I say it all the time – your vibe attracts your tribe.
As a business owner, the people you attract to your business are so much more than just another number or subscriber on your list. Each one is a real person to connect with. It’s a brand new relationship to cultivate.
In a previous post, we dug into how to attract your ideal tribe members and how building a tribe full of the wrong people can majorly hinder your business growth. In addition to having a crystal clear picture of who that person is, it’s equally important to consciously show up as the leader of your tribe.
Infusing more of YOU into your brand and consistently representing your values will help you attract AND keep those dream followers who can then become dream clients.
[bctt tweet=”Infusing more of YOU into your brand will help you attract AND keep those dream followers.” username=”imlaurasprinkle”]
I was working with a health coach and, like everybody else in her industry, she was talking about the same old things – wellness, finding balance, yadda yadda. She was blending in rather than standing out from all the others with similar businesses… and she also confessed she was feeling a little bored with her brand.
Hint: If you’re feeling bored with your brand, so will your tribe members!!
I still remember clearly how her eyes lit up when she said, “What I really want to talk about is like hot mama motorcycles and leather.” I was hooked. It didn’t even matter that I wasn’t personally into motorcycles, she instantly became magnetic when she started allowing the real her to show up in her business.
But how do you choose which aspects of yourself to bring into your business and which to leave behind?
Do you focus on your killer collection of records, your fanatical obsession with Star Wars, or the fact you spend every waking minute thinking about your next hiking adventure?
Or maybe you’re wondering what “your thing” even is?
Whichever camp you fall into, my 3-part “find the vibe of your tribe” action plan will help you discover what IT is and how you can infuse it into your brand.
1) Find your obsessions
The first step is to get (re)acquainted with your obsessions.
Not just the things that you kind of like or think will make you look cooler or more interesting. Nope. We’re looking for the can’t-live-without-’em obsessions.
Start by listing all the things you love and enjoy.
Then once you’ve completed your love list – whittle it down to the top one or two.
Leave just the things that you would be completely obsessed with whether or not you had a business.
For example, whether or not I had a business I would be constantly looking up my next big trip, looking up recipes online, and going on adventures every weekend with my husband. These are all things that don’t really have anything to do with my business, but because they’re a part of me, they’re not totally separate from my business either.
2) There’s no need to go overboard (or you can…)
If you’re a little scared of owning your you’isms in your brand, there are two potential options.
You could go balls to the wall and really own it….
OR
You could start inserting in small bits here and there.
So if Star Trek is your secret guilty pleasure, you could start by making a small reference to it and watch how your people react.
You’ll soon realize that (a) you’re not going to die by being yourself and, (b) your people will start responding to your realness.
For myself, even though I don’t have an eco-adventure travel company and it’s not like I’m only going to be talking about going on adventures or sustainability, I WILL talk about it in small ways.
3) Start embodying it NOW
Another thing that’s really important is to start embodying whatever it is NOW.
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Don’t say you’re all about eating clean when a typical dinner involves McDonalds and buckets of beer, just because that seems to be the “in” thing. Likewise, don’t pretend to be all about balance and ease when you’re working 12 hours a day on average.
I’ve seen too many people try this and get it never turns out well. You’ll either get burnt out or found out.
AND, your people will love that you’re real with them about your habits (because they’re real people too and can probably appreciate not having time for organic farm-to-table cooking!).
A cautionary tale:
I have a friend who began making 50K a month. That was amazing but she felt like she was always playing a role (one that wasn’t really her). She was constantly having to do new photoshoots, buy new clothes, and go to the spa in order to maintain her brand. So even though she was making that much money, she was spending even more than that just to maintain her status.
The anxiety she felt over where the money was going to come from, not to mention the inauthenticity she was feeling, wasn’t worth it in the end.
And now that she’s cut that B.S.? She’s making that much just by being herself… and without the overhead so it’s actually POCKETED.
Like Ryan Lee says, “If you don’t lie, you don’t have to keep track of anything.”
Take Action
Choose one personal obsession and slip it into your newsletter or content this week. It doesn’t have be totally original, brilliant, or quirky – it just has to be YOU.
Cheers to your wild success,
