The Secret to Creating an Unforgettable Business

A few weeks ago, my fiancé and I were driving down some back road along a bayou in Mississippi. We were visiting his family and in between a Walmart run, gossiping about my MIL’s shenanigans, and my constant rambling about work, he said to me, “I’m gonna create a business called Get the F*ck Out of my Store.”

I looked over at him, not bothering to hide my WTF expression, and asked, “How exactly would that work?”

He answered, “Well, I would sit on a chair in the middle of my store and when someone walked in, I’d say, ‘Get the f*ck out of my store.’”

I started picturing this strip mall business. You know the vibe? The low, white-paneled ceilings, yellow, dingy lighting and tiled, convenience-store-style flooring; a fold-out chair in the middle of the room, and Nick sitting there, just waiting to yell at whoever walked through the door.

Then I began to imagine the conversation customers would have after that experience. They’d walk into the store, turn around and rush out feeling totally confused, then get on TikTok and vent about the strangest f*cking experience they’d ever had in a store.

Before you know it, people would be visiting the store just to film this asshole sitting in the middle of the room and yelling at them to get out.

More and more people, who can’t believe this is a legit thing, would show up, have this wild experience, go on to talk about how weird it was, and then suddenly we’re trademarking the store name, selling merch, and making 6 figures as an influencer.

That’s what I call “branding.”

As OTT as Nick’s idea sounds, the point of the story is that branding is about creating an experience that gets people talking, puts you on the map, and makes you unforgettable.

Nobody in their right mind would create a business called Get the F*ck Out of My Store. Their customers would leave feeling confused and probs outraged–and no, that's not the first impression you want to leave on someone–but you get the idea.

That emotional connection STICKS. It lasts forever. And whether people are ranting or raving about you, word-of-mouth marketing is some powerful shit. It’s what makes or breaks your business.

It’s exactly how I’ve managed to grow my business without even so much as a single Instagram post or paid ad. I create an experience for my clients that they can’t shake, that they know they’d have trouble finding anywhere else.

The secret to unforgettable branding is to create an experience that can’t be ignored

If you want your business to become top-of-mind for your clients, ask yourself this:

What don’t I want people to say about me and my business?

Knowing exactly how you don’t want to be perceived gives you the room to get creative and imagine what kind of brand you need to build in order to truly stand out.

Look at the common flaws of other businesses or contractors in your industry and decide how you can be different. How can you break norms and create something new and fresh for your audience that will make it impossible to ignore you?

– Christina