It is not always easy to be able to be yourself when you have your own business. Maybe you don’t dare, because you think your clients or employees will think something of it. In this business blog, Ilja van de Ven, founder of DWARSER*, gives tips on how to be yourself.
You are your brand
Just be yourself. That sounds so easy, but it is quite a task, says Ilja: “If you profile yourself as a brand, then at once it becomes very vulnerable who you are. And to what extent can you then still really be yourself?”
She indicates that it has also been a search for her. But one that has led to where she is now: “My brand, DWARSER*, is Ilja van de Ven and everything around it. If you look at what I share on social media, for example, it’s that I’m baking bread. And that I’m busy in the vegetable garden. And that I’m helping my friend Wiboud with his RVs. And that I occasionally suffer from having ADHD. All those things make my brand. Because through that I connect with the right audience. As a result, for example, I’ve had a customer who started following me because she saw something about an RV and had an RV herself.”
Reduce the distance
The mix of everyday, personal stuff and a business proposition, that for Ilja is being yourself. It’s a complete package: “The more you show of who you are, the easier it is to get the right connection with the people who understand that. For that reason, I’ve never had an intake or an introduction with someone I didn’t have a click with. Because those people already know me without knowing me.”
The message is clear: it is very easy to talk to new contacts if they already know a little better through social media what type of person you are. That way you reduce the distance that is often still there at the beginning. This is a completely different way of marketing yourself than when you are purely focused on the services you provide.
Attract people who suit you
Many entrepreneurs, especially freelancers, need that personal click to be able to do a fine business. To be able to be 100% themselves without mincing words. That’s why Ilja recommends being very transparent about who you are beforehand: “You do that through social media and with what you put on your website. New clients then know exactly what to expect from you. People who understand that and feel like it will knock on your door. So you actually automatically attract the people who suit you. Just by being yourself.”
Don’t play a role
The beautiful thing is, according to Ilja: if you show more of yourself, you also dare to be 100% yourself and things go easier. “Then you don’t have to play a role. You’re just all on the same wavelength then. I have also worked in payroll at times. In places where I felt I couldn’t show all of myself. You know those DISC color profiles? I sat there as the only yellow among only red and blue people. I couldn’t be myself there because my colleagues didn’t understand me. And so then you don’t come out, because there is no acceptance for who you are.”
Liberating to start over
Once the contrast between who you are privately and who you are at work becomes too great, it eats up energy, Ilja explains from her own experience: “In my time as a teacher, I was a watered-down version of myself. I had a kind of role model function there anyway and so I wanted to do very well. So for example, I thought about whether I would put on a band shirt. Suppose there are a couple of kids in the class who are listening. Then I thought that was sad for the ones who had nothing to do with it. I didn’t want that.”
The way she presents herself now feels like a liberation for Ilja: “I had several jobs in salaried employment where I really thought, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ There I was languishing. Alarm bells were constantly going off. I don’t want that. That doesn’t belong to me. That’s not right at all. I don’t work that way. That doesn’t work for me. Thus a counter-reaction arose. I learned how to kick things and build my business with that. Just starting over and creating a different kind of brand. From the moment I really became 100% myself, things went much more smoothly.”
Dare to inspire others
Incidentally, Ilja can also well imagine that not everyone always dares to be themselves in a business setting. “Of course, that also has to do with everyone’s role in the company. Or with the environment that has certain views, which makes it difficult for you to expose yourself more. And yet it would be interesting if you could be more open. For example, that you tell people that you listen to metal, while you think that this is not accepted in your work field. You might find out that there are other people who listen to metal and wear an Iron Maiden shirt under their blouse. By being more open about who you are, you can also inspire people. Don’t underestimate how valuable it can be to be yourself. Not only for yourself, but also for others.”
The tips Ilja has for us on how to be yourself as an entrepreneur:
- Your personality makes your brand
- You don’t have to play someone you’re actually not
- Mix your personal preferences with your business proposition
- Select your target audience based on who suits you
- Be an inspiration to others because of who you are