IAM1462 – Creating a Purpose Driven Brand

Julian B. Kiganda is the Founder, of Bold & Fearless. She is a Transformational Life & Brand Strategist. She co-authored and published her first book with her sister, Christine St. Vil, entitled Whose Shoes Are You Wearing? 12 Steps to Uncovering the Woman You Really Want to Be.

During the interview, we discussed her background and experience, the importance of branding, and the power of operating in your purpose.

• CEO Story: Julian’s background is in marketing, design, branding, and communications, she loves writing and using technology. She loves to teach/coach branding to business owners, and how to make it right.
• Business Service: Transformational life and brand strategist. Helping brands have that reputation.
• Secret Sauce: Living on purpose in transforming the client’s brand.
• CEO Hack: Having vast experience in terms of branding and marketing. Passion for transforming brands.
• CEO Nugget: Your gift is your gift. Your experience is your experience. Do not take the eye off of your vision. Focus on your goals.
• CEO Defined: You are the leader, you are the brand. Exposing who you are, and what message you convey to others.

Website: www.boldandfearless.me
Book Website: www.whoseshoesbook.com
Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/1T41tRd

Episode Link: https://ceochat.co/episodes/creating-a-purpose-driven-brand/

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Transcription

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00:28 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I am CEO podcast.

00:00 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast formerly the CEO Chat Podcast. So doing something a little bit different as we ease into the fall from the summer and you know, everybody's traveling a lot more, you know, life is obviously a lot different than it has been in the last four years, definitely since I started this, let alone the last two years or so. But I had a podcast called the CEO Chat Podcast, which is a lot more of a long-form podcast. I didn't really reach the 1400-plus episodes that we did with the IMCO podcast.

So there's a lot more long-flowing, a lot more conversational, but might be dusting off the CEO Chat podcast and bringing that back out. So with that being said, while considering that what I wanted to do is go through some of the interviews that I had that were some of my favorites and share those, it's not going to obviously be the full entire interview. We're going to have links in the show notes so that you can listen to the full interview. But I wanted to do some snippets that you can get. You're going to hear, of course, you know, the visibility, either the resources or the connections in each of these different snippets.

So it's going to be one of those things that are really going to help you to hopefully learn more about the guest that's on the show, what they do, how they do it, why they do it, but also get that opportunity to really learn about some resources that can make you more effective and efficient. So sit back and enjoy this special throwback CEO Chat episode just a little. Bit more about how we can do better in terms of branding and kind of what it is for business owners.

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01:33 – Julian B. Kiganda

Absolutely. So I like to keep the definition of branding really simple. There are probably a million and one different definitions out there, but the one that I like to use is simply branding, which is your reputation. And so when you think about it that way, it means that your reputation is made up of a number of different things. It's not just your pr, it's not just your logo. And it's so funny because when I tell people their branding is not your logo, you get like these audible gasps from people who that's what they thought it was all the time.

So the logo is probably the most identifiable part, visible part of your brand, but it really encapsulates all these different ideas, values, and messages and communicates so much about your brand. So your brand is your reputation and your reputation is made up of everything from your Visual material. So your website, your logo, how you communicate on social media, your in-person presence, your language, even how you answer the phone, every single touch point that people have with your business, with your brand actually equals your reputation.

So this is why it is so important with the app and the social media. Gosh, what is it now, a decade ago, a little over a decade ago, that people are really on point with their communications, with their messaging? Messaging is one of those critical parts of your brand and that just means how do you communicate your brand, your brand's promise, you know, the benefits that people get from using your product or service? I say all the time that you are your brand. So as the CEO of your company, whether you are a solopreneur or you are the founder of a 500-person company, the company takes its cues from the leadership. If you are the leadership and you are all over the place, you are not focused, you are not clear about your messaging, that is what you are putting out there. I always like to say that a confused customer never buys. That is why my process of working with clients, is the chunk of it.

And I always tell people before I start working with them, that my process really entails a lot of in-depth work. Getting to know who you are as a person, who you want your, you know, what you want your business to look like. I love what Stephen Covey says and I use this all the time from Seven Habits of Highly Effective People that you have to begin with the end in mind.

So at the end of the day, you know, what do you want to, where do you want to see yourself, you know, a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now? What is your end game? But more than anything, and that's why I say you know just as much about building the brand as it is about building the person behind the brand. I believe that the best brands are authentic. And to be authentic, you have to know exactly who you are. So these days, I mean people can see they smell a rat a mile away.

