Hello SBB’ers! I look forward to getting to know you and sharing my musings on Small Business Branding. I’ll cut to the chase. My work history has allowed me to work as an on-air radio personality, a marketing manager, special events & marketing director (working with amazing brand managers at Tanqueray, Grand Marnier, Moet & Chandon and Hennessy), a college recruiter and an assistant professor of public speaking and communications. (Whew!)

I’ve enjoyed my experiences in the academic and corporate worlds and both afforded me the opportunity to travel and explore diverse cities, people and cultures. (For more scoop, check out my website).

Upon completion of a Master’s degree in Communications Training and Development, I began a second one in Professional Counseling, and explored the option of becoming a therapist. Through research and powerful questioning, I realized that Life Coaching was my ultimate calling (along with blogging and writing books about loving life) and I switched gears to begin training with Coach University. Aha! My passion met my purpose. Helping others “fall in love with life” – the one they’ve already got – underneath all the junk, is my mission.

And so it goes that I began passionmeetspurpose.com, a site dedicated to providing resources for people to help themselves fall in love with life. People can find themselves stuck in the “What is my true passion and/or purpose in life?” The first step on that journey is simply living with more joy and passion on a daily basis. The more we do what we love – be it knitting or blogging or designing widgets – truly tuning into our unique gifts and talents – the rest of the story magically unfolds. Leading MANY of us to start small businesses.

The brand identity of an organization is often referred to as the soul or spirit of the company. As I’m fascinated with spirituality and living life with more passion and purpose, I look forward to opening a dialogue around those topics in relation to building the soul or identity of a small business.

One soulful leader, who consistently stands for integrity and inspiration in business, is Lance Secretan. He recently shared his thoughts on authenticity in business on his blog …

“I asked an expert in the financial markets the other day to name an industry that was fully authentic, one that did not trick customers, or use misleading advertising, or pay lawyers to advance their aims at the expense of others – and he couldn’t name one.

Of course, he could name shining examples of authenticity in every field, and these we gratefully take as our beacons. But the Starbucks, Patagonia’s, Body Shops and Southwest Airlines are the exception rather than an industry norm. Yet these are the icons that inspire us.

We are authentic – and therefore inspiring – as leaders, when our minds, mouths, hearts and feet all practice the same thing. That’s when we become inspired and are inspiring to others. The inauthentic frightens and saddens us.

And the authentic inspires us and guides us all to greatness.”

I’ll do my best to write as authentically, soulfully and as inspired as I can in regard to our shared passion – our small businesses.

Peace & Prosperity,
Kammie K.