Don’t make your brand your business

A while ago Cory Huff asked “if you are well known for one thing, how do you approach telling your audience about another random thing?”

I was tagged in it, and my answer:

1. Anything can be connected to anything else. It’s almost a story in narration/storytelling to hook the two together.For example, I used my love of food and how you can salt chocolate chip cookies to enhance flavor to how in entrepreneurship but doing something a bit atypical can make you stand out.
2. At the same time, I’m not trying to build a following around a niche/area of expertise like most people. I’m not trying to become an expert in X nor write a book or anything else around the arena of expertise. I’m chasing what I like, and if you want to join me on that ride, awesome. If not – nbd!

There’s also a separate discussion on what social responsibility one has when you have a bully pulpit and what kind of impact you want to make

So here’s the truth – my businesses and my personal brand are not the same. It’s only when you marry the two that it becomes an issue. Keep them separate, and you can do whatever the hell you want.