#1: YOU’RE HAVING A HARD TIME MOVING PRODUCT OR STANDING OUT IN YOUR INDUSTRY

When most business owners are struggling with sales, it usually means they aren’t standing out in their market. They haven’t differentiated themselves or showcased what makes them special. One of the main villains keeping you from leveling up? You guessed it... your template or DIY brand. 90% of the time, templates look like templates, making your brand feel generic instead of special.

#2: YOU’RE BOGGED DOWN BY TOO MANY EMAILS OR SALES CALLS

If you’re bogged down by emails and/or sales calls, it’s likely that something is getting lost in translation... or is missing entirely. This is especially true if you find yourself typing or speaking the same ideas on repeat. No surprises here — a brand marketing can help save you time, energy, and stress. Your brand should take each person who discovers you on a journey from curious stranger scrolling the ‘Gram, to raving fan, to eager client — and beautifully inform them every step of the way. This means fewer questions and far less “selling” when they finally get to you. Pressure lifted.

#3: YOU’RE STRUGGLING TO CONNECT WITH YOUR DREAM AUDIENCE

If your dream audience isn’t listening to you, it doesn’t mean you aren’t shouting loudly enough. In fact, I’d say shouting isn’t even necessary. Do you remember in the beginning of The Devil Wears Prada when Miranda Priestly is about to arrive and everyone is scampering around terrified? She struts through the lobby, goes up the elevator, runs into the fabulous Emily Blunt, and… practically whispers. I don’t think Meryl Streep shouted once in the entire movie, but I bet you leaned forward (or turned up the volume) so you could hear her every word. Right there — that’s the same power of brand marketing, one designed for you and your success alone. And once they’re listening? Your custom brand builds a long-term relationship that keeps them coming back again and again for more.

#4: YOU WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH BIGGER + BETTER BRANDS

If you want to collaborate with bigger and better brands and you’re hearing nothing but crickets, your branding may be to blame. Many businesses start with a DIY or template brand to keep costs low while they get proof of concept and scale — which is a great way to get your feet under you. But at some point, you start to outgrow that DIY brand. How do you know if that’s the case? Maybe you’ve felt some of these growing pains...

• You feel that bigger brands are writing you off as an amateur.
• You feel more successful than your current brand implies.
• Potential clients or customers are questioning your prices or value.
• You’re experiencing Signs #1 and #2 above.

If any or all of these are the case, you are ready for an upgrade, my friend. Success Story: A former client reached out to me about a month after we launched her new brand and website. She told me that even though she’d only been in business for ONE MONTH, she had already locked in several major collaborations with other high-end businesses! Even though they had never heard of her business before, they liked and trusted what they saw, and that made her conversations ef-fort-less. That’s the power of an incredible brand marketing, my friends.

#5: YOU’RE MENTALLY READY FOR MASSIVE GROWTH… BUT IF IT HAPPENED TOMORROW YOU WOULDN’T BE PREPARED!

I know, you’re driven like me, right? You’re ready for next-level, massive growth. But… what if that growth happened *gulp* tomorrow? What if 10x the number of people wanted to hire you, buy your product, feature you, or hey, what if you went viral? Would you be prepared to handle that growth? Would all of your clients or customers get the same experience from you? If Beyoncé (yep, the Queen B herself) posted a picture of your product, would you be proud of how it looked on her vanity? Many business owners are mentally ready to reach the next level, but their businesses aren’t physically ready. And that’s okay. That’s part of growing. The best thing you can do is lay the foundation for your success. Establish your brand experience, uplevel your client experience, and let it lead the way to exponential growth.