Brand Basics: Five Questions to Help Establish Your Personal Brand

Larry Roberts [00:00:09]:

What is happening, everybody? I'm Larry Roberts.

Sara Lohse [00:00:12]:

And I'm Sara Lohse. And this is Branded, your comprehensive guide to creative branding.

Larry Roberts [00:00:16]:

And on this amazing episode of podcast, we're gonna kinda dial it back a little bit and get back to Branded new basics.

Sara Lohse [00:00:25]:

You went, like, musical there.

Larry Roberts [00:00:28]:

Did I? Did I?

Sara Lohse [00:00:29]:

Yeah. That was, like, oh, we're getting we're getting rhythmic.

Larry Roberts [00:00:37]:

You could tell I just go into a zone because I don't even know what I did. Honestly, I'm walking back to even know what you're talking about because I have no idea.

Sara Lohse [00:00:44]:

You'll figure it out in editing.

Larry Roberts [00:00:46]:

Oh, oh, I did that. Well, ew.

Sara Lohse [00:00:49]:

Well, speaking of branding basics. Yeah. We were just at, eWomen Network's Speakonomics, and, you did a presentation on building your brand or finding your red hat. And it was really impactful. It's a really great presentation, and let's kind of use some of that to talk about that today.

Larry Roberts [00:01:08]:

I mean, I think that'd be great. I I think that some of the questions that we'll talk about that I presented, are applicable to everybody, and it gives you a nice opportunity to start having that brand conversation and kinda digging into what is the root of your red hat or what is the root of your branded brand. And it can be a challenge sometimes figuring this out and answering these questions. And, you know, in in in my case, especially, while I constantly ask these questions that we're gonna go over, they didn't necessarily lead me to the red hat. But at the same time, we start getting into the discussion of, is the red hat my brand or is the Red Hat just my brand identifier? And I I think it's more of option b there. And these questions are not necessarily designed for you to identify your visual representation of your brand, but the more in-depth brand values that represent what is underneath, at least in my case, what is underneath the red hat. That make sense?

Sara Lohse [00:02:17]:

Yeah. I think this is a really great way to build that foundation of your brand values, your vision, your mission statement, and just get a better idea of what it is that you're trying to do. When when you try to become a personal brand, why? Like, what is what is your goal? What are you trying to do? What are you trying to put into the world? Why are you trying to put yourself and your message into the world? So going through questions and really figuring out those answers is going to help you create your list of goals, your list of values, mission, vision, all of that.

Larry Roberts [00:02:54]:

Exactly. And and and I think it might have been, beneficial for us to kinda go over these questions together before we started recording the episode. But then at the same time, maybe We're

Sara Lohse [00:03:04]:

very unprepared.

Larry Roberts [00:03:06]:

It's it's not so much that we're unprepared. It's just that some of these questions, they take time. You know? Yeah. You need to put some thought and, you need to put some some, some well, time into figuring out these answers. Yeah. And what we're gonna do here on this episode is I think we just need to just give the the the answers that come to mind just right off the top. You know? Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:03:29]:

Right on

Larry Roberts [00:03:29]:

the tip of our tongue there.

Sara Lohse [00:03:30]:

So we're gonna go through the questions that you should you can ask yourself while you're building your brand, and we'll give our answers and kind of how they help shape our brand. But while we're doing this, like, if you're listening at home, grab a notebook and write down your thoughts. Answer these questions for yourself, and just really think about how you would not only how you would answer these, but how those answers can play into what you're trying to build as a brand.

Larry Roberts [00:03:58]:

Yeah. And and and again, I wanna stress the fact that these questions aren't necessarily going to identify your red hat per se, but it's the values that are underneath that hat. And it's the way that you conduct your business. It's the way that you engage with your clients. It's the way that you do your day to day business. That's what these questions are designed to uncover. So keep that in mind as you go through the exercise and not go, well, I guess I could have a blue blazer. For.

Larry Roberts [00:04:30]:

That's not that that's not what's gonna make you stand out in a crowd, but it's gonna make you stand out from an engagement perspective, from a client perspective, from a respect perspective. So Yeah. You've done the exercise.

