WHEN WE ALMOST CHANGED OUR COMPANY NAME

We are constantly preaching about how you must be different, and say "no" to business outside your niche, if you want a profitable business that attracts clients. We also talk about how this takes guts. And we know because we almost didn't have the guts to do it either!

Clients may not come easy at first.

For the first 3 years of our business, I was constantly pounding the pavement, hoping I’d find new work in the rubble. I networked every day, so I met a lot of people. As a personable, amicable female, people wanted to refer me to their colleagues and bosses.

But many of them seemed to have the same problem:

I just can’t refer “Worstofall Design” to my boss.

What I didn't know then that I know now? They just weren't our clients.
 

Don’t Get Defensive

When I did get referrals, people often introduced my company with an immediate qualifier, like: “Worstofall Design is named after the creative director Steve Wasterval, but they’re actually really good!” C’mon! I did not need or want a defensive intro right out of the gate. That type of introduction lacked confidence, and it didn’t set my company up to knock it out of the park.

After hearing about people’s hesitance to refer us, I spoke to Steve. If we created another company called “WOA Design”--with a website that showed off only our corporate work--we could easily market our services to these BNI/networking clients. With a more corporate arm of our company, we could effectively appeal to the people who just didn’t get “Worstofall.”
 

Let Your Brand Speak for Itself

At first, Steve humored me. We put it on our to-do list, but that’s the furthest we got. As I recall, we became too busy to develop a new corporate brand--and, thankfully, the idea fizzled out. 

But what if it hadn’t? Had we built “WOA Design,” I’m not sure we ever would’ve developed into the Badass Brand we are today. We wouldn’t have given the brand the time and attention to get it there, because we would have had a trickle of corporate clients to placate us into settling for a generic brand that brought us just enough business (instead of a badass brand that brought us tons of business!)

Being different is scary, and we get it. It’s hard to put yourself out there, then hear people say they want to refer your business, but can’t. Most people would just change their business right then and there.
 

But what many don’t understand is that this is where the power lies:

having the guts to commit to what makes you different when some people tell you it’s wrong or that they don’t like it. If you build a brand that’s authentic and unique to you, and stick with it, you can establish a reputation that precedes you.

And that’s when you get to attract clients and charge more than your competitors.

To be loved by some, you must accept being disliked (or even misunderstood) by others.
 

So ask yourself:

What kind of business do you really want?

HOW TO AVOID GENERIC FLUFF IN YOUR BRAND

"What's your mission? Why do you do this? What do you stand for?" wah wah....

These are the questions that most branding companies will ask you when trying to get to the heart of the "why" about your company. Unfortunately, generic questions like that tend to produce generic answers. Want to avoid the generic fluff your competitors are pumping out in their brands? 

Instead, ask yourself: What do you stand against? 

What pisses you off about your industry? What do you hate about your industry that you want to improve?

What are others in your industry doing that YOU do better?

By finding out what you are against, you will get a much clearer picture of what separates you from the rest. It’s even better if you find you are against things your competitors are for. This means your message will resonate with clients who think similarly, and it can help potential clients make a clear distinction between you and your competitors. That’s the goal, right?

Identify a problem you care about

We worked with a speaking coach who just hated dull speakers who put their audiences to sleep. Her homepage now reads: “On a mission to rid the world of boredom, one speaker at a time.” This copy is fun and entertaining—not corporate and stodgy like her competitors’ sites. Once she realized she was against boring speeches, she embraced her spunky, entertaining side.

Another client of ours, Moderna Capital, came to us because they had a nice looking website and tons of experience in their field, but they couldn’t get clients. They were a boutique wealth management firm started by a pair of ex-Merrill Lynch advisors, and they wanted to give “young professionals” financial advice. 

When we Brandshrinked them, I asked them what pissed them off about their industry, and they got really heated. They told us they were fed up that Merrill Lynch only worked with people who had a minimum of $500,000 in liquid assets. They believed people who were still BUILDING their businesses and careers—people who might not have had that kind of money yet—should still have access to reliable, financial advisors and advice. 

