DIY Business Association

15 Minutes of Dame #4, By Dixie Laite

“Give the people what they want.”—Everyone from Red Skelton to the Kinks 

“Don’t give people what they want. Give them what they need.”—Joss Whedon

People are so cute.

Lately I’ve had the pleasure to help several people use the 20-10-4 Personal Brand Words Exercise, and I was struck by a common misstep.

People would say something like, “I’m really good at surfing, love horror movies, play guitar and have amazing penmanship—so, what’s my personal brand?”

Your unique selling proposition (your good ol’ USP) is not meant to be a personal ad for a dating site. Your personal brand is your pithy way of capturing what you uniquely, reliably and engagingly bring to the table with your service or product.

Your USP is a way of expressing what you offer, what you value and what people can expect. It should be consistent, engaging and something people want. (And if they don’t want it now, you can persuasively tell them why they should.)

Think about your customers, what they might want, what they might need, and especially what it is about you that answers the question, “What’s in it for them?”

Don’t get me wrong, though. You don’t need hordes of people to want your USP—just enough people.

While it’s great to have something scalable that will draw the multitudes, to operate a successful business, you need a certain number of people who really want what you have (but more on the long tail in another column).

As you think about your personal brand, think about what you have to offer in terms of what people do or might want or need. Let’s say you’re a surfing horror-movie aficionado who can rock out and dash off a legible letter, and you want to start your own party-planning service. I should hire you because…?

Tell me why you’re a good—no, great—party planner. Based on what you’ve told me about yourself so far, I might imagine you’d say that you’re full of ideas on lots of ways people can have a good time; you make the whole planning process fun; you can improvise to make everything look seamless; and as fun-loving as you are, you’re also detail-oriented and nothing’s ever sloppy. I’d totally hire you!

Your brand needs to tell a story

And that story’s happy ending must include you getting hired (or selling something, or being booked, etc.).

Look for how your brand/story makes you special and how it makes what you do appealing. The fictional party planner that I want to hire might decide to go with a werewolf hanging ten as his logo, or he may just decide to find a phrase, title or tagline that expresses his brand promise of perfection powered by imagination and fun. (As you know, perfection isn’t always so lighthearted, so knowing you can get class without anal obsessiveness can be mighty attractive.)

The point is, as you explore your personal brand, don’t just think about you. Think about your customers, what they might want, what they might need and especially what it is about you that answers the question, “What’s in it for them?”

As you work on crafting your personal brand’s message, explore how your personal qualities might make you attractive to potential clients. Also, as I encouraged Liz Gold to do in my last column (“Are You a Talented Self-Starter Who Needs a Kick in the Brand?”), think about how your personal qualities, interests and experience might make you uniquely well-suited to serving (and uniquely appealing to) a particular niche market.

Remember, in business and in life, when you think about giving people what they want or need, you are much more likely to get what you want and need as well.

In my next column (on May 9, 2012), we’ll talk about not falling into the trap of only thinking about what people currently want or need. (Not pitfalling into the trap?) Anyway, until then, dolls, please feel free to let know how you’re doing and if there’s anything I might be able to do to help.

Mmmmwah!

This is the fourth episode of “15 Minutes of Dame,” a column to help you create, develop and promote the living crap out of your personal brand. Dixie Laite has been putting the “broad” in broadcasting for over 20 years, working in television, online, print and marketing for a variety of household name brands. She’s currently Senior Editorial Director for TeenNick and also freelances as a writer, speaker and digital content strategist. Dixie’s column is published every other Wednesday on diybusinessassociation.com. Follow Dixie @DameStyle, email her at diydamedixie@gmail.com and post your suggestions in Comments below.

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15 Minutes of Dame #3, By Dixie Laite

Identifying and refining your personal brand is important work that can be revelatory and even fun. But as one of my readers put it, it can also be “gut-wrenching.” (Ouch.)

In the interest of keeping your guts wrench-free, I thought I’d share one reader’s process as we worked together to help her figure out her personal unique selling proposition, or USP.

Here’s part of what Liz Gold wrote me:

“I’ve been a journalist for most of my adult life but have deviated to work as a telephone operator, in an arts recycling center, a day camp, a sushi restaurant, a diner and a retail clothing store.”

First thing, don’t get distracted by all the jobs you’ve had. Or the lack of jobs you’ve had. They may end up in your memoir one day, but they’re not important to your brand. What matters is who you are, what you can do well, and what people need. She went on to say she’s “always on the hunt for clothing swaps, loves dancing, especially old-school hip-hop beats,” and that she’s a “chameleon” who tends “to fit in among different types of crowds easily.”

