by Shaan Rais, Guest Contributor:

​Close your eyes and picture a successful brand. It can be any brand that springs to mind. What makes that brand unique? I really want you to think about this. Make a list of all the characteristics that come to mind.

Now look at your list. What do you notice? I bet you can see immediately who might be attracted to this brand. You know what type of people--single men, strong mothers, divorced parents, teens--this brand appeals to. But do you know why it has this appeal?

Successful brands know how to tell a story that speaks volumes to their target audience. You have a unique story too. Figure out how to tell your story and you’ll be unstoppable. But this is easier said than done, so let’s get into the strategy and psychology behind turning your story into a successful brand.

Figuring out why a company, an organization, a coach, a speaker, and/or a leader appeals to a certain group of people can be challenging. But the answer is all in the strategy.

The key to success here is to tell your story in a way that moves people to action. As a motivational speaker, when I step onto that stage, my goal is to get every member of that audience to make a decision about me within the first 30 seconds. Love me or not, it doesn’t matter initially. All I want is some kind of response.

Why? When an individual decides they love me right away, that makes them pay attention to what I say next. When an individual decides they don’t love me, that also makes them pay attention. We pay attention after we’ve made a decision because instinctively, we want to prove ourselves right.

Do you know what you don’t want as a speaker or a coach? You don’t want to get on stage and have your audience feel “on the fence” or lukewarm about you because they’ll also prove themselves right about that. And--you guessed it--they won’t buy from you.

​Successful brands make this strategy work and ride it all the way to the bank.

​Now that we understand the basic strategy behind using story to move your audience to make a decision, let’s dig a little deeper into the psychology here. People also respond to brands and individuals who stand comfortably in their authenticity and truth. Go back to the successful brand I asked you to picture at the beginning of this article. Did you write “authentic” on your list of characteristics? I’ll bet you did--or something equivalent to it.

There’s a good reason for this: almost everyone is hiding and creating complex marketing campaigns around masking their own vulnerabilities. But this is the easiest way to get lost in the noise of social media. On the other hand, if you can leverage your own vulnerability, you can tap into power your closest competition only dreams about. Remember, it’s your vulnerability that makes you human and real people relate to real people.

So the key to building a successful brand and being a successful leader is self-awareness.  Everyone has a unique story to tell. By identifying your story and the particular strengths you have to share with the world, you can leverage your past experiences to serve your clients.

How do you turn your story into a successful brand with the elements I’m talking about? It starts with these seven steps:

​If you’re ready, I’ll show you exactly how I used these seven steps to grow #brandedlikealeader to over $425K in less than 90 days. The next time I ask you to picture a successful brand, I want it to be your own!

Michael's Margaritas is making a splash in Atlanta.  We caught up with the entrepreneur on Sunday and he informed us that his business is on it's way to becoming a success.

We admire his drive and determination to build a thriving enterprise.

Learn more about his business on his Instagram page:  www.Instagram.com/michael_margaritas

Many people have slacked up from exercising at gyms because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Home work outs seem to be a much safer alternative to going to packed buildings full of people breathing hard and potentially spreading the coronavirus.  SmakkFit fills an important gap in this dynamic.  They offer home workout products on their website.

SmakkFit owner, and BlackBusinessList.Com member, LaMarqus Collins, is offering FREE shipping on orders over $45 to fellow BlackBusinessList.Com members.

Exercise products make great holiday gifts.  Visit their website to learn more about them:  www.SmakkFit.com.

Atlanta, GA…Thursday, November 12, 2020…Venessa Abram, founder/executive director of  Self Discovery Pain, Positioning and Purpose, a 501c3 nonprofit, will be leading a series of virtual trainings designed to address the many COVID-19 anxieties experienced by various communities.

Made available as a result of a grant provided by the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Community Resilience Model (CRM) Training will offer four sessions which are designed to help attendees bounce back mentally from the challenges experienced during this extremely stressful COVID-19 era.

​“The purpose of the CRM training is to help community members not only help themselves, but their broader social network,” says Abram, an award-winning author, mental health advocate and trainer, who specializes in advocacy and trainings on mental health and suicide prevention.  “The primary focus of this skills-based program is to reset the natural balance of the nervous system by understanding how trauma and chronic stress impacts the nervous system and how resiliency can be restored,” she said.

Among the key components of the training sessions will be mental health, wellness, resiliency education, tools, skills and resources. 

The dates and times for the Community Resilience Model Trainings will be Monday, November 16 at 10:00am; Monday, November 23 at 1:00p.m.; Monday, December 14 at 10:00am and Monday, December 28 at 1:00p.m.
 
“We encourage those that are struggling and their networks to attend these sessions,” shared Abram.  “The goal of these trainings is to create trauma-informed and resiliency-focused communities. When we do this, we have the best chance of helping our families and communities rebound successfully from these challenging times in which we’re all living,” she said.