#048: Embracing the Zig Zag Path in Your Business With Susan Hamilton Meier

In this episode, I am joined by Susan Hamilton Meier. Susan teaches the importance of ’embracing the zig zag’ and she helps business owners to tell their stories and design their professional paths.

Susan is an expert in brand strategy and distinctive messaging for businesses (large businesses and individuals as well).

She believes in being your best as a strategy (rather than trying to beat out your competition), and that your unique zig zag path is a marketable feature of who you are, not a flaw.

In this episode, Susan shares the process she takes people through to uncover their story, and she shares some powerful thoughts on creating a brand (and evolving as a brand) as well.

If you’ve ever wondered how to entwine all of the experiences you’ve had in your career path and your life into a powerful story to represent your current business, this episode will help you.

Enjoy the episode!

Being willing to be creative is the most essential component of being creative. - Susan Hamilton Meier
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Your way of doing something is going to be different by virtue of it being yours.
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Be human. It's your humanity that people connect with.
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Worry less about trying to game the system.
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Quotes From This Episode

• Be human. It’s your humanity that people connect with.
• Being willing to be creative is the most essential component of being creative.
• Your way of doing something is going to be different by virtue of it being yours.
• Worry less about trying to game the system.

Here are some of the topics that were covered in this episode:

• 00:00 Intro
• 1:54 Susan’s back story
• 3:00 The passionate and intimate connection people have with the brands that they care about
• 7:00 Why it’s important to not put yourself in a box and to be willing to share different sides of yourself with your audience
• 14:30 Looking at what you’ve learned from your different experiences or career paths to determine how it shows up in the work that you do now & how it might benefit your clients
• 17:30 What is the Zig Zag path and why is it valuable?
• 18:40 The features and benefits of being on a Zig Zag path
• 22:00 Crafting your story- knowing who you really are and who your audience/tribe is
• 24:00 Knowing your values and your guiding principles that create your decisions
• 25:00 Noticing themes in your background and looking for the ‘clear shiny thread’
• 25:30 Determining the specific characteristics of your target audience members
• 27:30 Charting your path- where you will go from here
• 28:00 How are you going to share your message (videos, writing, etc)?
• 29:00 The importance of not comparing yourself to others
• 37:00 How often should I be redoing my branding?
• 39:00 The importance of the space where you work
• 42:30 The importance of being willing to be creative
• 46:00 Being your best vs. beating out your competition
• 49:00 Ways to work with Susan Meier
• 52:30 Thoughts about trying to beat the algorithm vs, making friends and creating relationships
• 57:00 Closing thoughts from Susan

About Susan Hamilton Meier:

Susan Hamilton Meier is a personal branding expert who helps women untangle the zig-zags of their careers to find the clear shiny thread of their story and design the next steps of their professional journey.

For more than 20 years, Susan has helped Fortune 500 companies define brand strategy and create distinctive messaging. She uses these tools, along with what she’s learned on her own zig-zag career path across business, art, and parenting, to empower businesses and individuals to craft their personal brand and discover a roadmap toward a life of purpose.

An alum of Harvard Business School and the Boston Consulting Group, Susan is on a mission to empower professionals to own their stories and unlock their promise.

048: Embracing the Zig Zag Path in Your Business With Susan Hamilton Meier

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Items mentioned in this episode include:

• Embrace the Zig Zag (Susan’s website)
• Susan Meier on Linked In
• Susan Meier on Instagram
• Susan Meier on Twitter
• Submit Questions to Amy
• Subscribe to this Podcast
• 4 Key Mindset Shifts to Help You Live in Alignment

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