Call It What It Is!
A pitch-perfect tip for naming your next brilliant business project.
Launching The Empowered Businesswoman’ podcast was pure, fearless fun. Eventually! When I stopped resisting the perfect title. Although not before I got over my fear of ‘Would anyone actually listen to it? What would I talk about? How does the equipment even work?’
I even flew over 4,000 miles to the biggest podcasting conference in the world WITHOUT A PODCAST (I was a guest speaker at the conference so it wasn’t an indicator of complete insanity that I found myself there) and I still couldn’t launch the damn thing.
When I finally did manage to set up some kind of desktop recording system, find myself a kick-ass podcast editor and, backed by my incredible team who helped me step out of my comfort zone and record a seed episode, BAM! The last attempt of my very own monkey mind kicked in: what were we going to call it?
Despite my team serving up Serena Williams worthy aces in favour of using the word ‘empowered’ in the title, I couldn’t see past the cliché.
Stuck like a caterpillar in treacle, I turned to one of my touchstone business truths that I have used multiple times over the last 20 years to get me unstuck and thinking more expansively.
Wise words courtesy of Clinique
At nineteen, I missed the cut for a coveted sales role with Estée Lauder (a story for another time as I eventually ended up working for them) and started with Elizabeth Arden, quickly moving on to Clinique.
Clinique’s marketing is all about ‘simple, direct, and intuitive messages’:
every product should ‘do what it says on the can.’ Nothing more, nothing less. The white coat uniforms, the sleek advertising campaigns, shiny white beauty counters and no-nonsense packaging. The brand strength resonated with me so much as an employee and I carried this experience along with me through the rest of my career.
Cue subliminal shoulder tap from white-coated, Clinique dispensing, teenage me. Her advice? ‘Smile and surrender! Problem solved!
Because ‘The Empowered Business Woman’ does precisely what ‘it says on the can.’ It gives you the tools, tips, and nudges and nurtures you need to take your creative business to the next level while staying true to you. I knew the name needed to mean something to me. I wanted it to be uncomplicated, non-gimmicky with a plain and simple message. It needed to reflect me.
Resolve resistance gently
Resistance often reflects the tussle between your shouty inner critic and your intuitive inner mentor. Ironically, your mental doomsayer wants to shield you from a hot mess of hurt and humiliation. ‘What if it goes wrong?’ it whispers in your ear. ‘What if it doesn’t work out quite as you’d planned?’ But your wise inner mentor, aka gut instinct, knows what clever, capable you can do. It too also whispers in your ear...you just have to decide which is stronger.
Calm your inner critic with a kind, ‘Thank you, I know you mean well, but I’ve got this.’ The ensuing mental shush makes space for your gut to give some wise, reassuring advice. ‘You can do this! Trust your gut.’ In my case, it was ‘I hear that this might be seen as a cliche word to use or a run-of-the-mill, predictable kind of name for a podcast. But you know what? It’s honest and real and feels RIGHT! So go for it!”
So I did, and hopefully, you’re listening to it. Absorbing the coaching, embracing the connection. Stepping up to your next level. Empowering yourself.
Over to you
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