We recently connected with Jenny Reyes and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jenny, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
How did I find my purpose? I kept asking WHY. *wink*
One of the mentors I had in the last couple of years, Dean Graziosi, had a program that helped me define the purpose behind my business (and not do business just because). He had a tool called the “Seven Levels Deep.” The first question starts with WHY you want to do business (for example). Once I got the answer, I would then ask Why is it important to ____ (and then I’d insert the answer). And I would keep going. This was a tried and tested process he shared that would take you from your head to your heart, which typically happens in the 5th, 6th or 7th question. And while I knew it was building a life for my kids, by doing this process, I better understood that I wanted my children to have fully present parents that could provide them with options to actually live their dreams. I know and believe that my children (and their generation) are here to change the world and make it a better place, and so what I believe to be my purpose is to be able to support and guide that to help make it happen.
I take myself through this process at least once a year, to keep the true WHY present and at the forefront; why I am in business, why I make the sacrifices that I do, and WHY I make the choices that I make when it comes to how I split my time and how I do business. It especially comes in handy when times are challenging and tough choices need to be made, and it keeps me clear on how to navigate these obstacles.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Branding and Marketing has been my background ever since my early corporate days back in 2000. I loved the idea of creating an identity around a product, making it stand out in the market and figuring out how to sell it to the right customer. These days, this process is what I call “bringing a brand to life.”
You see, contrary to how people use the word “branding” in this day and age, we know that the brand is more than just the logo, the colors or the photo of the things that you see. I say your brand is the most valuable asset, and what people associate with you and what you offer. Many different puzzle pieces make up your brand, and people will experience it in different ways. The whole brand comes together when the puzzle is put together.
When I first created Your Brand Story decades ago, the essence of the company was in fact to be the missing piece, the conduit between the client and their vision, and the implementation and execution of this brand. The conduit if you will, that could translate strategy into tactical expression.
Over the years as I’ve worked with different clients, I’ve come to earn the title of “Integrator”. In fact as the book Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark Walters, statistically shows that for every four visionaries — entrepreneurs who “see the future”, there is one integrator — the person that gets them there.
I love working with fellow entrepreneurs and business owners who know they need the marketing, and know they need someone to help them translate their thoughts, distill their ideas and guide them to a clearer picture of their brand so that everything that they do is strategic, aligned and works towards a long-term vision and goal. I’ve found this to be the best way towards sustainable and lasting growth.
To tell a person or a company’s unique brand story, it takes a collaborative process between the entrepreneur and myself, and a strong trusting relationship that is developed over time.
How do we start? It’s simple — it’s always with a complimentary 30-minute consultation, for us to understand where you are in your business, what you’d like to achieve and a way forward for us to get you there together.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I have three core values and principles that I have founded my work and my business upon (and I share these with my clients and strategic partners as well!). I will list them here for reference:
1. Integrity: I always have your best interests at heart. Trust and transparency amongst ourselves and all those involved, always go hand-in-hand and I believe that is the key to a sustainable and long-lasting partnership.
2. Collaboration: We are not meant to do this work alone, and together we always achieve more. I enjoy working with my clients to find the best solutions for their brands; and I happily introduce strategic partners that I know can deliver what is needed to move things forward.
3. Excellence
At the core of it all is doing it right and doing it well. I enjoy exceeding expectations and always strive for excellence in all that we do for the client.
Advice for folks early in their journey? Know who you are and own that. Then do what you love and do it well! Focus on servicing the client to the best of your abilities. That builds the relationship. At the end of the day, if the client gets the result, you will have continued business, and the money will come. Know that what you do matters, and that while there are skills many learn, you have a unique way of bringing it to the world. And always continue to learn. That is one thing I know I am always looking to do as well, “how else can I grow and learn so that I am better for myself, my family and my clients?”
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I have one strategy I share all the time (outside of breathing first, of course!): just take one step.
Overwhelm is just the feeling when there are so many things that are unknown and out of control. So before you get completely lost and paralyzed in the feeling of overwhelm, take a deep breath… and ask yourself, “what is the one step, the one thing, I can do right now?”
And then just go do that first. Focus on the one. When that is done, you can ask yourself again for the next step, and then just focus on getting that done.
Soon enough you’ll have a trail of “next steps” done, and when you look back, you’ll see that you’ve accomplished quite a lot.
Focus on the task at hand, do your best with it (and in it), and then everything else will eventually fall into place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yourbrandstory.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourbrandstoryco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/brandsilovetolearnfrom
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourbrandstoryco
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/yourbrandstory1
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/yourbrandstoryco
Image Credits
Family photo by Jen Perez Photography Creative images by Marco Pedersen, Studio de Mel
