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You Are Your Brand

S1 E3 · A Life By Design
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In this episode I share a very important aspect of being a solopreneur in particular, and that is that you are your own walking billboard, you are your brand.

Being creative minded can make it challenging to think like a “business” owner but this is one thing that’s really important to recognise, especially if you wish to sustain and build a professional creative venture earning your living doing what you love. Understanding the importance of this will give you a solid foundation to work from… in this episode I share stories and examples of my own that demonstrate why.

Now as the Owner/Operator of a unique retail store offering which is still today evolving, and Dharma Coach I hope to facilitate and support others in realising their dreams of creating a life they truly love, doing work that aligns with their values and unique skills.

Book an immersive shopping experience at Creators Nest, a space showcasing handcrafted wares of professional creatives locally & beyond.

https://creatorsnest.com.au/pages/about-us

Find out about Events & Workshops offered

https://creatorsnest.com.au/collections/workshops-events

Learn more about my Dharma Coaching service

https://creatorsnest.com.au/pages/dharma-coaching

Join me on this wild ride - looking forward to drumming, dancing or soaring alongside of you…

connect via instagram

Creators Nest Online Store

SHOP HERE

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MARIE-NICOLE MEUNIER

A LIFE BY DESIGN

Intro & Outro Music: Shaman Dance by slavamusic

_____________

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents are the property of Marie-Nicole Roberts, or used by Marie-Nicole Roberts with permission, and are protected under AU and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of the Marie-Nicole Roberts, which may be requested by contacting

soar@creatorsnest.com.au

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein.

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Transcript

Introduction to Marie Nicole and Her Philosophy

00:00:00
Speaker
Do you desire to turn your passion into income? Connect with other creative souls who also dance to the beat of their own drum?
00:00:08
Speaker
I'm Marie Nicole and I'm devoted to combining beauty, uniqueness and connection in everyday living experiences. As a creative professional and Dharma coach, I help people connect to the truth of who they are and facilitate them in embodying their uniqueness. It is my hope in this podcast that I inspire you to live your life on your terms and earn your income through being uniquely you.
00:00:33
Speaker
After all, it's the unique thread that we each contribute to the collective tapestry that creates the home.
00:00:49
Speaker
In today's episode, I would like to talk to you about something that I think is really important for any small business, especially a sole trader and a creative professional to understand, and that is that you are your own brand.
00:01:04
Speaker
Now yesterday in the episode that I spoke about operating like the business you want to become, I reflected on that and thought not all creatives actually go into that pursuit with the intention of turning it into a business per se. They love the idea of making money off their craft or their art but in terms of the word business it can be a little bit of putting for people to
00:01:27
Speaker
to think that way as a creative.

Art and Business: Bridging Passion and Income

00:01:30
Speaker
But I think it's really important and when I did my degree in Visual Arts and Design, I got to the end of that and one of the first things that came to mind was, you know what's missing from this is the business of art and actually understanding how to take it to that next level. It's not just about doing this as a hobby.
00:01:49
Speaker
And if people are wanting to truly earn an income from it, then understanding the business of art is really important. Now, I mentioned in my episode yesterday that my lecturer suggested that I become a teacher because that was based on me running my tutorials in a way that they thought that meant that I would make a great teacher. And so going into the education system would be a safe way to earn a living. And then I could just do my craft and art on the side.
00:02:14
Speaker
But that didn't actually align with what I wanted to do and the values. And I shared that in the other episodes. So you can always get back and listen to that. But what I want to get at is that, you know, we can actually turn our creative pursuits into an income earning venture and do it in a way that is a structured business way of operating. Still allows for creative flow and enjoyment. Not taking that away from you at all.
00:02:43
Speaker
But going back to the branding, what makes that important is understanding, first of all, what your core values are.

