The Importance of Owning Your Message
When most people say own your message, they're talking about living your message every single day. Walking your talk and sharing your message with your audience.
I agree that's important.
However, when I say you must own your message, I mean you must trademark that message.
Recently I was on a training and the speaker asked us, “what do you want your brand to be known for?”
For me, that's an easy question to answer. I want my brand to be known for the 3 Word Rebellion.
The other people on the call, their answers surprised me. They wanted their brand to be known for reliable information, impactful results, connection, accessibility, and integrity.
Those are amazing brand attributes. They are great brand values, but your business can't own any of them.
Every news station in the world wants to be known for reliable information. None of them can own or trademark that.
Now, there are some of you who are listening who want to be thought leaders and influencers, but who are currently stuck in the land of being a subject matter expert.
Talking about the “how to's” of video or social media or Business Coaching, health coaching or energy work, and here's the thing, you can't own any of those broad categories and how to won't propel you into thought leadership. It actually keeps you stuck as a commodity where you're competing with other people on price because you haven't created your own thought leadership, your own message yet.
Let's talk about the three important reasons you need to own and trademark your message.
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Your Message Must Be Something that Only YOU Can Own
The first big reason is that your message needs to be unique to you. When you develop something that uniquely represents you and what you do in the world, then you can trademark that and it also positions you so that people will pay you more.
I've told this story once before on the Rebel Speaker podcast about when I becoming a certified fascination advisor with Sally Hogshead. Sally and I had a conversation and she asked me the question, “Michelle, do you want to know how I got paid $35,000 per speaking gig without having a best selling New York Times book?”
And I say, “yes, Sally, of course, I want to know that.”
The answer that she told me has always stayed with me. She said, “Michelle, no one can do what I do. No one can deliver what I deliver.”
And that's what happens when you have a message that you own. When you have a process that is uniquely yours.
No one can do what you do, and that makes it more valuable.
So for me, I can name several other coaches who can work with you on how to clarify your message. I know of only one person who can help you create your 3 Word Rebellion, the message that encapsulates the change you want to create, that you own that is uniquely yours and no one else's.
Your message — this is what gets you known. Having something that is unique to you that only you can deliver. It stakes your claim and it makes you more valuable to the people who hire you.
Create a Model or Process or Manifesto for the Work You Do
The second big reason to own your message is that it allows you to create a model and process for the work you do.
Sally Hogshead has the whole how to fascinate assessment, so that is her unique contribution that is her model, her process for the work that she does in the world.
Thought leaders have a process for their work, for how they get to the results that they get for their clients.
Think about Simon Sinek, right? We know him for Start with Why, but if you watch the TEDx talk, he talks about a model that underpins start with why, and that's the golden circle.
Basically, the model is three concentric circles. The center circle is why the middle circle is the how, and the outer circle is the what. That is his model.
Even with the 3 Word Rebellion, yes, I have a whole process to help you find your 3 Word Rebellion, but I've also created a whole system to create that messaging and that model that gets you known for your work.
And creates your work as a valuable asset for your business.
Creates a Valuable Asset for Your Business (It Makes Your Business Worth More Money)
Which is the third important reason why you want to trademark.
Mark your message because it's a business asset. It makes your business worth more.
Now, hear me out. I know some of you might have no intention of selling your business ever.
Right now. I don't think I'll ever sell Communication Rebel to someone else. That's not my intention, but I don't know if that might change in the future.
I want to create my business as an asset and part of that is trademarking our work, so I own the trademark to Communication Rebel. I'm working on the trademark for 3 Word Rebellion and Rebel Rising.
Why I'm doing this is twofold. Number one, it means no one can steal my ideas because I legally own those ideas. Trademarking helps you sleep better at night. If someone steals the 3 Word Rebellion framework and starts using it in their business, I have legal recourse against them because I own that framework.
The second thing, and probably the more important thing that it does for your business, is that it makes your business worth more.
If you do ever decide to sell, because now your three rebellion, the name of your business, the model, the process, all of those are your intellectual property that you could then, in turn, sell to someone else. If you decided that that's what you wanted to do with your business.
You are creating a business asset and it is ultimately making your business more valuable.
Now, I would love to help you create that message and that model that you can trademark, that you can create as a business asset that can be associated with your name and makes you more money.
If you're interested in getting my help, then you and I should have a chat about the 3 Word Rebellion Messaging Intensive. That's how I can help you create your 3 Word Rebellion.
The messaging that gets people to yes and the model that shows how you get results. If you're intrigued, just go to DrMichelleMazur.com/book-now to schedule a complimentary chat and find out how we can work together.
In the meantime, own your message, trademark it.
Claim it as your own because this is how you're going to get known and paid for your work.
