Wednesday Wisdom: Wear Your Brand, Spark a Conversation

Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners, Small Businesses

Standing at my small local post office in my signature business brand colors of hot pink and black, a woman walked in behind me saying, “I love your colors!” I recognized her immediately. She was the daughter of the iconic Carol M. Baldwin, known best for her breast cancer foundation and as the mother of her numerous acting sons. Outside the window, was Beth Baldwin’s car – a black and pink detailed one in brand colors advertising their foundation’s name and work.

“I am sorry your mother passed away, she had such an impact on breast cancer awareness and research,” I said although I only knew Beth Baldwin from a few chance encounters at our post office. From that first simple statement about what I was wearing, our conversation lasted 20 minutes including discussion on breast cancer, fundraising, writing, and alopecia. Since so many women lose their hair during chemotherapy, her and her family are campaigning alongside alopecia advocates to get wigs paid for by insurance. As I took off my black and pink hat showing her my alopecia status, we exchanged numbers and names promising to reach out to each other if we could help in each other’s causes.

You might not suspect to network at a place like the post office, but it happens. It might not have happened if I wasn’t wearing my business brand’s signature colors which sparked our discussion. If I wasn’t up on local news, I might not have mentioned her mother’s name which lead to Beth also giving me a pink pin in her mother’s honor or the fact I can call Beth if I find out about women in my organization just being diagnosed with breast cancer so their foundation can mail out a care kit including a pillow to use during chemotherapy sessions.

Beth and I are both in the business of supporting women but in different ways and yet we can help each other and our customers or friends if there is a need. Make sure you aren’t forgetting about meeting with collaborative based companies to see how you can help each other.

This Wednesday Wisdom is to remind you that how you dress, what you read and know about your community members, and how you represent your business, can all lead to the right type of conversations that open doors and connections to new people. Marketing isn’t always about sales; it can be about promotion and publicity that trigger conversations to educate others about your enterprise or personal business mission.

Next time you walk out the door, consider branding your image, bringing along business cards, and being aware of who is around you so you can have a chance encounter that lifts you up and connects you unexpectedly to someone you could work with or collaborate with in the future.