One thing I learned in business school is that a brand needs to be clear on who it is. What it’s selling, why it’s selling it, what makes the thing it’s selling special. That was the only way to make waves in the world, to attract customers who will come back.
And honestly, I have all manner of marketing templates and worksheets in the archives of my laptop, each a cheat sheet on how to be successful. They all point to the same values and help you weave together an experience that your audience won’t forget.
But for a solid minute, I didn’t want to apply them. My resources sat untouched for months.
I’d go through the day watching TikToks of successful business owners – people explained their processes and I would pick out what felt right to me, and then experiment with it on the blog. I wasn’t making much progress, but that was okay because I wasn’t sure I was ready for her to be seen.
Recently however, something clicked.
I did a little soul searching… and realized that I was afraid. I was worried that if I got too specific with my message, I would box myself in. And then the magic would be sucked out of Amour Abroad. She would become just another pandering, money-making machine.
Genuinely, I believe the world is changing. The time of searching for something, anything to be good at and grinding it to its bones has passed. It’s what people talk about on social media – how money is important, but no longer the bottom line. And how dedicating days, weeks and months to the success of something you’re not passionate about no longer sounds like a good idea, even if there’s a one hundred percent guarantee it will make you money.
We desire happiness. The joy of expressing ourselves freely and being loved for doing so. Even if it means having to live with roommates so you can pay your rent.
I see people still giving that advice every now and again. When I need a refresher on the basics, I come across lots of content creators who recite the good old ‘research and niche-down’ million-dollar-mantra. And to not do too much on them, I’ll say that I gave them same advice as a consultant years ago.
But I wouldn’t today. And I wouldn’t apply it to my own business.
Now, I’m about feeling like a bird spreading her wings. Whatever plucks my heart chords is fair game. I travel, yes, and I’m falling in love with life… I’m growing and trying new things and figuring my life out. I tend to stumble onto new passions randomly – for example, I’ve journaled my entire life, but I didn’t find the joy in creating my own until last summer. Who new book-making would be a thing I like to do?
If I go by the business models I learned, I would have to wait until I find one particular thing I love, or choose from what I can do now, and make a business out of it. Amour Abroad would be on the back burner until I master this one particular thing and stand out against the competition.
But when I ask the Lord if that’s a good idea, He gives me a resounding No. And then I remember something He said to me years ago: No one in this Universe knows exactly what they want to do, or who they want to be, even if they’re as old as a star.
Your passion will make herself clear as you go on your way.
So this is how I explain my blog now. It was inspired by my middle school Eat-Pray-Love era, where I used to read about different countries on WikiTravel. I’d spend hours day dreaming about traveling around the world, having beautiful experiences, meditating with monks, spiritually awakening and learning to love myself.
When I finally made my first dream come true, I knew I had to create a blog to tell the world about it. The name came to me in a dream, and the rest is history.
In short, Amour Abroad is my travel diary.
As far as my blog posts and products go, I think it’s okay to talk about different things. Growing spiritually kind of covers every topic on the planet, so a blog about it probably should range pretty wide.
And when I ask myself ‘I can make a business out of that, right?’
My answer is yes. Of course. And it doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
That reminds me of another diamond. During my spiritual awakening I learned that there cannot be expansion – that is, we cannot grow – without gray areas. Magic comes when you have uncertainty in life and positive beliefs in your heart. This combination yields miracles.
So in my uncertainty about where this blog is going or how I’m going to reach my very ambitious billionaire-ess goals, I’m leaning on my belief that all art and expression is beautiful and a gift to those who need it.
Whether in print, video format, journal prompts or mugs, I’ll be creating and offering to my little heart’s content.
And I’ll keep expanding this business for as long as I have fun doing it.
That’s how I’m dealing with feeling boxed in.
Comment below to tell me about your experience! Are you labeling your talents, or are we all going with the flow together? Love you 💜
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