You’ve evolved. Has your personal brand?

You've grown, you've changed direction, and your brand might still be introducing the old version of you. I sit down with brand and messaging strategist Hilary Hartling to talk about why that gap opens up in the first place, and what it actually takes to close it. 

In this episode, Hilary Hartling and I get into personal brand evolution, the process of updating how you show up in the world so it actually matches who you've become instead of who you used to be. We talk about why an outdated personal brand keeps attracting the same old clients and opportunities, even after you've outgrown them, and why waiting to update your brand strategy just reinforces the version of you that you're trying to move past. Hilary shares how she helps entrepreneurs and experts clarify their positioning, sharpen their message, and uncover what she calls their Signature Advantage, so they can stand out and be known for what actually makes them valuable now. If you've been sensing that your website, your bio, or the way you talk about your work doesn't quite fit anymore, this conversation will help you see exactly where that gap is and what to do about it.

GUEST BIO
Hilary Hartling is a brand and messaging strategist and the founder of Hilary Hartling Headquarters, where she helps entrepreneurs and experts clarify their positioning, sharpen their message, and uncover their Signature Advantage so they can stand out and become known for what makes them uniquely valuable. She specializes in personal brand evolution, helping people align their brand with who they've become and where they're headed next.

GUEST FREEBIE
Want more from Hilary Hartling? Grab her free Personal Brand Evolution Workbook here: https://hilaryhartling.com/personalbrand

GUEST CONTACT
So you want to get in touch with Hilary Hartling? Here's how:
Website: https://hilaryhartling.com
Email: hilary@hilaryhartling.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryhartling/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilaryhartling

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Linda Bucher 0:02

Hey there and welcome to Conversations Worth Your While. It's the podcast where we dig into insights and ideas that will help you to do the thing that you are here to do. I chat with HeartLed experts and I ask the questions that I know you're already thinking about, and then we explore conversations that spark growth and that shift perspectives and that will help you to show up fully in your life, in your career, in business, and in your community. Today, here's what we're going to be talking about. You have evolved, but has your personal brand. Because as we grow as people, as business owners, our expertise and our priorities and our ambitions, they all evolve. And if we don't evolve our personal brand, then we're not going to attract the aligned opportunities that we would like to attract. So today, my guest and I will share what to do when you've outgrown your positioning so that you can become known for what you're doing today and for what you'd like to achieve tomorrow. So I'm your host, Linda Booker. And if the life you're in no longer fits, this space is for you because through my coaching and through this podcast, I guide purpose-driven people to really reconnect to who they are, rediscover their gifts, and then realign their lives so that they can be doing what they're here to do and have some really good impact in this world. So if that sparks something within you, you can find me at lyndabooker.com. So once again, today's topic of conversation is you've evolved as your personal brand. And today I have the pleasure of being joined again, because this guest was with me last year, uh, Hilary Hartling. And Hilary is making her beautiful ripples in her very unique way. Hilary has spent years helping entrepreneurs figure out exactly what they want to be known for. And today she's turning that same question on the rest of us. What happens when the brand you build no longer matches who you've become? So I'm so excited for today's conversation. Hilary, thank you so much for being on Conversations Worth Your While. So fun to be here, Linda. Thank you for having me again. Oh, you're very welcome. So, can you share just a little bit more about, you know, what you do, who you serve?

Hilary Hartling 2:08

Yeah, yeah. My career has been interesting. I spent 15 years as a movie marketing executive at Disney. So that was one evolution of my personal brand. Then I evolved into what I've been doing for the last decade, which is I'm a brand and messaging strategist for entrepreneurs and founders and experts. And what I really help them do is clarify their positioning, really sharpen their message, and really discover, I shouldn't even say discover, it's uncover their signature advantage, what makes them unique and gives them a unique edge so they can stand out and become known for what makes them uniquely valuable. So that's what I'm about today. And I especially love helping women in their evolution of their personal brand because I find that is where the gold is. Well, that's a beautiful thing.