Sara Lohse [00:04:43]:

We'll get into these now, but if what anything that we're saying about your brand promise, your brand identifiers, all of that isn't something that sounds familiar, jump back to one of our early episodes, and we we talked about the 8 components of a brand. So go, pause this, go back, listen to that episode, and then come back and do this exercise once you have a better understanding of what we're talking about.

Larry Roberts [00:05:05]:

Cool. Cool. So Alright.

Sara Lohse [00:05:06]:

Let's get started.

Larry Roberts [00:05:07]:

Now that you're back

Sara Lohse [00:05:09]:

Welcome back. We missed you.

Larry Roberts [00:05:11]:

Let's get it going, man. So these this again, these questions were somewhat in the middle of my presentation that I did there in Colorado. The very first question, what three words best describe you?

Sara Lohse [00:05:25]:

So when you asked us at the event, I had said creative, authentic, and unapologetic.

Larry Roberts [00:05:35]:

I could've swore you told me it was way too young.

Sara Lohse [00:05:40]:

That is what I said for the next question. Thanks to the lovely woman at our table who questioned me being able to teach her anything due to my age. Thank you, Lisa.

Larry Roberts [00:05:52]:

Oh, god. We're calling about. We're dropping names on this episode, y'all. We're getting getting first.

Sara Lohse [00:05:57]:

She she made her bed and night night.

Larry Roberts [00:06:00]:

Oh, goodness. Alright. Well, maybe I should open up that that can of worms, but I did. So

Sara Lohse [00:06:09]:

Cancel that one back in.

Larry Roberts [00:06:10]:

Let's see. What three words best describe me? Wow. Loud. Loud. Definitely loud.

Sara Lohse [00:06:16]:

Yes. I agree.

Larry Roberts [00:06:21]:

Attention seeking. And I don't know if is this a therapy session? I don't

Sara Lohse [00:06:25]:

know what This this turned negative. Really bad.

Larry Roberts [00:06:28]:

No. No. I love attention. There there's no why would I wear a a even on this episode, I'm wearing a bright red pullover and a red hat.

Sara Lohse [00:06:36]:

I call this his ketchup bottle outfit.

Larry Roberts [00:06:39]:

See? This isn't now a therapy session. It's my ketchup bottle outfit. Why do I enjoy dressing like a ketchup bottle? I don't know. The last word.

Sara Lohse [00:06:47]:

As a child, you weren't allowed condiments.

Larry Roberts [00:06:54]:

So what what did I say? Loud,

Sara Lohse [00:06:57]:

Lohse seeking.

Larry Roberts [00:06:58]:

Yeah. Attention seeking. And, man, see? It just it just stumps me. Value driven.

Sara Lohse [00:07:08]:

Yeah. Yeah. I only support that one of the 3. I think you Thanks. Yeah. It's it's just like loud or attention seeking? I mean, I agree with them, but if, like, you're thinking of, like, what three words best describe me, like, I would have gone a little more positive for you.

Larry Roberts [00:07:24]:

What? Positive because I love to be hurt.

Sara Lohse [00:07:27]:

Okay. Okay. If we're if we're gonna spin it that way.

Larry Roberts [00:07:29]:

Yeah. No. It's all positive. I mean, I'm I'm not laying on the couch right now. So so but I I mean, honestly, what else would would would it be a funny,

Sara Lohse [00:07:39]:

Well, I can't I can't answer it for you until the next question.

Larry Roberts [00:07:42]:

Extremely good looking.

Sara Lohse [00:07:44]:

Yes. Iconic.

Larry Roberts [00:07:45]:

Excellent personality. Yeah. Iconic. Think of Beyonce and just use the same Mhmm. Word.

Sara Lohse [00:07:51]:

Yes.

Larry Roberts [00:07:52]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:07:52]:

Naturally.

Larry Roberts [00:07:53]:

Of course. So think of the 3 words that best describe you. Jot those down in your notebook, and, let's move on to question number 2.

Sara Lohse [00:08:02]:

So this one is what three words would others use to describe you? And I think it would be fun let's give what we think, but then also we're here. Let's give what we actually would describe each other as.

