the episode

I have often been told that I have a strong personality and it kind of came through in my business but I never really thought about the fact that all businesses have personality.

Guest Naomi Gora talks about the  importance of including ourselves in our business strategy. So many business schools teach us to get to know our ideal customers and competitors but none that I’ve seen start the process of looking at ourselves first – how can our businesses thrive based on what works for us as well as our customers.

Yes, your business has a personality, and how you understand and align with it can make a huge difference.  As a self-identified Torchbearer personality type, Naomi spent years in media and advertising, feeling like an outsider until she embraced her own strengths and values to build a business that truly fit her.  

She  begins by explaining that business personalities aren’t always discussed, but they’re crucial. Too often, entrepreneurs build businesses that cater to their ideal clients or competitors, but end up hating their own creations. She urges business owners to first look inward, asking themselves, “Can I do this every day?”

She introduces the concept of business personality types—like her own, the Torchbearer, and others like the Empire Builder or Station Master. These types reveal how you naturally operate. Some people thrive on systems and structure, while others, like Naomi, find those elements exhausting. When entrepreneurs try to mimic personalities that don’t match their own, they often face burnout.

Naomi explains that knowing your business personality helps you work more authentically and reduce stress. She uses a metaphor called the “car model,” where your brain is like a car with a driver, co-pilot, and backseat passengers (a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old). If you let the backseat drivers (stress and overwhelm) take control, your business suffers. By understanding your strengths—your “driver” and “co-pilot”—you can operate in your genius zone, making your business flow more easily.

Naomi’s advice? Don’t fight your nature. Align your business with your true self, and you’ll find running it becomes more enjoyable and sustainable.

our guest Naomi Gora

Identifying as a ‘Torchbearer’ Business Personality Type, Naomi spent years trying to find her place in the world of media and advertising agencies. Often feeling like an outsider in the more extroverted world of sales and marketing, it was only when she discovered her personality type and allowed herself to run her business her own way based on her strengths and core values that her career really started to thrive.

Described by some as ‘Eat Pray Love Meets Mad Men’, Naomi now uses her marketing, branding and personality profiling skillset to run Brand Whisperers – a personality-driven brand agency and strategy consultancy, that helps business founders cut through generic advice, leverage their strengths and circumvent their stressors so they can run their business in way that works for them as well as their customers.

Learn more about your brand personality https://brandwhisperers.com.au/