People Do Business with People — Not Logos
The leaders and brands standing out are not the most polished or predictable; what they are is authentic (and memorable).
Let’s use me as an example. The other day on Zoom, 3 of my (9) dogs were humping each other in the background; some would be embarrassed, I owned it; cause that is life – unpredictable, weird and full of awkward moments. People love that, I don’t blur my background because the funny, real, and apparently…inappropriate – is me. When I record a video, it’s way too close to my face, dogs are barking, and the constant motion will probably make you nauseous.
The point is, I am not polished. In fact, the image below is on 8THIRTYFOUR marketing material because it shows my awkwardness and absolute confusion on what to do with my hands when people are looking at me.
Meanwhile, everyone else is creating AI clones of themselves, sending AI-generated emails (the dead giveaway is the use of BS and fluff), and posting AI-generated content on LinkedIn. Side note: I wanted to see how many times I could get AI in the previous sentence, and I’m pretty proud of the effort.
Do you know what people remember about Kim Bode? It’s definitely not the one time we launched 25,000 lanterns in downtown GR. Nope, it’s my 9 rescue dogs, iced red wine, the bright colors I wear and the penchant for saying what everyone else is thinking. You have to be memorable first, the opportunities and benefits come after.
Big Deal Energy (n.): The confidence of knowing exactly who you are, owning your quirks, and communicating your authentic self unapologetically.
Do people feel like they know you?
Stop Hiding
Most business owners are practically invisible, you’re solving problems, managing teams, keeping clients happy, putting out fires. Its why personal branding feels self-indulgent, so it stays at the bottom of the list indefinitely. Plus talking about yourself is egotistical, right?
Meanwhile, someone else gets the speaking gig, is given the award, gets featured in an article and becomes the go-to name in your space; not because they’re better, but because people actually know they exist. It’s an opportunity you’re leaving on the table.
Big Deal Energy
It’s so important, I’m listing the entirely made up definition below (again).
Big Deal Energy (n.): The confidence of knowing exactly who you are, owning your quirks, and communicating your authentic self unapologetically.
It’s you, showing up as yourself, consistently, in the places that matter.
I run a communications agency with nine rescue dogs, ADHD that keeps things interesting, and a deep appreciation for a shaken espresso. I send handwritten notes — actual snail mail — because I like doing it and it matters to me. None of that is “professional” in the traditional sense, and all of it has helped build a business that’s been running for nineteen years. The things making you different aren’t liabilities; they’re your competitive advantage. Your quirks are features, not bugs and they are what people remember.
How to…personal brand
Personal branding happens in four stages: Discover, Create, Communicate, and Maintain.
Most people want to skip straight to Communicate; get on LinkedIn, build a content calendar (who is doing this – weirdo), start posting but if you haven’t done the Discover work, you’re just adding to the AI generated crap and you sound like everyone else because you haven’t put in the work to really dig into what makes you *you*.
Meet QUIRKS: It’s the deeper methodology for the internal work; the part where you figure out who you are, what you want, and what makes you remarkable. It stands for Question, Uncover, Identify, Reframe, Know, and Show, and it guides you through: questioning the rules you’ve been following without knowing why, uncovering what you actually want (not the generic, humble version you tell people), identifying the experiences and details that shaped you, reframing the things you’ve been told are problematic, knowing your value without apology, and showing up as yourself…consistently and authentically.
It Matters
Your personal brand already exists, it’s what people say about you when you leave the room. The only question is whether you’re shaping it or leaving it to chance.
When you’re visible, really visible as yourself, opportunities find you: speaking engagements, media features, partnerships, clients who choose you specifically because of who you are. We’ve landed contracts because of a handwritten note; not because of a slick proposal or a lower price, but because someone felt like they knew us.
Get Started
Take the QUIRKS Quiz — it’s a quick assessment showing you where you are in your personal branding journey and what you need to prioritize.
The business owners who get the opportunities aren’t always the most talented or the most qualified; they’re the ones who figured out how to be memorable, who stopped hiding behind their company name and started letting people see who they actually are.
Your quirks aren’t the problem; staying invisible is.
Be you. Everyone else is taken.
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