Blame it on our PTSD from Agency World… For a long time, we felt like we had to choose — fun or credible? If you come from a more corporate world, it can feel really hard to bring in any business fun or personality because it could come off as “unprofessional.”
Our audience always tells us how fun our brand is, but wonders how we still manage to be seen as professional. We’re breaking it all down for you in this episode!
Key Takeaways:
- You don’t have to choose just one!
- How we found our balance of business fun and professionalism
- What business fun is and isn’t
- Why do people hesitate to show their personality?
- Swaps to make today to show more playfulness
The Myth: You Have to Choose One
Many small business owners fear that being playful will make them look “less serious,” or that being professional requires being boring.
Here’s the truth: Consistency and clarity make you professional, not perfection or buttoned-up language.
There are lots of SEO and branding agencies out there. So why do clients choose us?
Because our energy feels real, fun, and celebratory, we want the very best for your business, but that doesn’t mean we have to use jargony terms to show we know what we’re talking about. Or put together a stuffy presentation for your analytics review. Or using a generic color palette that every other business on the internet uses to be seen as professional.
We can incorporate fun while supporting your business.
How We Actually Found OUR Balance
In the early days of Duo, we tried to sound like a Serious Agency. Working with Val long ago on email templates, she quickly called out the agency jargon we used in emails. It wasn’t needed, and it didn’t make us sound “smarter” or more professional. It simply confused our audience and clients.
We also tried to avoid other professional extremes, like a project management system or meetings (internally), but it ended up hurting our business. You can hear more about that in episode #133, but we clearly took a lot of agency PTSD into our business.
It took some trial and error, but these are the types of compliments we receive now….
- “You are FUN. And that’s why I wanted to work with you.”
- Literally just last week: “Thanks for the proposal. I love your style—you two crack me up!” right after she signed on and paid her retainer.
Don’t worry—we also get comments like, “you look comfy” on a call… Yes, we do look AND feel comfy.
Playful vs. Lazy
There’s a difference between playful and lazy.
Playful Is…
- Showing your personality through words + visuals
- Cracking jokes that feel like inside-biz-bestie moments
- Making your audience feel something
- Warmth + humanity in your brand voice (CONNECTION)
Playfulness is a differentiator. It helps people remember you, feel comfortable with you, and see the human behind the business.
Playful Is NOT…
- Missing deadlines because “you’re creative.”
- Showing up late and blaming your vibe
- Delivering sloppy work with a wink
- Being chaotic with zero follow-through
- Hiding behind humor instead of taking things seriously
In other words…. Don’t be flaky.
Where We Infuse Business Fun — and Where We Don’t
You’re still a business, and there are times when fun is completely okay (preferred, even!) and other times when you need to act like a business owner and put your professionalism hat on.
Where playfulness belongs:
- Social captions
- Emails
- Onboarding or referral gifts
- Brand visuals
- Podcast episodes
- Your “voice” as a founder
Where professionalism should lead:
- Contracts
- Project scopes
- Proposal pricing
- Legal and financial docs
- Boundaries around time and communication
A Quick Playful Test
Let’s see if you’re navigating the line between fun and professional well. We want to make sure your content has personality without losing credibility.
- Does this sound like ME?
- Is the info accurate, helpful, and clear?
- Will my audience trust me more because of it?
Why do people hesitate to show their personality?
Lots of business owners fear being judged if they show too much of their personality.
Because yes, you’re a business owner offering professional services, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t also a human being. One with humor, opinions, and experiences. And guess what—that’s what your audience WANTS to see from you. They don’t want to work with a business. They want to work with a human who understands them and who they can relate to.
Sure, you might turn someone off from working with you by showing a little personality in your content, but repelling the wrong people is the most professional thing you can do.
Corporate Tina, who needs 86 layers of approval? Not your person. And that’s a GOOD thing.
You aren’t “less legit” for showing people who you are. That’ll only make the right people like you more!
A Few Simple Playful Swaps You Can Make Today (if it makes sense for your business)
If you decide you want to incorporate more business fun, try these easy swaps!
- Swap a button: “Submit” → “Let’s Duo This 💃”
- Add a Gif to your email funnels.
- Use or get brand photography that isn’t just a headshot and USE IT.
- Create a Zoom Landing Page
- Beverages are part of our brand and are infused in everything we do… is there something like that you can bring in too?
- Maybe you like jokes, bring in mom-related content (nap time specials),
- Email Signature Sign Off: Maybe you infuse an inspirational quote, signature phrase, quirk, two truths and a lie.
Playfulness is what makes you memorable. Professionalism is what makes you trustworthy. You deserve both.
So, we have two action steps for you….
If you are struggling with the business fun approach, it could be because you are lacking a brand strategy and a clearly defined personality.
Start with this workbook or reach out, and we’d love to build you a strategy that highlights your personality and differentiator, not hides it.
This is the foundation for bringing your playfulness to life in a way that makes sense.
If you are struggling with professionalism, then it might be time to hire a coach. Take things back to the foundations, THEN add some playfulness to your business.
We have coaches, and we offer SEO coaching to SEO on Tap students to help them with this exact thing. Let someone come in and point out where you could be more casual or formal in your business.
FAQs About Making Business Fun
Yes—the best brands are! People are more likely to remember (and hire) someone who feels relatable and capable.
That’s often where fun works best. In more formal industries, small moments of warmth—clear language, light humor, conversational tone—can set you apart without breaking expectations.
Absolutely! Fun makes content more memorable, improves engagement, and keeps people coming back. When your business feels good to interact with, your audience sticks around longer.
Come hang with us!
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If you loved today’s episode of The Duo On Air Podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on your favorite platform and hit subscribe for those new episodes dropping every Monday — it helps more small business owners find us (and let’s be honest, that’s good SEO 😉).
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts with over 20+ years of combined experience working with big brands. They are educators and co-founders of Duo Collective; a boutique organic marketing agency specializing in SEO, branding, and custom websites for women-led small businesses and creative entrepreneurs.
Ready to grow your visibility and become unforgettable?
Learn more or work with our team here.
To inquire about being a guest on Duo On Air, please fill out this application form.
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