Nikki Barjon has worked with many people throughout her career with one goal: helping to position them to use their brand for good. As the founder of Brandshoppe, Barjon is committed to using the power of communication and creativity to transform lives.
Barjon spoke with rolling out at the HOPE Global Forums about her company and what people should know about branding.
Tell us about your company.
The Brandshoppe is a full-service branding agency, and we work with a variety of clients with the focus being at the intersection of culture, community, commerce, or corporate. Our goal is really to help brands expand their possibilities and deepen their impact.
What is the one thing people should know about branding themselves?
One thing that people should know about branding is that a brand doesn’t have to tell you what it is. If you want to know what a brand is, don’t ask it; watch it. Branding is everything. We are trying to be intentional with getting folks to understand the difference between a brand and a persona, a mission and their values, and their purpose. It’s a very necessary conversation.
How can we make the case for optimism heading into the new year?
One of the things that John Hope Bryant presented to us is, “What are we optimistic about?” …I had to sit and sort of think about how grateful and optimistic I was about hearing a voice like John Hope Bryant, and hearing a person that has a real vision and a real message because it’s a lot of talking heads right now. There are a lot of people talking; there are a lot of people ill-advising people. That’s one of the things that I’m optimistic about–someone who has a wealth of knowledge, a great concept around business, and is just a good person who believes in building the right relationships.
