry about it. Mistakes are part of the entrepreneurial process that will lead you to success.
In fact, there is only ONE way for an entrepreneur to truly fail—And that is to give up!
Winston Churchill once said, “Success consists of moving from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
And so, how do we sustain that level of enthusiasm when the first few years of breaking into entrepreneurship so often feels like you’re mainly just working to overcome obstacle after obstacle, one right after the next?
The answer is to: Love What You Do, and Love How You Do It.
Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
So let’s talk about love, shall we? When a person we love needs our help, we will cross oceans. Move mountains. Scoff in the face of unimaginable odds, and believe fiercely and unwaveringly that things can and will get better. We don’t give up, and we don’t give in—Because LOVE is the most resilient force on Earth, love is indomitable, and love is the ultimate motivator.
I always tell my clients, “If it ain’t got heart, go back to the start.” Because without that love, you’ll end up back at square one anyway.
SO MANY entrepreneurs make the mistake of not doing what they love by chasing down an idea that they think people want, but they don’t really have any personal passion behind their efforts apart from— “I think this idea will sell.”
Look, Chia Pets were an idea that sold. Pet Rocks were an idea that sold. ANY idea, when there is enthusiasm, love, and authenticity in the branding message—Can be a million dollar idea. And any million dollar idea that is pursued without love, without authenticity—can wind up losing more money than it creates because when the challenges of succeeding as an entrepreneur inevitably begin to crop up, most find it near impossible to see it through without that incredible invincible love to use as rocket fuel to keep going. So they burn out. They become discouraged. They lose heart and walk away. They quit before the miracle happens. And it’s so unfortunate to think of how many people’s lives could have been enhanced or improved by the entrepreneur’s original innovations if they’d only tapped into the tremendous staying power of love to keep them pushing onward.
When an entrepreneur gives up, the entire world misses out.
Actually, that reminds me of another Winston Churchill quote for you! “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
It takes courage to be an entrepreneur. It takes heart to be an expert in human happiness. So the first and most vital thing you can give yourself when daring to take an entrepreneurial journey, is to name the higher purpose that you are striving towards.
Thank you so much for joining me! If you enjoyed this blog post, I release new videos every Tuesday and Thursday on FB and IG, so follow me, or subscribe to my YouTube channel, and keep treating these episodes as a masterclass for becoming an Inspiration to Millions with Branding. And as always the way to becoming an Inspiration to Millions starts with our motto: Love What You Do and Love How You Do It.
P.S. If you’d like to watch this entire episode, we have it linked for you at the top of this page.