Ditch your ideal client! That’s right, I said it.

Like I said in Part 1 of this 3-part blog series, building a personal brand starts with YOU, not your ideal client.

Prioritize yourself and create a personal brand that:

✅Makes you smile

✅Is your happy place

✅You want to show up for every single day

The first step in creating your dream brand is to complete the >> SAI Personal Profile. <<

If you haven’t completed this step 🛑 right here and go grab my personal profile Canva template linked above and below. I’ve got you covered. 😘 (See Part 1 of this blog series to learn more about why you need this template and how to use it.)

>>Get the SAI Personal Profile Template HERE<<

Now it’s time to carve out who you want to serve.

 Again, this is about you. 

Your personal brand is your home – it’s where you will spend your time and energy so every part of it needs to serve you down to your ideal client.

To do that we are going to go back to the SAI Personal Profile a second time and complete it for a past you. 

I had an “ah-ha moment” when I first heard this quote by Rory Vaden of The Brand Builders Group. He says “You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.” 

Well, hell – why didn’t I think of that? 

I mean, who do you know better than yourself? 

And why not make that version of you your ideal client? That’s exactly what we are going to do.

“You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.” 

Rory Vaden – Brand Builders Group.

Defining Who Your Dream Client

This will look a little different for everyone.

Take some time to evaluate the journey that got you to where you are today. Typically, you will find a portion of that story that will resonate with a particular group of people because they are undergoing the same pressure points and wanting the same outcome as that past version of yourself did.

An example will help you get a clear picture of what I’m talking about. For myself, I have two options I could run with:

➡️OPTION 1:

I could go back to 5 years ago Shannon,  when I was first establishing my business. I made all kinds of mistakes, like we all do. The biggest? I built a brand that didn’t look, sound, or feel like me. I was miserable in all aspects of my business, from the way it looked, to who I served. It just wasn’t me. What did I do wrong?? I built my business around an ideal client, not myself.

➡️OPTION 2:

Another option is to go back even further to 10-ish years ago Shannon. I had just completed my master’s degree and realized there was no benefit to getting a job in the current job market. Ultimately, that situation led to me pursuing entrepreneurship and launching Shannon Arney Images. This is a situation many small business owners struggled through.

Once you figure out just what past version of yourself you want to serve, complete the SAI Personal Profile once more for that individual. Make sure you get into the mindset of that person you once were – not your current self – when completing the profile this go around.

This will become your ideal client and will get rolled into your personal brand. 

So if you haven’t already, go grab the >> SAI Personal Profile. << and get started! 

Stay tuned for the 3rd and final installment of this blog series where I will talk through how to use these two templates to define how you will show up online.