Your Brand 'Identity'

In the science world DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid - or in layman's terms - the building blocks of all living organisms. So for individuals/people/humanity our DNA, in essence, is the cornerstone to who we are - our identity.

In business people often equate a brand identity with a logo - a travesty. Your brand identity is far more than that.  It is your business DNA or the Distinguishing Nature About you.

Just like from the science point-of-view it is the stripped down, nuts and bolts of who or what your business is. No taglines. No mottos. No jingles. No business jargon. No mission statements. A basic, clear, and fundamental idea of who you are or what you are about.

Doing this tells people you have a unique identity, a purpose, a reason for being beyond selling goods and/or services or making money. It makes a passionate declaration about you apart from the day to day transactions. It speaks to, and seeks to highlight, the personal ambitions of your business.

This is powerful in helping to get to the essence of why you are getting up everyday in the morning and doing what you do. It gives you direction, focus and a deep-rooted reason for the work you are engaged in.

My good friend Michelle James, who her company's work is about helping businesses and organizations get to the creativity and the core in what drives people's work, helped me to craft our brand identity.  It states that our purpose is to help people see and engage the world differently; facilitating growth and expanding the possibilities. It's the distinguishing nature about us and what we uniquely bring to the table.

There isn't a day that goes by that this statement doesn't ring true and contribute to how we see ourselves, the work we do and how we move about the world. It's a constant reminder of WHY we do the work we do.

As you blaze your own trail in this world what is your 'brand identity'?