Nice Won’t Save You. Your Archetype will.
As written by Don Draper.
Polite is for Pamphlets
Let me be blunt—because someone has to be.
You're being too nice.
Your website reads like an HR manual. Your emails sound like they’re apologizing for existing. Your content? Like it’s been run through a blandness filter and scrubbed of anything human. And then you wonder why no one’s buying.
You think playing nice is the key to success. That if you just keep being helpful, agreeable, non-threatening… your dream clients will show up and reward you with loyalty and Venmo notifications.
But that’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.
People don’t follow nice. They follow real. They follow powerful. They follow people who know who they are—and are unafraid to polarize.
If you’re not willing to ruffle feathers, then don’t be surprised when no one’s flocking to you.
Stop being nice and start building your empire.
Archetype Is Your Permission Slip to Stop People-Pleasing
Here’s the secret the good brands know and the great brands embody:
You don’t need everyone to like you.
You just need the right people to love you.
Archetypes give you the permission to stand in your truth—and stay there.
They give you structure, tone, strategy, and swagger.
They give your audience something to recognize. Something to remember.
Because no one remembers “professional and reliable.”
They remember The Magician who transforms pain into possibility.
They remember The Rebel who says what no one else will dare say.
They remember The Lover who speaks in beauty and breathes in desire.
The moment you start showing up through your dominant archetype—boldly, unapologetically—you become a lighthouse. Not a lamppost.
Choose Signal Over Static
You’re worried about being “too much”? Good. That means you’re getting warmer.
You want resonance? You want sales? You want the kind of brand that makes someone say “I don’t know what it is, but I’m drawn to them”? Then you need to be more of yourself, not less.
A diluted message is a dead message.
And nice is the fastest way to water down a brand until it’s nothing but background noise.
So here’s your checklist. And it’s short:
Ditch the disclaimers.
Stop softening your truth.
Say the thing. Say it your way. Then own it.
If someone unsubscribes, good. They were never your people.
If someone copies you, better. You’re becoming the blueprint.
You don’t need to be everyone’s favorite.
You just need to be undeniable.
Want to turn the volume up on your message?
Sign up for the Archetypes of Success newsletter and start working with a narrative coach who won't tell you to smile more. We’ll help you ditch the pleasantries and finally write like you mean it.
Politeness is for dinner parties.
You’re building an empire. Speak like it.