Linda Bucher 2:56

Um, and because everything feels so saturated on the internet. So, right, so I'm a coach and a podcast host and a speaker, and so are two million other people, right? So to understand to like what we need to do is to position ourselves for our differentiation. What makes me different from all the other coaches around here? And if I don't know that, then no one else is gonna know that, right? Yeah. Um, but I would like to share, based on what we're gonna be talking about today, that I three days ago discovered even another tagline. I have had, okay, let me see if I can get these straight. I have had from here to there, I think that was my 2010 tagline way back then.

Hilary Hartling 3:42

From here to there, okay.

Linda Bucher 3:43

Then um I had like three words. I can't remember what they were. Then I get get clear, get confident, go big. That was another one. Then I had oh gosh, I can't remember them. I've had so many. But you had so many, yeah. I've had get unstuck, get to the next level, get uh something else. I had three guts. Then I had more recently unleash what you were born to bring. And now, as of three days ago, I think it's gonna be do the thing you're here to do. So okay. I love it. So I I'm thinking, can I not decide? Am I not clear enough? But what you're sharing is that I've evolved. And so that's why there's nothing wrong with me switching taglines if I do it the right way.

Hilary Hartling 4:30

Yeah. I mean, here's here's the thing you want to avoid anytime you have a brand and any kind of brand that you have. You want to avoid switching it up every few days or every few weeks or even every few months. You want to give something at least six months to try and see if it's sticky. And the thing with with evolving, right, there could be so many versions of a tagline or a positioning statement or the way you describe what you do that could land with your audience. There's so many ways. There's not just one way. This is why people are changing it all the time. And it's it's because your audience, you have to like align it with how your audience is feeling right now, right? And so it's it does have something to do with you, of course, because when we're talking about personal brand, it comes from your own expertise, it comes from what you offer and deliver as a valuable, you know, offering or service or product, whatever it is you're doing, to that audience. But the way an audience would um describe their challenge or their issue, that changes over time too. So, in other words, everything is always evolving. So it doesn't surprise me that your messaging and your positioning would evolve over time. That's normal. A brand is not a fixed entity that sits on a shelf like a legal zoom binder or something like that, right? This is something that is a living and breathing thing, and it evolves as you evolve, and it evolves as your audience evolves, and it evolves as you get more clarity around all of it.

Linda Bucher 6:04

100%. That's where this last one came from. I sat down and I said, I got way too much going on. My website has so because I'm a scanner, so I'm like, oh yes, I do this and that and this and that now for this and that and this and that. And I'm like, okay, I gotta simplify it because if it's too much, then nobody's clear. And I did simplify a few years ago with like these little, you know, step, four steps, made it real simple. But now I might even be shifting those a little. But it was just like, yeah, you know, get free shit. You try it out, see what you like. Maybe I'm for you, maybe I'm not, whatever. Get the free shit. The second thing was um book the call. So it's free. It's a chat. Why would you not want to get clarity on the chat with me? It's free. You got nothing to lose. That's number two. Number three was um get make a map because I have this pathfinding session where then we can make you the map from where you are to where you want to be, and then you can take that map and do whatever you want with it. You don't have to hire me, it's fine, whatever. And the fourth thing is you know, pick your program, not your nose.

Hilary Hartling 7:06

I think it only shows your personality. I got a personality, yeah.

Linda Bucher 7:12

And uh, and that was all the different pathways, letting them self-select. Now I'm gonna be doing something just a little bit different, but um, but I'm like, I need to simplify. And then how can I be simplified if I'm not clear?

Hilary Hartling 7:24

Yeah, clarity always comes first. And the thing is, too, is after you've been in business for a long time, you've done you've done a lot of things in a lot of different ways, and there could be so many pathways, but your audience appreciates it when you simplify and you make it easier for them, right? So just getting clarity on what might they want next best that aligns with what the kinds of things that I want to do and where my energy is highest, right? And it's like where those two intersect. And it's deciding, you know, okay, I'm not throwing away what I've been known for all this time. It's never starting from scratch, it's starting from experience. And you you decide what things you want to pluck from your experience, your expertise over time based on what you want to create now. Right. So it's like, what can I leverage based on what I want to do now and how I feel like my audience would be served best now? What are the things I can pull from my entire personal brand to create what I want to become known for next?

Linda Bucher 8:29

Right.

Hilary Hartling 8:30

That's really where it is. Yeah. Yes, yes. Okay.

