What is the core metaphor of your business? I’ve consistently seen that the thoughtful use of metaphors in your marketing can make a huge difference in terms of clarity and impact. In this, likely lengthy, post you’re going to learn about a number of ways you can use metaphor and symbolism in your business. […]
Metaphors in Marketing: The Power of Uncovering Your Core Metaphor Read More
Coming up with a name for your business can be tricky. If you’re retail it’s easier to go random, there are so many businesses with names that may or may not have any meaning to the customer (even if there’s a story behind it). I can think of the Black Dog Public House, White Dog Cafe,
How to create an instantly memorable, attention grabbing business name that gets people talking I’ve been wanting to write this blog for so long. It’s about what to name your business. Your business name matters. A good name is memorable and easy to repeat which gives you good word of mouth. A good name can
Clarity is everything in marketing. A while ago I wrote a blog post about the importance of developing a clear platform. Your platform is what you’re known for. It’s another way of talking about ‘brand‘. It’s the heart of slow marketing (but also the basis of fast marketing). The challenge that I lay out in
Mike Rowlands, a Vancouver based marketing and branding expert is asking a group of thirty positive change makers one of the hardest questions they’ve ever been asked. He’s a very fun fellow but the question is serious. “If you closed up shop tomorrow, who would miss you? And why?” We’re all sitting in a circle
I met Mark Volmer, of Hidden Gem Healing in 2011 at some point. And I had the experience of instantly liking and trusting him. There’s something about people who are so comfortable in their own skin (not posturing or collapsing) that it has us all relax. He ended up coming to one of my weekend
A quick thought . . . The direction of your niche is determined by your wounds. The form of your niche is determined by your natural gifts. Those things you are most naturally best at, that come without effort are what you should build your niche around. The tone of your niche is determined by
I’ve said it a lot of times: your deepest wounds are often the doorway to your truest niche. The things you’ve struggled with and overcome are places you have not only credibility but also capacity to help others. If you’re going to be a guide for people, best to pick a terrain you’re familiar with
I’ve long noticed how much stuff niching seems to bring up for people. They freeze, they resist, they ignore, they freak out. On the surface, it would seem like an over reaction. But is it really? The word niche comes from the old French verb ‘nicher’: to make a nest. Our niche in the world
As I discovered during my Niching for Hippies six week coaching program, people have a lot of fears around niching. And then coaches encourage them to push through those because ‘niching is so important’. But I’ve been learning that those fears are actually important to listen to. Sometimes the very thing that seems like it’s