They were against the big corporate Merrill Lynch way, yet they had built a brand that still looked a lot like Merrill Lynch. The copy was a little more hip, but it didn’t reflect the passion they expressed when they spoke about their disagreement with Merrill Lynch’ values.

Distinguish yourself through your passion

By truly understanding what they were AGAINST, we could build a brand that sounds and looks like it stands for something that’s actually different from Moderna Capital’s competitors. 

Rather than say they “break from the mold,” their brand now actually breaks from the Merrill Lynch mold through its fresh look, copy, and vibe. Their target market of young professionals wants bite-sized info—or “financial cliffnotes,” as we called them—and so we expanded their services to include fun seminars and products that are accessible for smaller budgets. Moderna Capital eventually gave in and renamed their company to “Stash Wealth” with our full support. They are now killing it as a highly coveted financial voice for the millennial generation.

Maybe you’re a therapist who hates the touchy-feely image that therapy has. Or a personal trainer who is so annoyed at all these quick-fix gimmicks like 5-minute abs. Or a marketing company that thinks it’s wasteful for small businesses to advertise to get new clients when they haven’t fully mined their current and past clients for more business, which are 70% cheaper to close.

Whatever the industry, most people go into business for themselves because they worked in a company and thought, “I could do it better.”

Take a few minutes to jot down the first things that come to mind when you ask yourself, “What am I against?” It’s a hack that helps cut through the crap of standing for generic fluff.

SICK OF BAD CLIENTS? HERE'S HOW TO ELIMINATE THEM

There are no bad clients. Or, more precisely put: all bad clients are your fault. Here are 4 Mistakes to Avoid When Taking on a Project:

 

Here’s a typical scenario:

You’re a graphic designer.

A potential client reaches out and says they need a logo and website designed.

You write them a proposal.

They read your proposal.

Maybe they get back to you,

maybe they don’t.

Let’s say they do, but your quote is a little more than they had budgeted…

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MISTAKE #1 - Just giving a discount

Can you do it for 10% less? You need the money, so you’re happy to give the discount. You start working and ask them what they want—color preferences, logo specifics, etc. They’re going to send over examples of what they like.

Why it’s a mistake: When you give a discount just because, you’re suggesting your original price was an arbitrary number, not based on any sort of value you put on your work. You can immediately lose the client’s trust this way.

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MISTAKE #2 - Just asking what they want

The client sends over tons of information about their company, as well as examples of designs they like. Great! You see some patterns, and you get to work.

Why it’s a mistake: The first rule of creating a great client is developing a relationship of trust. They must trust you to do what you do best, that you know what you’re doing and that you’ll deliver. You are the expert, so you should lead the process. If you ask the client what they think the logo should be, you’ve created doubt around your status as a design expert. If the client were an expert, they would’ve made a logo themselves. And if you allow the client to lead the process, things can get messy…

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MISTAKE #3 - Emailing work without explanation

You create dozens of logo designs, and you send your ten best in a PDF.

They call you up: “We liked logos 3, 4, and 9. We’d like to see #3 in a couple of different colors, #4 with the font from #5, and we like #9 but can you make the logo icon just a little more... modern?”

Why it’s a mistake:
You’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping something sticks. You don’t trust that you know what is good or right—you just hope the client will like something. Doesn’t sound like something an “expert” would do. It’s your job to educate your client so they can make an informed decision.

Sending tons of options makes it harder for clients to make that decision. Most clients are terrified of paying for a service and not getting what they want out of it. But again, you’ve put them in a difficult position—you’ve given a novice the job of making an expert judgment. This will result in requests to see more options because of uncertainty.

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MISTAKE #4 - Doing whatever the client says

You get back to work. You make another PDF with all the edits, which ends up being another ten logos—all variations of their three favorites. You send it over.

They call you up again, with more revisions and requests. These communications go back and forth for days, maybe even weeks. The requests have (d)evolved from small and straightforward to frustrating and outlandish.

And now you have a shitty client. You haven’t even begun the website yet! AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT.