Linda Bucher 8:32

So the big question is, oh my God, how do I do that?

Hilary Hartling 8:37

Well, a c like you said, it all starts with clarity. So clarity to me is it's it's power, right? Once you get clear on really who you are, what makes you uniquely valuable and what you want to be known for, then that's when you can make more intentional choices about when you want to create, what you want to pursue, all the things you want to put into the world, right? So you want to create something that's aligned with you, first and foremost. But I think where you start is first getting clear on what makes you different. And I know that's a question that a lot of people struggle with. And here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this huge, humongous, earth-shattering revelation that is so different from everybody else in your industry. It could just be your personality that makes you different, right? So I like to call it your signature advantage, right? But when when I'm starting on working with someone to evolve their personal brand, I'm not, we're not like like inventing a new niche or we're not manufacturing a differentiator, right? We're never your personal brand is you. You are the magic. And you are normally, if this is a part of your business or what you do for work, it's people are seeking you out because it's you. It's the magic you bring that they want to experience. And so I think other um strategists might try to put you in a box and say, you have to be right here in order to figure out how to be clear, but that actually makes you look like other people. Yeah. And that's the opposite of what we want to do with your branding and the personal brand strategy. To me, it's not um, we're not like discovering or inventing what your positioning should be. We're excavating it from within you. Yeah. And a lot of times, you know, the whole expression of it's hard to read the label from inside the bottle. This is why you work with a strategist because when it's you, it's so hard to be um, I don't even know what the word is. You it's hard for you to do it for yourself. Me as a brand strategist, it takes me 10 times longer than doing it for someone else to do my own, even though I can do it, right?

Linda Bucher 10:52

Well, what's really what's really um fascinating and lovely and aligned is that the pillar of all the work that I do with individuals is you are the center of the universe. And when you wrap what you're doing and how you're doing it around who you are, happiness and success will meet you there. So, number one pit stop that we make on a coaching journey is who are you now? Yeah, what do you want now? That's right. And can we, and then aligning, and then like what we're going to be doing is aligning all aspects of your life to who you find. Now, there's points in between, like fall in love with who you find because people get nervous, like, well, I don't know if I want to find who I am. Because what if I don't like who she really is? And I'm like, Well, you're gonna probably love. I can guarantee you're gonna love who you find. Because when you finally get to be yourself, you get to chuck all sorts of crap you don't even need.

Hilary Hartling 11:46

Yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of mindset journeys and that kind of growth.

Linda Bucher 11:50

But it really is. So um, people spend a lot of their lives being who they think they should be.

Hilary Hartling 11:56

Yes, and so true.

Linda Bucher 11:57

And so I think business owners do the same thing. We think our business, here's who what my business should be, what it should look like, how I can look like all the other people. Now, I I teach uh I do a I run a group program called Overcoming Imposter Syndrome for for um entrepreneurs. And um the impostor is when you're trying to show up in a way that's not really you, and you think everybody can tell you're the only and you're the only impostor there.

Hilary Hartling 12:26

Yeah, um, and so I run into this with personal branding all the time.

Linda Bucher 12:30

I bet you do. I bet you do. Yeah. So people really need to be like aligned and um with who they are. And when you align with who you are personally, mentally, emotionally, then you can start looking at your business, your relationships, you know, your work if you're if it's a career and you don't own a business, um, your hobbies, your friendship circles, all that's got to be relying on everything. Fine, it affects everything. Yeah. So I love that you is at the center because I'm like, amen, sister.

Hilary Hartling 13:02

It is. I mean, that's what a personal brand actually is, right? And and honestly, most of the time when you're trying, when you're seeking that clarity that you want to start with, right? The very first place most people look is outside themselves. They look at the exterior and they look sideways at the competition to check out what they're doing. And they say, Oh, well, this person's doing this and this is so successful. I should do something more like that. Instead of going internal and just listening to that inner voice and saying, like, okay, who am I? What really makes me special? It's really going back to uh it's it's such a unique conversation combination of everything you have ever done, right? It's, you know, your expertise, your experience, your strengths, what people ask you all the time, your unique perspective on things uh based on where you come from, based on what you know, it's your personality, it's your interests and your passions. All of those things come together in this beautiful combination, this beautiful blend that gives you a unique edge. And if you only tap into that, leverage that, and then position that, that's actually a brand that people would want to follow.

