Downsizing, continued…

In my first copywriting job, my copy director told me early on that I needed to be the investigative reporter of the company. It was my job to go around from department to department and talk to people. 

Why? So that we could find all the neat, weird and interesting nuggets of the company and work them into the brand story. 

But also…

So that we could start to identify the pain points where communication, ideation, and execution broke down. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but coming at a brand from both of these directions would become my ethos as a copywriter, a creative professional, and now, as a brand coach. 

The central question that I’m obsessed with is this:  What’s the coolest thing about a brand and what’s getting in the way of getting that message out? 

As I work with people who are starting their own brands, usually on their own, that question gets even deeper: What’s the most unique thing about YOU and what’s getting in the way of owning it? 

The hard part about doing this work at big companies was that there was only so much I could really ever impact. Nearly none of my subsequent supervisors wanted an investigative reporter as a copywriter because there was only so much they could really ever impact. 

What I’ve loved about downsizing my coaching focus to people who are building brands from the ground up is that together, we can impact literally everything about their company. 

There is so much opportunity in building something that won’t break down into systemic dysfunction, siloed communication, or entrenched belief structures.

There is so much power in building something based on a person’s passion and real sense of purpose. 

There is so much more we can all do if we look for smaller ways to make bigger impacts.

Thanks for reading. More soon. 

HC