Archetypal branding

Posted by Caitlin on February 23, 2010

Circe Invidiosa Archetypal Branding

What are archetypes?

Archetypes are most commonly known as the recurring character types which have appeared in stories and human experiences since ancient times. The term ‘archetype’ was brought into modern usage by the psychologist Carl Jung. He introduced the concept that humans have a collective unconscious in which ‘live’ the archetypal characters. These archetypes symbolise our core human beliefs and desires, they are patterns that are universally recognised and therefore evoke strong emotions in us.

What is archetypal branding?

Archetypal branding for a business uses archetypes to create and promote a particular image for your company’s products or services. It is an extremely successful method when the identity chosen reflects the business, its owner and the preferences of the customers. Archetypal branding resonates with customers on a deep level creating and emotional connection between your customers and your business. This fast-growing approach to branding is producing many successful businesses.

Most consultants and coaches working with archetypal branding are using the 12 Jungian archetypes to help their clients identify their business brand. Here is an example of how these archetypes may work:

Archetype:     The Outlaw

Core Desire:   Revenge or Revolution

Goal:               To destroy what is not working

Strategy:        Disrupt, destroy or shock

Example of brand: Harley Davidson, Diesel

“I’d rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my motorcycle.”
Anonymous

The Outlaw

What can archetypal branding offer my business?

Initially archetypal branding will allow you to identify your ‘business image’ that is the core identity that communicates who you are and what you are offering to your customers or clients. This will lead to gaining greater clarity of how and where to market your business. Knowing yourself and your brand = knowing your customer. This branding method will also enable you create products and services that meet the core needs of clients so that you will never have to ‘hard sell’. Your clients will recognise that what you are offering meets a need they have and they will come to you.

Why is the archetypal branding offered by ‘The Divine Business’ different to others?

The Divine Business offers a unique method of archetypal branding created by Caitlin Mowbray solely for women. This branding method uses the ‘Divine Feminine Archetypes’ of Goddesses and Heroines from mythology and various cultural traditions.

The Divine Feminine archetype resonates deeply within the female psyche and offers an authentic and meaningful connection to yourself, your business and your customers.

An example of a brand with a Divine Feminine archetype is as follows

Archetype:    Maeve – the Warrior Queen

Aim:                 Prove oneself through courageous action

Goal:               Exert power and mastery and save the ‘world’ – make a difference

Strategy:          Become strong, competent and powerful

Example of brand: Anita Roddick’s ‘The Body Shop’

“If you do things well, do them better. Be daring, be first, be different, be just.” Anita Roddick

Maeve

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Got balance?

Posted by Caitlin on February 9, 2010

tightrope We all know that as business owners we wear a lot of hats. Many of us are the only person working in the business which means we’re doing it all. So how do you do that? Is there one area that gets more attention than others? Many of my clients insist that they don’t have a choice in this. They tell me that they must spend the majority of their time working in their business….that is, doing the job that makes up their business – designing, coaching, healing. Everything else comes after that. It is telling that all of those people are hiring me to help them get their businesses back on track.

So why do business owners concentrate all their energy in one (or two) areas and neglect the rest? I’ve heard a few reasons but the most common are…..

  • I don’t like the other stuff
  • I don’t know how to do the other stuff
  • I don’t have time for the other stuff

Do any of those ring true for you? I’m guessing they do for some of you and if so, I’m here to tell you that you need to do something about it. Let’s look at these responses

I don’t like doing it

This isn’t unusual, most of us have parts of our business that we don’t enjoy. Unfortunately there are only two things we can do about that – suck it up and get on with it (sorry to be so brutal) or outsource it/hire help. Outsourcing and hiring costs money but it can also save you money. A great book keeper and switched on accountant can really help your bottom line, a good marketing specialist can most certainly bring more business your way. Remember these people are running businesses too and most are willing to negotiate an affordable way of working with you. Hiring an assistant can get that office running more efficiently. Having someone give their full attention to those areas for you can create massive improvements in your business.

I don’t know how to do it

If you can’t outsource (see above) then you may have to do it yourself. If you don’t know how to, you must learn, and I would strongly suggest that rather than teaching yourself and winging it (which can be frustrating, time consuming and ultimately expensive if you get it wrong), take a course or hire an expert for a couple of hours to teach you. It would be money well spent and decrease the chance of you making a costly mistake because you don’t know the intricacies of the task.

I don’t have time

At the risk of repeating myself outsource or hire. If you can’t then I’m sorry, you are going to have to make time. We all have the same number of hours in a day. Those that manage to work on their WHOLE business do two things…

1. They decide to do it – they make an emphatic decision to get something done and they stick to it .

2. They manage their time in such a way the work gets done.

The rest continue to work in their business and leave things as they are. This doesn’t work. Learn to manage your time there are many, many resources that will help you organise your business and manage your time. Do whatever it takes but do it, it is vital to your business.

So where do you put most of your energy?

