Hey friend,

Your skills, your values and your quirks are the brand. Not one of them. All three, together.

Last week I asked you for one word that describes you, and wow. You sent me "stubborn," "sparkly," "calm in a crisis," "the aunt who fixes everything." I read every single one, and I noticed something: almost none of you described your job. You described yourself. That's exactly where we're starting.

I was chatting with a friend on the phone a few weeks ago and she was telling me how she wanted to start creating content, and said, "I want to post videos to build my brand, but there's nothing interesting about me. I'm a mom. I can’t even finish a thought without someone needing something from me"

I literally stopped her. "That. That's your brand."

She laughed at me like I'd lost it.

Here's what I saw. A woman who reorganizes her whole routine so someone she loves feels safe. Who's patient. Who's thoughtful about systems. Who notices what's making someone anxious and fixes it quietly.

She wasn't boring. She just thought the "real" part of her didn't belong in her marketing.

When I help someone figure out what to share, we sort everything into three layers. Each one does a different job.

1. Your skills: what you know

This is the part you're probably already comfortable sharing. Your expertise, your process, the things clients pay you for. Skills build credibility. They answer the question, "Can this person actually help me?"

But skills alone make you interchangeable. There are a thousand bookkeepers, coaches and designers who know what you know. Skills get you considered. They don't get you chosen.

Try this: list three things you explain to clients over and over. Those repeat explanations are content gold, because if one client needed it, a hundred people scrolling need it too.

2. Your values: what you believe

This is where people start to trust you. Values are the opinions and principles behind how you work. What you refuse to do. What you think your industry gets wrong. What you'd tell your best friend if she were in your client's shoes.

For me, it's this: I believe growth should compound, not exhaust you. That one belief shapes everything I teach, from how often I tell people to post to why I talk about rest in a marketing newsletter.

Try this: finish the sentence, "I think most people in my industry get ___ wrong." Your answer is a value. It's also probably a post.

3. Your quirks: what makes you you

This is the layer most people skip, and it's the one that makes you memorable. The dog who's scared of the vacuum. The fact that you color-code everything. The weird snack you eat every afternoon. The song you play before every client call.

Quirks are the reason someone remembers you three weeks later. Recognition lives here.

Try this: ask a friend, "What's something about me you'd tell someone who's never met me?" Their answer is almost always a quirk. It's rarely something you'd have picked.

Think of it like a recipe. Skills are the base. Values are the flavor. Quirks are the thing on top that makes someone say, "Oh, I know whose this is."

A post that only shares skills feels like a textbook. A post that only shares quirks feels random. But a post that teaches a skill, through a value, with a quirk woven in? That's the one people save, share and remember.

Here's a quick example. Instead of "3 tips for organizing your receipts," my bookkeeper client posted: "I clean my house in two shifts so my dog can hide from the vacuum. I do the same thing with your receipts: small batches, so nobody panics." Same tip. Completely different memory.

When people can see all three layers, they stop comparing you on price and start choosing you on fit. That's the shift from "a bookkeeper" to "my bookkeeper."

And it's a relief, honestly. You don't have to invent a persona. You don't have to be louder. You just have to let more of the real you into the room.

Write your three. One skill, one value, one quirk.

Keep it simple. A sentence each is plenty. Then look at them together and ask: Could I build one post that uses all three?

If you want feedback, hit reply and send me your three. I love reading these.

Talk soon,

Alyssa

P.S. Next week we're getting specific about who you're sharing all this with. Spoiler: it's not everyone, and that's the best news you'll get all month.

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