04:46 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, you can easily Google and find all that out.

04:50 – Julian B. Kiganda

Exactly. I was just talking about that with a friend of mine yesterday. That's all it takes, just a Google. And it's like, oh, she was lying about that or she didn't quite tell the truth about that, you know. So I stress authenticity. And in order to be authentic, you really have to first build your personal brand. I mean, you look at companies like, I mean, Oprah Winfrey is of course one of my favorite examples of what it means to be authentic.

And you look at her as a personal brand and how her brand actually completely permeates her entire company. You know, when you talk to any of her employees, it's almost like you're talking to her because they're all focused on, okay, what is the intention? That's the big thing of hers. What is the intention for this project, this story, this whatever it is, you know, so Oprah is a great example of, you know, being authentic and building your personal brand. And then that for me, for the company.

And I think Richard Branson is another great example of another individual who really built his personal brand. And his brand, you know, is very lively. His personal brand is very lively, very fun, adventurous, you know, and that, again, permeates into the entire company. So it is absolutely essential that you really build your personal brand and figure out what you stand for before you even start putting stuff out there. Because, you know, once you put it out there and it's not authentic, you're actually causing more damage. You know, that's going to be harder to fix something that people already are like, yeah, no, you were fake before. I'm not buying into that. Again, don't. You better figure that out before you put stuff out there.

06:36 – Gresham Harkless

That makes perfect sense. And I guess, what would you tell or what advice would you maybe give to an entrepreneur or business owner that has maybe started up and that can be around branding or any other business advice? You definitely done a lot of work as an entrepreneur, so we would love to just kind of hear, like, what advice you would kind of give to startups or maybe more seasoned entrepreneurs.

07:00 – Julian B. Kiganda

Where would you like to start? How much time do you have?

07:04 – Gresham Harkless

As long as you want to take. We're all listening.

07:08 – Julian B. Kiganda

Well, I would say a couple of things. I think, number one, and this, this is a lesson that I'm still learning. And I think at every stage of your growth in your business and just personally, you're going to continue to learn, is that your gift is your gift, your experience is your experience, your vision is your vision. If you continue focusing on what everybody else is doing and trying to catch up and keep up with the Joneses, you are never going to be successful. At least what I consider the true definition of success, is just really being fulfilled and living out your purpose, whatever that ends up being at any point in time.

So, you know, I think especially now with social media, we get so caught up with what people are posting online, where they are, who they're meeting what show they've been on, what program they're being interviewed for, whatever that looks like that we take the eye off of our own vision and we kind of have to, I think, reel that back in and stay laser-focused on our own vision. I mean, the best entrepreneurs, the most successful business people, stay focused on their goals and they don't take no for an answer. They know what the competition is doing.

You have to know what your competition is doing in order to understand and be able to your competitive advantage. But stay focused on your vision. Stop paying so much attention to what everybody named Mama is doing. You know, So I think, I think that's one because I see that all the time, and I think that keeps people stuck longer than they should and also just not really living up to their full potential because they're so busy trying to be like somebody else.

So I think that will be one, I think two, you have to get really clear about what you want people to say about. So, you know, the thing you like to say is that your brand is not what you say you are, it's what other people say you are. Another way I've heard it said is your brand is not what you say you are, it's what other people say about you when you leave the room. Right.

09:25 – Gresham Harkless

So I know you're based out of the Washington, D.C. area. So one of the questions that I usually always ask too is what do you think makes the DMV, the DV, Maryland, and Virginia area, a great place to be an entrepreneur or business owner?

9:39 – Julian B. Kiganda

You know what? I think part of it is that I've just grown up here, so I know the area really well. I actually just. I love this area. Like, I can't really imagine. Not that I won't, but right now I can't imagine living anywhere else in the US or really anywhere else, period. I love to travel, so I've seen, you know, a number of different places around, been to most of the states in us a lot of places outside of us But I think DC is just. It has the best of so many worlds. I think one of the things that I love about DC is the diversity of this area, which you don't find in a lot of places. I think New York is probably the next closest place and they're probably even more diverse. But I would say D.C. is extremely diverse.