© 2009 Caitlin Mowbray

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What’s the plan?

Posted by Caitlin on January 26, 2010

road Do you have a business plan? If so, do you use it? I have seen some fabulous business plans, professionally put together and covering every aspect of the business in glorious laser print colour. There are graphs and pie charts and spreadsheets and spiral binding, forecasts and break-evens and plans galore! There is also a lot of dust…..from the plan sitting untouched on the shelf. Some of these plans were put together so that the business owner had something to show the bank when applying for finance – and that’s the only time it was used. They started their business and it grew and things were great for a while. But did they refer to their plan? Rarely, if ever…. and now they’re hiring me.

So that brings me to my next question. Do you really need a business plan? My response to that is ‘you do if you want to stay in business’. Why? Because having a plan, that you refer to and follow, can make your business journey run more smoothly. It can remove some of the risk, give you a clear idea of what you have to do and keep you on track towards your business goals.

I can hear some of you groaning and sighing over this. I know what you’re thinking, here are some of the responses I’ve had to business planning from my clients -

  • I don’t have time to write a 40 page business plan

You don’t need a 40 page business plan, what you need to start with can take less than 30 minutes

  • I don’t need a plan, it’s all in my head

Sure it is, and that’s great, but how much other stuff is in your head too? How many hats do you wear in your business and how much of that plan ‘in your head’ are you putting into practice daily?

  • I have one and I never look at it

Why not? Usually because it has no meaning for you, all those graphs and numbers are fine and they most certainly have their place, but really, you need to see a clear outline of what you want, what you need to do to get it and how to go about doing that.

My first business plan was 1 page in a notebook. At the top of the page it said ‘3 new clients every month’ then there was a list of the headings for my ‘6 easy steps’ then there were a few lines devoted to ‘marketing’ – it said things like ’speaking engagements’ and ‘approach local businesses’ and a few other vague ideas. That was it. Not exactly a gigantic business vision and definitely not a business plan by many peoples’ standards, but for me, at that time, it was huge. Those 3 clients every month were the difference between being a work-at-home, solo business owning, entrepreneurial mum or going back to a ‘proper job’. That plan created my business. I kept it on my desk, referred to it daily and added bits and pieces until I had something more structured, however for a long time that little page was it – and it was all I needed.

A business plan has to be something you can work with, it should be a coffee stained, well thumbed, highlighted, annotated and frequently corrected document – it is a work in progress, just like your business. It should be referred to regularly and adjusted according to your needs. Anyone who creates a business plan then sits it on a shelf and calls it done is making a big mistake and that mistake can cost them their business. Your plan is your map and you can’t follow it unless you look at it.

So, if you haven’t already, sign up for a copy of my free e-book ‘The 30 minute Business Plan’ and create something that has real meaning for you and your business. Write your plan and use it daily, add to it, change stuff, make notes about what didn’t work but most of all let it be your ‘bible’ and it will guide you to business success.

© Copyright 2009 Caitlin Mowbray

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Your Vision

Posted by Caitlin on January 12, 2010

vision What’s your vision for your business? By ‘vision’ I’m not talking about that ‘vision statement’ that you sweated blood over while doing your business plan on a PowerPoint template. I mean the real vision you have of your business in the future, you know the one…..you fantasise about it enough.  It’s the one you are picturing right now, the one where you have waiting lists or you’re  employing staff because you’re so busy, the one where the local media contact you regularly as an expert in your field, the one where work is so guaranteed and so regular you no longer have to worry about not making enough money next month.  What’s that I hear you say? That’s not a vision it’s daydreaming? Fantasyland? Never gonna happen dude…? Wrong. If that’s what you fantasise about it’s time you turned that into your business vision.

You see in my book your business vision should be the dream you have for your business – no…. holds….. barred.  Don’t listen to that little voice telling you to start small and be realistic, just go for it with the biggest dream you have.  Dream it like you mean it.  From there you can begin to create a business plan, that business plan isn’t your vision, it’s the road that takes you to your vision – but the vision, in technicolour, must come first.

When I ask clients about their business vision they either hand me a lovely, shiny, beautifully bound copy of their ‘business plan’ complete with graphs and pie charts or they say they don’t have one.  To both of those clients I say ‘create a vision’.  See the vision, write it down and then start thinking about how you’ll get there (that will later become a business plan).

So do you have a vision? If not, write it down now, every detail of where you want your business (and yourself because you are the business) to be in 5 years, 3 years and 1 year. How many clients, how much income, where you’ll be doing business, how many staff you’ll have.  Go nuts and have fun.   Once you have it, read it every day (or at least fairly regularly) because that is ticket your the top. 

You cannot create an accurate, effective business plan unless you know what you’re aiming for. Just as a map can only guide you if you know where you want to get to, your vision and your business plan cannot operate independently of each other. 

Create that vision and the journey will really begin.

© Caitlin Mowbray 2009

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