Larry Roberts [00:08:14]:

Oh, that's interesting. And because it's very difficult for me to look at it from an unbiased perspective. Because I know you. And so I it's hard for me to know what's that external perspective that others see when they meet you that don't know you. So now that I I know you, I I don't know that those values or those perceptions, are in

Sara Lohse [00:08:40]:

alignment. So this is an interesting question because when I was trying to pick my brand name, this was one of the exercises that I had found odd, like, on, like, a list of ways you can, like, come up with a great brand name. One of the things was to, like, text people in your life and ask them how they would describe you. And so this can actually if you guys are trying to come up with what a brand name could be, this could be helpful. It ended up not being super helpful for me. It was it it was really nice to hear, like, what people said about me because they all were positive, but it was, an interesting exercise if this is something you guys are trying to do. Come up with that name. Ask people what they will say about you.

Sara Lohse [00:09:20]:

So, Larry, what are three words you would use to describe me?

Larry Roberts [00:09:24]:

First of all, creative.

Sara Lohse [00:09:27]:

I I said that one.

Larry Roberts [00:09:28]:

Oh, you said creative?

Sara Lohse [00:09:29]:

I said creative, authentic, and unapologetic.

Larry Roberts [00:09:32]:

Oh, well, see, I would still say it regardless because if I go do whatever I'm struggling with creativity, I go straight to you. I go, hey, man. Even this morning, I was like, I have got to get this video put together, but I am stopped. And I go running straight to you. So Okay.

Sara Lohse [00:09:46]:

I'll take it.

Larry Roberts [00:09:47]:

I would say creative slash resourceful. I don't know. Maybe we can interchange those. Next, I would say driven because you are driven. Had someone ask me just the other day why you and I are partnered together. And I go, man, she handles her business. It is unbelievable. So driven to be the next one.

Sara Lohse [00:10:05]:

K.

Larry Roberts [00:10:05]:

And while this is a little counterintuitive because I know you, I would still say confident. I would say confident. Yeah. That's a stumper there. But on the outside, looking in, I would say confident. So those those would probably be my my 3 big ones.

Sara Lohse [00:10:22]:

Alright. I'll take it. I'll take it. Let's see. For you, intelligent. I feel like you don't always try to lead with that, but you are one of the smartest people that I know.

Larry Roberts [00:10:35]:

Interesting.

Sara Lohse [00:10:36]:

Also creative. I would definitely say creative and giving. You are one of those people who just you don't say no to anybody, and you just wanna do everything for everybody. So giving for sure.

Larry Roberts [00:10:51]:

That one gets me in trouble, though. So

Sara Lohse [00:10:53]:

It does. It does.

Larry Roberts [00:10:56]:

That's see, and that's fun. And it it might be fun for you listening right now to to do this exercise with somebody as well.

Sara Lohse [00:11:04]:

Honestly, it just gives you a little mood boost. Yeah. No. It's just a And nothing else.

Larry Roberts [00:11:08]:

Yeah. You're not gonna sit here and say bad things about each other. So if you keep rocks right now, call up your best good pal and and go through this exercise together. That that should be a lot of fun.

Sara Lohse [00:11:17]:

Now what is because you you came up with these questions. So what was the purpose of, like, those 2 questions?

Larry Roberts [00:11:23]:

So that you get a better understanding of the balance between how you perceive yourself and how others perceive yourself. So it gives you that insight as to whether or not you are living up to your own individual expectations. So that lets you know that, well, if I'm trying to establish a brand, not a brand identifier potentially lacking? What values do I need to dress? What address? What messaging do I need to change to make sure that how I perceive myself and the brand that I'm trying to present, that I'm presenting it the way that I think I am. Did that make sense? I think I confused myself there. You said I was intelligent, but I think I got lost on that. But my whole point is to make sure that your brand is being perceived the same way you perceive it. So

Sara Lohse [00:12:12]:

See, that reminds me of brand episode that we were talking about how there are certain aspects of your brand that you can't be in control of. And so the way that people perceive you is something that can be out of your control. I remember the example that I gave was something that it left left you kind of speechless, which is not easy to do. But you because you believe that you should always be in control of your brand at all times. But your brand experience so the the way that others interact with your brand, the way that others feel about your brand, that isn't something you can always control because sometimes your brand is not, like, physically attached to you. Right. So we were talking about it in terms of, like, a U Haul truck. And if you've rented if someone rented a U Haul truck and then rear ended you while you were driving, you would have, like, a negative experience tied to U Haul.