Linda Bucher 14:15

Oh, completely. So unique. No one else can have that brand. Especially I love that you said, you know, a perspective, because a lot of people might have similar skills and similar strengths, similar interests, and even similar passions, but our perspectives are completely unique and in a very positive way, also can be in a very uh uh limiting way. I don't want to say negative, I'm gonna say limiting way. Um I I like to uh share that each of us humans are seeing everything else in the world through our own lenses, yes, of our lens of our own personal experience and our lens of our our own insecurities, uh the lens of our own fears, right? So how how we feel and think about ourselves, put schmutz on that lens. Um experiences, put schmutz on that lens so we cannot see the outside world clearly. Our job is to clear the schmutz, right? That a coach's job. That's my job. Yeah, Windex that thing. Windex it off, yeah. Clear vision. You can see more clearly, and when you can see what happens when you see yourself more clearly, you're more likely to give yourself grace and then maybe give other people grace and an attempt to see them a little more clearly. So it really ripples in a beautiful way.

Hilary Hartling 15:37

Um, you know what's interesting about the lens thing too, Linda, is that's that's why there can be so many people offering the same type of thing, and it will speak to different audiences. That's a good point. One person will resonate with one audience, and another person will resonate with a whole different audience, and they might be doing very, very similar things, but it's because of their unique personal brand that helps them show up in a way that resonates with one audience versus another.

Linda Bucher 16:06

Yeah, absolutely. I totally, I totally agree. So we got um the lens that helps that so when that brings that goes back to what you first said. Um when we can align with how the audience is feeling, because how what are they seeing through their schmutz, right? And if my language that I'm using or how I'm approaching my differentiation to share with them is what how they would describe, you know, what they're seeing through their lens.

Hilary Hartling 16:35

You wanna you wanna find out their lens, really? Right. Like that's when you get down to the messaging of it all for a brand, you really want to be using their language, right? You're the expert in what you do, you know a lot of the answers. You could probably, you know, in five minutes or less on a phone call with some uh a new client, you can probably tell them exactly what they need, but you need to let them discover it. And you need to start with them exactly where they're at. Exactly.

Linda Bucher 17:00

Yeah, 100%. It's it's so fabulous that this really aligns. Our work is so different, yet in the same vein because we're both helping people to discover. I love you that you were that you use the word excavating. I've never used that word, and it's like perfect, it's the perfect word.

Hilary Hartling 17:18

Digging deeper outside of you, getting it out.

Linda Bucher 17:20

Yeah, because it's a real short word for what I call in a much more verbose. I will shine my light into the dark record, uh, dark corners of your inner wisdom so you can discover what's there, what's next, who you are. Yes. So that's a long way to say it, but you just said the word excavating.

Hilary Hartling 17:37

You're like blunking with that like light on your helmet, and you're like excavating. That's what I'm doing.

Linda Bucher 17:43

Hey, look, what's in this cave? Let's look in here, you know. Funny.

Hilary Hartling 17:46

You know, shining light in the dark corners, that's a that's a cool thing. Because obviously, everyone has, you know, getting into like the personal development side of it, everyone has like the the you know, the shadow work to do and all, you know, the things that hold them back, and everyone's is different. But that also is part of what makes you unique, right? Is how you show up. And honestly, if someone is starting today and saying, like, oh, let me, I need to take a look to see like how I could evolve my brand, because it doesn't feel aligned right now. That is the first signal, is like, does it feel aligned for you right now? Are you comfy in how you're showing up? Um, is that helping you achieve your goals? So the first thing to do is to do a personal brand audit, is to take a look at what still works, what's still what fits, what doesn't fit, you know, like it's really just taking a look at where are you now? Right. Yeah. It's looking at your taglines, it's looking at your offers, it's looking at your messaging, it's looking how people are finding you and what they're seeing first. What's their what's their impression and what's their takeaway? And is that aligned with who you want to become known for in order to do the things you want to do? Or is that like a 10 years ago version of you? Because you know, life happens. We're not right changing our brands all the time. And and again, like I said, it's not switching it every six months, like I said, either. No, yeah. You want to give it a try, you want to let it stick and hold. And you know, as you get more clarity, you get more clarity around how to present your personal brand. Because your personal brand, it's it's evolving, but it's always you. Oh, yeah. It's always you. Yeah. So you stay consistent, but what you want changes and evolves, right? So you're always adding things to the mix of your personal brand. And so it's always just taking a look at where are you now and does this feel aligned? And if it doesn't, how do you line that up so that you can move forward and feel good in your personal brand and how you're talking about it and who you're connecting with and the opportunities that are coming your way?

