Every person has their own “Story” of how they arrived where they are. This is always true. However, as a person transforms their perspective their understanding of their story also transforms.

As business people and entrepreneurs, this very much applies to the value being created, and therefore the very essence of the brand as well. As a perspective shifts around a personal story, motives and passions also become new and fresh in the process.

So what is Storyweaving? It is the process of creating a tapestry of someone’s life work thus far. Combining useful experiences and insights from the past, along with an open and expansive view of the future. It is combining personal interests and curiosities alongside those of potential customers who feel a resonance with the same.

Let’s take my interest in writing as an example of a straightforward Storyweaving process.

I write so I can go on a journey. It is deeply personal to me, and it assists me in forming conclusions about intuitive nudges I have not yet explored.

I want others to come with me of course, but the initial journey is for me.

The journey can be through fiction or non-fiction. Either way, it generally contains a story arc, a hypothesis, a development and expansion of a smaller concept toward a bigger one.

And this journey is of course not “going anywhere”, because one can stay physically in the same place from beginning to end. However, by the end of it, both I and the reader generally feel “as if” we have just traveled somewhere. The more impactful the writing, the more life can be seen through a fresh new lens.

The more the author has been consciously exposed to their own tender parts, the more precisely and movingly they are able to touch upon the tender aspects of the reader.

And if the author has managed to actually resolve fear and convert it into power, they can create an experience that essentially does the same for an audience.

As I am writing this, I can sense that we are about halfway through this piece. Even though I am not telling a “story” here, the story structure is still very present. It is so in every single decision and every single movement, from small to large. Stories exist within stories within stories. Thus, whether we are discussing creating transformational content (screenwriting, books, games), or if the topic is focused on creating alignment within a brand selling widgets, the story aspect is a consistent key.

It is said that “There are no new stories”, and yet weaving these layers of stories together creates a wholly unique framework for understanding the world. Everyone is living stories within stories, and it is simply recognizing them and illustrating them or making them tangible and accessible in some way that creates value.

Every single brand, whether it is a large enterprise or a solopreneurship, has an array of perspectives available through which to view its unique offerings. A seemingly minuscule shift in perspective, even a slightly new understanding of their personal story, has the potential to completely shift a brand from low gear into high.

Even though Story can technically be considered invisible, brands and businesses are absolutely built on this foundation whether they own it or not. It is never too late or too soon to weave together the old with the new, to discard the irrelevant, and to make space for curiosity and expansion.

Individual stories always come to an end, but life continues to go on and so our work must be constantly updated so that the basic nuts and bolts that define our day-to-day lifestyle can keep up with the tapestry of our own actual evolution.

Inspired by the term “Depth Psychology”, Depth branding takes the concept of business value proposition and deepens it to include a true alignment with the whole person. An alternative name for such a lens could be “Holistic Branding” or “Aligned Branding”.

It can be easier to understand Depth Branding by understanding what is NOT Depth Branding.

Most brands are strategically aimed at manipulating target audiences to have a certain craving. Cravings/Desires can either come from fear and seeking of comfort, or they can come from an authentic willingness to truly move forward. To honor our deepest selves.

The word “manipulation” gets a bad rap. It’s not evil by any means. Hugging or encouraging someone to help them feel more comfortable, for example, can be considered a positive form of manipulation.

The truth is: customers long to be manipulated — in healthy ways which actually move them forward.

And it can be tricky to discern which type of desire is pulling on us.

For example, a new piece of very efficient exercise equipment comes out. Their advertising reaches customers, who then long for it.

But the question is, are they afraid of not having it and not getting fit? Or are they deeply inspired and open to a radical change? A primal knowing of what it looks like to honor themselves?

Typically, the answer to this depends on the depth of the branding. The subtleties of the voice through which the business reaches them. The thoughts and emotions systematically catalyzed in the advertising and brand awareness process.

A brand that comes from alignment is going to naturally exhibit true generosity and fearlessness. This cannot be faked. It will be inspiring because it is real. Reading this and taking it as “advice” won’t work. It can only ever happen through a deep process of facing ourselves. A willingness to see our core business motives. A willingness to get real about what you might even consider to be the “ugly” parts of what drives you.

Depth Branding shifts everything, in only the best ways.

1. The Foundation. Branding is not a logo, colors, or anything tangible. It is a business’ core message.
2. Humanity. A business is not alive on its own, it depends on people. An aligned business is aligned with real people. It is intimately tied with the values of these real people.
3. Natural Flow. Most businesses operate out of alignment with the people who run them, creating unnecessary stress and burnout, consolidation techniques (such as vacations/time away). This also creates illness and stagnancy in individuals.
4. Core Message. Everything in the business can be traced back to branding. From the business model, products and services, to the hiring choices, location choices, computer operating systems, etc. The choices which make up the entire business operation and the resulting culture is the brand.
5. Truthful Excavation. Blind spots in the individuals running a business directly correlate with blind spots between the business and (potential) customers. Perceiving the business as separate is imaginary. Excavating blind spots in the people who run the business inevitably re-shapes and restructures the underlying motive (and offerings).
6. Defining Success. The definition of success of a business is inherited from those who run it. If their definition of success changes, so does the business’ definition of success.
7. Business-Body Connection. The subconscious minds of those who run the business hold the keys to unlocking a business state of Depth Branding. The body is the subconscious mind. Therefore, the body already knows the truth of the direction in which the business needs to move. By intentionally challenging the patterns of the mind, the deeper motives can be revealed and actualized.
8. Genuine Trust. Most businesses approach the world from an extractive perspective, locked into scarcity and fear of survival. This is why greed, manipulation, dishonesty, and misrepresentation are so common in the business world. When the people running a business are able to deepen and expand their relationship with survival, it releases the unnecessary pressure from their business and allows for a new level of trust. Trust leads to more trust, and a business radiating trust is highly attractive to customers.
9. Customer Connection. Businesses that go through a Depth Branding process have a new ability to connect with customers who have also gone through a deep process themselves. By raising the bar of alignment (a synching between the business and the people running the business), the spectrum of qualified customers naturally increases. This may or may not include raising the lowest tier standards of the business. Doing so may result in the business becoming suddenly unattractive to those who are clinging without the possibility of reciprocation. Businesses in this kind of alignment may become repulsive to customers who are engaging for unhealthy reasons. This generally increases the bottom line, as these types of engagements tend to cost more in support and upkeep than they actually provide.
10. Expansive Expression. A business is not meant to be just “busy-ness”. It is ideally meant to be a container through which the people running the business can truly expand. Therefore, a business that has gone through the Depth Branding process is not limited to merely serving the purpose of the clients, and accumulating finances for the owners. Additional to these factors, an aligned business serves as a container for the unbridled expression of those who run it. A platform through which they can expand in every direction, and tap into their absolute genius. Nothing less will do.