Sara Lohse [00:13:10]:

Even though the person driving the car doesn't work for U Haul. It had nothing to do with U Haul. It was not their fault, but that was something that you experienced connected to that brand. So that's going to color your opinion of them. So having that conversation with others and getting their input on what it's like I would even if you're going to do this from a Branded perspective, don't ask your Sara, don't ask your best friend, ask coworkers or ask, like, employers, managers, ask people from your professional life because they're going to see more of that brand experience from you versus just like you had said before, you know me. So you know me from like a personal standpoint, but it the answers can be different based on what part of someone's personality you spend the most time around. Alright. Next question.

Larry Roberts [00:14:03]:

Next question. What are you most passionate about?

Sara Lohse [00:14:07]:

Okay. Who you first.

Larry Roberts [00:14:09]:

Well, I I just asked the question. So I don't know that it's fair that I go first, but I will. I'd have to say that. What what I'm most passionate about is content creation and creativity as a whole, creativity as a career. I've always been super passionate about creativity. I'm sure I've mentioned this on the podcast, but if we go all the way in the way, way back machine to high school, even my senior ring on one side was business, on the other side was art. Yes?

Sara Lohse [00:14:38]:

Every time you say that, I'll I picture your class ring hat wearing a mullet. Every time. Business in the front, art in the back. Art in

Larry Roberts [00:14:48]:

the back. That's too funny. But, yeah, I guess it could be the mullet of class rings. I mean, I'm sure it is today. And here's you you wanna know something funny about my class rings. Okay. So and this is hilarious. And Holly, I I doubt you're listening, but, I mean, we're still friends at Facebook, so maybe you are.

Larry Roberts [00:15:02]:

But this goes out to Holly because we got our class rings, and my initials are what?

Sara Lohse [00:15:08]:

L n r.

Larry Roberts [00:15:09]:

L r. Right? So I'm showing Holly my ring, and it's got my initials on it.

Sara Lohse [00:15:14]:

And she goes, why

Larry Roberts [00:15:16]:

has it got left and right on it?

Sara Lohse [00:15:21]:

So you don't put it on backwards.

Larry Roberts [00:15:23]:

Exactly. So so yeah, man. I still love you, Holly. You're great, but but I'll never forget that one, man. It's too funny. Yeah. So Alright. Yeah.

Larry Roberts [00:15:33]:

I mean, it's it's it's creativity and and art and content creation, just creating anything, any opportunity to create, whether you look over to my right here, and I've got my LEGO table where I put all my LEGOs together because I've created these models or whether it's creating the book that's behind me or whether it's creating this podcast. Just creating is is what I'm most passionate about.

Sara Lohse [00:15:54]:

I love that. So I would say for me, it's, it's kind of spreading positivity. I really am passionate about just bringing more kindness into the world, which I the way that I show, like, love and affection to people in my life is through gentle bullying. So, like, you can't always tell that this is something I'm passionate about. But in general

Larry Roberts [00:16:20]:

love it. For real?

Sara Lohse [00:16:22]:

Are you sure? Not one of the words you'd use to describe me. But in general, I really am passionate about kindness and positivity, and this is something that I was thinking about when I was building my brand because if you look at my mission and vision statement, the mission of my company is to, grow the messages of businesses that are mission driven, that are doing something good, and only focus on messages of positivity. So you'll if you look at my client roster, if you look at the brands that I work with, everyone that I work with has a positive message. I if I don't agree with or support your message, I won't work with you. Because if what I'm doing is spreading that and raising the volume on that message, I need it to be something that I can stand behind and that I feel is having a positive impact.

Larry Roberts [00:17:12]:

No. We've had this discussion more than once.

Sara Lohse [00:17:14]:

And had it as a fight more than once. Right.

