EP40: June 8, 2025 – The Spark That’s Missing
If your brand’s feeling flat, there’s probably just one thing missing: your spark. Let’s talk about how to find it — and why it’s the secret to a brand that actually converts.
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"It wasn't until I said, F it, I'm going to talk the way I talk and share what I actually believe and let my real voice shine through the noise."
Full transcript
If your brand's feeling flat, there's probably just one thing missing, your spark. Let's talk about how to find it and why it's the secret to a brand that actually converts. Welcome back to Morning Cup of Brand Spark. Today is Sunday, June 8th, and I'm Gina Dunn, founder of OG Solutions. Today's spark is a reminder that if your brand feels flat, it's not always because it's broken.
Oftentimes, it's because it's missing the spark that makes it real. So let's spark it up today. I know you felt it. That nagging sense that your brand's fine, but it's not fire. That you're showing up, but not really showing all of you. And you know what? It's not about strategy tweaks or a fancy new funnel. You're going to hear this everywhere you look around for advice though.
It's actually about finding the one thing that lights you up and putting that at the heart of your brand. The spark is the feeling that makes someone lean in. It's the energy that says, this isn't just another brand. This is you. And most of us are taught to bury it, especially women. We get told to tone it down, to be more professional.
to keep it safe or to keep it polished or to not be so raw. And let me be really, really real here. The brands that stand out, the ones that don't just look good but actually work and resonate, they are the ones that let that spark lead. That's the lead of the story. So here's a personal story from me. When I was first building OG, I tried to be
All the things to all the people and also in my previous agency, IGINA, I did this as well. I thought that if I could just be so professional, I'd land every client in every deal. But when I stopped with OG, when I stopped with IGINA, it felt like a cardboard cutout of myself without any energy and without any soul.
And I didn't want that to happen when I started Backup Again with OG Solutions. But it wasn't until I said, F it, I'm going to talk the way I talk and share what I actually believe and let my real voice shine through the noise. It was then that people actually started listening to me. And that's also where this podcast comes from. It's me. That's when I stopped feeling like I had to chase leads.
and started attracting them instead and based on me. So here's the spark. Your brand spark isn't what you do, it's how you make people feel. It's that one piece of you that's maybe a little bit messy. My case, maybe it's a little bit weird, maybe it's a little bit different, but it's 100 % real. And next to a...
what you're actually delivering and the results you make. This is what makes someone trust you and want to work with you. This is what makes someone choose you. Can you resonate with you? So if you're feeling a little bit flat, I would say literally stop looking at competitors. Stop scrolling Instagram for inspiration. Stop going to Pinterest to look for another color palette.
Start asking yourself the question of what actually lights me up. What gets me up in the morning? What story do I want to tell no matter what? So here's your spark check for today. Spark one. What's the one thing about your work that still makes your chest light up when you talk about it? And spark two. Where have you been hiding your spark?
because it maybe felt a little bit too much or over the top.
and Spark 3. What's one way you can bring more of that real, truthful energy into your brand this week?
And that's your spark for today. Your brand, it's not broken. It's just missing your spark. I want you to do one thing. If you do nothing else today, find one place in your brand where you can show up more of you. Think about this today. No polish, no pretending, no rewriting your post five to six times before it sounds right.
No more dropping it into chat GPT and having it spit out what it thinks that you should say.
And hey, you're feeling brave, post it, tag me. Or if you're not there yet, DM me what it looks like. And I'd love to talk about it with you. Let's build brands that don't just look good. They feel real and they connect. I'll catch you tomorrow.
Key takeaways & FAQ
Five things to steal
- 01 Your brand spark is how you make people feel, not what you do.
- 02 Stop scrolling competitors for inspiration — ask what lights you up instead.
- 03 Hiding your 'too much' energy is exactly what makes your brand feel flat.
- 04 Authentic voice attracts leads naturally; performing professionalism just chases them away.
- 05 Find one place this week to show up as yourself with zero polish.
Frequently asked
According to Gina Dunn, a flat brand usually isn't broken — it's missing its spark. That spark is the authentic, personal energy behind the work. When founders try to appear professional to everyone, the result is a 'cardboard cutout' with no soul. The fix isn't a new funnel or strategy tweak; it's identifying what genuinely lights you up and putting that at the center of your brand.
Gina Dunn suggests asking yourself three questions: What about your work still makes your chest light up when you talk about it? Where have you been hiding your spark because it felt like too much? And what's one way to bring that real, truthful energy into your brand this week? She notes women are especially conditioned to tone it down and stay polished, but the brands that actually convert are the ones that let their spark lead.
Gina Dunn draws a clear line: a polished brand looks good, but an authentic brand feels real and converts. She shares that when she tried to be everything to everyone in her previous agency, it felt soulless. It wasn't until she stopped rewriting posts for perfection and started speaking in her actual voice that people began listening and leads started coming to her instead of the other way around.
Gina Dunn cautions against relying on AI to generate your brand voice. She specifically calls out dropping posts into ChatGPT and having it 'spit out what it thinks you should say' as a habit that strips away authenticity. Her recommendation is to post with no polish and no rewriting, showing up as yourself, because that raw, real energy is what makes someone trust you and choose to work with you.
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