Before I found my audience, I had to find my voice.
Welcome to Chapter 8 of The Carla Chronicles.
Every Thursday, I share another true story from my life, the lesson hidden inside it, and a little encouragement for anyone still trying to find her own lane.
The Worst Business Advice I Ever Followed
I wish I could tell you that everything fell into place after I clicked Publish on my first blog post.
It didn't.
Actually…
That's when the real confusion began.
I had a blog.
I had products.
Some would say that I had enthusiasm.
What I didn't have was direction.
Like so many new entrepreneurs, I thought my job was simple.
Find people.
Sell products.
Repeat.
That's exactly what the company taught.
So that's exactly what I did.
Every blog post became another sales pitch.
Every conversation eventually circled back to what I was selling.
I wasn't trying to help people.
I was trying to convince them.
Looking back now, I understand why it wasn't working.
I wasn't building relationships.
I was building advertisements.
And advertisements rarely change lives.
People Weren't Rejecting Me…They Weren't Meeting Me
Can I ask you something?
Have you ever met someone who spent an entire conversation talking about themselves?
They never asked about you.
Never listened.
Never seemed interested in your story.
By the time the conversation ended, you were already looking for the nearest exit.
Without realizing it…
That's exactly what my blog was doing.
It wasn't having a conversation.
It was giving a sales presentation.
That's when I finally realized something that changed everything.
I didn't have a marketing problem.
I had a message problem.
Actually…
It went even deeper than that.
I had an identity problem.
I was trying so hard to sound like the company…
…that I had completely forgotten to sound like myself.
For years, I believed successful people had some secret script I hadn't discovered yet.
If I could learn exactly what they said…
Write as they wrote…
Sell as they sold…
Then maybe I'd finally feel like I belonged.
Instead, every blog post sounded less like Carla and more like a company brochure.
No wonder people didn't connect.
They never got the chance to meet me.
How to Find Your Brand Voice
Looking back, I don't think this part of my story is really about blogging.
I think it's about permission.
Permission to stop copying.
Permission to stop performing.
Giving yourself permission to stop trying to sound like everyone else.
Permission to become yourself.
The funny thing is…
Finding my voice didn't happen all at once.
There wasn't one giant lightbulb moment when everything suddenly became clear.
Instead, it happened one blog post at a time.
One conversation at a time.
One mistake at a time.
Every time I stopped trying to impress people…
…I connected with more of them.
Every time I shared a real story instead of another polished sales pitch…
…someone would write and say:
“I thought I was the only one.”
That's when I realized something I wish I'd understood years earlier.
People aren't looking for perfect.
They're looking for real.
They don't always need another expert shouting from a stage.
Sometimes they need someone willing to sit beside them and say:
“I've been there too.”
Maybe that's what finding your brand voice really means.
It isn't about becoming someone new.
It's about finally giving yourself permission to become the person you already are.
Maybe You're Wallpapering Your House Too…
Can I ask you something?
How many courses have you bought that promised to change everything?
Go ahead.
I'll wait.
Lord knows I had enough seminar notes to wallpaper my house.
I don't regret buying them.
Most of those people had something worthwhile to teach me.
But somewhere along the way, I made a mistake.
I started collecting information instead of collecting experience.
I thought if I learned one more strategy…
Bought one more course…
Watched one more webinar…
Read one more book…
Then I'd finally feel ready.
Bless my heart.
Ready wasn't hiding in another three-ring binder.
It was hiding in me.
I just hadn't figured that out yet.
Here's what I've noticed after all these years.
Most of us aren't really looking for another strategy.
We're looking for permission to stop comparing.
Permission to stop sounding like everyone else.
Permission to quit wondering if we're “doing it right.”
And maybe…
Just maybe…
Permission to believe that who we already are is enough.
That was the lesson all those notebooks couldn't teach me.
I still learn from people.
Matter of fact, I hope I never stop learning.
But now, instead of asking:
“How can I sound more like them?”
I ask:
“How can I explain this in a way that sounds like me?”
That's a big difference.
One steals your voice.
The other strengthens it.
Looking back, I don't think finding my brand voice happened in one big “Aha!” moment.
It happened one story at a time.
One blog post and conversation at a time.
One mistake at a time.
Kind of like learning to cook.
The first time you make Grandma's recipe, you're glued to the recipe card.
Measure this.
Stir that.
Bake for exactly thirty-two minutes.
But after you've made it enough times…
You quit looking at the recipe.
You know it by heart.
