Badass Your Brand

1. Transform Your Business with a Badass Brand

"Badass Brands are those that command a premium price and attract ideal clients. They are able to do this because they are noticeable, memorable, and shareable."

Define your success. Before embarking on your branding journey, clearly articulate what success means to you. It's not just about making money; consider factors like freedom over your time, self-development opportunities, and the type of work that energizes you.

Embrace authenticity. A Badass Brand is not about following industry norms or copying competitors. It's about identifying your unique strengths, expertise, and personality, then amplifying them to stand out in your market. This may feel uncomfortable at first, but it's this discomfort that signals you're on the right path to differentiation.

Take action. Implementing a Badass Brand requires courage and commitment. It involves:

• Narrowing your target audience
• Defining a clear, distinct voice
• Creating a unique process or product
• Pricing your services for premium value
• Being willing to say no to opportunities that don't align with your brand

2. Love + Profit = Badassery: Find Your Sweet Spot

"When you have a small business, identifying your favorite part about it will help you craft a business that you love. In turn, this will ensure that your business is cared for, nurtured, and pumped full of unlimited enthusiasm from an owner who sees it as his or her greatest project."

Identify your passion. Reflect on what aspects of your work truly excite you. What tasks make you lose track of time? What types of projects or clients bring you the most satisfaction?

Analyze profitability. Look at your various offerings and determine which are the most profitable. This isn't always intuitive; sometimes lower-priced services can be more profitable due to efficiency or scalability.

Find the intersection. Your Badass opportunity lies where your passion meets profitability. When you focus on selling what you love and what makes the most money, your entire business becomes more profitable and sustainable.

To increase profitability of your favorite offerings:

• Increase the value of what you're selling
• Raise your prices
• Decrease the time spent on delivery

3. Position Yourself as an Expert to Charge Premium Prices

"Experts learn their trade over a lifetime, and service providers execute ideas primarily based on direction from the client."

Shift your mindset. Stop thinking of yourself as a service provider and start positioning yourself as an expert. This means:

• Developing a unique process or methodology
• Focusing on solving problems rather than just executing tasks
• Being confident in your opinions and recommendations

Demonstrate expertise. Instead of telling clients why you're an expert, show them through:

• Thought leadership content (articles, videos, podcasts)
• Case studies and testimonials
• A clear, defined process for working with clients

Price for value. Experts charge based on the value of their contribution, not just time spent. Create fixed-price packages that reflect the outcomes you deliver, not the hours you work.

4. Stop Selling and Start Attracting Ideal Clients

"When you are genuinely looking for a specific kind of client, and not just anyone who will buy, your interaction with people completely shifts from selling to not selling."

Define your ideal client. Be specific about who you want to work with. Consider factors like:

• Industry or niche
• Company size
• Budget
• Values and work style

Create a lead product. Develop a low-cost, high-value offering that serves as the first step in working with you. This should:

• Solve a specific problem your ideal clients face
• Demonstrate your expertise
• Have a fixed price and process
• Be branded with a unique name

Focus on value delivery. Instead of trying to convince potential clients to hire you, concentrate on delivering exceptional value. This shifts the dynamic from selling to attracting clients who recognize and appreciate your expertise.

5. The 4 Angles of Badassery: Create a Unique Brand

"There are four potential angles, but you need at least two in order to qualify as a Badass Brand. Committing to a minimum of two is critical to your success."

Target Market: Define a specific, self-identifying audience. Example: "Women between 25-40 who do yoga" instead of just "women."

Personality: Develop a brand voice that contrasts with your industry norm. Be bold, authentic, and willing to polarize.

Lead Product & Sales Process: Create a unique, branded first step for working with clients that shortens the sales cycle and eliminates free work.

Bull's Eye Product: Design a signature service or product that you love, is highly profitable, and sets you apart from competitors.

Implement at least two of these angles to create a truly distinctive brand. The more angles you can incorporate, the stronger your brand will be.

6. Use the 50/25/25 Rule for Profit and Freedom

"The goal when using this formula is to spend 50 percent of your time working for paying clients, 25 percent of your time building your brand and increasing your value, and 25 percent of your time any way you choose."

Calculate your target pricing. Use this formula:

1. Determine your monthly revenue goal
2. Divide that by 2 (representing 50% of your time)
3. Divide that by the number of clients you can serve in two weeks

Increase your value. If your current pricing is far from the target:

• Add related services or valuable deliverables
• Increase your expertise through education and experience
• Streamline your process to decrease time spent

Allocate your time. Once you hit your target pricing:

• 50% on client work
• 25% on brand building and business development
• 25% on personal time or passion projects

This approach ensures profitability while creating space for growth and work-life balance.

7. The Power of Saying No: Strengthen Your Brand

"Essentially, a dollar today from a client outside your niche is worth less than a dollar tomorrow from an ideal client."

Recognize opportunity cost. Every time you say yes to a non-ideal client or project, you're saying no to potential ideal clients. Non-ideal work:

• Doesn't build your reputation in your niche
• Doesn't lead to valuable case studies or referrals
• Doesn't help refine your expertise and process

Strengthen your message. Saying no:

• Reinforces your specialization to potential referral sources
• Makes you memorable (people remember companies confident enough to turn down work)
• Frees you up to find and serve ideal clients

Practice saying no. Key situations to decline:

• Requests from friends and family (offer advice instead of paid work)
• Pressure to lower your prices
• Projects outside your niche
• Clients who question or want to change your brand

Remember, saying no to the wrong opportunities opens the door to the right ones. It takes courage, but it's essential for building a truly Badass Brand.

Last updated: August 8, 2024