In episode 59 of the DesignRush podcast, I sat down with Ushi Patel, founder of Ushi Inc. and developer of the Seeing Me Method — a methodology focused on the significance of authenticity and self-alignment in both personal and professional branding.
Here are some of the things we talked about:
- Why building a brand based on your true self is the most effective way to create something substantial and succeed
- How genuinely connecting with your clients and market can help you build lasting relationships and earn their trust for long-term revenue retention
- AI: the ultimate powerhouse for creative success
Who Is Ushi Patel?
Ushi is a designer, brand expert, and speaker with nearly three decades of experience. She developed the Seeing Me Method, a unique approach that helps people create authentic personal brands. Ushi empowers purpose-driven leaders to align their identity and presence across various platforms, enhancing their visibility and influence.
Authenticity Drives Loyalty: 89% of Clients Stick with Brands That Reflect Their Values
According to a report by Wantedness, 89% of consumers stay loyal to brands that align with their personal values, demonstrating the essential point that authenticity plays in fostering long-term relationships.
When customers feel a brand genuinely represents their ideals, they are more likely to engage repeatedly with that brand, leading to higher retention rates.
“The most important ingredient is who and why... it sets the tone for who you are and then everybody that you direct is also in alignment with that authenticity. I believe that when you get to that place, you naturally draw in the opportunities for you, ” Ushi says.
My conversation with her serves as a wake-up call for both business owners and creatives, highlighting that success is always rooted in the value we bring to the world by staying true to our ideals and vision.
“The more I stayed true to myself, the more things started to flow, and people began to notice. It wasn't about following trends but about sticking to my values,” she explains.
In a society that often molds us with preconceived notions of who we should be, finding our true north becomes the ultimate mission. It's the only way to build a legacy that not only materializes our goals, but also leaves a lasting impact, making the world better than we found it.
This is increasingly recognized each day, with statistics showing factual results that prove people are more likely to engage with and trust brands that focus on bringing value rather than just monetizing.
LightspeedHQ Reports That Businesses Without Strong UVP Struggle to Stand Out in Crowded Markets
According to Lightspeed HQ, without a distinct UVP, businesses struggle to differentiate themselves from competitors, making it challenging to capture the attention of potential customers in a crowded market.
When businesses focus solely on fulfilling demand, they often lose their identity and unique voice, which is a key reason why so many fail.
Essentially, Ushi supports this point, as she herself came from a place where she was trying to satisfy clients' demands without necessarily recognizing that what was truly lacking was the ability to make a lasting connection with them.
She explained her own journey of building a successful business while feeling internally disconnected. This led her to take a step back, reflect on her identity, and develop the Seeing Me Method — a process that helps individuals align their internal values with their external brand.
She believes that when you truly know yourself, both personal and professional success follow naturally.
“I wasn’t really in touch with any of my gifts or any of my talents. I built a career that looked amazing on the outside. People saw me as a brand expert, I checked all the boxes, yet I felt like a shell. So I took a year off — and decided to design myself,” she says.
She wants to share a message from her journey: if you don't take the time to truly dive deep within yourself — facing who you are and what makes you unique — you can never genuinely connect with others.
“It's knowing your authentic self, your authentic now, your authentic identity moment to moment and context to context. When you get there, the amount of confidence that naturally comes out of you, which then contributes to you being able to make your signature mark, that's what I'm here for,“ she explains.
Her insights strongly connect to a conversation we had with RJ Licata where he speaks about how significant it is to connect with potential clients well before they are ready to make a purchase.
By engaging with clients consistently over time, even prior to a transaction, brands can foster trust and familiarity, echoing the concept that customers remain loyal to brands that genuinely align with their personal values.
The truth is, that people seek connection, even in business, where everything revolves around profit. At the end of the day, we are all human, and we must return to our true nature.
When something you create is driven by purpose, people are more likely to value it, even paying more for it, rather than just seeing it as another product made for profit.
“If you're purpose-driven, you will attract purpose-driven people. Right? If you're money-driven...then you're going to attract money-driven people,” Ushi says.
AI Is Not Our Enemy — If We Use It to Highlight Our Authenticity
As a creative, she strongly supports the increasing use of technology, particularly AI. She believes it is a powerful tool that helps creatives build better products, work more efficiently, and meet client demands while staying on top of current trends.
While she advocates for remaining true to one’s authentic self, she also doesn’t deny the importance of creating a smooth synergy between sticking to personal values and staying in touch with what’s popular.
She believes that making the most of one's unique image is essential in this process, and reaching equilibrium can certainly involve a big contribution from AI.
If the technology lacks a personal touch, creatives can certainly use that to their own advantage to thrive in the market.
“No matter what, people need to learn how to put themselves in the technology and that's what's missing. You gotta be able to put the you in AI, you gotta be able to put the you in tech. Otherwise people will get lost or they'll go somewhere else or they just won't do it, they'll just quit,” she concludes.
Listen to the full conversation with Ushi Patel on Spotify:
