HOW A LAPTOP CASE LAUNCHED A BRAND

It had been less than a month since I’d purchased my new laptop when I noticed a scratch on its lid. Since that computer was supposed to be the foundation for my new freelance writing business, I bought a case to protect it.

I didn’t just buy any old case, though. Instead, I bought the brightest case I could find. It was purple. I guess I figured I’d protect my laptop and never lose it in a crowd, either. Little did I know that my new laptop case would also provide me some lucrative, ongoing contracts and the key to my personal brand.

I’d only worked from my local coffee shop a couple of times when I met a woman who commented on my computer, wondering where I’d found a case that color. We chatted a bit. I found out what she did, told her about myself, and she walked away with one of my cards. I figured she was just being polite and that I’d never hear from her again.

A week later, she called. She needed a writer. She’d remembered my purple computer and wanted to know if I wanted some work. I said “Yes!,” and that was the beginning of a long and profitable business relationship.

While that was the first time my case got me a new client, it wasn’t the last. There’s something about my friendly purple computer that invites people to make comments. Comments turn into conversations, and those—more often than not—turn into business.

Once I realized that my computer case was so distinctive, I began incorporating it into my brand. I started using the same color on my business cards and have plans to bring it into my website and my logo too. Many new freelancers aren’t sure how to brand themselves, so they lose out on business opportunities, but my purple laptop case proved the perfect tool for setting me apart from my competition.

When I bought my computer, I knew it would be essential for my business. But I never knew that its purple case would help create my personal brand.

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