Linda Bucher 19:43

Right. That's a really good point, too. So when what you just mentioned, like who am I connecting with to even share what I've discovered as I've discovered my my evolution is happening? Now, who am I connecting with? Am I still connecting with the old people? The not old, they're not old, people past people you've always known or something who are not maybe the context that can't are the right contacts for bringing me to where I'm I know I'm ready to be because it feels more aligned to be in this other, other yeah, more event.

Hilary Hartling 20:15

I mean, a really great example of a personal brand evolution I went through is like when you go from um becoming, you know, being known for a Disney movie marketing executive, and my entire network and who I knew was in across the entertainment industry. And then I decided to leave and start my own business, but I didn't leverage any of that old network. So I not only kind of gave myself a new title, new identity in brand strategist and entrepreneur, but I also turned to an entirely new audience of female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who were growing their businesses, right? Because I didn't necessarily, if I still wanted to do branding and positioning for movies or entertainment, well, I would be back at a job there. I wouldn't have started my own business necessarily. So I wanted something new. I was ready for that evolution. And so you update it because if I was going with my old version, then nobody in this new opportunity land that I could, you know, partake of would be thinking that I was for them, right? So it's all about understanding who you are now, what you want, and then positioning it to align with the audience that you want to attract. Fingo.

Linda Bucher 21:31

Personally and professionally, like both too.

Hilary Hartling 21:35

Very much so.

Linda Bucher 21:36

Yeah, yeah. Um, this is this is really fantastic. So I love because you have some, you have more concise language than I do. So I love that. So um the differentiality piece, um, which is um, you know, excavating all your answers from inside you, however, you know that your messaging has to come from the language of your ideal uh audience. Or client, how knowing that maybe you've evolved into a new audience, like you just gave an example, you've evolved into a new audience or a new type of a client. Um, and so now what does that client want? Um, and and what do they want? What do they need? How are you different? That those are the things that um will need to be shared. And then, but the upstream of that is like just auditing. Like, wait a minute, am I ready for a change? That's really the the upstream, the number one is am I do I feel and and I think what happens is we feel like um I I would describe it two years ago. I had what I call business burnout. I didn't have coaching, I love working with my clients, I love what I do, but I had business burnout, which means I was out of alignment. That's it.

Hilary Hartling 22:46

You get a huge indication. If you feel like that, it means that something is draining your energy instead of uplifting your energy, right? And so that's when you know, you're like, okay, wait, in order to raise my energy back up, I guess I have to evolve to that next level. There's something new I need to express, something new I need to offer, a new way I need to position this that's gonna align with who I am now. Right. And probably a whole bunch of stuff to let go of.

Linda Bucher 23:10

And behind without sure. And I know there's gonna be right. Because we, you know, business owners especially have the yeah, but it's like, but if I I I I don't wanna I don't wanna like leave that behind because then what if nobody comes in my new thing?

Hilary Hartling 23:23

I and I can rely on the income from the the we're always afraid of letting something go that did well for us, right? Exactly. It might not be doing well for you in this season because even if for some reason like that thing might be bringing you money, if it is making you feel burnt out, it is not aligned anymore. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, yeah.

