On Brand Dadding: 4 Things I learned from branding that helped me survive my first year of fatherhood

Can you actually believe it's already been a year since my partner Lauren and I welcomed our son, Roman Joseph, into the world??

Roman celebrated his 1st birthday yesterday, surrounded but family, presents and cake (as you'll see by the pics).

As a brand & marketing specialist, I've always been pretty confident in my ability to relate to people, but fatherhood has proven to be an entirely different beast altogether.?

Nonetheless, I've managed to navigate my first year of fatherhood and the challenges of being a dad by applying some of the same principles I use in my everyday life as a marketer/branding professional.

I've put together the four most important things I learned from my experience in brand building and marketing, that helped me be a canny mint dad (by my own standards):

Trust is Everything

Just like building trust with your clients is essential to establishing brand loyalty, building trust with your bairn is critical to developing a strong relationship.

Obviously, like all things worth it, It takes time and effort. But the rewards are priceless.

I learned that being there for Roman every step of the way, from late-night feedings to nappy blowouts, has helped me build a really strong bond with him.

For instance, once he got to a certain age and my confidence grew as a dad, our play became a little more "lad-ish" (much to the detriment of Lauren's nerves).

One day I was throwing Roman up into the air and catching him.

At first, he didn't really know if he liked it or not, the slight horror on his face gave it away.?

However, as Roman realised that I would always catch him, he started to get excited and would even lift his arms up, gesturing me to do it again.?

Now he has a specific way of telling me he wants to be chucked about (safely of course)??

That's just one small example, but it's the kind of thing that creates trust and strengthens the bond between a parent and their child, and isn't that what it's all about??

Building a connection and showing our kids that we're there for them, no matter what!

Be Adaptable

Being able to pivot and adapt is crucial to staying relevant and successful in branding & marketing, and it's just as important in parenting.?

There have been times when I thought I had the whole parenting thing figured out, and then Roman would throw me a curveball, reminding me that I was still learning.?

For example, we've had to be willing to try (1 million+) new tactics to get him to sleep, whether it's white noise on Google Home (other brands are available), different bedtimes, or even mad ideas like trying different styles of pj's.?

Needless to say, we still haven't cracked the code, as I sit here writing this on about three solid hours of sleep this week ??

Being adaptable also means letting go of preconceived notions about parenthood.

I had all these ideas about the kind of dad I wanted to be, but in reality, I found myself being more of a worrier than anything else.?

Once I let go of my expectations and just focused on being present with him, I found everything began to flow a lot better.

Build Emotional Connections

Just like building emotional connections with clients is essential to creating loyal, long-lasting relationships in branding, building emotional connections with your child is vital to developing a strong bond.

I remember the first time Roman smiled at me - it felt like I had hit the jackpot!

No feeling like it.

Everyone said:

He's too young to smile and that it was probably just gas.?

(I was fuming) But I knew it wasn't that.

I have always referred to him as 'Genius Baby' - I knew this was him flexing his genius brain, not just trying to squeeze out a fart.

From then on, I made it my mission to make him smile as much as possible, whether by jumping around like an 18-stone ballet dancer or singing the same YouTube nursery rhyme for the 5th time in 10 minutes, I just love to make him smile.?

But building emotional connections isn't just about making your baby smile. It's also about being there for them when they need a cuddle or aren't feeling well.

It's both happy and sad moments that have helped me build such a strong bond with my son.?

Patience is a Virtue

Building a successful brand takes time, consistency and most of all, PATIENCE, and so does being a good parent.??

There have been times when I felt like I wasn't making progress with Roman, but I had to remind myself that strong relationships take time to develop.?

Whether it's waiting for him to eat his next spoonful with his eyes glued to 'Funky Veggies' or waiting for him to fall asleep - the latter being unequivocally the longest wait - I know that I have to be patient and trust the process.

And let me tell you, it's paid off.?

Conclusion

Seeing Roman grow and develop over the past year has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.?

From the infinite number of sleepless nights to the sh*ttiest of nappies, every moment has been worth it to see my "Genius Baby" become a happy, healthy, and curious toddler.?

And building our family's brand has been just as fulfilling - watching it grow and evolve alongside my son has been a source of pride for me as a first-time father.?

I can't wait to see what the future holds for our family and our brand.

But at the end of the day, what really matters is the love and connection we share with our kids.?

Whether it's playing with a toilet roll tube as hundreds of pounds worth of toys sit dormant or cuddling up on the sofa to watch the 400th episode of "In The Night Garden", those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

And let's face it, there's nothing quite like seeing your child's face light up when they see you walk into the room.

So to all the dads out there, whether you're a seasoned pro or a brand new rookie like me, keep at it.?

We may not always get it right, but as long as we keep showing up for our kids with love and patience, we're doing a canny good job, one sh*tty nappy at a time.?

Cheers for reading, Happy Birthday Son ??