Behind the Brand / Staying Inspired

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I didn’t think this ‘behind the brand’ thing would catch on, and become a reoccurring feature. But I get lot’s of questions about some of the behind the scenes deets of Ember & March that I wouldn’t get to cover, otherwise.

Today I want to share a bit about how I stay inspired: to blog, extend the brand (think newsletter and special offers) and where I find most of my inspiration from.

It sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is, but I do think that there is much to be learned by simply getting the chance to see how someone else does it. Because the fact of the matter is that so many people who read this blog do want to expand their brands into more than just a blog. Maybe you want to open a small business, offer a few services, or impact people’s lives positively by creating and sustaining a booming community of bloggers. All of those things are awesome, and all of those things take a lot of inspiration (and coffee, so much coffee).

I get blog ideas/inspiration from:

+ Getting outside of my head a bit. I love exploring the city, and popping my head into new cafes and trying out a new latte or iced coffee. Being in a new environment and people watching, surrounding myself with the unfamiliar helps to clear my mind and make room for new thoughts (like posts).

+ I give the answers no one had for me. When I first got to college, no one taught me how to make an effective to-do list; when I was working on my rebrand, some of the tips I needed were hard to find; and it took a minute to get the difference between WordPress and WordPress. We learn so many lessons over time that we can pass on to help others. I use my lessons and answered questions to create new posts that help others!

+ I read, and view, a lot of really awesome things. I spend a bit of time each week, even if it’s only 30 minutes or so, getting completely lost in Pinterest. Not just scrolling through my main feed, but finding myself drawn to one board, and then visiting similar boards. I keep digging, until I”m looking at posts in a similar style, and I let those visuals inspire me. I also read so many different types of blogs, books and publications that I’m always motivated to write.

I get motivation to grow the brand

+ Listening carefully to my readers. Listening to you all, seeing what people are responding to, and where I can do more or less or help fulfill the Ember & March mission. I created the Route 101 mini series because a lot you all had been tweeting and sharing some older organization posts –so I figured it was time to present something new.

+ Constantly reviewing my list of goals. I share my short(er) term goals at the start of each month here on the blog, but I have other more concentrated lists of goals. Some center on this brand, some of freelancing and earning more money from my passion. I always review those, and under each goal, I try to write one or two action items I can do in the moment to make it happen — like create an e-course or develop a new offering. Boom, inspired.

+ Watching others grow their brand. So many creatives are out there launching pure amazing and genuine greatness online. From new ebooks and e-courses to huge sponsorship deals and book publications, bloggers are growing their brands. And personally, I want in. I know that I have something to offer, and that force pushes and inspires me to work hard to watch it come to life.

What about you? How do you stay inspired to grow your brand? Where do you see your brand expanding to, and how can I help you get there?

*HEADS UP / There’s a super special offer going out in Monday’s newsletter. I wanted to create an exclusive offer to help end the summer season with a bang, so that’s just what I did. I’m not spilling any deets, but if you want to learn more and have the chance to take advantage of the offer, make sure you’re on the mailing list!