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“Don’t create your brand, bring it to life.” I find myself saying this more and more recently – and for good reason. Whether we’re talking about a personal or company brand, there are people behind it – with emotions, values, and inner drivers. This means a brand needs to resonate with those human layers, not just with its target audience. That’s how you build a truly authentic brand that not only stands out from the crowd but also has a lasting presence in the market. The brands that last are the ones that grow from the inside out – from the founder’s, leader’s, or team’s real values and inner drivers.
BRAND BUILDING ISN’T JUST STRATEGY – IT’S ALSO HUMAN INSIGHT
The strategic steps of brand development – market research, competitor analysis, audience segmentation, positioning, formulating key messages, defining communication channels, visual branding, etc. – are all essential. But if they’re not built on real, authentic foundations, they won’t be truly effective or sustainable long-term.
That’s why I started consciously exploring how I could combine strategic consultancy with deeper human understanding, and how I could support my clients in “diving deeper,” then surfacing their values, motivations, and personal style.
This gave birth to what I now call the ‘Strategy & Soul’ approach – where business focus and inner drivers work together. Because a strong brand starts where the mind and the heart build together.
To get there, I needed my own self-exploration and ongoing “level-ups” – not only to develop my self-reflection skills in my private life, but also to reshape how I think about branding and communication as a brand builder.
SELF-AWARENESS AS A TOOL
Since the age of 23, I’ve been on a journey of self-awareness, supported by coaches, mentors, books, and trainings. I started this path to better understand myself, dissolve internal blocks, and break through my limitations.
This deep inner work helped me become better at understanding others and building meaningful connections. And this self-discovery have not only brought personal growth, but also strengthened my branding approach.
NLP AND COACHING IN BRAND BUILDING
NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) has had a huge impact on me. Summarizing simply, it helps you understand, positively influence, and reframe your subconscious thinking so you can operate more consciously. That is why I completed the NLP Practioner training in 2022.
One of my favorite tools in NLP is “reframing.” It’s especially useful when working with expert entrepreneurs or service-based professionals who have a conflict inside about showing up in their brand communication. A common phrase I hear is: “I don’t want to push myself out there.” At this point, I help them reframe the belief: “Brand building isn’t about self-promotion. It’s about making yourself and your value visible – so those who truly need what you offer can find you.”
This simple shift can be incredibly liberating. Because now the focus is not on yourself, but on how to serve those who need the value you bring. Brand building can be transformed from an ego-project into a genuine opportunity to connect.
The other major milestone for me was coaching. It gave me not just “questioning tools” to help clients dig deeper, but also practical instruments for guiding their process. One such tool is the mirroring: helping clients discover answers rather than handing them solutions – to give the client a real sense of ownership of the strategy and direction, or the style and messaging of the brand.
Another highly valuable techniques are self-awareness dev tools – especially when someone is pulled in too many directions. My clients are often full of ideas, opportunities, and even dilemmas – unsure which path truly serves their goals. In such cases, it is useful to use one of the methods to help filter out the noise, find the essence, or return to focus.
3 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR YOUR BRAND – WITH THE ‘STRATEGY & SOUL’ APPROACH
Authentic communication always starts with core values. Map out what you and your team (if you have), your strategic partners and clients should genuinely stand for – and translate that into messaging.
Knowing what you don’t stand for is just as powerful as knowing what you do. What are the “NO-GOs” for you and your brand when it comes to clients or partners in collaborations, or to messaging and style in communication? Clarifying this will clean the space around your brand and your business.
As a company leader or solopreneur, you are inherently part of the brand. As you grow in self-awareness, your style, tone, and messages become clearer – and so do your core values and purpose. Therefore, your brand evolves with you, too. And when you allow yourself to show up, people can connect with you.
DON’T FORGET!
Brand building is not just about surface-level visibility. If you want to build a strong brand, you have to engage with the inner drivers, too. Strategic thinking and human understanding don’t cancel each other out – on the contrary, they reinforce each other. This is the way of ‘Strategy & Soul’. Internal work, external results.
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