Reveal the authentic vision behind your brand

Lately, I realized that I talk a lot about really understanding the vision behind your business, yet I haven’t really dived into what all of that entails. I touched on it a bit through my

branding

series, but I think it is time to provide a bit of clarity.

When starting my design studio, I knew from previous jobs + life experiences, what I wanted to avoid. I bet if you thought about it, you could easily think of a few elements you would handle a bit differently if you were in charge. While these are great to acknowledge, it is also imperative that you understand what you want to accomplish. What is your purpose? Your vision? The core values behind your business? No matter if you are a graphic designer, or in a completely different industry, answering these questions help define your brand and establish what makes you unique.

Here are a few questions to answer, that will help provide clarity to your vision.

Why do you want to start your own business?

Find your real motivation behind starting your own business. What drove you to make this move? Try to be as honest as you can. Sometimes this answer isn’t necessarily what you would tell your clients/customers.

How do you want to help others?

I think this question is so often overlooked when starting your business, or even years down the road when we are in a rhythm of the day-to-day grind. I whole-heartedly believe that you should not start a business, or take a job, just to make money. Try to think of ways to use your natural God-given gifts, to help others. This will fuel your passion, while also helping others along they way while maintaining a positive attitude! Try also answering this question: I would love to spend my days helping people by ______.

What are your core values?

Through defining your core values, you create an intentionality behind your brand. If a company does not have these core values, they are liable to allow external factors dictate the trajectory of their brand. These core values also help keep you in check during busy seasons of your business. You can view my core values on my

about page

. (Some of them aren’t listed in public, and are more internal).

What are a few details that make you different than others in your industry?

Do you have a unique skill set, career path or life story that sets you apart? Each of us is so uniquely different from each other, so embrace it and discover what sets you apart. Maybe this isn’t something that is publicized either (if it seems too self-promoting), but it is great to acknowledge these elements.

What are a few BIG goals you have for your business?

Time to dream big, friends! It is important to have long-term goals when you are an entrepreneur. By defining these big dreams, you can control the short-term steps that help you get there.

Name a few characteristics of your ideal client/customer.

Jot down a few defining characteristics of your ideal client. These can be as vague or specific as you want. Are they creative? Do they like to be involved throughout the process? Corporate? Boutique size? You get the gist.

These are just a few questions to help get you started developing the vision behind your brand. I have worked places where it was evident there wasn’t a vision + direction propelling the brand, or it was lost along the way. I have also had quite the opposite experience, where it was very clear what the core-values were. I can say through both experiences that it is much better to have a purpose that drives you, and tangible goals of how you can achieve that purpose, than to passively allow others to impact your business. I hope this was helpful for you! Let me know if you have any thoughts on what has helped you develop a clear vision behind your brand in the comments below!

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