Why Following Mainstream Is Killing Your Brand and 3 DIY Tips To Fix It

We’ve all been there.
Listen to guru X.
Follow guru X.
Buy and execute what guru X sells.
Execute what guru says.

Result? 9-times-out-of-10, the opposite of Guru X’s success. And yet, we still follow the mainstream in search of the Holy Grail of Business. Why do we do this?

Well the most common reasons are:

1. Well if they’ve done it, I can do it.
2. What have I got to lose? I’m in the shit now, it can’t get any worse.
3. I love what they’re doing, I also want that.

You have no reasons to follow – You’re a thought leader – You set the pace.

Sometimes, we just need to be aware of the reasons why we’re following the Mainstream, and use the reverse.
Just the same as we would when coaching or healing a soul client.
We know that there are limiting beliefs and patterns that hold our potential back, and once we are exposed to the limits, we’re able to bust the beliefs and re-instate positive, working beliefs that benefit not only us, but those around us.

Today I’d love to give you a few Mainstream Beliefs that we Entrepreneurs like to believe, which are holding us back. And once you’re aware of these limiting beliefs, you’ll be aware of how to bust them and re-instate new thinking – which helps not only you in your business, but also strengthening your Brand as an original.

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

Recently a media scandal was launched by and into the media with regards to a Hollywood movie.

The scandal was about animal abuse in the movie.
The movie is about animals.

Social media went on a rampage with the video clip that was released about the movie.
As with ALL things media, we always ALWAYS need to cross-check facts. Because the media LOVE to twist the truth to benefit a beneficiary financially.

Now, the movie was filmed in 2015. The release of a clip was released one week prior to the opening of the movie in cinemas January 2017.
This just here is enough for cross-checking the facts: If the person/media was so concerned about the animals whilst filming – why only release the scandal 1 week prior to the release of the movie and two years later? Hmmmmm…

I won’t go into too much detail about this media scandal, but the gist of this is: we never crosscheck content nor do we read between the lines. We accept what is in front of us as the truth and hardly ever question it.

And the same goes for your business and following the mainstream. Especially the success gurus.

When a guru screams success with “how I did it”… most entrepreneurs never read between the lines. Like:

• What market is this entrepreneur selling in?
• Is what he’s selling applicable to my business?
• How long did it take for that entrepreneur to get to his/her success now – what happened prior to his/her success?
• And most importantly, are his/her clients parallel to my soul clients? Are there any commonalities?

When you take these questions into consideration, you’re already reading between the lines. Question where your Brand positioning is: Perhaps your Brand is in a high-value market end where more money and cognition on the part of your soul client is required, as opposed to say a Nail studio or a hairdresser. So when a Guru screams success in filling their Facebook Group within 1 hour with up to 1000 new members… READ BETWEEN THE LINES and then make a conscious decision as to whether this Guru is someone who can authentically lead your Brand to the recognition that you’re seeking.
I mean, if you’re a brilliant Transformational Coach or Clairvoyant, would you really be paying for advice from a Nail-Designer on how to grow your Facebook Group?

Disclaimer: This isn’t to say that there isn’t things to learn from a Nail designer (!!) Definitely look into what they’ve done and see if there are pointers that could be adapted to YOUR market, but in general, a Transformational Coach or Healer is a little different from a Nail-Designer in terms of market and soul clients.

COMPARASITIS

My Soul clients are all in the Lifestyle Market, with professions ranging from Clairvoyants, Healers, Coaches, Mentors, Shamans, Innovation-Leaders creating new products, Designers, Musicians, Artists, Writers, Visionaries …

I serve many gorgeous Souls who all call themselves the same title e.g. a Coach or Healer or Designer, and you’d think, that one profession is the same as the other? Well that’s what the mainstream would have you believe.
I mean, what could the difference from one coach to another possibly be?

And this is where most coaches struggle with Comparasitis. That feeling of they’re “better than” me…
And the natural reaction for most of the Coaches would then be to
a) Do more Branding (get a designer to jazz things up)
b) Hire a social media strategist to get your brand more visible to get you more clients – because the more clients you have the more credibility and money you have …
c) Compete
d) Feel “less than”
e) Give-up

This belief of “Comparasitis” is deathly and demeaning for you and your Brand.

I’ve found ways to bust this Mainstream belief:

#StepOne: You are born an ORIGINAL – only YOU decide to die a copy
#StepTwo: KNOW your business brand inside-out. This is YOUR market – YOUR dream – YOUR passion. Dominate it! How?
>>> Strategy: I cannot express this enough. No matter HOW many clients you have at the moment, if they’re not managed strategically, you are going to run yourself and your Brand into the ground out of exhaustion. Strategy enables a Framework, that gives your day structure. So that you’re focused in your targeting and marketing. When you’re not, you’re doing the opposite of strategy – which is picking up the pieces that fall apart and always trying to “fix” things i.e. replenishing your energy, always feeling tired and exhausted, never charging your worth…the list goes on.
>>> Mindset:

