We see Instagram and TikTok 'gurus' talking about how they built their business or their brand...
But what is the difference? I'm glad you asked.
The last thing I thought about when starting fit-flavors was growing a business let alone a brand. At least that was me. I know a lot of people go into business for a reason, I fell into business chasing a passion.
It wasn’t long before I realized I had something special. Something I could monetize. And so a business concept was born. When you start a business as an entrepreneur, most times you are focused on the experience of the service or product you are providing. The business stuff comes second.
When managing payments and customer service becomes a thing, you quickly realize you need to get your shit organized. Then comes the layers and layers. Employees, vendors, schedules, insurances, platforms, policies, processes, culture, auuuuhhhhh, can I come up for air???
When growing a business, you have to figure out how to make a product or service function sustainably for growth. This is all about the back-end, unseen work, and systems. The ordering, scheduling, calling, emailing, planning, creating, shipping, etc.
If applicable, employees are an extra layer of growing a business. How you find them, inspire them, train them, lead them, develop them, and keep them! Because they can totally leave anytime they want. When it's your business you have massive responsibility, and at the end of the day, it falls on you.
While figuring out all these things, the most important thing is still the product or service you are providing. Every other aspect is there to support, maintain, and improve that product or service.
You cannot remain the same. If you're not Intentional, your business may change in the wrong way. Instead of growing, your business may slip from your control and shrink back or take a hard left turn if you're not paying attention.
On the other hand, growing a brand is all about the message and personality of your business. There are character traits that people will recognize in your business whether you're intentional about them or not. This is why growing and establishing your brand is so important! You want to have a say in how people perceive the business.
Company culture also comes into play when growing your brand. What are the standards you want to set for your business and your employees? How will you handle hard times? What personalities do you want on your team?
When I think about brands, I think about why people are drawn to the business. What is the indicator for them and how do they connect with the business on a deeper level? It’s typically personal. For fit-flavors, it comes down to your relationship with food. Some people (me) have struggled with their relationship with food, and knowing that fit-flavors is here to serve, support, and educate them could be one reason they feel truly connected to the brand.
At fit-flavors our mission is to be your first resource in healthy eating. That resource could be your time or your education, but both are represented by our brand promise to give you a fresh healthy meal that is ready to heat and eat quickly. When you eat our products you feel good, when you feel good you are happy when you are happy good things happen. That is the personal connection you have with a brand.
Your brand will have consistency but it is also ever-changing. Like your products, your brand changes as you see what your audience enjoys is receptive to and relates to.
So what's more important? Growing your business or growing your brand??
The answer is both! You should focus on growing your brand as you grow your business. Getting a good handle on what that looks like in your business is key.
Yours,
Jillian
NEW EPISODE! Owning the Wait Podcast
EP73: Calling all STL Moms with Rebekah Coste If you are a mother in St. Louis, you do not want to miss this episode. Rebekah Coste is with us today to discuss her business, St. Louis Mom, which is a platform where moms can share, equip, and encourage other moms while building community. Her hope for St. Louis Mom is that it will be a powerful tool for building community among mothers and a space where authentic motherhood can be shared and celebrated.
Kommentit