And I think that is a great thing for entrepreneurs because you have, you know, I believe that the best companies are built with people who come from diverse backgrounds because you're all bringing a different perspective to the work that you're doing. So I think that's One, I think the diversity of the area, I think that a lot of these local governments, the state and local governments are vested in entrepreneurship. They have great small business centers in this area. In fact, what are two of my favorites? So one of the places that I went before I, you know, launched my design from a rather relaunched in 2006, and that's when it really started growing exponentially, is the Women's Business Center of Northern Virginia.

11:16 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, cool. So I guess one other question I wanted to hear about too was about your book. Can you tell us a little bit about your book and kind of what that's about and how people maybe can get a get a copy?

11:31 – Julian B. Kiganda

Bold and Fearless is an online magazine and a lifestyle brand for professional women who are passionate about discovering and living out their purpose. I launched that in 2013, and I'm always intent on purpose. Like I talk about purpose all the time because I think everything, everything you do in your life should be directed in the way of your purpose. So she and I were having a conversation one day and she was saying to me, you know, Julian, I really want to come up with a product for my clients. She was working with. We're doing a lot of coaching with moms and helping them just, you know, get their lives on track, get focused on their goals outside of their families, and just do their own thing.

And so she said, I really want to have a product for my clients that I don't have to, you know, coach them for that I can just give them a product and to use it as. And so I said, well, why don't we collaborate and write a book? And so we always joke about this because she thought that I meant to write an ebook. And we ended up writing a full-fledged book. So the interesting thing is through that process, we decided we wanted to write a book about the challenges that women face and how to get through those challenges, to really break through and walk in your own shoes, figure out your purpose, and all that good stuff. And so, because I just, you know, we both believe that we're all created with a purpose and it's our job.

And Oprah says this all the time. You know, it's our job to figure out what that is and then do it. So the challenge is a lot of times we don't have the tools, we don't have the information, we don't have the resources to even know where to begin. If we have no clue what our purpose is, you know, we're actually looking at. We've created some additional products in addition to the book. So we started developing a transformational calendar planner that people can use every year, where you write your goals for the beginning of the month, figure out what your successes were, you celebrate yourself.

So it's really, it's a calendar that's based on the book, but it's also a calendar that helps you plan out your year see your progress and make sure that you are walking in your shoes. So if you want to order the book, people can get it from either Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. You can also go to Whose Shoes Book? W H o s e who.com for more information on us and some of the other products that are related to the book. And then just in terms of, you know, getting in touch with me, you can always go to Bold and Fearless. , I'm actually in the process of launching my consulting website, which will just be my name. Julian B. Q Gandhi. Calm. But like I said, I've been so busy with clients that I haven't been able to focus as much on my own stuff, which can be a blessing and a curse.

14:28- Gresham Harkless

Yeah.

4:30 – Julian B. Kiganda

But I do, you know, if you go bowling, Fearless is where they contact me on there. And I, you know, I love working with people who are purpose-driven, who really are focused on whether it's a product or a service. And they know that what they're doing is their gift and they're sharing that gift with the world. My being able to help develop a brand and strategy around it and really put it out there, brings me joy. So love working with clients again, whether it's in the product or service industry, I said my focus is on working with purpose-driven women to build million-dollar brands. But you know, I've actually had several of my clients, my female clients say, oh, well, when you're done with me, my husband wants to work with you.

So I haven't written off the mail. Yeah. So anybody who is really stuck in their business and trying to figure out why their brand isn't working, why their marketing isn't working, if they're trying to launch a new product or service, aren't quite sure how to put their message out there, or if they've never really implemented a social media strategy and trying to figure that out, I partner with my sister on that and really help develop a strategy to help you start utilizing social media to build your brain.

15:50 – Gresham Harkless

Hello, Hello, Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and the CEO Chad podcast. And I hope you enjoyed this special episode. Give us an opportunity to kind of take some of the snippets from some of the longer-form podcasts that we have and repurpose them here. And we might be dusting off the CEO Chad podcast and talking a little bit more about some of those longer form episodes and hopefully some of the people that have been on the IMCEO podcast on the longer form episodes. But I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope you enjoyed this little snapshot. Of course, you can go to CEOchat Co and have the opportunity to listen to the full complete version of the episode. But also you can maybe see that it's very important to create content, but also to be able to listen to and take in the hacks, the nuggets, the stories, reads, just all the things that make these interviews so unique and so special. So I hope you enjoyed this episode and be sure to follow up with the guests, follow up with the CO chat podcast, and hear about all the awesome things we're working on.

16:50 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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