That's what happened with my voice.
At first, I needed everybody else's recipe.
Eventually…
I learned to cook without the recipe card.
And wouldn't you know it…
That's when people started asking for my recipe.
Three Signs You're Building Someone Else's Business Instead of Your Own
When I look back now, I can clearly see the warning signs.
Maybe you'll recognize yourself in one or two of them.
1. Your Words Sound Like Everyone Else's
Have you ever written a post and thought:
“That sounds professional…”
Only to realize it doesn't sound like you?
Your audience isn't looking for another polished sales script.
They're looking for a real person.
So don't be afraid to let your personality show.
Your expressions, experiences, humor, and little quirks are part of your brand voice.
Borrowing someone's strategy can save you time.
Borrowing their personality will cost you yours.
2. You Lead With Products Instead of People
I used to think people needed to know what I was selling.
Now I know they first need to understand why I care.
Products solve problems.
Stories build trust.
Trust almost always comes first.
When people trust you, recommendations feel natural.
When they don't, every recommendation feels like another sales pitch.
These days, I don't begin with:
“Here's what you should buy.”
I begin with:
“Here's what happened to me, what I learned, and what helped.”
That's the difference between pushing a product and helping a person.
3. You're Exhausted Trying to Keep Up the Image
Pretending is exhausting.
Trying to remember exactly how someone else says things is exhausting.
Wondering whether every sentence sounds “professional enough” is exhausting.
Being yourself?
That's surprisingly freeing.
Your voice doesn't have to compete with anyone else's.
It simply has to sound like you.
Maybe Grandpa Knew More Than I Did
Growing up, I spent a lot of Saturdays helping Grandpa in the vineyard.
I never once heard him complain that a grapevine wasn't producing peaches.
That would've been ridiculous.
A grapevine's job was to grow grapes.
And Grandpa knew exactly what it needed to do that.
Sunshine.
Water.
Good soil.
Time.
He never stood over a vine yelling:
“Come on! Grow faster!”
He simply kept caring for it.
Funny…
I expected more from myself than Grandpa ever expected from a grapevine.
I wanted instant confidence.
Instant success, answers, and instant results.
Turns out…
People grow a lot like vineyards.
Slowly.
Season by season.
One lesson at a time.
Maybe that's why I smile every time someone tells me:
“I still don't know what my brand is.”
Neither did I.
Not for a long time.
But every story I shared…
Every blog post I published…
Every mistake I survived…
Helped reveal another piece of who I already was.
Finding your voice isn't something you force.
It's something you uncover.
Just like Grandpa's vines, growth happens underground long before anyone sees the fruit.
The Truth About “Fake It Till You Make It”
Can I tell you something?
I don't think “fake it till you make it” is bad advice because it doesn't work.
I think it's bad advice because it asks you to build a business wearing someone else's boots.
Now, don't get me wrong.
There are days we all have to do hard things even when we're nervous.
I've walked into meetings with butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach.
Confidence didn't magically appear just because I wanted it to.
But pretending to be confident…
And pretending to be someone else…
Are two completely different things.
I spent years trying to sound like people I admired.
Copying Success Didn't Make Me Successful
I figured if they were successful, I should copy what they said, how they said it, and maybe even wave my hands like they did.
Bless my heart…
I probably looked like I was swatting flies half the time.
The funny thing was…
The harder I worked to sound like them…
The less anyone got to know me.
And isn't that backward?
People don't connect with perfect.
They connect with real.
The day I stopped trying to impress people was the day I finally started helping them.
Turns out…
That worked a whole lot better.
☕ Around My Desk
Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if someone had looked me in the eye all those years ago and said:
“Carla…quit trying so hard to sound successful and just sound like yourself.”
Would I have believed them?
Honestly…
Probably not.
I was convinced there had to be a secret.
A magic script.
A perfect system.
Some little nugget of wisdom that all the successful people knew and I didn't.
So I kept chasing it.
Course after course.
Notebook after notebook.
Bless my heart…
I could've opened my own office supply store.
Looking back now, I don't think I was really buying information.
I was buying confidence.
The funny thing is…
Confidence was never for sale.
It showed up every time I did something that scared me just a little.
The first blog post.
Then the first video.
Finally, my first live.
The first time I stopped worrying about saying the “right thing” and simply told the truth.
That's where confidence lives.
Not in another course.
Not in another notebook.
Certainly not in another script.
It lives on the other side of doing the thing you've been putting off because you're waiting to feel ready.
Funny how life works that way.
