Ever wonder what stories other people may be telling themselves about you, if you are not telling them your story? Read on below for a recent interaction at the gym and how it reminded me of the power of sharing your story – and what happens when you don’t!
Monday mornings I start my day with a class at the gym at 9am. I drop my youngest off at school and then walk over to the gym. I love the 9am class. It’s a different, slower energy than the early morning or after work classes. It’s very much my jam.
Sometimes I get to class early and say hi to a few of the other women, but I mostly use the time to stretch and be in my own head. Last Monday, I was chatting with a woman in the class instead. This class is filled mostly with women who are retired, a few university students, and occasionally some people with flexible schedules, like me.
We got to chatting and it came up that I have kids. (she was surprised) Then I told her how old my kids were (she was shocked). In her mind, I was a university student, whose classes started later in the day, which allowed me to come to the 9am gym class. Her mind was blown that I have two kids, that I am a couple decades older than she thought, and that I co-own a design & web agency.
In that 5 minute conversation her perception of who I was completely changed. Since I had never shared my story (who I am) with her before, she filled in the gaps based on assumptions. This relates so well to branding – whether you are a personal brand, a service-based business, or a product-based business.
Here is my question for you: What stories are people telling themselves about your brand? Are they the same stories you would tell? If not, this is your reminder that you control the narrative when it comes to your story. But, you have to share your story and let people know who your brand is.
And if you don’t? People will still be seeing a story, it just may not be the right one.
Now if you’ll excuse, I need to go celebrate someone thinking I’m 25 years younger than I actually am for a few minutes!
How well are you sharing your brand story?
