First You Must See
Yourself
5.10.17

I was doing a photo shoot for a friend and fellow business owner the other day, when I realized that at the heart of every different thing that I do in business and in life — whether it be branding & design, photography, consulting or just hanging out talking with someone — is one thing, and that is helping people see themselves.

That’s really all that branding and design is. It allows us to experience ourselves in a new way for a moment, to see ourselves in a new light, from a new perspective… to step back and appreciate who we are and what we do in a different way, and THAT is what enables us to begin to connect with others.

Because you can’t connect to others where you can’t connect to yourself. You can’t speak to them from a place you can’t feel, yourself. Many of my clients are women business owners who think they want to:

»  make their business grow & thrive
»  make more money to support the life they love
»  get in front of the right people to do that

and they DO want to do that, but those things are like the hot paper wrapper on a fresh baked loaf of bread. What they really want, what the BREAD is in that equation, is what we ALL want — and that is :

»  to be cared for and to genuinely connect
»  to live the life we love
»  to be seen, heard and validated
»  to know we’re not alone
»  to find peace, fulfillment and happiness in ourselves and in our lives
»  to feel like who we are and what we love, matters
»  to be fed, and to feed others
»  to know that we’re okay

We can try to gloss over that all we want, but the fact remains that these things are at the heart of every human being, and it is THESE things that drive our spending decisions, every. single. day.

So when I am in touch with these things for myself, and I can truly hear and see and KNOW these things in me, then I can truly hear and see my clients… and help them truly see themselves.

We get so mired in the muck of our lives and businesses just trying to keep up from day-to-day, it is easy to forget what we’re doing it all for in the first place, it’s easy to lose who we are in the show. I have come to see that branding and design’s true power (like photography) is in allowing people to step back, take a deep breath, and really see themselves and what they’ve created. Which inspires them, and fuels them up for the road that lies ahead.

What I want in my business is to be cared for, the way I care for others—SO I can care for others, at all. To truly connect with my clients, so they can truly connect with theirs. To have mutual respect and appreciation in all my relationships—working or otherwise. To be seen and heard so that I can pay that forward—because I understand now, in a very real way, that when I give myself those things, it gives them to us all.

If you haven’t given yourself the gift of seeing yourself lately… through whatever method you choose to do that (there are many!)… I encourage you to do it now. Allowing ourselves those things on the second list have a funny way of making those things on the first list happen WAY easier and faster. But trust me, I’ve tried a million ways from Sunday to get around it. 😉

Here’s the truth: you are SO worth seeing.

In this life there is only one person you will ever know this well, or this long, or this deeply and completely — inside and out. You were born with you, and you’ll die with you, you’re the only one in the whole world who knows what it is to experience life through your eyes, in your skin, and your story. So don’t forget to pause and celebrate that every once in awhile… even if it’s just by treating yourself to an ice cream cone in the park.

Because you, your being, and the business you’ve built on that are a once in a lifetime show.
Don’t miss it. ♥

xo
Sunni

 



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The power of great design in branding your business is that it not only excites and inspires your clients, but it excites and inspires you too! When you meet your genuine brand, all fleshed out before you, it re-invigorates and re-inspires YOU about it too, it brings your vision to life in a whole new way, and that inspiration goes right back into the business… equipping you with everything you need to meet your market head-on, and grow your business from a fresh and strong foundation. As a successful business owner you already know that whether you’re selling a product or a service, what you’re really selling is an EXPERIENCE, and the best way to sell an experience is to give your prospective customers a “taste”. Here at The Salty Olive we specialize in just that very thing, and we’ve been doing it for 16+ years: distilling it all down to the heart of your business, and designing all your marketing materials to do just that—give your clients a true “taste” and FEEL for YOUR UNIQUE BRAND EXPERIENCE. The fact is people connect on a tactile, and emotional level through words and imagery—it’s what moves them and ultimately inspires them to choose you—that’s why we design your brand as an answer to what your clients most want to feel and experience,  because when you do that, you go from being A choice for them, to being THE choice for them.

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