The thing we think we need first…
Usually comes second.
And maybe that's why I love blogging so much.
Every time I hit Publish, I'm reminded that courage doesn't come before action.
It grows because of it.
Continue Reading
If today's story resonated with you, here are a few more that continue the journey.
📖 The Day I Finally Hit Publish
The story of why clicking one little button changed far more than my blog.
📖 My Biggest Blogging Mistake—and Why No One Reads Your Blog
The mistake that kept my words hidden long after I thought I had started.
📖 Why Your Blog Is Your Best Affiliate Marketing Asset
Why I stopped chasing social media and started building something I actually owned.
📖 Why Your Blog Gets No Traffic—and How to Fix It
The lesson I wish someone had taught me years earlier.
Carla's Blogging Tools
People sometimes ask what tools I use.
Truthfully?
I've tried enough things over the years to wallpaper another room with training certificates. 😄
These are the resources I come back to because they make blogging simpler – not harder.
📋 Write to Rank: The Searchable Blog Checklist
I created this checklist because I remember staring at the Publish button and wondering:
“Did I miss something?”
It's the checklist I wish someone had handed me years ago.
It walks you through the important steps to check before publishing so you can stop guessing and start sharing your stories with more confidence.
👉 Get Your Free Write to Rank Checklist
🔎 Google Search Console
Once your blog post is published, Google Search Console can help you see whether people are finding it through Google.
You can use it to discover which search terms are bringing readers to your website, how often your pages appear in search results, and which posts are earning clicks.
It may look a little intimidating at first, but you don't need to understand every report. Start by checking which blog posts are being seen and what readers searched for before they found you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to find your brand voice?
Finding your brand voice means learning to communicate in a way that sounds natural and true to you. Your experiences, stories, personality, values, and expressions all help make your voice unique.
How do I find my brand voice?
Start by writing the way you speak to one trusted friend. Share real stories, explain what you learned, and notice the phrases you naturally use. Your brand voice usually becomes clearer through practice, not through waiting for the perfect formula.
Why do I sound awkward when I write?
Many of us write differently than we talk because we're trying to sound smart or professional. Imagine you're talking to one friend across your kitchen table. That simple shift can make your writing feel warmer and more natural.
Why is authenticity important in marketing?
Authenticity helps people understand who you are and why you care. When your words match your real experiences and values, readers are more likely to trust you and remember your message.
Can storytelling really help grow a business?
Yes. People may forget a sales pitch, but they often remember a meaningful story. Stories help readers relate to your experience, understand your message, and build trust with you over time.
How do I stop sounding salesy?
Shift your attention from what you're selling to who you're helping. Begin with the problem, experience, or lesson. Then share the product or resource only when it naturally supports the reader's next step.
Do I have to be an expert before I share my story?
No. You simply need to be honest about where you've been and what you've learned. Sometimes the most helpful person isn't ten years ahead. She's simply a few steps farther down the path and willing to share what she discovered.
☕ One Last Cup of Coffee
I don't know where you're reading this today.
Maybe you're curled up in your favorite chair.
Maybe you're hiding in your car for ten quiet minutes before walking into work.
Or maybe you're sitting at your kitchen table with a cup of coffee that's already gone cold because life interrupted…again.
Wherever you are…
I'm glad you stopped by.
If today's story reminded you of anything, I hope it's this:
You don't have to become someone else to build something meaningful.
The world already has enough copies.
It only gets one you.
So don't worry if your story isn't polished.
Mine wasn't.
Don't worry if your videos aren't perfect.
Neither were mine.
And don't wait until you feel qualified to encourage someone.
Sometimes the person who needs your story today doesn't need an expert.
She simply needs someone who's willing to be honest.
Your voice doesn't become valuable because thousands of people hear it.
It becomes valuable the moment one person feels understood because you had the courage to use it.
❤️ Before You Go…
If today's story made you smile, reminded you of your own journey, or encouraged you to take one small step forward, would you do me a favor?
Share it with one person who might need it too.
Not because I'm chasing numbers.
Because I know what it feels like to need a little encouragement at exactly the right moment.
You never know who might need this story today.
And if you're ready to begin sharing your own story, my free Write to Rank: The Searchable Blog Checklist can help you check the important pieces before you publish.
👉 Grab Your Free Write to Rank Checklist
Until Next Thursday…
I'll be here.
Probably with another cup of coffee.
Another story.
And another lesson I learned the hard way.
Until then…
Write your story.
Build your future.
❤️ Carla