How to define your brand, without the box
đď¸ For multi-dimensional professionals ready to be seen
Most brand advice still tells you to pick a lane and stick to it. But what if your mind doesnât work that way? What if the real strength of your work, and your story, lies in its complexity, in the way your creative, strategic, and personal sides overlap?
Thatâs not a weakness. Itâs the foundation of an authentic brand.
And itâs the only type of presence thatâs sustainable (and magnetic) in 2025.
Authenticity isnât a ânicheâ, itâs your edge
Hereâs what most âbrand clarityâ checklists miss:
Youâre not building a persona. Youâre building recognition: the deep, honest sense that people get when they encounter your work, your words, your ideas, again and again. Authority comes from coherence, not reduction.
In other words:
Your brand isnât just a logo, tagline, or single expertise.
Itâs the sum of your stories, values, patterns, passions, and yes, even your contradictions.
The goal is to make your multidimensionality recognizable and trustable.
To make your âmixâ of skills, experiences, and perspectives become the reason people remember you, recommend you, and choose to work with you.
How Google, AI, and actual clients see you now
AI and Google: They look for patterns. They scan for consistency in your âAboutâ pages, profiles, and the topics that show up in your posts and essays. Are your main themes clear? Are your cross-links real, or just keywords? Is there an âauthor signatureâ that runs through your work, regardless of subject?
Clients and collaborators: They look for resonance. Do your words sound like someone theyâd want to work with? Is there evidence you âgetâ their complexity? Are you showing up as yourself, not a persona?
This isnât about narrowing yourself down. Itâs about being impossibly clear about what ties your work together.
How to create a living, breathing brand statement
Forget the one-liner that squeezes your whole world into a tagline.
Start with these questions:
1. What are the threads that run through your work, even when you shift topics or mediums?
Is it a certain way of seeing the world? A commitment to possibility, to kindness, to making meaning out of the ordinary? Is it a specific kind of client youâre always drawn to, or a pattern in your creative process?
2. What kinds of transformation do people experience when they work with you, read your words, or encounter your ideas?
Donât just think in deliverables. Whatâs the deeper shift?
3. How do your unique mix of skills and stories create value?
It might be: âI bring together tech, education, and activism for purpose-driven projects,â or âI bridge neuroscience and coaching to help leaders grow.â
4. Why are you the one to do this?
How has your path, personal, creative, professional, shaped the way you see and serve?
Bring it all together in your words
You donât need a âUVPâ that sounds like a slogan.
Try writing a short paragraph (or a couple of clear sentences) that touches on:
Who you help or speak to
What changes when people work with you or read you
Whatâs different about your approach
The values or perspective that are always present in your work
Examples:
âI help founders build stronger habits and stay mindful, so they can lead with more calm and less stress. My approach mixes brain science, check-ins, and routines that really stick.â
âI help immigrant business owners build companies that honor both their drive and their roots. My process combines legal help, personal stories, and cultural understanding for businesses that last.â
The real work: consistency and connection
Use this living brand statement on your Substack, your LinkedIn, your website, your emails. Let it evolve.
Donât worry about repeating yourself. Repetition is recognition. Show the patterns, the voice, the values everywhere you show up.
Link your professional work and personal interests together. Reference your projects, stories, and insights across different sections, showing that each part is connected and belongs to your bigger picture.
Your turn: reflection prompts
What have people said they remember most about you or your work?
What are you always asked for, no matter your official role or title?
Where do your creative and strategic instincts overlap?
How do you want people to feel after engaging with your work, or your presence?
Which old scripts or labels are you ready to drop?
Write out your thoughts, then try a paragraph, not a slogan. Read it aloud. Does it sound like you? Could it grow as you do?
The world doesnât need another copy-and-paste expert. It needs you, in your fullness. Start there. Thatâs how you get recognized, by Google and everyone else that matters.
Own Your Presence is an ongoing guide to building authentic visibility and authority online. Find every chapter in the series here.
Ready for more visibility?
đ Own Your Presence: The Visibility Blueprint
This practical blueprint is designed for multi-passionate professionals, creatives, and anyone tired of visibility advice that doesnât fit. Download it now.
