THE BRAND.
[4-minute read]
Authenticity.
This is one of the many captivating words recruiters use to lure us millennials to join their firms. (And, yes I am a millennial. Although born on the cusp in 1995, my poor usage of the latest Generation Z app, TikTok, affirms this).
How many times have you heard the word authenticity or some variation of it? Most of us have indulged in conversations about the importance of uncovering our identity and the benefits of showing up as our authentic selves.
But really, do we know what it means at its core? Are we really being authentic when we say we are being authentic? Or, are we fitting the mold of what people want authenticity to look like?
There's a stark difference between bringing 1) my personal version of my authentic self, 2) my alter ego: Yv-livia Pope and 3) my professional self to the workplace.
Not only do I struggle with doing this, but I also struggle with understanding who that authentic Yvoire is.
Side Note: My alter ego, Yv-livia Pope, stems from the parallelism and similarities of my career with that of Olivia Pope's. I may not be working for the president, and I am not nearly as intense. Buuuuut, it's close enough. I mean, she fixes political situations. I fix government issues and challenges. And, one day, I aim to embody everything that Olivia Pope is. (Minus the president situation, of course).
I call it Olivia Pope-adjacent.
Olivia Pope-adjacent, [/oh-lihv-ee-uh /powp/ /uh-jei-snt/], adjective
A person who acts, talks, and reminds people of Olivia Pope in many aspects; who is not as intense due to the fabricated circumstances of the hit show, Scandal, but works in a similar profession with a similar lifestyle. Additional definition: Olivia Pope embodies strength, resilience, empowerment, and class. This character has become widely watched for her fashion sense and is known as a corporate trendsetter.
As I began thinking about starting my own side business, I knew I needed to define my brand. I researched extensively for ideas about brand and uncovered the development of brand essentials such as brand promise, brand statement, and brand personality.
But, jumping into that didn't feel right. Something else had to come first: establishing how I want to portray myself to my audience.
That person - that version of me - is going to be what people see to influence my brand.
For the past 3 years, I've wandered the halls of corporate America trying to navigate and position myself in the workplace. My greatest challenge being finding a clear voice, my voice. I tried so hard to fit into the culture of the workplace. I changed the modulation of my voice. I changed the way I dress. I became demure. Shiiiii, I even moderated my make-up.
The Yvoire at work was a different Yvoire than I knew myself to be. I didn't realize that trying so hard to act and fit a certain mold was only pushing myself further away from accomplishing my initial objective of fitting in.
And I tell you, it’s exhausting.
Note to self: Remember when Drake said "pray the fakes get exposed"?….Yeahhhhhhh….
With wanting to start a business, I now feel like I have the freedom to create the space to completely show up as my true self…by building a brand.
However, the person, the mind, behind a brand isn't always necessarily the face of a brand. And, in most cases, they aren't. A brand is composed mainly of communications. Communications such as expression, creation of products and solutions, statements, and reactions.
Here again, I struggle. I keep asking myself:
What is a brand anyway?
How do I create one?
How can I create a brand that is authentic to me?
But, then again, I do know what a successful brand looks like.
Glossier
LuluLemon
Fenty Beauty
Spanx
And as a woman, it can be harder to penetrate this space. We are raised to be so careful, often meticulous, about what we say and how we carry ourselves.
This caution and natural fear of being critiqued and judged danced unconsciously in my head. It plays an important role, but what is even more important is recognizing that stigma to lift the weight that holds me back. I need everything I desire to pour into my brand.
Jeff Bezos once said, "A successful brand is what people say about the business when you are not in the room…[The] brand for a company is like a reputation for a person." Point blank, period.
So here I am thinking….
What would be the close out slogan in my venture's commercial if I bought a 30-second slot during the Superbowl?
What would the movie title be if my venture were turned into a documentary?
What 5 words would someone use to describe my venture?
Moreover, there are inputs for linear equations to creating a successful brand that I need to figure out.
Equation #1: Brand = Outline the benefits + Demonstrate key differentiators (from competitors and other market players) + Define the target audience
Equation #2: What you say about and intend for your brand = What consumers say and think about your brand
Unlike the way I've previously conducted my work life, I do not want to over-allocate my energy into creating a brand that is not reflective of me at my core. More so, creating an authentic brand makes it easier to ideate, create and innovate to formulate a better brand and business.
When I think about my authentic self, I think about who I am and how I act around the people I love the most.
Am I…
Introverted or extroverted?
Mysterious or forward?
Classic or Avant Garde?
Sophisticated or girl-next-door?
Modern or traditional?
What parts of me did I want to demonstrate through the brand?
Stuck again. This is almost as hard as the Harry Potter "This or That" Instagram challenge. Sometimes, I'm somewhere in between the two extremities and sometimes I'm completely one-sided.
It has taken me many days to go through and refine this process to understand the words I want to use to define myself, to align to my values and goals, and to translate through my business brand.
I believe, though, that there is a balance in all aspects of life. Ying and Yang. Ratchet and Righteous. Biggie and Tupac. Beyonce and Nicki. However, we should never be limited to the definitive ends to which words oppose each other. We should not be forced to select one of two mutually exclusive circumstances. It's a spectrum, and the spectrum can be interpreted anyhow you choose to create and identify who, how and what best defines you and your [business] brand.
At the end of the day, as for me and my brand, we are Olivia Pope-adjacent: strong, resilient, empowering and classy.
And, there's no limit to what your brand can be. You first just need to identify what you want it to be - in its raw, authentic form.
Lots of love,
Yv