Be Brash. Be Bold. Be Bolt!

We’re still basking the glow of the recent, fantastic Olympics in August, when we had the opportunity to witness a lot of greatness, which required the willingness and commitment to being great. Incredible feats of human physical capabilities were combined with incredible drive to not only win, but to accomplish things that no others had before, to be truly different. 

Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt are two athletes we won’t see the likes of for many years to come. And not just because they won, but they won big, they won a lot, and they won consistently for years. But maybe more importantly, they won with gumption; they won with attitude; they won with confidence. The combination of their abilities (their product) as well as their personas (their brand) made them must-see-TV. 

Let’s think about Usain Bolt. He is brash. He is bold. He is himself. That is his brand and it makes him entertaining and infectious, while not being cocky. He dares to stand-out, to be different, to be unique. Considering the sprinters for years leading up to Usain Bolt, none of them smiled. They all growled. Usain was a breath of fresh air. He smiled. He was actually enjoying the competition, proving you can win and have fun at the same time. But he also didn’t challenge, belittle, or criticize the others. He simply puts his brand out there to see if anyone could keep up. It is a fine line to walk to be confident in your product AND to let people know it, but to do it in a way that stands out and draws customers in. 

So compare your brand to Bolt. Are you doing it differently versus your competitors? Are you unique? Are you doing it consistently? If not, you should consider this: Be Brash. Be Bold. Be Bolt!