Aligning Core Values with Business Practices

00:02:50
Speaker
When you understand your core values, it's a lot easier to make decisions to live in alignment with those core values that then feed back into your business products and offerings. So when you do that and you're living in alignment, you end up being your own walking billboard. And when people ask you about what you do or what you make
00:03:12
Speaker
It's not hard for you to talk about it. You're not selling it to them then. You're just being it. Now as someone who makes garments out of natural fibers and works with leather and feathers and what I create is what I am passionate about wearing as well as selling.
00:03:31
Speaker
And when I first started, I used to think, gosh, I can't actually keep everything for myself. I need to sell it. I need to actually make money out of this because this is how I'm making my living. And I very quickly realized that if I didn't actually use the product and people didn't see it in action, then how were they to
00:03:50
Speaker
invest in it or see the value in it if I myself didn't. So I decided to become my own walking billboard. Now this also aligns with selling on behalf of other makers and designers. I use their products, I buy them myself and wear them and it all aligns with my core values. I am very selective as to who I sell on behalf of
00:04:11
Speaker
and how they produce things is produced ethically and sustainably and handcrafted. And those values then are across the board and it's not hard to talk about

Adapting to Challenges and Sustainability in Practice

00:04:23
Speaker
it. I'm not selling it then. A good example of that is during COVID when my business was considered non-essential and I couldn't open the doors, which is a very challenging time, I must say, as a retail store. But I was still as much as possible out and about
00:04:41
Speaker
not sprucing my work, but just wearing what I sell on behalf of and what I create myself. And I was in a cafe or I was ordering coffee and I was wearing my kangaroo fur vest and a lady came up to me and said,
00:04:56
Speaker
I love your vest, where did you get that from? And I said, well, I make them, I actually have a shop over the road and I sell them. And so I ended up making a sale out of that little interaction right there. But what was even more beautiful about that is that this lady sources for vests from around the world, and she usually traveled over winter. But because of COVID, she wasn't able to do that. So not only did she discover what was going on in her own
00:05:20
Speaker
local town that she did not know existed, the shop that I have and other makers that I sell on behalf of were then also exposed through that. But I also got to talk to her about the sustainability aspect of the vest because I'm not about cruelty towards animals but my fur vest is made out of a skin or skins that are sourced through the National Parks and Wildlife Harvesting Program and this tannery
00:05:47
Speaker
takes those skins and creates the leather goods that then we can use for products. So it works in that beautiful cycle of keeping our environment in balance and the numbers of kangaroos at bay in our area.
00:06:04
Speaker
And, you know, on top of that, I also work with kangaroo skins for leather, not just fur, making bags. And there I have, I don't know if I've said this before, but I have actually witnessed in the local area that I live in is an agricultural area. And there's a culling that dump and dumping that took place a lot where
00:06:26
Speaker
skin, kangaroos were just dumped into gullies and and they were just fester and then that just breeds a whole other range of issues right there which is why I started working with the kangaroo leather in the first place and again I get to have that conversation with people as to why my products are made from these materials it's not about
00:06:47
Speaker
advocating for cruelty towards animals. It's about finding that balance and I value that all inhabitants of the environment are being cared for, not just human life. And so what I'm getting at is that when you understand what you're about and you live it and you are your brand, then it's not hard to talk about it. And it's just about being authentic and being in alignment.

Building Authentic Connections Through Personal Branding

00:07:12
Speaker
So I'd like you to think about for you, what are areas of your life that you maybe are not living in alignment with your business brand, and then it makes it a bit difficult to talk about it. And that's not a judgment. It is easy to do. We can fall into traps where even with me selling on behalf of other makers and designers, even if I wasn't selling on behalf of them, even if I was just doing my own work, I still value
00:07:40
Speaker
locally made and handcrafted and I buy from other makers and designers based on the fact that I want to support that industry not just because I do it but because I value it and that is where you are your brand. So
00:07:57
Speaker
Keep that in mind, you know, many conversation starters come from things that attract people's attention and gives you the opportunity to share not only what you do to make your money, but why you do it, the impact that you want to have in your local community, in your local environment, which spreads out beyond. So I just want to leave you with that. I hope that was helpful to you and that you start to consider
00:08:25
Speaker
how you can represent your brand more. Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is and I hope you got value out of listening to this podcast.

Community Engagement and Invitation

00:08:36
Speaker
If you are looking for a coach to support and guide you through your own unique journey of creating a life you love, then reach out for a connection call. And if you'd like to connect with other creative souls in person by joining us at a workshop or retreat or to book a unique
00:08:51
Speaker
Shopping experience here at Creators Nest. I run those by appointment. So check out the website for more details. The link is in the show notes. Oh, and please leave a review. I'd love to hear any insights or inspirations that were activated in you from this podcast. And I look forward to drumming, dancing or soaring alongside of you.