Why I Love Harry

I was just looking at pictures of a party I attended late last year where people wore pillowcases instead of clothing, stood in line for over 30 minutes for a drink, and were incredibly blatant about “checking out” other party goers.

It wasn’t a trendy (or bizarre) nightclub. It was Border’s Books. Surrounded by hundreds of others, my family and I celebrated the biggest book release in history with what appeared to be just about every character from the latest Harry Potter book.

Okay, we are diehard Potter fans. Some would consider us extreme Potter enthusiasts due, in part, to my work that led to my girls being featured on CW, CBS, and ABC as Hogwarts students (dressed in full Hogwarts school uniforms – Gryffindor, of course) while we attended the first Potter movie, and appearing on the front page of The Sacramento Bee celebrating at a previous Border’s Potter Bash.
 
The Potter books have become well-loved fixtures in our home, chapters read again and again by my fifteen year-old daughter, Madison, a Potter aficionado, at breakfast and lunch everyday. I don’t recall the time when there weren’t several open Potter books decorating our home with their threadbare bindings on a kid’s bed, the kitchen table, the sofa, all patiently awaiting the reader’s return.

Yes, Harry Potter is beloved by my family, but that isn’t the reason I love Harry Potter.

It’s the story — not Harry’s, but the story of the brand Joanne Kathleen Rowling built. It’s the story of a single mother living on state benefits who becomes the only female billionaire in Britain, one of only 38 self-made female billionaires in the world. It’s the story of the only billion-dollar author in history.

I love what I do, and realize daily how fortunate my company is to collaborate with talented individuals to create world-class brands, businesses, and personal brands that monetize their passions, purposes, and talents. While nothing in life worth having is ever easy, I know that creating a million-dollar brand isn’t magic. Here are the key elements to beginning your own success story…

Passion
Long before Harry Potter became our favorite wizard, Rowling worked as a secretary. The only thing she claimed to like about that job was writing her stories on the typewriter while she had a break in her workday. Her passion was writing stories, and no job, no matter how unpleasant, stood in her way. (Rowling wrote her first book on a manual typewriter!) She followed her passion and continued to hone her talent. There are clues to help you discover your true passion and consequently, the passion behind your company’s brand: your vision, values and company purpose. What do you do to relax? What work tasks, projects or clients bring you great joy and energy? What do you do or what do you like to do that will give you three-in-the-morning ambition? I’m not saying you should stay up until 2 or 3 A.M. on a daily basis, but what project, work, hobby, or cause would keep you inspired, full of energy and excitement late into the night? Ask your team members what they are passionate about. Does your company share a common passion? Is it reflected in your brand?  You will recognize your passion when you find it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.

Perseverance
Twelve publishing houses rejected Rowling’s first Potter novel. No one came to her early in her writing career and said, “You’re incredibly talented and I’m going to turn you into an author such as the world has never seen.” Rowling persevered through poverty, lack of support, training, experience, and connections. A close friend of mine once shared with me, “The only thing that kept my company alive (in the start up days) was my shear perseverance.”  Entrepreneurs have perseverance as part of their DNA. However, we often get complacent after reaching a certain level of success in our chosen fields and company’s success.  What new directions, product, or service should you consider pursuing without the safety net of your current industry knowledge and connections? Which of these opportunities has the potential to make your brand a standout in the marketplace? 

Intellectual Property
In a world where copy cats and competition for your successful idea/product/service appear in a Google minute, Rowling created some of the best IP in the world. She weaved a captivating story where only she knew what would happen to our beloved characters. She wrote the first book, and then readers around the globe waited with bated breath for the next installment, and the next…and the next. What other intellectual property of record has invoked a global firestorm of pleas and speculation regarding the final demise of a product? (Yes, as much as we love him, Harry is a product!) Just like the Gringotts Bank, Rowling’s intellectual property is impenetrable to any copy cats or competition for her billion-dollar empire. Have you taken a recent inventory of your company’s services, core expertise, or other unique knowledge that can be repackaged or repurposed to build more equity (and possibly revenue) for your company’s brand?

Positioning
All visionary, powerful, and lasting brands are built on the archetypes Carl Jung discovered.  There are no exceptions to this rule. Archetypes provide the deep structure for human motivation and meaning. We encounter them in art, literature, sacred texts, or branding of individuals or companies, and they will evoke deep feeling within us. Your company’s brand positioning and messaging must tell a story that resonates with the stories that have been told since humanity began.

Rowling took an idea that popped into her head while riding a train – a story of a pubescent wizard – and created a famous, world-renowned fairytale, literary legacy, and producer of personal wealth surpassing the thousand year-old British monarchy in just ten years. What product, new service, or idea that could build more brand equity for your company has Potter-like magic?