She sounds awesome, right?

Are you a multi-talent like Liz Gold here?

Still, don’t get too distracted by what you like to do on a Saturday. Unless it’s a passion or avocation that you intend to weave into a service or product, it may not be relevant to your brand (on weekdays at least). Liz also wrote:

“I’ve been in business as a freelance writer for over a year. I write marketing materials for professional service firms (most of whom came from my last corporate job) and write a couple of columns for websites. Mainly, I do content for whitepapers, blogs, bios, case studies, sales letters, etc. But I don’t feel in alignment with what I’m doing, and I’m not getting enough work. I want to work with entrepreneurs, artists, start-ups, creative types who need writers—and corporate types who want outside-the-box thinking and are progressive on social issues. In other words, hip.”

She wrote that she really wants a mission statement and had an idea for a tagline: “Conscious content with attitude.” She’d already done the 20-10-4 word exercise and shared her final four words: raw, aware, connected and transformative.

I didn’t go through the exercise with her, so I called Liz to see if we could go beyond her traits, her hobbies, and résumé to get to some special, unique strengths she could plausibly market and monetize.

I asked her to think about the following basic but all-important questions (and you should too). In my ideal work:

• WHO are my customers*?

• WHAT do they need, and HOW am I uniquely well-suited to solving their problems?

Then I grilled her on her four words. They were fine words, but somewhat vague and hard to weave into a USP as-is. What did she mean by “raw”? (This is seldom a selling point, unless one is a stand-up comedian or a piece of sushi.) She explained that by “raw” she meant straightforward, authentic, edgy and funky, and that by “aware,” she meant “perceptive.”

When I asked her to tell me more about what she meant by “connected” and “transformative,” Liz told me about her connections to and interest in the LGBT, queer, transgender, sex-positive communities. It was clear she was passionate about alternative relationship issues. This was missing from her personal branding exercise, because she felt it might be limiting at best and scary at worst.

I told Liz I think we’d hit upon something. Here was an area where her four words—her authenticity, her perceptiveness, her connectedness and her ability to fit in in myriad contexts—and her professional expertise could be blended to compose a compelling, income-generating, and soul-satisfying USP.

There are lots of groups, businesses and individuals who need help crafting content to help them promote, market, publicize and communicate their message with savvy and sensitivity. Here’s where Liz comes in! She can brand herself as THE go-to person for helping businesses, organizations, non-profits and anyone needing solid content related to LGBT, queer, transgender, sex-positive, erotic and alternative relationship issues. She offers a unique combination of editorial expertise plus knowledge, connections, and understanding in these often-misunderstood areas.

While this doesn’t have to be the limit of what Liz does, she seemed excited about the prospect of applying her professional and personal experience to this market. She’s not restricted to only working on this, but as a mission statement and brand, she might think about marketing herself and what she has to offer to those whose problems she’s uniquely qualified to address.

In a world where you can’t swing a cat without hitting a freelance writer (please don’t swing cats), her passion and skill set make her special and attractive to clients she’d be excited to serve.

Liz: I’d be interested to know if you decide to pursue this, and how. Please keep in touch, and let us know how you’re doing. (And anyone out there needing someone like Liz write in and we’ll hook you up!)

Next time, we’ll talk about some surefire ways to improve your content (website, blog, flyers, Twitter feed, sandwich boards) to effectively get your brand out there.

* Make sure that the answer(s) to this question is not too narrow, and that the “who” or “whos” in question can supply you with the, how you say, “money.”

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This is the third episode of “15 Minutes of Dame,” a column to help you create, develop and promote the living crap out of your own personal brand. Dixie Laite has been putting the “broad” in broadcasting for over 20 years, working in television, online, print and marketing for a variety of household name brands. She is currently Senior Editorial Director for TeenNick and also freelances as a writer, speaker and digital content strategist. Dixie’s column is published every other Wednesday on diybusinessassociation.com. Follow Dixie @DameStyle, email her at diydamedixie@gmail.com and post your suggestions in Comments below.

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Getting to the core of your personal brand

15 Minutes of Dame #1 By Dixie Laite

“Know thyself.” —Socrates*

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve heard it before.

But there’s a good reason people are always yammering away about knowing yourself. After “be kind,” it’s about the most important job you have, a job that should precede any talk about paying jobs. It may sound corny, it may be corny, but it’s still true: You can’t begin to follow your bliss, build your brand, or even be truly happy until you figure out who you are—and who you aim to be.