Larry Roberts [00:17:17]:

We've had a little, little tiff

Sara Lohse [00:17:19]:

in the night

Larry Roberts [00:17:20]:

from time to time. So, while I have the utmost respect for your stance, maybe I don't quite follow it as closely as you do. But, but no, it's it's you you are very passionate about that. So this isn't something that she's just saying for the sake of this episode. It's definitely

Sara Lohse [00:17:37]:

He has seen me turn down money.

Larry Roberts [00:17:40]:

I I have, and I'm like, what are you doing, dude? Well, what what not? But but yeah. It's, it yeah. Super passionate about that.

Sara Lohse [00:17:49]:

Yeah. This is a question that you can definitely use to figure out what your mission is, what your vision is, why you're building that brand.

Larry Roberts [00:17:56]:

And that kinda leads us into the next question. What do you what what values, are most important to you?

Sara Lohse [00:18:02]:

Yeah. This is this is a similar question. I I guess the way that I answered the last one, it's very similar. I'm I value positivity. I value kindness. I value creativity. And the fact that I've been able to build a brand that lets me use creativity to pursue those passions has been just an amazing experience.

Larry Roberts [00:18:22]:

Yeah. That's that's cool. You did you say my turn?

Sara Lohse [00:18:24]:

Yeah.

Larry Roberts [00:18:25]:

Oh, wow. I I think mine is is personal responsibility. You know? Accountability is huge to me. So if if something happens, for instance, if I'm working with a client and maybe I've I've got someone on the team that did some of the work and didn't quite do it to the level the client was expecting. That's on me. You know? And I think personal responsibility is one of the the the biggest values that I have that drives me forward each day. I typically have my Jocko Willink book sitting next to me, but, it's all about you, man. You're carrying, you know, you're carrying the weight of the company.

Larry Roberts [00:19:05]:

You're carrying your about your your brand out front, and everything relies on you. So accountability is is big for me. Other values are are are providing excellent service, providing an excellent experience. And I I say service, that sounds so cheesy. But just in an entire the entire experience of working with a client or providing a value or providing a service or providing a talk or coaching or consulting, whatever it may be, I want that experience to be above and beyond anything that a client has experienced before. And I don't want it to just be transactional. The experience means that we're building a relationship, that we're working together and going forward. That ideally, I can now add you to my list of best good pals.

Larry Roberts [00:19:53]:

Because I mean, that's my goal is to build relationships with clients and provide that experience that they've never experienced before.

Sara Lohse [00:20:02]:

Yeah. I love that. That's something that you and I agree on, and I think that kind of goes into what when someone's building a brand, that brand experience, and what they want that brand experience to be. So for me, I want my meetings with my clients to feel like grabbing coffee with friends. It just happens to be really productive, and that really is what it feels like. I I want it to be like we're hanging out. We make jokes. We catch up on what's going on in each other's lives, but we also get work done and we get really great work done.

Sara Lohse [00:20:33]:

But it also you made me think of when it comes to things that we value, one of the things is definitely quality, but to the point that it's been a challenge. Because sometimes the our favorite things, like the best ideas we come up with, the clients don't necessarily always love.

Larry Roberts [00:20:50]:

Right.

Sara Lohse [00:20:51]:

And they That's pretty they end up going with an idea that was, like, our, like, 3rd or 4th choice or the ones that it's like, okay. Well, we said we'd give them this many options, so let's throw something else together. And the ones that we're super excited about that we think are the best options, they don't choose, and it is hard.

Larry Roberts [00:21:07]:

It's super hard. It is Yes. We're working on one this morning where

Sara Lohse [00:21:11]:

Yes.

Larry Roberts [00:21:12]:

They picked that one recently. And then, like, oh, okay.

Sara Lohse [00:21:17]:

And it's so funny because it also I mean, it is we the client is always right. Like, this is your brand. This is what, like, this is gonna represent you. But at the same time, we use this kind of stuff in our portfolios and our marketing. And there's been times where we're like, do we wanna include this one? Like, yes, we did it, but, it's not our favorite.

Larry Roberts [00:21:37]:

Yeah. Yeah. That that stuff.

