Welcome along to Coffee with Claire.
This one is a little bit fun today.
I was listening to Taylor Swift’s song Me, and there is a line that says, I am the only one of me, baby that is the fun of me.
And I thought, that is such a cool way to think about personal branding.
There is only one of you. That is not a weakness. That is the advantage.
Stop Trying to Be Someone Else
When I first started in my industry, I thought success meant being like someone else.
I looked at people I admired and thought, I need to speak like them, show up like them, build my business like them.
It felt safer to copy confidence than to trust my own.
But over time, I have realised something really interesting.
The more I lean into the quirky, energetic, slightly different parts of me, the more people want to work with me.
Funny how that works.
What Makes You Uniquely You
For me, it is the little things.
Dancing in the morning.
Cold showers.
Growing things.
Bringing high energy into rooms.
Talking about mindset just as much as mortgages.
None of those things are technically in my job description. But they are part of how I show up.
And when people resonate with that energy, they connect with me. That connection matters more than trying to be perfect.
There are plenty of mortgage advisers in New Zealand. There are even plenty in the Waikato.
But there is only one me.
That is true for you too.
Believing in What You Offer
The second layer of personal branding is belief.
It is one thing to be uniquely you. It is another thing to truly believe that what you offer has value.
When you do something every day, it can feel ordinary. Standard. Just part of life.
But often it is not ordinary at all.
I talk about financial services, investing, mortgages, and mindset every day. To me, it feels normal.
But to clients, those conversations are powerful. Insightful. Transformational.
We underestimate ourselves because we are too close to our own strengths.
A Simple Exercise
If you are unsure what makes you different, ask.
Reach out to five people you have worked closely with. Ask them what they think makes you uniquely you.
Their answers might surprise you.
That is your competitive advantage. Your unreasonable advantage.
Lean Into It
There is only one of you. That is the fun of you.
This week, think about what makes you different. What makes you memorable. What makes you valuable.
And then lean into it.
Do not dilute it. Do not hide it. Do not try to smooth it out.
That is your brand.