Why it’s a mistake: Well, this is what happens when you let your client drive the ship. You can become their whipping boy before the project even begins. By doing whatever the client says, you are not using your expertise. That’s what they’re paying you for!
 

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This is why you must stay in control throughout the process. 

In the end, it’s not the client’s fault—it’s yours. You are responsible for leading your projects and your clients, for building trust and rapport. Make sure you listen to the client and then give them exactly what they need to achieve their desired results.

*Caveat: Some people just suck.
 

Do everything you can to avoid working with people like this. Have a screening process before you start projects with new clients. In these cases, $1 does not equal $1.

Even if you need the money, a shitty client will cost you time, energy, and sanity. This may, in turn, cost you money anyway—and it can keep you from finding the clients who love, respect, and pay you what you’re worth.

And they’re out there! We can proudly, unequivocally say that we have loved working with all of our Brandup clients for the last two years (and if any clients are reading this, that means you!)

WHY THE CUSTOMER IS NEVER RIGHT

Why the old wisdom of "The Customer is Always Right" is just that, old.

I’ve been saying it for a long time... Sometimes it pisses people off because it goes against everything sacred from the golden age of Leave It to Beaver and whatever the term "good old days" refers to (also B.S.)
 

AGAIN, The customer is never right.

Many people believe the exact opposite, which explains why tons of small businesses are flailing—overworked, underpaid, and always desperately searching for clients. They bend over backwards because of this lame misconception, and then they still end up with clients who aren’t satisfied.

Here’s why.

When someone hires you for a service, they are not merely hiring you to perform said service. They are hiring you for your expertise in delivering said service. If they knew how to execute the service, they would save their money and do it themselves!

But they don’t.

Case in point:

Many boutique branding companies start their initial conversation asking a client what they want their website to look like.

You may have heard it before… "Show me websites you like. Tell me what pages you want on your site. Send me your web copy".

These web designers/developers are turning themselves into a commodity. They are merely technicians—the hands that execute your vision. But there’s a huge problem with that.

Your vision of the pages and content you want on your site… what is that based on? Are you a website expert? Do you think it’s appropriate to build a website to the specifications of your personal tastes and thoughts, rather than those of your target audience?

What if, instead, the web developer asked you what you are looking to do with your website? That conversation would go a bit differently… Why do you want a new website? What challenges are you currently facing that you think a new website could solve?
 

Now we’re cooking with gas!

You see, ultimately, when someone “needs a new website,” what they are usually saying is they need help with their business in some way, and they think a website is going to solve their problem. 

Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But wouldn’t it be nice if the website development company—a company that supposedly knows a lot about websites—could help the client figure that out?

By asking the big questions, we might discover that a new website won’t help the client fix their problem. I suspect that’s one reason most companies don’t ask those questions. But you need to position yourself as an authority, as someone with valuable insight the client doesn’t have. That’s what they’re paying you for.

Steve and I have our “core values” prominently displayed on our wall. One of the values that stands out is #4: “Always be in control for the sake of the customer.”

It’s your job as the expert to lead the way. That outdated “customer is always right” mentality suggests that the customer knows more than you about the subject at hand. When that happens, all bets are off. 

This is why it is in your best interest to take the reigns of any and all conversations and projects. For the sake of your clients, get down to the root of their problems and offer up effective actions.

NIKE HAD IT WRONG

Why don't most people specialize even though they know that they should? 

Because there is inevitably time in between creating a more focused business model, and actually achieving a healthy revenue stream.
 

Most people can't handle the fear. 

You see, there’s this dark, scary place you have to pass through first—turning down customers, and therefore, money.

How do you make this jump in a practical way?

You still need to make money, and many of your contacts may still recognize you as an all-things-to-all-people brand.So how should you market yourself during this crucial time period?
 

There's no easy way around it, you need to TRUST.

Trust that the fear you experience is the canyon between who you are now, and the invincible badass you will become, is worth it.

The side you’re on now is the Everything-to-Everyone Cliff. The other side, the Badass Brand Mountaintop. If you want to reach it, you’ll have to take the leap.
 

The truth is, there will be a lull, no question.