Easier said than done, I know. Let’s start with me.

Who am I, and how does this affect my personal brand and overall well-being?

There are some incontrovertible facts I know about myself:

• I love animals.

• I have an encyclopedic knowledge of ’30s and ’40s movies.

• I like scouring flea markets for cool vintage femorabilia.

• I shop online waaay too much.

• I’m physically and emotionally incapable of eating only one Pop-Tart.

In terms of my work life, I’ve been a teacher, writer, editor, public speaker and personal trainer. I take some things very seriously, but not many and certainly not myself.

This is a start, but we need to take this (seemingly) disparate information and explore how this adds up to who uniquely I am and what I uniquely have to offer.

But enough about me, let’s talk about you. (Not for too long, though…then we’ll get back to me.)

Step 1: Describe Thyself

Now you try it.

If you were to describe yourself to a total stranger, what are the three or four things you’d say? (It’s important that you have no agenda with this stranger; I admit if I were, say, trying to date this stranger, I’d probably skew the data quite a bit, but that won’t help you in this exercise, and it won’t help me down the line with that stranger either.)

For now, ignore your appearance unless that’s an integral part of who you are (covered in tattoos, purple Mohawk, etc.) and focus on the qualities, passions, experience and skills that make you uniquely you. Write at least two sentences, but no more than four. Jot it down on a cocktail napkin if you have to. And now…

Step 2: What Matters to You?

Play Q&A with yourself. Think about the following questions, and write a sentence or three to answer:

• What are your values?

• What do you really care about?

• For what do you stand?

• What qualities are important to you in a friend, in a co-worker?

• What virtues do you consistently maintain, and which, in your humble opinion, are totally let slide-able?

• What gets you bent out of shape?

• How do you insist upon dealing with other people, where are you the most helpful, and whom is it you’d most like to serve?

The answers to these questions represent your core values—a huge component of your personal brand.

For me, kindness is big in my book, and I’m always trying to be helpful and affectionate, just short of being a little creepy. I like inspiring and celebrating others, especially women.

Step 3: The Fun Part

So now you know you’re a detail-oriented and unfailingly honest perfectionist who wants to help the underserved become more “green”-aware.

For this next exercise, your challenge is to create a list of 20 words that describe you. Need help? Click here to get your juices flowing. Think about who you truly are, who you strive to be and how you’d like to be perceived—and write down your 20 words. I’ll wait.

Now that you’ve got your list of 20 descriptors, I want you to narrow down that list to 10 words. I’ll wait.

Tough, but now that you’ve refined your list, you’re getting closer to the core of who you are and how you operate in the world.

Now we’re ready to hone your brand even further. If you could only choose four of these 10 words to describe yourself, which would you choose? You’re on a serious word budget now, so we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty of what makes you you.

It wasn’t easy, but you’ve selected your four precious “you” words—words that will help you define your personal brand. You’ve also given some thought to what you care about and have to offer and even how you might want to offer it. Now what?

For next time:

In my next column (to be published Wednesday, March 21), I’ll show you how I created my own personal list, and we’ll compare notes. Then, we’re going to take what you’ve done and turn it into a personal brand description and mission statement to guide you on to the next stages of building a brand identity and eventually a brand experience.

Please email me (at diydamedixie@gmail.com) your own descriptor, defining words and what kind of business you’re in/starting/thinking about, and I’ll help as many of you as possible to take what you’ve got and fashion it into clear, actionable brand and mission statements.

*Or maybe it was Charlene Tilton—it’s a little fuzzy.

This is the first episode of “15 Minutes of Dame,” a column to help you create, develop and promote the living crap out of your own personal brand. Dixie Laite has been putting the “broad” in broadcasting for over 20 years, working in television, online, print and marketing for a variety of household name brands. She is currently Senior Editorial Director for TeenNick and also freelances as a writer, speaker and digital content strategist. Dixie’s column is published every other Wednesday on diybusinessassociation.com. Follow Dixie @DameStyle, email her at diydamedixie@gmail.com and post your suggestions in Comments below.

The DIY Business Association’s first product review: Thumbs-up to the Dell V130

By Amy Schroeder

How many laptops does one person need?

Considering that I work from home, in a small-ish, closet-challenged Brooklyn apartment, the answer is probably one.

But I have two.

Though I nostalgically tend to hang onto things until they go out of style, I’ve been itching to shed a layer of laptop.

Enter Perfect-Timing Experience.