1. There is so much to mindset. And it’s not just chatting to your mind telling it to “wisen up”… Mindset is reaching into the soul, the inner child, listening to our intuition, finding harmony between the outer and inner worlds, calming and grounding our energies, connecting the energetic dots with yourself and others around you. And finding clarity to answers to move you forward in your life and business.
2. Many times you have no idea how to be MORE in your business and how your brand can be MORE i.e. visible. There is so much clutter and noise in the social media and the online world. And you just feel like you’re adding to it. Which you probably are, by following someone else’s mindset. Stay true to YOU, your WHY and your SOUL clients.
3. Once you realise that it’s not about THEM or that they’re better-than, but all about you and your soul clients, the shift and perspective changes and you stop trying to compete with the noise and keep focusing on your WHY, which is when your mindset shifts to focusing on YOUR brand and not someone’s else’s.
4. Health & Exercise: Your body is your temple. Without your health you can forget about everything else you’re trying to achieve. Eat right and exercise for an empowered Body-Mind-Soul.

TIME DOESN’T EXIST

In 2016, I had a few projects that I wanted to launch for BrandSashka. I worked on the framework and started to work on the content. But for the life of me, I could just not move forward. It was like there was a block all the time – all my doors were shut.
This is very frustrating. I’m sure you can identify when you’re wanting to get products out, because you’re wanting to grow your business financially and of course “pay the bills”, and these stubborn doors are all staying shut!

This is when I was introduced to something extremely interesting, that has helped me immensely in my business and which I’d love to share with you.

My Soul doesn’t react to the nervous emotions of my human spirit and in turn results in Time not existing. As my Soul moves on to where it needs to go, rather than the overwhelm the human spirit creates.

Say whaaaaaat?!?!?!

Yup! It’s true!
You see you’ll see your competitors around you “doing their thing” – moving forward, action-takers. And you seem to be standing still with all doors shut. You’re totally alert and ready for action, but you’re just stuck.
The natural mainstream reaction is to push forward, put in MORE effort and hard work, longer hours, more thinking and learning.
This leaves you exasperated and demotivated.

We’re so eager to “jump the line”, take a short-cut, get there quicker.
But as a Soul Entrepreneur, the key is to listen to what your Soul is leading you to.
If the doors are closed, it means that it’s not “time” yet. And jumping the Timeline, only gets you to the finish line early, but not on-time.

You’re the only one at the finish line. No-one is cheering you on, applauding you, no soul clients.
Nope. You’re standing there alone. So you leave the scene and decide to venture into a new path. But what you don’t see is that those that are wanting to meet you at your finish line aren’t far-off behind you, only you weren’t patient enough to wait within your Time Line. So you move on and miss your moment at the finish line.

As difficult as it might sound. Learn to stay within your Time Line. Pushing with more and more effort, only tires you out. If a door is closed, move to one that is OPEN, don’t force doors open. It’s not the right time. Because what may SEEM the right time for US, will only be revealed when your strategies and actions flow with grace and ease, rather than with struggle and burn-out.
The mainstream would have you believe that not opening a door is a sign of weakness, and that you need to force it open. Resist that temptation, and trust your Soul’s timing, backed up by your Brand Framework.

Here’s another example:

Imagine the Formula 1. Imagine all the competitors have done 20 laps and are still driving their laps. Then you cut in and join the race. You haven’t had that time in the 20 laps to get to know the terrain, focus your eyes on the laps, get accustomed to your breathing and timing, listening to your coaches give you tips and tricks of what to do and what not to do. You’ve just attacked. You may have a bit of success for short spurts but soon you’ll run of energy and time and you’re left losing, demotivated and exasperated. But you know that time is of the essence because you’ve invested a lot of time and money into your passion and you want to see and feel the ROI – asap.

Totally understandable.

However, when we “jump ahead of our timeline” – we quicken (or short-cut) a process that isn’t ready yet. Which leaves you standing in an arena ready for action but there aren’t any spectators. So you leave the arena and go somewhere else jumping from one thing to another.

Leaving you overwhelmed and confused. By jumping ahead of your timeline, you fall into the trap of conjuring up head-stories and emotions that just make you doubt your talents and gifts and purpose. Questioning your WHY? Our emotions which are thoughts will eventually turn into things. And these things aren’t of benefit to you or your business, as you’ve conjured up negative thoughts of limiting beliefs, Comparalitis, lack-of mindset …

It’s easier to trust your Time Line when the doors are shut, to move to the doors that are open. When it’s not time, it’s just not time. Avoid forcing.

It’s so important for you and your sanity, to take things slow.

The bottom line is this: when you’re wanting your brand to be legendary and teach and lead, then it’s time you slow down and stop following the mainstream.

It’s essential that you start getting your focus on your rock-solid brand plan and executing it diligently – focusing on YOU and your WHY.

It’s so good to LEARN from others, but what’s more important is to run your OWN race. Stay in your lane and DOMINATE it. You’re the one who is to lead your Vision. If not you, then who?

I hope that this post has inspired you to focus on your journey  more and less of the mainstream, which is killing your Brand. When I’ve tickled you pink and you feel compelled to share your giggles with me, then leave a comment below. I always love hearing from you…