But the length of that lull depends on how much energy you put into educating people about your new niche. Passively hoping clients will find you is not productive. Go to a networking meeting every morning for a month and call everyone on your contact list to update them.

Hit the ground running with a clear target and message, and you will have success very quickly. But you, of course, have to notify everyone! When we decided to only do Brandups and say no to all other work, I called three old prospects to whom I’d submitted proposals for large projects. I told them our offers no longer stood—that we'd changed our model, and now we could do the same project but in two days and at a fraction of the cost. All three signed up. But it required some legwork on my part.

I often say with a badass brand you can attract clients instead of chasing them, and I mean it. You have to at least plant the seeds, though. It takes upfront work. But the work garners larger and better results when you have clarity about what you offer, and then every time you say NO, you further strengthen your brand's positioning in the world.

So what am I saying: pick a niche and never waver?

On the one hand, I think you should commit to your niche 100% for it to be successful.

But if someone comes along asking for something outside of your specialty, and you need the cash—if it's not too far outside, if it's not going to drain all your energy—who am I to say you can't? Sure you can, it's just going to prolong the good stuff because it's taking your focus away from your target. 
 

If you're desperate for money, do what you need to do. But the quickest way to get there is to stay the course.

Steve and I went into debt because we doubled our price from $16,000 to $32,000, and then didn't close a client for five months. But we knew if we worked at the lower price, we wouldn't profit anyway, so we'd just be spinning our wheels. That decision put us $40,000 in debt. 

But it eventually paid off. We brought in $100,000 worth of projects the next month when all those proposals finally closed! 

And this only happened because we stayed committed to the $32,000 projects. We ended up doing our first real Brandup with a client who desperately wanted to work with us but couldn't spend the money. We basically adjusted our existing Brandup offering to fit her needs. After doing a few more projects like that, it was like—lightbulb! Just do that!

I don’t believe we would’ve had this success if we hadn't said no to the clients with tighter budgets. We wouldn't have been in debt, but we would have been stuck in purgatory, not making any money.

When we were going into debt, we probably could have closed at least a couple of those clients by lowering our price. But those would have been nightmare clients, and working with them wouldn't have gotten us to where we are today.
 

Moral of the Story

The hardest part is actually committing and sticking to it. It works because it's hard, and most people can't do it, but this is your greatest opportunity. And if you make it? You will be handsomely rewarded.

ARE YOU A #BOSS?

It's not just about working for yourself...

There's a big different between working for yourself and being a #BOSS and a lot of it has to do with which direction the business flows in. Being a #BOSS means business flows to you, and it has very similar characteristics to what we define as a Badass Brand.

It’s about elevating your service above the ceiling most businesses operate under, free of the usual constraints. 

Think about it like this: What’s the main reason people go into business for themselves? Freedom.

I don’t think I’ve ever met an entrepreneur who wasn’t looking for freedom. Freedom to express themselves. Freedom from a boss. Freedom from a salary that forces you to stay at a job you might not love. Freedom to spend time with your friends/family/kids when you want. Freedom to travel, eat at nice restaurants, buy things without feeling like you’re breaking the bank.

So when we say “badass brands,” what we really mean is being a badass in life. People who have control over their time and are not at the mercy of anyone else.

But why do we think badass brands create that kind of freedom? Well, these brands have two distinct characteristics.
 

First, they are able to charge a premium price.

This alone creates a ton of freedom. When you can charge a premium price, it means you take home more money than competitors for the same amount of time. So, you can either work less to make the same amount, or put in more time to make more.

In other words, you have the freedom (and luxury) to choose.

By making more than the average person doing a similar job, you are freeing yourself up in all kinds of ways! You are able to be selective about who you work with, because you don’t need nearly as many clients to make a living.

If you choose to free up time, you can use it to make your business and services even more valuable—by learning, reading, and brainstorming new ideas—or you can spend it doing something you love that is not business-related. Ideally, you do a little bit of both, continue to increase your pricing, AND enjoy your life in the meantime.

When you dedicate time to improving skills related to your craft, you will only increase the value of your offerings moving forward—in turn increasing your potential price point. You’re free to make more! YOU decide if you want to take on an extra client or two this month or next, and pocket the profit.
 

