Jess Trachsel from Prairie Glow Studio in discussion with Melanie Branch about authentic personal branding strategies for female entrepreneurs

Episode 034: Building an Authentic Brand That Attracts Your Ideal Clients with Jess Trachsel

May 26, 2024•7 min read

When I met Jess Trachsel at a virtual networking event a few weeks ago, I knew immediately we had to have this conversation. As someone who's built her entire business around helping female entrepreneurs bring their whole selves to work, Jess understands what I've been preaching for years - authenticity isn't just nice to have in business, it's absolutely essential.

This conversation with the founder of Prairie Glow Studio opened my eyes to so many insights about personal branding, mindset, and the courage it takes to show up as yourself in business. If you've ever wondered whether you need a personal brand, how to create authentic content, or why mindset work is crucial for entrepreneurs, this episode is for you.

The Foundation: Strategy Before Pretty Pictures

Listen, I know how tempting it is to jump straight into picking fonts and colors when you think about branding. I've seen so many entrepreneurs get caught up in the visual elements without doing the foundational work first. But here's what Jess taught me that I absolutely love: if you're going to have a solid brand, it has to be built on strategy.

"You cannot just make visuals and expect yourself to move somewhere successfully," Jess explained. Your brand strategy has to be a truthful expression of who you are and who you want to be for your clients. It's not just about consistently representing what people can expect from you - it's about being true to you and therefore true to what your clients are going to get.

Here's what really hit me: people want to look at your brand and feel that soul-level connection where they think, "Oh my God, they get me. I have to work with them." That only happens when you're being completely authentic in how you show up.

The Authenticity Paradox: You Can Be Yourself AND Professional

One of the biggest misconceptions I see entrepreneurs struggling with is this idea that being authentic means you can't be professional. Jess broke this down beautifully: "You can be fully yourself and totally fucking qualified for the shit that you do."

Being yourself and being fully expressed doesn't have to mean you look amateur. You can look like the fully developed and experienced professional that you are AND be yourself. But here's the key - you have to actually BE yourself, not shrink from it.

I think this is where so much burnout comes from. We hide pieces of ourselves, then wonder why we're not lit up by the work we're doing or why we're not excited by the people showing up. Are you giving them something real to show up for?

Content That Connects: Start with I, End with You

You know how I always tell people that your content isn't about you? Well, Jess gave me a framework that perfectly explains how to share your story in a way that actually connects with your clients. She calls it "start with I, end with you."

Share your experience, your story, what you learned - but always connect it back to how that helps your audience. For example, I might share about going out to eat on the first day of my period (something I couldn't have imagined doing when I first started my business), but I connect it to the message about what's possible when you prioritize your needs and build a business that supports your neurodivergent brain.

This isn't about treating your business account like a group chat with your best friends. Everything you post should have that connection: "I did this, here's what I learned, here's how this helps you."

Mindset: The Make-or-Break Factor in Personal Branding

Here's what really excited me about our conversation - Jess gets that mindset is EVERYTHING when it comes to personal branding. Your beliefs about personal branding will determine whether you're willing to step into that world at all.

"Nobody's talking about that," Jess said. "People are giving you five tips for this and three ways to do that. But if you are scared shitless to be visible as yourself, to be visible and vulnerable at the same time, you are not going to do it."

It's intensely vulnerable to show up and be who you are, especially on the internet where comment sections can be brutal. You need strength of conviction around yourself, your offers, your value. And here's what Jess taught me that I absolutely love: you are the value in your business.

For those of us dealing with rejection sensitivity (and I know many of you are), remember this: you'll never be rejected by the right person. Every rejection is actually redirection toward the people who are meant to work with you.

The Self-Care Reality Check

We talked about self-care, and not the bubble bath and face mask version that everyone talks about. Real self-care for entrepreneurs - especially neurodivergent ones like us - looks very different.

For Jess, self-care is asking for help. It's allowing herself to be supported instead of trying to be superwoman. It's waking up her husband in the middle of the night when she's in pain and needs a heating pad, even though that feels uncomfortable.

I shared how self-care for me means making every decision based on how good it's going to make me feel. With my Ehlers Danlos, POTS, PMDD, and all the other conditions my body deals with, self-care is literally the only way I can keep running my businesses while staying happy and serving my clients.

The key is having flexible systems. My goal is always to get my makeup off before bed - some days that's a makeup wipe, other days it's an eight-step skincare routine. Either way, the goal is achieved.

Communication: The Foundation of Everything

Here's something that really resonated with me: Jess sets expectations from day one with her clients. She has processes, contracts, and client portals that create a safe environment for the vulnerable work of branding.

I do the same thing with my family. I sat them down and told them I'm here to help when they need it, but it's not my responsibility to read their minds or pull information out of them. They need to come to me and say "I need your help." This creates so much better communication than my old pattern of rage-cleaning while screaming about nobody helping.

The Attraction-Repulsion Truth

Here's the truth bomb that Jess dropped that I want you to really hear: if you're not repelling people, you are not attracting them.

You have to be willing to say "this is my expectation" and be okay with some people saying "not for me." That has to be okay with you. Because if you're trying to appeal to everyone, you're actually appealing to no one.

Your Next Steps

If this conversation resonated with you, I want you to ask yourself these questions:

What beliefs about personal branding are holding me back from being fully visible?
How can I start sharing my story in a way that connects my experience to my audience's needs?
What would it look like to show up as my authentic self while maintaining my professionalism?
Where am I shrinking instead of taking up space unapologetically?

Remember, building an authentic brand isn't about sharing every detail of your personal life. It's about being consistent in your values, your messaging, and how you show up across all areas of your life.

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