Last week’s column talked about what a brand is not. It’s not a logo or a pithy tagline that you create in a vacuum. A true brand is genuine. Authentic. Unique to your business’s vision and purpose. It is your organization’s heart and soul. Your true north.

It is also, in my opinion, the single thing that will catapult you to the next level of success and keep you from being just another commodity that has to sell on price or worn-out clichés like “our people are better than the other guy’s people.” So if branding is all that, why don’t more companies actually identify and utilize their brand?

Too much work: Discovering your brand doesn’t happen in a 30-minute brainstorming meeting. It requires a time investment. It means everyone has to stop putting out fires for a little while and step back to look at the big picture.

Too hard to say no: By default, if you are true to your brand, you are going to have to say no to potential business. If you are just right for some clients, it only stands to reason you are just wrong for others. But the reality is that taking the wrong fit of a customer will cost you money and staff morale every time.

Too embarrassed to admit you don’t know how: Would you pull your own tooth? Find experts who have a tested process for discovering your brand. Talk to some of their other clients. Ask if they got a comprehensive plan for not only launching but also sustaining their brands. If you like the answers, hire the specialists. You’ll save time and money in the long run.

Don’t let these excuses get in your way. Be bold enough to discover your brand.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and the author of “99.3 Random Acts of Marketing.” He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com.