So you want to launch your own business or side gig? If there is one thing you should brainstorm about it is branding. And if there is one Book you must read on Branding, it is The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Reis and Laura Rie.
Note: This post includes affiliated links so if you decide to purchase one or all thebooks, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Why am I talking about branding or business or else on a travel blog?
WTF you’re thinking? I don’t care about branding. I only want to travel the World!
OK but you need 2 things to do so, money and time. And except if you already have both, chances are you need a plan to get both. So instead of telling you to quit your job, sell everything you own and couch surf your way through inexpensive destinations, I’ve launch a series of post on how to UPGRADE your life to achieve your goals.
If you don’t care about any of this, that’s ok, you can go back to the Destination Page of RTatW and hopefully find posts that are more interesting to you.
If you think couch surfing is fun and you prefer to travel broke, that’s ok as well.
But if you are a tiny bit interested about having your own business and want the freedom to run it from anywhere in the World, than my UPGRADE posts are for you. And in this case, believe me when I say that you must understand what building a brand is and you therefore should really read The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.
So what is a Brand and what is Branding?
Well, that is an interesting question which surprisingly doesn’t have a single straight answer!
I love that Heidi Cohen gave 30 different definitions of those words in this post. If I had to chose one, it probably would be the one by Ashley Friedlein – Econsultancy :
“Brand is the sum total of how someone perceives a particular organization.
Branding is about shaping that perception.”
The sum total of how people perceive your business. It means everything: Yes, it includes your name, your logo, the look of your website, your message, your products or services, the quality of such… but today it includes so much more, especially for small businesses.
Do people perceive you as a nice person? What are your values? Your ethic? Your environmental principles? How involved in your community are you? Do you give back?… Are you a super star yet perceived as so reachable, down to Earth, fun…. those are just a few examples!
Are we talking about your business or about yourself? Hey, when you start a business, you are the business. All your personality and all your personal traits are in your business. Your business is an extension of you so pour your soul into it!
And so Branding is about shaping that perception.
Branding is more about communication than marketing. Communicate well on your core values, the characteristics & attributes of your business / yourself and you will build a strong brand. Mess up, mix up, mash up… and people will have no clue what your brand is or what you stand for.
Clarity & consistency in your message is your goal.
Marketing will come next…
The 22 Immutable laws of Branding
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Reis and Laura Ries is the must read book on branding. It is the type of book that you read several times. The way to make the most of it, is to read each chapter and take notes, brainstorm about the specific law, apply, update, correct your course and check in again.
With this book, you will build strong foundations for your business.
In my humble opinion, when you are just starting a business, some of the laws are more important than others. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read the whole book. Just know that some of these laws, you will only apply later.
There is a lot of common sense in this book. Yet, when you read it for the first time, it can be mind blowing! I had my moments of ‘darn, of course!!’ & ‘Why didn’t I think of it before!’ And I hope you do to.
I’m not going to go into details about the content, because I could never do as good as Reis father and daughter have done in this book.
Below you will find the links to Amazon book store and there, you will be able to sample the book. If I haven’t convinced you to get this book yet, such sample hopefully will.
Understanding what branding is, what to do and what not to do, is a crucial step for creating your business and getting the freedom you are seeking.
Further Notes:
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Reis and Laura Ries is widely considered at the ‘original bible’ on the topic. It’s been out for decades so some of the examples are old. It’s been re-published several times and the latest version seems to date from 2002.
As you can tell, the cover is different than the version I have, but the content is the same. The laws are the same.
There is another edition available online, which includes as a bonus the The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding. Since it was published in 2002, it’s old, too old and time proved marketing gurus can get it wrong!
If you want to jump start your knowledge on this topic, you can also buy the 22 immutable laws of marketing. It should be on your reading list anyway!!