A Dell rep invited the DIY Business Association to test-drive a Dell Vostro V130—because the lightweight laptop is targeted to entrepreneurs and bloggers on the go.

“Of course,” I said. “What’s the catch?” When the Chicago-based rep explained that there is no catch and that all I needed to do was sign something saying that I would tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I said, “I’m in!”

Cool Dell Lady over-nighted the computer, and I spent two weeks working on it from home, in coffee shops, and on the subway (my most focused writing environment). I’ll give scoop in just a second, but first…

Why I have two laptops…

My Mac iBook G4: When I published Venus Zine, I invested in a Mac-PC hybrid network of desktop computers, scanners, printers, backup systems, etc. In an attempt to avoid workaholic tendencies, I did the no-computer-at-home thing for a year, but I eventually gave in and bought a Mac iBook G4 for about $1,200. I loaded her up with about a thousand CDs, Adobe Creative Suite, and Office for Mac. Now the iBook is too slow to use for the Internet, but it serves its purpose for transferring music to my iPod and doing basic Photoshop stuff. I think of it as my external hard drive.

My Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5965: In 2009-2010, I worked as the site manager of inkpop.com, then a HarperTeen start-up project that’s kinda like American Idol for aspiring teen novelists. I worked from home during the site’s developmental stages, and the project’s alpha process required a PC (no Macs allowed!). I’m no longer working on inkpop.com, but I still use the Toshiba for the Internet, Word, and Excel. Because it’s slow, heavy and clunky, and likes to freeze, I think of it as my “cheap computer” (pricetag: $450) and e-mail machine. I can’t wait to retire it.

The Dell Vostro V130 with my personal assistant, Janis Joplin.

Dell Vostro V130 Review

So, what is the best laptop for creative entrepreneurs?

That is an excellent question that I don’t have a thoroughly researched answer to. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to engage in a serious laptop-off, save for a Netbook (perfect petite size and cheap price tag at $350-$450, but too slow for my info-processing needs) and the MacBook and MacBook Air (lovely and amazing, but too pricey with a starting price of $999), but I will continue to cruise more laptops, and I’ll give you an answer once I’ve figured it out.

Here’s what I can tell you: At 3.5 pounds, the Dell Vostro V130 is lightweight and sturdy with its metal case and sleek design. As for tech-y details, the Dell Vostro V130 rocks an Intel Core i3 380UM 1.33Hz processor (Core i5 processor is optional); Intel HM57 chipset; 4GB DDR3 RAM; 320GB hard disk.

In a nutshell, if you’re anything like me—I’m a writer, startup coach, and creative entrepreneur (i.e., I didn’t go to business school, and numbers are not my friend)—who’s often online and gathering and transferring a lot of information, the V130 is great, with a semi-investment price of about $900. My only criticism (other than that I prefer the Mac operating system to PCs’) is that the battery life could stand to be longer.

So what’s my plan? I think I’m going to ditch the Toshiba and buy a Vostro V130. I’m going to keep the iBook for now for, you know, back-up.

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Amy Schroeder, founder of the DIY Business Association, is one of those people who’s initially a bit intimidated about the latest technology, but once she gets into it, she really gets into it.

The DIY Business Association gets a visual identity. Finally.

By Amy Schroeder

It only took about four months to develop a logo. In my entrepreneurial past life as a deadline-oriented publisher, four months would have been a crime, but my new way of thinking (at least for the DIY BA) calls for marinating and slow-roasting. Good ideas don’t bake over night—except, well, when they do.

So here’s the new logo, by Mat Daly, he of Renegade Craft Fair brand-conceptualization fame:

So what took so long? Back-and-forth e-mail communication was the main thing. Mat designed the basic gist of what you see here right quick. But then I couldn’t decide on colors, so I stewed on it, and Mat cranked out additional color combos. Until it hit me that the logo doesn’t always have to be the same color (Coca-Cola and Target we ain’t), and, in fact, if the DIY Business Association is all about supporting and empowering creative entrepreneurs, then why not ask them to do up their own takes on this logo?

So that’s the direction we’re going in. This logo is just the beginning. In a bit (don’t rush me, please), I’m going to invite graphic artistes and visual brainiacs to do up their own colors and textures using the Mat-designed logo. The concept is sorta like the Absolut Vodka ad campaigns, minus the big budget and booze (or, maybe I can hook something up).

Check out more of Mat’s work on matdaly.com. Here are some of my favorite pieces:

"Paralysed. . . Flat on my Back" by Mat Daly, 2010

Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Chicago poster by Mat Daly (2009)

Structure by Mat Daly (2003)

After the 2010 holiday season, Mr. Daly is going to share tips about developing beautiful brand identity here on the DIY Business Association blog. Follow us on Twitter so you don’t miss out.

