Uncover your Signature
In this series, I’ll share how to start building your authentic brand—whether personal or business— in a way that turns complicated puzzles into strategic roadmaps, lack of direction into intentional moves, and scattered data into meaningful insights.
People have always fascinated me—their stories, motivations, and choices. I guess this is where my intrinsic need for listening and observing comes in. It led me to brand consulting, where I’ve spent the last two years helping startups and pre-launch, early, and mid-stage brands across 7+ markets discover their uniqueness. I’ve met founders and different stakeholders from all walks of life, cultures, and dreams. One thing I’ve learned? We’re all unique (even though it sounds so cheesy).
But the challenge isn’t being unique, it’s owning it.
We often hide our true selves out of a deep fear of being rejected by society. We put on masks just to fit in, but the irony is—like in Tetris—when you fit in perfectly, you disappear.
In business, the same principle applies. The lack of uniqueness and perspective are common reasons why companies struggle. Differentiation is no longer just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for positioning, sales, and building lasting customer relationships. In fact, it’s becoming harder for even more established businesses to compete based on features alone. The founders who fully embrace their uniqueness often end up leading the pack. Think Elon Musk or Richard Branson—it’s funny how usually things those people get bullied for now support them in making millions in their own business.
Your Signature—aka your unique selling point (USP), brand DNA, or essence—is that quality that makes your brand different and desirable to your target audience. Failing to uncover it can lead to poor visibility, struggle to reach and engage with your customers, diluted and unclear messaging, and even slow business growth.
I love the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold so everyone can see the cracks. It’s a beautiful reminder that our “cracks”—our personal stories, path, experiences, and perspectives—are what make us unique. No one can replicate that. Your competitors can copy many things, from your product to design or even business model, but they can’t copy your story or Signature.
So, where do you start?
On a practical level, uncovering your Signature starts with asking deeper, more existential questions. Just like people need to reconsider who they are as they grow up, so do brands and businesses. This reflective phase—what I call your brand essence—is key to the process of brand development. It revolves around three main pillars: defining your core values, vision, and mission. By exploring these, you'll gain clarity, confidence, and focus, helping you make decisions that stay true to your brand.
Here are some strategic questions to help uncover your Signature and tap into your brand essence:
What values guide my actions and decisions?
Why do people usually gravitate toward me?
Where do I naturally gravitate toward?
What do I admire in others?
What am I ultimately working toward?
If I could dream big, what change would I want to see in the world?
What motivates me to pursue this vision?
What will I do, for whom, and by which means?
What am I offering to the world right now?
Once you’ve clarified your brand essence, it’s time to apply the second filtering called positioning. What 2-3 associations do you want your brand to be known for in your category or to your target audience? What makes your method, audience, or personality unique?
In helping start-ups refine their value propositions and customer-facing offerings, particularly in service-based businesses, I’ve found it valuable to distill everything down to three essential elements: you, your audience, and your method or approach. At least one of these should be tied to something unique—whether it’s your strong or shy personality, a particular superpower, a struggle you’ve overcome, or something distinct about the people you serve, like their unique pain points, goals, niche, or culture. It could also be an unexpected, innovative method you're introducing to the sector or how you engage with your audience. A combination of all these parts will add a nuanced and unique flavor to your Signature.
Brand clarity starts with knowing exactly who you are—and who you're not. After all, brands with a strong identity can confidently say “That’s not us”. When your brand is authentically you, without feeling like you're forcing it or pretending to be something you're not, everything flows naturally, and it’s easier to create the right, on-brand actions and communications intentionally.
This post is part one of a four-part deep dive into brand development series:
Conscious marketing: Evolving with confidence and intention