Second, badass brands attract clients.

They don’t have to sell (in the traditional sense), and marketing efforts are energizing rather than frustrating.

Badass brands know what they are selling, & they know how to talk about it in a way that immediately clicks with other people. Their message resonates. This means that every attempt to get the brand out there has supercharged results compared to what most companies get out of marketing.

Many brands are hard to understand and easy to forget. No wonder marketing is so draining! You’re spinning your wheels trying to get people to understand and remember something that is neither clear nor memorable! That’s why it’s so important to have a brand that sells on its own. People want it. It speaks to them, so you barely have to. Now that’s badass.

And that's how you go from working for yourself, so being a #BOSS. Your service must be clear, the benefits must be defined, the sales process must be easy, and you’ve got to position or package your stuff in a way that sets it apart from the competition. Do this an work will flow in your direction.

How do you do this?

Watch my masterclass on finding freedom in your freelance business:

4 Shocking Mistakes Killing Your Brand

AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD!

If you’re still striving to create a badass brand, there’s undoubtedly something holding you back.

I’m willing to bet it’s some BS assumption based on what others have told you, or what you’ve read on the Internet. And it's definitely tying your hands behind your back as you work toward your goals.

Are you ready to let all of these misconceptions go?

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MISTAKE #1 - Thinking everyone is doing better than you.

F.O.M.O. (Fear Of Missing Out) is a real thing. It often manifests when you see someone’s pictures on Facebook, and imagine they’re having a great life. For business, it’s kind of similar. 

It may seem like your fellow small business owners are all killing it, but remember that social media posts are only a small, highly-edited version of the truth. Social media allows everyone to brag while hiding what’s really going on.

THE TRUTH - If it’s hard for you, it’s hard for them, too.

Nobody is going to post a selfie on Instagram if they’re having a bad day. Building your own business takes serious chops, so you are definitely not the only one struggling to get your business off the ground. YOU can do this if you get your head in the game and persevere.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: Reroute your energy where it's needed most!

Don’t compare yourself to people who have been at it longer than you, it's a complete waste of time that is actually hurting your business. 

Instead, focus on building your knowledge and value. Trust that the more committed you are to building something that you can be proud of, the more real (and not just instagram-worthy) success you will experience. Ignore what you see online, 95% of success posts are aspirational. 

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MISTAKE #2 - Thinking your brand is all about what you do.

The biggest mistake people make when building their brand is confusing their BRAND and what they ACTUALLY DO. They think everything they know is important, and they try to include all of it.

THE TRUTH - Your brand is only an outward expression of what you do.

Your brand is the ONE THING people remember. It should be specific and clear, evoking particular feelings when someone thinks or speaks about your company.

And that one thing is usually pretty different from what you actually do. The details of what you do—your expertise, your full process—influence your brand. But your brand should simplify it into one clean package, minus the fat.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: Let go of trying to explain details- we don't care.

Focus on finding the main one or two points that really pop, and only talk about that. It will resonate better and leave listeners curious and wanting more. It will also position you as an expert. When business owners overwhelm you with details the underlying feeling is desperation and overcompensation, whether the customer realizes or not. (This will help)

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MISTAKE #3 - Thinking that if you want a successful brand, you should copy Apple, Nike, & Starbucks

Ask yourself...

• Are you spending millions of dollars on advertising each year?

• Is one of your challenges to make sure your stores all look the same?

• Are you competing with Fortune 100 companies for market share?

THE TRUTH - It’s like comparing Apple... and oranges

No. Just no. Your goals are completely different from these companies, and the way you are going to operate your business and deliver your service is also totally different. So why would the strategy to launch be the same? It wouldn’t, and it’s not.

If you want to learn something from the big guys, read about how they got started—not what they are doing now. You’ll find they all have a badass brand story in their beginning.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: Read books by business owners who started out a lot like you.

Take a hint from other small business owners selling services. Learn from successful peers. Hang out with business owners who are slightly ahead of you, and take note of what they do. Those lessons will take you way farther than anything you observe Nike doing.