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Question for ya:

How did you come up with your logo and branding?

So this is about the best piece of business advice we’ve heard all day: Emotions and business don’t mix.

DIY businesses in particular are bound to think with their hearts—we are the passionate entrepreneurs, after all—but just think of some of the damage you could do.

Read more down-and-dirty advice in Neil Patel’s “10 Mistakes You’ll Make When Starting a Business.”

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WHAT SAY YOU?

Should DIY business owners think with their hearts or with their heads…or both? Post your comments below or head over to the DIY Business Association Facebook page to sound off.

Does your company need a makeover? Compai creative genius Justina Blakeney gives advice on giving your business a facelift (not that it doesn’t look good already). 

By Amy Schroeder

If constant flux is the key to entrepreneurial success, the owners of Compai are sure to hit jackpot.

Sisters Justina and Faith Blakeney are smack-dab in the middle of expanding their small clothing line into a full-on creative consultancy. It’s a logical next step for the company that’s evolved fourfold since it started as a recycled-clothing boutique in Florence, Italy, in 2001.

In the last nine years, both Blakeneys have produced hordes of creative eye candy, from wearable art to magazine pages to a book series (including 99 Ways to Cut, Sew & Deck Out Your Denim), sometimes under the Compai moniker and sometimes under different business names or their own names. Justina formerly moonlighted as a graphic designer, and Faith worked on interiors and styling. The Compai brand overhaul is all about simplification—the Blakeneys now house their services under one Compai umbrella, with three divisions: consulting, craft, and style.

“Since we had already spent years building up the brand and clients, it made sense to put everything under one roof,” says Justina, who lives in Los Angeles. “I run the creative services division, my sister runs Compai Style, and we do Compai Craft together. We are working toward a common goal but are able to keep things autonomous.”

So what exactly does a creative consultancy do? In short, Compai helps people with their creative needs. For example, one day Justina might help a client brainstorm a new brand identity, and the next, she’ll art-direct a photo shoot. “I help clients make everything look cool—sometimes people just need to talk an idea out. Maybe they want to know what blogs to advertise on, how to put together a look-book, or how to get a coffee-table book published.”

Here, Justina Blakeney shares her jill-of-all-trades advice on how to transition a business.

TAKE CARE OF YOU

First things first, think about the money side of things. Sure, it’s fun to get wrapped up in the details of, say, rebranding, launching an online shop, or landing new clients, but what’s the point of making over your business if you don’t reap financial rewards?

Before pulling the transition trigger, figure out how much you need to spend and how much you need to earn in order to break even and/or break a profit. Then, compare your transition plan to your current plan, and mull it over.

For Compai, the biggest challenge was deciding how to bill clients in order to cover costs. With the ”old” Compai, the Blakeney sisters focused on earning income for themselves, but the new Compai has additional overhead costs, such as an assistant, a studio space, and other bills.

“It’s been tough to know how to calculate our rates,” Blakeney says. “I ask a lot of questions and am kind of fearless about asking for help when I need to get through rough spots.”

Most importantly, don’t undersell yourself. “It’s easy to lower your rates and give discounts. It’s harder to raise rates,” she says.

KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS IN THE LOOP

Don’t pull any fast and funny moves. “Let your clients and viewers know all along the way what’s going on, so it doesn’t seem like a shock,” Justina says.

MAKE YOUR BRANDING COHESIVE

Think about some of the world’s most successful brands—say, Apple, Coca-Cola, and Target. The look and feel of their brands, logos, and colors are used consistently, whether they’re online, on TV, or in print.

“Make everything look alike online and in print to smooth out the transition,” Blakeney advises.

GET EXPERT ADVICE

Blakeney recommends talking to a business guru to make sure that all the bases are covered on the legal and tax ends of the spectrum. Compai worked with SCORE, a source of free small-business advice for entrepreneurs around the U.S.

ASK FOR HELP

The Blakeney sisters recruited interns to help with Compai’s transition. “There’s nothing like fresh blood to keep things running smoothly,” Blakeney says. (Note: The Independent Business Association blog will share advice on intern recruiting soon, pinky-swear.)

DON’T OVERTHINK IT

Don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t fear change. So, why not start where you are?

Read the Compai blog at www.compaiblog.com.

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WHAT SAY YOU?

What are your tips for transitioning a business? Post your comments below.