48. Why your Brand’s Origin Story Matters and 5 tips to consider when writing yours
The Origin Story matters
I would stare at the National Geographic magazines and admire those images. I've always been drawn to landscapes, but now that I think about it, I loved the portraits too, strange, different, original people. I didn’t own a camera back then, my dad had one, one he used to torment us with… there are so many photos of our childhood. I am glad now that he did, I would not remember many of them.
I remember telling my mom, I wanted to be a photographer for National Geographic. I had no idea what it meant, I had no idea how to pursue it. I think what I really meant was that I wanted to create such beautiful images and to travel.
I ended up studying business administration, like my dad. It was the safe option.
You see, I grew up in a household with my mom and my grandma. Two wildly creative women who inspired me, or really engraved in my brain, that I HAD to study, HAVE a career and BE INDEPENDENT, so that no one could tell me what I can or can not do. Doing what you love was not part of the equation, being independent was the goal.
My grandma was a very interesting person, one of the best seamstresses, self-taught under the most original circumstances. She had a way of doing things that was a bit unorthodox, certainly not the kind of person who fits in a box. She grew up on a farm and could never study much. She was hungry for knowledge. Growing up, she was the one I would study with, she would patiently and attentively listen to me for hours while I explained every subject, that was my way of learning, by explaining and she would willingly listen and learn too.
My mom had to start working when she was very young to help support her family. A woman, who had she been given other cards in life, I have no doubt, would have been an amazing architect. A woman with strong determination and heart for service to others.
I might have considered being an artist, but I didn’t want to be a starving artist. I wanted to work in advertising, but back then, there weren’t many options, so I took the safe path, like my dad, I went for business administration, but instead of finance like him, I decided to go for Marketing.
These two women encouraged me to be independent in a way they never could. They encouraged me to study and learn and to find my own path.
This story, my friends, is one that shaped my life and the story of who I am. This is the reason why I am so passionate to help women find a purpose, do what they love, create a side hustle or be independent.
This is part of my origin story that belongs to my Personal Brand, because whether I intend or not, it fuels me to help other women that like my mom or my grandma, couldn’t realize their dreams or independence, but pushed me to have a life of my own.
So, now, what is YOUR origin story, have you written yours?
What is an origin story:
It is the story of how your brand came to be. How it started, why it started, when it started.
Here are three reasons why your origin story matters:
Helps people understand the deeper meaning of your brand. The reason why it exists.
It makes you unique. Other brands out there might do the same that you do, but no one does it like you or got to where you are now in the same way.
Makes you relatable, promoting deeper connection.
Here are 5 tips on how to write your own:
Think of your superpower(s) that lead to your Personal Brand (start with the goal in mind to find the key elements of your story).
Break down your life in segments, like decades for example and try to think of milestones that lead to where and who you are today.
Elaborate each milestone as a mini-story. Think of the beginning, the middle and the end of each.
Write authentically, like if you are talking to another person.. Be honest, be candid, be vulnerable. Talk about the mistakes, the struggles, the good and the bad, it will make you more real.
No two stories are exactly the same. The differentiation in the detail makes the story more rich.
If you need some help gaining clarity for your brand?
Hi! I’m Blanca!
I’m a Brand Photographer and Personal Branding Coach, helping female entrepreneurs to create a Personal Brand online that STANDS OUT.
I bring your vision to life, help you come up with one and take you by the hand into the online World if you need me to.