106: Why I struggled being labeled as a marketer

It sort of happens without you even knowing it when people put you in a bucket. They don’t quite understand what you do, so they generalize your label and introduce you as a “fill in the blank” which is not really what you do or who you are. You can’t blame them, they’re only trying to help. The clearer you can be about who you are and what you do is even more important in these situations, especially when people are referring your solopreneur business to a potential client.

I share about how I used to get all wound up about being labeled as a marketer and didn’t feel that’s what I was nor was it something I wanted to be known as being. Especially since there were a kuh-billion marketers everywhere. Throw a stick, and well, you hit one. And a few realtors too.

But because in my early days I wasn’t clear about what lane I wanted to be in, I tried on several. Later, because I delivered such a turnkey experience, people lumped me into the marketing category because well, it was easy, but also most people who needed my kind of help, thought they needed a marketer. So okay, I’ll play along. The rest is in the episode.

Episode prompt

Where in your business (or life) have you been labeled, categorized, or generalized into a bucket that you feel didn’t fit who you were or what you were about? How has that been a challenge? How has it opened up potential opportunities of gaps you can suddenly serve? Some people allow themselves to be placed in a category because, well, it’s just easier that way. Others want to stand out so much they siphon themselves right out of contention for business opportunities. Where do you sit with this question in your business and how you view the solutions you provide as a solopreneur?