Sara Lohse [00:21:39]:

Yeah. And I I mean, I come from the advertising world, and I remember this was a constant conversation, when you work in advertising because it is always has to be the client, and if the client says no, then it's no. And there's so many times where you come up with great ideas, and you give them several options, and they end up just taking pieces of each. We call it Frankensteining.

Larry Roberts [00:22:01]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:22:02]:

So they'll Frankenstein a concept that it started off as an amazing idea, and by the time the client is finished with it, it is absolute garbage, and we still have to put it out. And we would just be looking at these things like we are so embarrassed, but the client thinks it's the most amazing thing in the world. And that is so hard to deal with. That was one of my biggest challenges when I worked in advertising.

Larry Roberts [00:22:27]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:22:27]:

And it was why I was so happy I was not client facing for the most part. Like, I wasn't the account manager. I was the copywriter. So I was just the one helping with the ideas. I didn't have to present them.

Larry Roberts [00:22:37]:

Yeah. You were just the copywriter.

Sara Lohse [00:22:39]:

But now I have to present them. I'm still figuring out how to do that in a way that's not like, no. You're wrong.

Larry Roberts [00:22:49]:

Well, for 1, I'm disappointed you didn't activate on my trigger there with just the copywriter. So thanks for letting me just leave me hanging there. But for 2, I have seen, there's someone that I work with or I have worked with regularly, and he's really, really good at selling the client on the idea that he wants the client to fall in love with. I've seen him do it multiple times because I've I've seen this exact scenario play out where we create cover art for a podcast and the client picks the ugliest one. And we're like, no way. They're they're they're not going with that. No. It was so he would get on the phone, and he'd go over it.

Larry Roberts [00:23:26]:

And he'd put together an entire brand package around the one that we want him to have, And then he'd build a brand story behind it, so he'd make that that design very intriguing and very you know, like, they really just have to have this design. And I've never seen him fail on selling a design. So maybe you and I got

Sara Lohse [00:23:44]:

some work. Does does he teach a class? I the the one I always remember is I when I worked at the ad agency, I had a client that was a, like, a STEM almost like a STEM playground. Like, you could go to this place and they had, like, after school clubs and camps, and you can play with robots and, coding and 3 d printing and all this stuff. And they wanted to put an ad in a, like a pamphlet for a girl scout event to kinda bring girls into the program because it's stem is a very male dominant field Sure. Even at even for kids. So they needed a headline, and they had suggested stem for girls, which is kind of insulting because why do we need our own special stem? Is the boy's stem too, like, hard for us? So it was a horrible idea. So then I was like, what about bite like a girl? Like, b y t e, punny. I love a pun.

Sara Lohse [00:24:45]:

And they're like, no. We're gonna go with STEM for girls. And I was, like, okay. Let me come up with some more ideas. And I came up with, like, girl coders, like like, girl code, super cute, and give that to them. They're like, nope. We're still gonna go with STEM for girls. And I've still it's been 6 years.

Larry Roberts [00:25:04]:

Somebody's still a little salty.

Sara Lohse [00:25:06]:

I A little salty. You made me insult an entire, like, group of Lohse Scouts, and tell them that boy's stem is not is too hard for them. Here, take your little girl's stem. Like, oh, that was one of the times that we did fight back.

Larry Roberts [00:25:22]:

Perspective, not necessarily that boys' stem is too complex for girls, but girls and guys do tend to have various interests. You're covered in pink. I don't have a whole lot of pink here.

Sara Lohse [00:25:34]:

You have a pink hat. Don't lie.

Larry Roberts [00:25:35]:

I was gonna say other

Sara Lohse [00:25:36]:

than the pink You have the same I'm wearing a bright or black and bright pink sweatshirt. You have the same one?

Larry Roberts [00:25:41]:

I do have the same one because I'm very secure in my masculinity, and

Sara Lohse [00:25:44]:

I do have the same one. Make you wear them.

Larry Roberts [00:25:46]:

What did you say?

Sara Lohse [00:25:47]:

Because I make them, and then I make you wear them.

Larry Roberts [00:25:51]:

There's that too. But but anyway, so before we get too crazy here, let's, let's wrap this exercise up with the last question.