Linda Bucher 23:42

There's things I even stopped doing. Um, when I first was uh when I was a new coach, I would write this two-page summary after every uh client session, and it would take so long, and I'd be like uh gritting my teeth. I hate it. I'm like, stop it, why are you doing that? So then I now AI can just give you a summary. It could, it could, but um that's but I decided two things. One is since I hated it, what's a better way? And two is what I get out of the session is not important. What the client gets out of the session is important. So I give them, I record the session for them saying, you know, whatever you um absorbed during the session is what you're ready and meant to know that day. But guess what? A week from now, I want you to listen to this recording, you'll have shifted, and whatever you're ready and meant to know after after the shift, well, you will absorb then. So you get like a double, a double session, basically. And and that, and then a part of their growth activity is jot down what resonates. What's your shifts? What's your uh, what what do you get out of this? So I don't have to do any of that. All I have to do is they're little growth activities and give them the recording. It made it realigned me to a business activity to what I was doing and why, and if it's really the most benefit, and if even if it isn't, I hate it, then I'm not doing it anymore, right? So what's aligned to me? So I really started to ask myself, what am I doing? Why am I doing it? Do I hate it? Do I love it? What would happen if I let it go?

Hilary Hartling 25:13

Right. I love those questions. Those are so that's a those are great questions in evolving your brand as well. Because by the way, if you hate something about what you're doing, that energy will come across. And that's not the impression that you want to leave, right? So, personal brand, what it really means is that it's your reputation, right? Personal brand is your reputation, it's what you're known for. And so continually asking yourself, what am I known for now? And what do I want to become known for next is a great exercise just to do whenever something feels off, or you feel like you're ready for something new, or you're excited about a new direction of some sort. Like it's just a great question to ask yourself. Yeah.

Linda Bucher 25:54

Where you are right now. It really is. Now, here's a question for your expertise. Okay. Um, so okay, so for people like me who are scanners, so we have a wide diverse set of interests, a low tolerance for boredom, and we have multiple client types of clients, right? The I have the one-on-one client, like the the per I shouldn't say that. That's the how. I have the client who's like, I've built a successful life, but I'm not done yet. What's next? I don't know, but I'm ready to do it. Yeah, I have that client. I have clients that are brand new coaches, yeah, who are like, um, I'm not ready to build a business because I'm not even sure what I know, what I don't know yet. So I help them bridge the gap between coach and entrepreneur. Then I have another type of client who's a business who does what they do really, really well. Um, and then if they offer a white level label service, which is a master coach in residence, then I can help them to help their clients in all the ways so that that firm is differentiated because they come with a master coach in residence. That client gets out of their own way when they're in their own way, so they can do their homework from that business better, faster, stronger. That client refers other people, like, oh, you got to go to my whatever, because look at that. And then uh my seats get filled with people who are here to do the thing they're here to do, and they and I get to help them do that, so it's a win-win-win. So now look at see three distinctly different types of clients. Yeah. Personal branding. What's the umbrella? That's the thing that I think you just said your umbrella.

Hilary Hartling 27:38

Do the thing you're here to do. Yeah, it is. I mean, because here's what you want to do when you have distinctive clients, it's okay to have multiple clients as long as you know the distinction and as long as you can create messaging and positioning specifically for each of them. And to me, it sounds like they're, you know, they're they're just in different phases or like they're in different points, and so you need to speak to them all differently. But what you're delivering doesn't change, right? You're helping them get growth and clarity and you know, to feel confident in what they're going after, and like that becomes the umbrella, and that's why your personal brand is so um, it's so great to amplify within your business because it's you helping bring that magic and that clarity to all of those distinct groups. And I and and there's there's a through line anytime you're looking at like what okay, well, what is my position, what is my message? It's like what's the through line that that all those three groups are challenged with or what they're really working to create for themselves, right? And I guarantee there's some kind of through line that you can find there, and there's a reason why they're coming to you, right?

Linda Bucher 28:49

So when you say through line, that's the line that appl is applicable to all three of those types of clients.

Hilary Hartling 28:56

Yeah, it's just looking at that bigger picture, right? Because then then the when you're gonna then hone in and go directly into so you can think of an umbrella brand and sub brands, right? Umbrella brand is the through line and what you bring to the table. And the sub brands are like, okay, distinctive group A, I need to talk to you this way because your challenges are very different being a brand new coach, not even sure you want to start a business, than this person over here, who we're just helping them grow and feel more confident and get clear on what they want. Right? Like you're distinctly creating messaging for each, but the umbrella doesn't change. Right, right.

