I was contacted by a Web programmer the other day and, while at first blush, I was very impressed with his skills and portfolio; I was instantly turned off by the fact that he constantly referred to himself in the third person and as a plural.  Statements like “We have the most economical pricing…” and “Our clients have seen exponential return…” made me feel like I was being pitched by an account rep from some global conglomerate.

As the conversation continued I asked some simple (revealing) questions. “Who does the actual programming of your sites?” and  (amazingly enough) “Where are your offices?” came back with the answers me and my basement, respectively.

Insert Scooby-Doo “WTH” sound here…

So, within the first two minutes of our conversation, this poor guy went from impressive designer/developer to liar.  If he was willing to deceive me about the size of his “company,” what else was he willing to lie about? Sure, he (eventually) told the truth about being independent and working from his basement, but the perception that really stuck with me was the disconnect from “outward” portrayal and “actual” existence.

My advice to independent contractors struggling to position yourselves in this big, bustling world:  Keep the basic rules of TRUE Branding in mind at all times.

Be Truthful
Be Relevant
Be Unique
Be Engaging

Simple!

“Truthful” is the base criteria because it’s the most important.  If you have to make up statistics or create personae to make yourself feel/seem bigger, you’ve already failed.  If you’re an independent, tell your prospects.  If you outsource work to “partners,” make it clear. 

As a contractor, I would much rather work with a single, honest, independent genius than a million sub-par liars.

Don’t try to be (or even imply) something you’re not. And if you’ve gained enough weight to be considered “plural” then you need to call Jenny Craig.

Just food for thought…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

“Are you good or are you damn good?”

He was a troubled musician that had a talent that was second to none. He changed the world of music.  He changed electric bass.

He completely altered jazz for ever because he was DAMN good. He embodied unmatched creative innovation. (All before the age of 35.)

Take a look / listen here (from the early 1980′s & well worth the 9:41):
(Facebookers and feed readers, click on this link to see the video.)

Because of his amazing talent and passion for his trade/art, he was able to move mountains – just look at some of the “shout outs” in his bio.

But he was troubled.  An addict.  A broken soul…  And he was taken from us too soon.

So, what’s the connection?

Jaco Pastorius’ track helped me realize there is a difference between just being good and being DAMN good.

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of the following questions:

“Is there more?  What kind of impact will I have?  What legacy will I leave for my children – the world?”

you may want to ask yourself…

Are you good or are you DAMN good?

When I say DAMN good, I mean do you simply do what is expected or do you innovate?

Do you clock in and do your work to get from point A to point B?  Or do you utilize your talent, your passion, to change the perspective of those around you?  Do you make the world better for yourself – for others?

Jaco Pastorius, through the pain, loneliness and mind-numbing distortion of addiction, left the world a better place.  He took the one thing that seemed to make him happy and worked it to its pinnacle, a mark to which the rest of the music world would measure themselves against.

This leads to a few final questions:

“How can you take your current situation and become more like Jaco Pastorius?  How can you take your passion to a level that further defines you, your career and solidifies your future?”

Food for thought.

Keep Cooking (innovation over stagnation)!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef