You are your brand. ‘Selling’ your product to people with the sole intent to make money will mean you come up really short. ‘Selling’, in the traditional sense, is only effective a small portion of the time. As someone that has a business making other people’s businesses shine, we see first hand the dos and don’ts of Living your Brand.

DO be obsessed with the details. What makes you better than your competitor up the road? Pick a niche and stick to it.

DON’T do things you don’t specialize in…period. Find partners you can refer to and be part of the journey with them and the client.

DO have non-negotiables. Make a list of all the things you would NEVER negotiate on. And never do them…under any circumstances…ever.

DON’T stop learning. Maybe something you couldn’t offer a customer yesterday is something that you can learn and will thrive at tomorrow.

DO tell stories. We often talk about this but storytelling is in our DNA. Regardless of the industry, showing people who you are as a person/family/community member matters a lot more than you may think.

DON’T be negative. No one likes a ‘negative Nelly’, even if you disguise it as ‘helpful gossip’. (However, ironically, negativity is okay when it comes to your non-negotiables. We will NEVER…)

Living your Brand means that other people can feel your passion for your brand in a palpable way. It isn’t bragging or sleazy selling. It is just being as excited about your business as your mom might be if one of her kids won the national spelling bee.