Is your DIY brand actually self-sabotage?

Are you just DIYing or are you self-sabotaging because you don't want to spend money?

We all want to save money. No doubt about it. But at what point is being frugal actually damaging your brand reputation and actually costing you more money than you would've originally invested?

I’ve heard it time and time again. And if I had a dollar for every time I heard these statements, well I’d pretty rich.

1. "I'm scared to rebrand.”

2. "What if no one recognises my brand and therefore my business?”

3. "What if I lose all my clients?”

4. “I’ve put so much time and effort into this brand, isn’t rebranding going to undo it all?”

5. “I’ve already spent $X on my brand, I don’t want to spend anymore.”

You are self-sabotaging. There’s no other way around it. You are subconsciously stagnating your businesses growth and success. There’s no bigger threat to your business than you, right now, because you’re constantly limiting your potential by saying no. 

I was going to DIY my new website.

Is it something I offer my clients? Yes, yes it is. But I knew to be my own client was going to

1. be a huge drain on my time

2. reveal my lack of expertise when it came to complex coding

3. damage my brand reputation if I didn't get it right

4. be limiting my potential because I was scared

5. force me to miss opportunities where I could've been working on other, more viable parts of my business.

I took a major leap and spent a lot more than I thought I would on a new website, but I knew it would be worth it. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, made me appreciate other parts of creating a brand experience and freed up my time to focus on other parts of my business.

The reality is, DIY sounds like a great idea (and it can be, especially when you're starting out!) but in order to grow, become recognisable (for the right reasons) and to truly create something that's worth it's weight in gold, investing in a brand strategy and identity is always the way to go.

Working with clients at so many different stages of their businesses, I’ve heard all the excuses. At the end of the day, investing in your business is essentially investing in you, and it’s a scary thought to back yourself 100%. But I know it’s worth it, because I’ve been where you are. I know the hesitation. The fear. The scarcity mindset. I’ve felt it all. And yes, you are taking risk, but it’s a risk that can’t really go wrong (unless you stop believing it and stop working for it).

So, the next time you’re tossing up between investing or DIYing, ask yourself this one very simple question.

Why am I holding myself back?

Let me know if you have a good answer, because I certainly don’t.