A few years ago our oldest son, Jasper, had a big decision to make: his Halloween costume.
He wanted to be a firefighter because he loves fire trucks.
But AJ (my wife) and I had found the cutest panda bear costume, and we really wanted him to wear it.
So we had a little conflict.
Jasper insisted, “No, Daddy. I’m a fireman!”
Meanwhile, we tried convincing him how adorable he’d look as a panda bear.
In the end, we taught him a tough but valuable lesson: sometimes, even if you don’t like it, you still gotta do it.
That lesson applies especially when it comes to building your personal brand.
There’s one exercise that almost nobody likes to do, but it’s absolutely essential if you want to grow and monetize your brand.
You must figure out the problem you solve…in one word.
Why Your Brand Must Be About One Problem
I know it’s hard.
Nobody enjoys narrowing down something that big to a single word.
But people buy solutions to problems.
And if you’re not clear on the problem you solve, your customers won’t be either.
The real power is in clarity.
Think about being at a networking event.
The room is full of chatter, but the second someone across the room says your name, your attention snaps to them.
It’s not the volume of the signal that gets your attention, it’s the specificity.
That’s exactly how marketing works.
When you can clearly articulate the problem you solve, you cut through the noise and grab people’s attention.
It’s like you’re calling their name.
(Tip: If you can clearly articulate the problem your audience has, they’ll automatically assume you have the answer.)
The Power of Owning One Word
Look at Brené Brown.
She didn’t set out to become famous.
She simply became fascinated with one problem: shame.
She studied it, researched it, wrote about it, spoke about it, and podcasted about it for DECADES.
And today, you can’t even mention the word “shame” without someone bringing up Brené Brown.
Or take Dave Ramsey.
For 30 years, he’s gone on the radio every single day and said the same thing: “Debt is dumb. Cash is king.”
He talks about debt, teaches about debt, and shares his story about debt.
And through that repetition and clarity, he’s built one of the biggest personal brands in the world.
Both of them prove the point: it’s not about being louder.
It’s about being clearer.
It’s about owning your word.
Your Next Step
If you want to build influence, impact, and income, you’ve got to do the hard work of narrowing what you do down to one word.
What problem do you REALLY solve?
We’ve helped thousands of mission-driven messengers do exactly this at Brand Builders Group.
The cool part is that once you know your one word, the rest of your brand falls into place (your message, your marketing, your business model, etc).
So here’s my challenge: take the time to find your word.
And if you need help, schedule a free Brand Call with our team.
We’d love to walk you through this process.
Because once you own your problem, your audience will assume you own the solution.
