How to Build a Brand When You're Multi-Passionate

Some people struggle to find their thing or their spark. (I just watched Pixar’s Soul and I loved how they referred to it as “spark.”) Other people have many sparks and they struggle to narrow it down. That’s the category I am in: multi-passionate.

You may be multi-passionate if:

• You have a long list of passions, hobbies, and interests and they all excite you.

• There are a million things you want to try, you never feel bored, and your to-do list is always full.

• You don’t feel like you fit into a single career path.

As a multi-passionate person, I’ve come to realize that you need to separate out your passions from your hobbies.

For example, I absolutely love cooking. I’ve lived a vegetarian lifestyle for over 10 years and I developed into a major foodie and self-proclaimed home chef. I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about cooking, though. I love cooking, but it’s not my purpose in life. I’m not trying to monetize that interest. I may share some recipes every now and then, but I’m not interested in teaching people how to cook or starting a full-time foodie blog right now.

I heard this on a podcast last year and I constantly tell myself this as a multi-passionate person: Just because you like doing something and you’re good at it, doesn’t mean you need to go run and start a business centered around that.

Allow your hobbies to be just that – hobbies. I love yoga, hiking, and planning my next DIY home project, but those don’t always fit into my personal brand, so I don’t allow them to take up my business mind space. I just sprinkle them in every now and then when it makes sense.

So how do you figure out what to monetize? Where should you focus your time and energy when you’re multi-passionate? Ask yourself what it is that lights you up the most. What is it that you love doing more than anything else? Can you narrow that down to 1-2 things?

I’ll give you another example: my two things are brand design + music. Second House Creative is my brand design and social media business. I’m passionate about helping small business owners build their brand online with design and content strategies. I’m also passionate about music. I’ve been singing for my whole life and I want to inspire others through music and share my story. You can see that side of me on my personal Instagram (@mollierittenhouse). In my case, it makes sense to have separate accounts. Second House Creative is a business, whereas my personal page is more lifestyle oriented. Both areas have so much content potential and there was no way I was going to have a clear message if I tried to combine the two. You may feel the need to build two accounts, but you may be able to use just one depending on what it is you’re offering and who you are serving.

Here’s how to tell if something is your *thing* or your *spark:*

• You could talk about this thing to a room full of people for an entire day if you had to.

• You are inspired by this thing and you have the drive to help others.

• You are frequently asked about this thing.

• You are seen as an expert in this thing to people around you.

• You are driven by this thing and you feel compelled to share value and insight to others.

• You are happy when you are doing this thing and and it’s a part of who you are.

When you’re passionate about something, people will notice.

Building a brand around multiple things can be challenging, that’s why focusing in on just a few things makes it easier for you, and also very clear to your audience what you’re all about.

Everything can’t be the star of your show. Decide what is going to take on the supporting roles.

This doesn’t mean you are leaving parts of you behind. You are just redirecting your interests to have more clarity in building your brand. Remember that you don’t need to share every hobby with the world – just the ones that mean the most to you and compliment your brand.

I see the beauty in niching down, but I also believe that it is important to share a well-balanced scope of what makes you YOU. Niche down in what you offer and who you serve. When the time is right, share stories and relatable content that will resonate with your audience.

Being multi-passionate is a gift. Having the drive to do many things is both exciting and overwhelming at times. When you find your focus and map out your MOST passionate interests, you’ll see how things can start to fall into place when you get clear about what you want to share with the world.

Why Brand Image is More Important Than Ever Right Now for Small Businesses

This post was written on April 10, 2020 and has not been updated since then.

Small businesses need us. You’ve probably heard that over and over again the past few weeks. Many big box stores, corporations, and chain restaurants will likely make it through the economic impact that COVID-19 is having on their businesses. But our locally owned restaurants, businesses, and specialty shops are finding themselves choosing between making it work by adjusting their operations and services or closing their doors temporarily.

Think about the small businesses you are supporting right now. More than likely, you’ve purchased from them in the past or hired them for a service, right? Their brand means something to you on a personal level, so it’s natural for you to support them.

Your support for them right now may be purchasing a gift card, ordering carryout for dinner for tonight, shopping their online store, or something as simple as following and sharing their content on social media. Small businesses that are staying afloat have a few things in common that all relate back to their brand image.

Here are 2 ways to develop a strong brand image for community support:

1. Does your audience know who YOU are?

   • Has your audience seen the face behind your brand? If you provide a service to people, they need to see you and know you if you expect to have them as long term customers. They need to put a face to your logo. People are more likely to respond to a brand that is personable and they can relate to. They cannot relate to you if they don’t know that much about you.

2. Does your audience trust you? Are you providing service and showing up everyday?

   • Are you showing up as the expert in your niche? Do you give your audience valuable content that builds their trust with you? How are you helping in them in ways other than the purchase point? Make it a goal to provide value in everything you share. Don’t fall into the trap of pushing the sale or product so much that you lose sight of providing content that they can engage with and learn from.

If you’re a small business and you are not open for business in your normal sense currently, you can still continue to show up on social media and make an impact. Here are a few ways I’ve seen local businesses stepping up:

• Provide entertainment for kids through educational videos, crafts, and coloring pages

• Utilize curbside pickup for products that you sell and bundle them in a unique way

• Build your online shop or create a facebook group for your customers

• Educate your followers with tips and how-to’s that relate to your services

• Restaurants: offer family style menu items for curbside pickup

• Bakeries: offer at-home baking kits for kids

• Making masks, hand sanitizer, and/or facilitating donations for healthcare workers if you have the means to