The Downfall of DIYing Your Business
Let’s talk about something maybe a little controversial today, DIYing your business. I first wanted to say that I don’t think there is anything wrong with DIYing your business. Especially if you’re starting out, don’t have funds, or just want to dive into it. It would be extremely hypocritical of me to say I’m against DIYing your business when that’s what I did when I started mine.
This post is for the following business owners who:
Are struggling to get or maintain clients/customers
Don’t have a ton of time to dedicate
Have a full time job
Have a family
Are anxious about change
Can’t find the right person to help
Don’t know what they are potentially doing wrong
Know there’s more info out there then what they already know
Don’t know who their target audience is
Don’t know what to post on social media
If you think you fit into any of those bullet points, then let’s get into it. Since I have opened my business I’ve noticed that most people do everything themselves in the beginning and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that unless you’re struggling. I don’t think enough small business owners talk about all of the confusion and struggle that comes with faking it until you make it. There isn’t a rule book that has all of your questions answered for your individual business, but in my experience a lot of people do their best until it doesn’t work anymore.
If you’re someone who is noticing that you’re not getting the clients you used to or you’re just struggling in general, then the first thing I recommend is making sure you have a solid branding foundation. How do you know if you have a solid branding foundation? Can you answer a few of these questions…
Who is your target audience and how do you speak to them?
What is something your business would never do?
How are you reaching the people you want to book?
What makes you unique or different than others advertising the same?
How do customers benefit from your business?
If you couldn’t easily answer those questions then you might not have a solid branding foundation.
What is a branding foundation and how do I get one? I like to think of branding as two separate things that work together. You have brand styling which is what your business looks like. Brand styling includes logos, colors, typography, and other things that contribute to how your business looks and feels. There is a huge difference between wanting a business to look clean, elegant, and simple vs sophisticated, bold, and clean. The other part is brand vision. Brand vision dives into the personality of your business. Your business values, core beliefs, the dos and don'ts, and so much more. The brand vision portion helps you figure out who you are, what you’re about, and how to get the clients you want all in the business space. Not sure what to post on social media to get clicks? Not sure how to get traffic to your website? These can be easily answered with brand vision.
Now that we know the two sides of branding, this is where we get into the title of today's post. It’s hard to ask yourself the questions you need to be asked when you’re already struggling. This is where I would recommend hiring someone! It could be a business coach or even a branding specialist like me. I offer packages catered to helping businesses get a solid branding foundation. They include a mini course on brand vision to give you a new outlook, brand styling to give you a new face to go with your new mind, and then a new website to apply all of the hard work that was done.
There is nothing wrong with doing everything yourself, but there’s also no harm in hiring someone if you do need the help. There are some amazing business coaches and branding specialists out there and if you’re a creative entrepreneur (especially if you’re a photographer or e-commerce seller) I might even have time in my schedule to take on your business! Don’t let your business drift away, take action to fix it now.
Cover photo shot by: Dorothy Louise Photography