Sara Lohse [00:26:01]:

Yes.

Larry Roberts [00:26:02]:

What is the legacy that you, Sarah, want to leave behind?

Sara Lohse [00:26:09]:

This is always a tough question

Larry Roberts [00:26:11]:

Yeah.

Sara Lohse [00:26:11]:

Because legacy can mean so many things. Legacy can mean a message. Legacy can mean money. Legacy can mean all of these different things. It can mean ideas. I think I've always just wanted to leave the world a little bit better than I found it. And I think if that's something that everyone tries to do, then we're at least off to their, like, on the right track. So my legacy should just be something is better than it was before me.

Larry Roberts [00:26:41]:

Interesting. Okay. I dig it.

Sara Lohse [00:26:44]:

And you want everyone to be wearing a red hat? That's Oh, God. Wait. No. No. We don't want that.

Larry Roberts [00:26:49]:

At at my funeral, everybody in attendance is gonna be rocking a red hat. Flat build hat tilted 5 degrees to the right. But but

Sara Lohse [00:26:56]:

No no words on it, guys. No words.

Larry Roberts [00:26:58]:

No words. No branding. Can't have any branding. Okay. I I my legacy for real, man. I think it's just that you you this is so cliche.

Sara Lohse [00:27:07]:

It's all mine.

Larry Roberts [00:27:09]:

Yeah. But anybody can do anything they wanna do. You know?

Sara Lohse [00:27:13]:

Anything you can do, I can do better.

Larry Roberts [00:27:16]:

Anything what how's that go? Anything you can do

Sara Lohse [00:27:19]:

Can do, I can do better. I can do anything better

Larry Roberts [00:27:22]:

than you. Better than me? Better than you? Yeah. So no. You can't. Yes. I can. No. You can

Sara Lohse [00:27:26]:

Anything you can do, I can do while wearing high heels.

Larry Roberts [00:27:29]:

Oh, well, I've had on high heels before, so we can we can rock that. Right? So, anyway, anyways, we got way off base there. But, really, it's just anybody can do anything they wanna do. I mean, you know, I'm I'm I I came out of high school and managed to climb my way into a corporate world and climbed the ranks in the corporate world, left the corporate world, started my own business, and did my own thing. And, I mean, that's just a very revised version of what I did to get where I'm at today. And, it's it's been an amazing journey. And I think that's what I want the legacy to be is that it's the journey, and you can continue down that journey Larry direction that you really wanna go. You just have to to take those steps and and do it.

Larry Roberts [00:28:11]:

Put one foot in front of the other and and continue to do it. That's the legacy that I want people to realize when they look back and go, man, this cat, he he did a whole lot of stuff, man. So so you can too, man. Do anything you want.

Sara Lohse [00:28:26]:

You can teach old dogs new tricks.

Larry Roberts [00:28:28]:

We're still working on some of those new tricks, but you definitely got the old dog in me. So, yeah, man. I think that's it. Those are the questions that I had lined up. It's only 5 little questions. But, man, you can go so deep with those questions, and it can really give you a nice foundation for you to build your brand and your brand values, your brand messaging, your brand everything that you do to deliver that brand, can really come right out of those 5 questions. So spend some time with them. Go through that exercise and and see what direction it leads you.

Sara Lohse [00:29:00]:

Yeah. And, again, go jump back to that early episode, the 8 components to a brand, and you can really dig into what aspects of your brand you can use these questions to help you build. So when you do have all these questions answered and you've started to build out that brand, we would love to hear about it. So send us your answers. Send us your brand story, whatever it is, on our social media. All of they're all stick with Branded, or send us an email at let's hello at listen to Branded dot com.

Larry Roberts [00:29:28]:

There you go. So hopefully, you got some value out of this episode. I think there's a tremendous amount of value in this exercise. And as Sarah said, we would love to hear the value that you got out of going over these 5 questions yourself. So do us a favor if you would please hit that subscribe button so we can continue to bring you this amazing content each and every week. And with that, I'm Larry Roberts.

Sara Lohse [00:29:49]:

And I'm Sara Lohse, listening. We'll talk to you next week.