Ep 67. You're the USP, with Ellie Kime
Nourish Your Brand · Episode 67
Today's guest does work that sits right alongside what we talk about here all the time.
Ellie Kime is the founder of Eleanor Mollie, trialling possibly the best job title I've heard, business personality strategist. Her background is copywriting and messaging, but what she's really always done is help people get themselves across, because the "you" in USP is not a coincidence. You are the unique selling point. Let's get into it.
You are the USP (personality and professionalism coexist)
We've been taught that being professional means we can't be personable or show personality. Ellie's whole thing is the opposite: showing more of yourself unlocks the standard success metrics (more clients, better money) and makes you enjoy your business more, which, given everything going on in the world, is half the point.
People connect with people. (This is the heart of brand personality, the same idea as Episode 2 and the personality-balance of Episode 24)
Boundaries: know what to hold back
Counter-intuitively, one of the key ways Ellie shows up is knowing what to hold back. After a big medical situation, she still hasn't shown pictures of that time, because it crosses a boundary.
Showing up as yourself in your business is vulnerable, so knowing which bits would make you feel unsafe helps you do better with the bits you're happy to share.
Your personality comes from you (it's in there)
People used to ask Ellie to teach them to "write like her," but she won't, because if a client reads a tone of voice they love and then meets a completely different you, that proximity and trust is ruined.
Her job isn't to assign you a personality, it's to help you unearth it, which is mostly about asking the right questions and giving you the objectivity you can't have for yourself (you can't read the label from inside the jar).
One client loved the phrase "one-woman studio" in her about page, until Ellie pointed out it came straight from her own questionnaire. (Exactly how I work with branding, the foundation has to come from the business owner.)
Motifs and repetition build familiarity
Ellie leans on cultural references and recurring motifs, she once booked a client off Brooklyn Nine-Nine and High School Musical references, and tiramisu has become so "her" that people message her when they spot it. Repeating these builds familiarity and recognition with your audience (the same way food and matcha do for me). It's the playful, human side, like her Instagram game of guessing her terrible client-session handwriting.
Find your way in (without comparison)
Two starter exercises Ellie suggests: collect "proof it's possible", actively find people showing personality whose businesses are thriving, to remind yourself professionalism and personality can coexist. And ask your clients and community what makes them think of you, what they'd send you "saw this and thought of you." It's rarely your brand strategy, it's the personal stuff, which shows you what's already landing.
If comparison bites, tether to something you genuinely love talking about and find the deeper, universal lesson underneath it. (This is exactly what my free Knead a Theme challenge does, including the exercise Ellie loved, going out to photograph every yellow thing you see.)
You don't have to become an influencer
The biggest mistake Ellie sees: thinking showing personality means becoming a content creator. You don't have to vlog your day, film B-roll or chase trends. There's a vast gap between a business owner who shows personality and someone who makes their money from content collaborations, and there's something in that gap you can comfortably embody. And personality lives everywhere, not just Instagram: your website copy, workflow emails, product descriptions, your visuals, even how you deliver your offer all say something about who you are.
Ask yourself this week
Where could you let more of you into your business, and what would you keep behind a boundary?
What recurring motif or reference is becoming unmistakably yours?
Are you avoiding personality because you think it means becoming an influencer?
About the guest
Ellie Kime is the business personality strategist behind Eleanor Mollie, helping people show more personality in their words, visuals and content, because you are the USP.
Her offers include the group programme Platform Your Personality and copywriting days (with a personality sprint in the works). Find her on Instagram @eleanormollie, on LinkedIn as Ellie Kime, and at eleanormollie.co.uk.
Related episodes
Ep 2: Why your brand feels bland (and the ingredient that fixes it)
Ep 24: How much personality should your brand have?
Ep 11: Brand strategy: how to build the foundation of your brand (Branding Pie Part 1)
Resources mentioned
Ellie Kime: eleanormollie.co.uk and @eleanormollie
Knead a Theme challenge – my free challenge to surface your brand's personality and theme
Come say hi on Instagram: @studiocoya
About the host
I'm Aiza, the brand chef behind Studio Coya, a branding studio with a food-themed twist. I help established coaches, creators and service providers brand their signature offers so their best work looks as good as it actually is, and sells like hotcakes.
