"Can I have my cake and eat it too?"
The copywriter on the other end of the Zoom audience research call I was conducting was wrestling with something I've seen lurking in my SEO research for years...
A question and struggle that has come up time and time again—collecting digital dust under my content ideas tab in Notion.
How to balance your personal & professional brand.
More specifically: Whether to build a polished, "professional" business brand that appeals to established, "luxury" clients? Or to lean into a personal brand that makes marketing & content more fun?
Spoiler alert: You don't have to choose
Let me back up a bit... About a month ago, I wrote a whole issue of the weekly drop-in about building in public and making your audience part of the conversation.
[And if you missed that one, you can catch the IG version here or dive into the full newsletter here.]
Since then, I've been practicing what I preach, conducting research interviews with brands who are either considering or in the early stages of a rebrand or strategic pivot.
(If that's you and you want to connect - you can click here to get on my research roster)
Why? Because before I finalize the messaging for my 1:1 strategy & design services, I wanted to really understand what's keeping the multi-faceted founders like you up at night.
THE THING that you can't seem to figure out on your own.
And that's how I found myself in this conversation that hit right at my sweet spot—finding the balance between personal branding and professional positioning.
That fine line where your multi-faceted nature is on display as the magic that makes your brand different & desirable.
Because at the end of the day, your brand's job is to help your audience do three things:
- To recognize you
- To remember you
- To want to buy from you
That research call confirmed what I've always believed (but hadn't been too chicken to talk about in my content).
You CAN have your cake and eat it too.
You CAN evolve the brand you already have to feel more personal... and Brand Storytelling is the first place to start.
Making Your Brand Personal Without Losing Your Professional Positioning
My idea of heaven on earth is sitting around a campfire and telling stories with friends, recounting…
Stories are human connection. They have been how we share since the start of time.
Stories feel personal and build emotional connections in a very impersonal online world.
Because you choose the version of the story you tell and how personal you want to get—your brand's stories are the foundation of your positioning and what makes building a professional personal brand possible.
The Strategic Storytelling Framework
When I work with brands one-on-one, having them share their stories helps me become a better designer and create more personal brands for them. Here are the three stories we work on together.
(I'm purposely not mentioning the exact names of what offers yet—because I'm a perfectionist and haven't 100% nailed them down, but depending on the client, Brand Story work can come into play for both strategy & design offers. March availability for 1:1 is listed at the end of this newsletter.)
1. The Founding Story
AKA: The "why you" story
- The moment you realized something had to change
- The unique journey that led you here
- The problem you couldn't ignore anymore
2. The Value Story
AKA: The transformation story
- The before → after journey
- Real results and impact
- Your unique approach in action
3. The Purpose Story
AKA: The bigger mission story
- Your vision beyond the day-to-day
- The change you want to create
- Why this work matters
In last week's newsletter, I shared that Brand Storytelling is one of the foundations that come before positioning—stories help you to:
- Position yourself as an expert while staying authentic to whatever road got you here
- Pick & choose the personal facets you want to make a part of your brand
- Build connections while maintaining professionalism
- Market your brand in a way that feels natural, human, and more creatively inspired
Here's the exact template that my 1:1 clients use ↓
This free Notion template walks you through creating all three core stories, complete with:
- Guided prompts for each story type
- The exact framework I use with my 1:1 clients
- Tips for finding the right personal/professional balance
And because I believe in giving credit where it's due—this framework was inspired by Kindra Hall's amazing book "Stories That Stick," which I highly recommend.
(Both the audio and paper versions are excellent, as they're packed with examples of each type of story)
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FROM THE STACK
my plan for a "feel good" February
This is always a lower energy time of the year, but it's also the time I start to put my goals for the new year into action. Here's exactly what i'm doing to feel good & fuel my creativity this month.
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FROM THE BLOG
Brand Strategy Framework
An in-depth breakdown of everything that goes into a comprehensive brand strategy, including my step-by-step process & AI prompts.
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FROM THE ARCHIVE
the brand foundations that come before positioning
When properly developed, brand foundations provide the clarity you need to position your brand effectively & sell its offers.
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