Linda Bucher 29:35

That's that's great. Thank you for sharing because I'm sure I'm not the only entrepreneur with very distinct types of clients. Um, but but trying to understand, like, because I know my umbrella brand, do the thing you're here to do. It's for that's it. That no matter what what group I'm working with or what I'm helping, that's the ultimate thing that's happening. Yeah, I'm helping them to get unstuck so that they can do the thing. That's right. Get unstuck, get that clarity, get whatever. All the gets I used to have in my old brand.

Hilary Hartling 30:04

That's I think a myth that some people and in and people in my industry will will tell people like, pick one niche, niche down, only have one. And that might be great when you're first starting out and you don't know exactly, like, pick pick the version of you that could be your ideal client, right? But it there's nothing wrong with having multiple ideal clients. If you look at the big movie studios, they can't be successful unless they uh have a like a huge audience, like multi-tiered audience. You can't become successful. But the difference is, and what people don't talk about, is you just need distinct ways of messaging and creating unique positioning to each of your distinct uh markets or audiences.

Linda Bucher 30:52

That's all that's all you make it sound so simple, and I'm sure it should be simple. Would make it so simple.

Hilary Hartling 31:02

It should be simple, it's not complex. And this is the thing when you hear, you know, if you're talking to everyone, then you reach no one. It's true, yeah, because you don't want to talk to all three of your audiences at the same time and try to resonate with them. You can talk about the umbrella brand to get their attention, but then you have to you go into that specific personality, that persona, that that niche of each of the distinct three and talk to them specifically. So people are right when they say if you try to talk to everyone at the same time, you're reaching no one because your messaging gets so watered down, it's it's actually not meaningful to anybody.

Linda Bucher 31:38

Yeah, you know, that reminds me of a a website that I had built so many years ago, probably two or three years after I became a coach, my second website. It was a self-selection homepage. Like it said something and then it said, you know, like personal or for business. Like, so I didn't have to try to, you know, all of them talk to all of them. So it was like, you know, so I can see for something like that that I could I could be doing that again. That would be it's a great way for them to self-select, yeah.

Hilary Hartling 32:08

Yeah, because your expertise can go across. And if it lights you up to serve all those kinds of people, then go for it. Right. Right? You can. Um, and you decide. It's it's here's the thing they're gonna get so much more once they're an insider with you, once they're working with you, they're gonna get so much stuff. Your brand is just what you're putting out and positioning to the world to get the right people interested in what you do.

Linda Bucher 32:32

Right. And what's really good about understanding and knowing your personal brand as it evolves is when you're networking, because that's really our sales force, right? Yeah, that the clearer we are on what we do and who we serve, the clearer our the week, our communication in those networks. And then if we can be consistent, um because we've gotten clear and we know what it is now, we know our differentiation, then they're clear because sometime in the future our network will say, Oh, yeah, you know, um, you gotta meet Hillary. I'm gonna put you in touch with her because she's gonna A, B, and C. Yeah.

Hilary Hartling 33:11

So um it's really so good to become known for something. And here's the thing: you you nailed it because you can't, once you're clear, you can't actually become known for that thing unless you're putting yourself out there, being visible, and actually saying the thing. That you have discovered. Say it. And it as soon as you start feeling redundant, say it again and say it some more because people do not hear or see all of your content. You have to keep saying it to become known for it.

Linda Bucher 33:41

Yeah. And I also think, like I, you know, with these uh um elevator pitch type things, when I hear when I hear them, they sound so rehearsed and um not natural that I'm I'm distracted from what they're actually saying. Um I think when we deliver what we say, although it should be much less verbose than I am, naturally, which I will practice, um, it's our energy and our excitement. Like sometimes I've started my elevator pictures with I get to, right? Like as I love that.

Hilary Hartling 34:16

I often will start with I'll often start with a question, like, oh, you know when blah blah blah blah blah. Ah, that's where I come in and help people solve that. Exactly.

Linda Bucher 34:26

Yeah. And and so your energy comes in, your your happiness, you light up. So because I've had people say, I want to hire you because I got some of whatever you got. I want some of that. Right. You want the juju. Yeah, like you wake up happy every day. I'm like, Yeah, you love you. Uh-huh. You so like, I want some of that. Can we just can we get there? I'm like, Yes, we can.

