The Savvy Entrepreneur

I recently sent a fun email to family and close friends, asking them to describe me in one word. The answers I got were intriguing, to say the least.

The most surprising responses were from my parents. My Mom’s answer (loyal) surprised me because she demonstrated, yet again, that she knows me too well. As for my step-dad (he used the word special), well that word just doesn’t sit right with me.

Close friends used words like impressive, competitive, competent, strong, searching and enthusiastic. It’s interesting, because, as nice as these words are, none of them resonated with me.

Then, there’s my ever-thoughtful husband. The word he chose to describe me was… get this… pregers. UGH! I could strangle him sometimes!! (I was half-expecting someone to say something along the lines of fertile, just not from him!)

Finally, the person who knows me better than I know myself most times, my best friend Eve hit the nail on the head when she replied intense. That word never even popped in my head, yet she’s absolutely dead on. (Which is why I love these exercises!)

I can’t help but wonder: Am I revealing that part of my personality in my marketing or am I restraining myself to remain innocuous? (Does that even make sense?) Should I include it in my strategy? Am I thinking too hard about this?

While I wouldn’t send this type of question to clients and business contacts, it’s fun to imagine what they would reply. Would the words be a fair representation of my personality? It’s hard to say, but it certainly would be fascinating to find out how I’m perceived by others.

If you surveyed clients and business contacts, what words would they use to describe you? What word(s) do you wish they would say? Would the responses from family and close friends resemble the responses of your business contacts? Are these words in close relation to your brand?

More tough questions are: Is who you really are getting across to your audience? Are you hiding parts of yourself? Does your audience feel like you’re hiding something (intentionally or purposefully)?

Things that make you (or maybe just me) go hmmmmm.

I’d love to get your insights on this topic.