9 Steps for a Bulletproof Personal Brand

Why a Personal Brand Protects Your Business

If you build a personal brand and you become an authority on that subject, your business will become absolutely protected. That means no matter what happens in the economy, you can continue to generate business because of your reputation and because of the authority you have been able to accumulate. That is the whole game.

But I want to be honest with you up front. This is a long-term process. It is not a hack. Before you touch a camera, before you post a single video, you need to pass a test made of three Ps.

The Three Ps: Passion, Patience, Persistence

First, passion. Passion is something you feel you would never run out of desire to talk about. You want to talk about it 24/7 or you want to be around it 24/7. It does not matter what the subject is. If you are not passionate about it, long term the whole personal brand process will not succeed, because people get to feel your passion. Ask yourself honestly: are you building a personal brand around a subject you are passionate about, or around a subject you just want to build a business around? If it is only the business, building a personal brand might not be for you.

Second, patience. Why does this matter? Because it can get really exasperating. When you start posting on social media and you get one view, or seven views, or maybe 200 views, or maybe four followers a month, it gets frustrating. The personal brand journey requires patience. It eventually pays off. It eventually snowballs. But if you are not patient, you should not even start.

Third, persistence. Persistence means not giving up no matter what. You keep going even when you feel inclined to quit, even when you want to go do something else, even when it does not feel like a long-term solution. Once you decide to go down the personal brand journey, know this: if you are passionate, if you have patience, and if you do not give up, you will eventually win. That is a fact, in whatever industry you want to build a personal brand around.

One more thing. This journey is not for everybody. If you do not feel like a good communicator, if you are not comfortable in front of a camera, if you have always been shy, it might not be the right thing for you. But there are exceptions. Fear of the camera can be overcome. It is just like shooting a basketball: you practice, and eventually you get the ball in the basket. Same thing with the camera. You can practice your way to comfortable.

The Proof: Attention Changes Everything

In the business and marketing world, look at Gary Vee. He built a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars, a marketing agency servicing Fortune 500 companies, plus all kinds of incredible businesses, on the back of his content. Marie Forleo built classes and coaching teaching people marketing and business. Grant Cardone, a friend of mine and one of the greatest influencers in the business world, has gathered over 20 million followers around business, marketing, and real estate, and built a business that produces millions of dollars a year in profit for him and his family on the back of his personal brand. Alex Hormozi is absolutely crushing it, using his content to bring in businesses he can buy.

They all have the same thing in common: attention. Now, gathering attention does not automatically equal printing money. But it is absolutely a game changer when it comes to selling products and services. Case in point: Kylie Cosmetics, one of the fastest businesses to go from zero to billions, built on the back of a celebrity personal brand. And you do not have to be a celebrity. Michelle of EM Cosmetics did it as a regular person who decided to use social media. Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness did it. And Mr. Beast needs no introduction. He will probably be the first billionaire YouTuber, with physical products, sponsorships, and several brands built on the back of his personal brand.

Steps 1 Through 4: Decide, Ask AI, Reverse Engineer, List Your Subjects

Step one: ask yourself, do I really want to do this? Talking to cameras, building an audience, putting eyeballs on you. Is this something you can commit to long term and feel comfortable with? Answer that question honestly before anything else.

Step two: open a chat with AI. I am not kidding about this. In this era of opportunity, you can go to a tool like ChatGPT and say: I want to build a personal brand around being a mechanic, I know how to fix any car, give me advice, educate me, give me episode ideas and content ideas. Make this one of the first things you ever do on your subject.

Step three: reverse engineer competitors. Go to Google, search for the Meta Ad Library, and it opens up this incredible world of what other influencers and personal brands are doing on Facebook and Instagram. Not to help you plagiarize them. To help you get inspired.

Step four: make a long list of subjects. My father made 2,700 episodes over his lifetime. I used to ask him, Dad, would you ever run out of content? His answer: son, when you have passion, the subject never ends. So build a long list, and find your preferred system for keeping notes. Notes on your phone, Google Docs, whatever works. Add every topic with the highlights you want to cover.

Steps 5 Through 9: Set Up, Prepare, Record, Go Omnipresent, Post

Step five: get your equipment set up, and do not let this paralyze you. It does not have to be fancy. The phone in your pocket right now, the one you are probably watching this on, is incredibly powerful. The audio is great, the cameras are amazing. Start with your phone.

Step six: research your first subject. You made that list in step four. Now pick the first one and build an episode you know from start to finish. Before I recorded this episode, I already had the entire whiteboard prepared. You do not need a whiteboard, but you need to know your hook, how you are going to bring people in, how you are going to deliver the value, and how you are going to end. Crystal clear from the beginning.

Step seven: hit record. It sounds obvious, but believe it or not, it has happened before. People do all the preparation and just never hit record. Hit record.

Step eight: determine your omnipresence strategy. There is Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, podcasts, you name it. Decide where you are going to show up and how.

Step nine: start posting. Decide how many posts you are going to do every single day, and post every single day, in as many places as possible. Then keep going. Winners never quit, and quitters never win.