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MISTAKE #4 - Believing Badass Brands are created.

Being badass is not about creating a brand outside of yourself.

THE TRUTH - Badass Brands are discovered.

This process is about identifying what already exists in you and what you do that is badass, and then making your entire business about that. You’re not changing, you’re evolving. If you create an identity for your brand that doesn’t feel true to you, you will fail miserably. 

You can’t build a successful brand if you’re always listening to what others say. Sure, be open-minded and accept constructive criticism. But if you accept everything people say as fact, what are you going to do when somebody tells you that you’re going to fail? You’re going to prove them wrong.

WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: Dig deep, the answer is within.

Sometimes your most badass opportunity might not look like one. I've always wanted to brand a business owner by embracing a typically "bad" quality, like a super anal-retentive accountant or something. Reminds me of the classic Seinfeld episode about the Soup Nazi- NO SOUP FOR YOU! Based on a true story about a phenomenal soup maker in NYC whose owner was kind of an a-hole, it actually added to the mystique of the product. BADASS!

Is there a difference between "true" art and commercial art?

To me they are more the same than different. Milton Glasser takes as much joy in seeing his design for a commercial clock mass-produced as I do making a one-of-a-kind piece of sculpture. The more I thought about this admittedly loaded question the more I feel it should be recast through the lens of the nature of artistic collaboration.

I currently have on view in NYC an exhibition entitled THE TALKING CURE. “The Talking Cure," takes its name from Sigmund Freud’s original description of psychoanalysis. The exhibition consists of twelve mixed material sculptures, each accompanied by an interactive audio track created by a literary collaborator. I asked twelve writers- poets, novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights- to each chose a sculpture to which they relate most intimately. Each wrote his or her imagined monologue in the sculpture's mind. Actors then transformed the written work into audio recordings. When the viewer points a Smartphone, Blackberry or I-Phone reading device at the QR tag accompanying each sculpture, it triggers audio to hear the inner voice of the artwork. There is also a recording station at the gallery, at which anyone can record his or her own monologue for one of my sculptures, and I will make a sculpture from the monologue. From image, to words, to words to image, it brings it all full circle.

For me the core of this project is about “letting go,” on several levels. When I asked the twelve writers to imagine a monologue for of my sculptures, my own story, motivation and artistic universe yielded to theirs. The writers in turn had to let go of their written work when the actors were given the monologues to interpret for recording. Like the process of psychotherapy, which is in theory about letting go, we each had to both create and then let that creation go out into world. I was delighted and amazed by the works that my literary collaborators produced. A few of the writers had a little more trouble letting go of their words and more than one actor was uneasy with their “reading” of the text. It’s been a fascinating experience in creation and psychology.

Fine art can be thought of as the art of highly individual expression placed before a broader public. It is meant to express the soul of the artist, and it hopes to reach the hearts and minds of an audience, sometimes a highly select one. Commercial art could be defined as art- or production work- made for the masses, attempting to excite or interest the individual. At the core of both activities is a willing collaboration between artist and audience, often with a host of intermediaries in between- from gallery or manufacture, to distributor, marketer, ad agency or art critic, each a part of the artistic food chain. My latest work- an exhibition of fine art on which I collaborated with myriad writers, actors, and technology partners- explores- indeed toys with- the notion of collaboration, the disappearing distinction between audience and artist, and the blurred line between fine art and group production.

It‘s this act of “letting go” that is the critical element in any creative act, whether fine art or commercial. It’s the one thing that makes or breaks any work of art, be it made for a client or to express ones purest inner feelings. It’s that actor who lets it rip in a performance, the writer who is unafraid to be emotionally naked on the page, the graphic designer who goes outside of the box to solve a creative problem and yes, the visual artist who able and willing to share the world inside their head with the rest of us.

- Artist Melissa Stern www.melissa-stern.com

The exhibition is up until Dec. 22- Smart Clothes Gallery 154 Stanton St ( corner of Suffolk, one block below Houston) Wed- Sun, 12- 6:30 or by appointment. 212.627.3276 smartclothesgallery.com