Your brand is not your identity.
And this is something this industry needs to talk more about. Read on…
By Rachel Cutrer
Let’s do a little experiment: Pick up your favorite breed publication. Flip through the pages and count how many headlines or ad themes focus around “the brand.”
The brand that means something.
The brand of champions.
The brand of success.
The winners brand.
Demand the brand.
The brand you trust.
The brand of excellence.
The brand of quality.
The brand of the century.
The brand of the decade.
The brand of the year.
Brand this. Brand that.
When I was a teenager, my dream outfit was a blouse from Guess, a pair of Girbaud jeans, and a Dooney and Burke purse. This was approximately 1990. 7th grade. If I could just get that look, I’d achieve the teenage dream.
I also remember the exact time I heard of Abercrombie and Fitch. It was my first day of college and my roommate plastered their shopping bags with the hot shirtless guy all over our dorm walls. That weekend, I went to the mall and bought an Abercrombie t shirt.
How many of these brands are still as hot today? How many of you are beating down the doors to buy Abercrombie t shirts?
The point is – brands come and go. Brand popularity comes and goes. Old brands can lose touch and new brands can emerge with cooler vibes.
But, there’s got to be more than just your “brand.” Todays consumer has gotten smarter, more tools are available to help people buy cattle, social media exists, and, simply saying you have a “brand” means nothing anymore.
There has to be quality behind that brand.
Let’s pull out that magazine again. Everyone says they they have integrity. Everyone says they produce winners. Everyone says they “cull hard so you don’t have to.” Everyone says they breed for cow families. Everyone says they breed for bull power. Words, brands, the same old phrases over and over again.
Let’s talk about the actual product.
I find it funny that a lot of times people in the purebred livestock business like to copy mainstream brands. Go to www.LouisVuitton.com. Nowhere do they mention their brand. Nowhere do they say “Louis Vuitton is the best purse.” “Louis Vuitton is the best brand.” “Louis Vuitton has great service.” “Louis Vuitton is the most expensive purse.”
They don’t have to. Because their products speak for themselves. When you go to the Louis Vuitton website, it’s simple. Everyone knows and recognizes their LV pattern but you don’t even see that anywhere on this website. They don’t brag about themselves, because they don’t have to.
You are more than your brand. If you are a child of God, your identity is already set. And it’s more valuable than any banner, any buckle, or any brand.
-Rachel Cutrer
The next thing I want to say is that YOU as a person are more powerful and more important than any brand. I talk with at least 10 prospective clients a week and they’re all saying the same thing – “I’m running myself ragged trying to do everything…to be a ‘boss babe’…to be this social media influencer…trying to build a website for myself using Wix….trying to remember to make a Facebook post…trying to remember to post something on Instagram…trying to figure out what TikTok is. I just can’t do it all! How do you do it?”
The secret is, I don’t do it all. I used to try to do it all, but I realized there is more to life than building your brand. There’s your family. Your life. Your friends. Your church. Your faith. Your hobbies. Your goals. You cannot thrive in a situation where you are working 24/7 all the time trying to do everything. The power of a team is always more powerful than the power of one individual.
A key step is setting your priorities. Set boundaries between your home life and your business life. Family time and work time. Turn off that phone and stop texting about business and enjoy dinner with your family or friends.
Second, realize the value in your own self and your family over your business or the business you work for. Bring in help. One person cannot do everything. That’s where the team at Ranch House Designs can help. Let us worry about updating the security theme on your website. Let us worry about getting your sale pictures up. Just send them to us and let us handle it — so you aren’t staying up 2 hours past everyone else’s bedtime trying to upload them onto a homemade website you’ve been trying to do for the last 12 months.
And finally, realize that in the big scheme of life, your identity is already set, if you are a child of God. What God sees is you as the person, not what brand you are wearing. And he loves and accepts you. Not what logo is on your jacket. Not how many website hits you get or how many followers you have on Instagram. God sees you. He loves you. He thinks you are amazing, no matter what.
When you realize that it’s more about building a great LIFE, rather than a great BRAND, things become a little clearer. Spending time making someone else’s life better is way cooler than talking about how great your brand is.
Here at RHD, we are here to make your life simpler when it comes to promoting your brand and building your business. Let us take some of that stress off you, and let’s schedule a time to talk. Let us give you a free, no obligation consultation to see if we can help you in 2023
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