On September 15, 2021, we at Brand’eM celebrate our 6th anniversary of making brands come alive through any company most valuable asset, the People.
The number “6” is often described as the number short of perfection. It’s a whole number away from 7 - lucky seven, perfect 7, prime 7. As if pointing at us that as of September 15, 2021, we’re not quite there yet.
And that’s OK.
2021 has been tough for a lot of us in mind, body and spirit. We carried a lot of hope at the start of the year as we let go of the 2020 baggage that we were so ready to get rid of as early as March 2020. Thinking that 2020 would’ve given us 20-20 vision, 2021 seemed to be a bigger blur, a seemingly more permanent fog.
With this fog, we had ourselves and the people we worked with to help each other navigate through this crazy time.
Do you hear me?
Is my video one?
Do you see my screen?
To hear, to see, to engage.
That’s what we did leading up to our anniversary. With the help of those we trust, we asked ourselves these key questions:
What do you enjoy doing?
What do you believe you’re good at?
What do other people find value in what you do?
We interviewed former clients and dove deep within ourselves to answer these questions. We received the medicine we administered to our clients by chipping away the excess marble to reveal the statue already within us.
Showing up to work carrying these questions was not easy. I was awake at 7am (no alarm needed), and still up by 2am (no tea needed) thinking of how to sustainably lead the business, the people and clients through the fog.
After a number of interviews, validations and revisions, we arrived back to why the company was named “Brand’eM.” Some friends teased back then that it was named “Brand’eM” to allude to my name (Martin; Brand M → Brand Martin). Although that’s cute, our company name is a shortcut of “Brand Them” where the focus is “branding them” - the People.
While it took us months to even realize we were in a fog, I am sincerely grateful for the challenges and lessons that used to be theoretical to actually experiencing them. And we’re excited to share them with you.
Going through this lockdown, our purpose is locked in:
To help the Next Generation family business owners lead with intent and not by consequence.
We design and implement personal branding and leadership development programs grounded on Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths and Kellogg-certified marketing strategy frameworks adapted to the local setting.
Our manifesto is to help companies brand their most valuable asset, their People.
