We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lorena Opris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lorena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Multi-passionate entrepreneurs often get a bad rap and are said to be “flaky”, “inconsistent”, “all-over the place”. However, I believe that multi-passionate people are who the world needs right now. We make things fun, shiny, innovative and exciting. We are the trailblazers that are willing to dive right into any project, take messy action, and bring big, beautiful ideas to life.

Multi-passionate entrepreneurs are able to come up with multiple new ideas at lightning speed, while others are still waiting to figure out the perfect idea. Multi-passionate entrepreneurs are also like the guinea pigs of society, we aren’t afraid to go first, trial and error and come up with our own solutions of how things should be done.

The reason I believe people see us as flaky, inconsistent and all over the place is because we have expansive energy, and are able to take quick action. We say yes to things and are quick to decide whether it’s worth continuing or not. We may be immersed in a project, or idea and realize “hmm, this isn’t quite it” and so we pivot, or we refine, we add our own twist, or scrap the project and idea all together and move on. This rubs some people the wrong way!

However, I believe more people need to hone in on their multiple passions and not try to hide them, but embrace the magic. If you are multi-passionate and good at multiple things, embrace those parts of you, and don’t try to play small by making other people feel comfortable. Outgrow the box. Let your bigness shine. It’s time to confidently own who you are and how you’re uniquely designed to be in this world.

In our society, those who are jacks of all trades are made to feel inadequate, but the ones who are masters of one, are superior. Why is that? Think about it. Let’s rewrite the story. I believe your multiple skills are your greatest assets, it makes you highly valuable in a highly competitive world.

My best advice to those who are multi-passionate is to tap into your personal brand and decide who you want to show up as. When you harness your personal brand (what you stand for, your story, your value, your passions), you are able to change directions, try new things, be who you want to be and share your discovery process & journey with the world. Part of the fun is letting others in on our process and letting others see our excitement for what we are doing right now.

When I had the idea for The Branded Babe, my current business, I created her as an expression, and part, of who I am and wanted to be. She had her own set of values, ideas, desires, and her own unique voice. Since then she has evolved, but so have I. However, I no longer have to try to fit myself into my business brand, because I am more than my business and this brand I’ve built. There are more parts to me. Since deciding to build my personal brand apart from my business, I am able to bring more ideas to life and express myself in different ways that aren’t directly tied to my business. Your personal brand is the vehicle that drives all your ideas, projects, and opportunities, so start there. Then let your business ideas be an expression of the different parts of you and your values, but remember you are not just your business, you are YOU.

My other advice to the multi-passionate person is if you have multiple ideas, how can you start with the one that lights you up most right now and bring that to life before jumping into the next thing? I’ve learned to pace myself as a multi-passionate and to do one thing at a time, even if I have new ideas almost every week. The saying is, “Chase two rabbits, you won’t catch one”. When I try to pursue two ideas simultaneously, I get nothing done, and I only become frustrated. But if I chase one, build one, launch one, it creates confidence, momentum, and a feeling of accomplishment, which fuels my next passion project or even a new business idea!

Moral of the story, don’t let yourself be limited to one thing, one niche, one passion, because of what people in the industry say. Instead, get in touch with what makes you unique – what is your superpower? What is your story? What do you stand for? What problems do you want to solve in the world? Who are your people? What are you really good at? Sometimes there may be themes throughout all your interests and experiences, and it feels like this puzzle piece is starting to come together. But you don’t have to have it all figured out. You’re perfectly in process, and there is no pressure or timeline. Your discovery of yourself and your passions is part of the fun. Share it with us!

Lorena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Lorena Opris, I often go by Lo. I own The Branded Babe which is all about helping female founders get clear on who they are (their brands), what they offer, and who they’re for so they can confidently market themselves and lead others. We also offer creative services like brand design, website design & photography. My second venture is The Branded Babe Club, which is a growing membership community for entrepreneurs in their first couple years, located in NE, Ohio. We offer in-person coffee meet ups, fun networking events, virtual business workshops and resources that are all centered on community, connection and honest conversations as we grow on this entrepreneurial journey, together! This community is my greatest accomplishment and I can’t believe it’s my job!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I completely pivoted my business last spring. I started out in my industry 3 years ago, as a brand photographer for female-owned businesses. I also took on brand design & website clients as time went on. Although I really enjoyed the work and the clients, I reached a point where my passion and interest flat-lined and became burnt-out. I took a little break, went to Italy for a trip, and did some soul-searching to figure out my “why”. I realized I loved bringing people together and cultivating experiences for entrepreneurs that allowed them to feel connected and understood, and that I really love mentoring people. That’s when I decided to launch The Branded Babe Club, a membership community for entrepreneurs. I don’t regret my pivot, and value all of my experiences that brought me to this point, I’m fully owning all my titles & hats I wear and am having a blast!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Hosting my own events was the best decision for my reputation and my business. I started hosting networking events every quarter which was the perfect way to get my aligned people in the same room, and for me to position myself as a leader & expert. It also grew my brand awareness quickly, since I would collaborate with new people & locations all across NE, Ohio. More people started hearing about them and asking about the next one. I made sure my events were intentional, curated, valuable and on-brand. My goal is to make entrepreneurs feel like they are welcome, they have a seat at the table, and that community is far more important than competition. So it’s been a win-win!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thebrandedbabeclub.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrandedbabeclub/
• Other: Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-branded-babe/id1583786677

Image Credits
The Branded Babe LLC & Caitlin Antje LLC