Hilary Hartling 34:49

Yes, absolutely. No, your energy is part of it. I remember interviewing for my very first job out of college, and it was this entry-level assistant media planner at an ad agency in Seattle. And there, I found out afterwards, after I was hired, there was one other person I was sort of competing with, and she had more experience. I was like brand new. I didn't have any experience at an agency, but um the other person did, but they hired me because they knew they could have more fun with me because my personal brand. My personal brand the way I showed up because you know, when you're at work, you're hanging out with these people all the time, you're spending so much time. So, of course, you want to pick the person that fits well in the dynamic, right? So your personal brand comes up all the time, whether you're at a corporate level job or you're working for yourself and starting your own business and trying to attract an audience. Like it's so important to understand your personal brand, define it, clarify it, and then be able to create messaging that articulates it well. And then, like you said, when you're talking about it, you need to, it's fine to practice, but you can't walk around with a teleprompter. And if you sound stiff, then people are gonna think, like, oh, that doesn't feel authentic. It's maybe you're putting on a persona to express your personal brand. When it's not true for a lot of people if they're trying to do it that way, they're just trying to do it right. But the more you can make it more conversational, just like you would tell a friend, the better.

Linda Bucher 36:15

Right. Yeah, I totally agree. I totally agree. Yeah. Well, this has been such a very enlightening conversation for me. So I know for sure it has been for our listeners of Conversations Worth Your While. Um, and I uh have two questions. The first is like before a person hits play on the next episode of a podcast, hopefully this podcast, um, I love to give the listener something they can do right now, in the next five minutes. So they might not be able to get all this clarity in the next five minutes, and we can talk about what they could do to get that in a minute. But um, like something just small. I call it a turtle step, which is the biggest, small, the biggest step you'll actually take in the day.

Hilary Hartling 37:00

I honestly I would take five minutes and meditate and and with the intention of saying, do I feel aligned with what I'm doing and what I'm creating and what I'm offering right now? Like, is it aligned? Does it feel good? Right? Just take five minutes and get clear on just that that baby step part of it. Because if the answer becomes, wow, this feels so great. Now I'm in full alignment, great, you don't have to evolve anything. You're at where you're supposed to be. If it feels like, oh no, there is like there's some kind of edge there, some kind of friction there, there is some tension there where I feel like I want more, or I've changed, or it's I don't like doing this part anymore, then you're into personal brand evolution. Right. Yeah. Perfect. Well, thank you.

Linda Bucher 37:50

That's fantastic. Um, okay. So now uh you've been such a great guest. I want to thank you very much. And um, you've got some really good stuff, and I know there's something you'd like to share with our audience if they're ready to kind of move forward uh and evolve their their brand, um, you know, their personal brand. So what can they be doing next?

Hilary Hartling 38:14

Yeah, well, I I have uh a free download that you can have if you want to actually reflect on some of the principles and some of the things we've talked about. So if you're if this whole conversation has you wondering whether, you know, your brand still reflects who you want to become, then you can download my personal brand evolution workbook. So you can do that at hilaryhartling.com slash personal brand.

Linda Bucher 38:38

Fantastic. Thank you so much. I will definitely be sure to include that link and also completely how to get a hold of you in the show notes. So um everybody go to the show notes and you'll get Hillary's beautiful gift. Um and that that's fantastic. I appreciate that very much. So that's our show on Linda Booker, guiding people to know their worth, reconnect with their gifts, and align their lives so that uh they feel beautiful, like they're in alignment, so that everything is deeply impactful in their life. So if you're sensing it is time to bring your life into deeper alignment, you can explore what that looks like at lyndabooker.com where you will find direction and clarity and you can book a complimentary clarity call with me. Why wouldn't you? Um, and to if today's episode sparks something with you, just please like it and you know what, share it because I know you know someone who will benefit from this amazing information that Hilary has shared with us today. And then don't forget to subscribe because we don't want you to miss what's next. And then join me next week for another uplifting conversation designed to support your growth. So until next time, make sure you've made this conversation worth your while by fueling the spark that it ignited.