- šLifeLemons
- Posts
- The NEW Type of Personal Brand
The NEW Type of Personal Brand
If you think itās risky trying to build a personal brand, let me tell you why you're wrong.
Firstly, we have to get broad definitions out of the way.
I think itās fair to say that what most people think of āpersonal brandsā largely revolves around an individual, one that puts themself in a position to socially elevate their own name.
Iāve had a lot of conversations lately where friends and family ask if my decision to create a āpersonal brandā was a ācreativeā decision or a ābusinessā decision. Theyāre always surprised to hear that it was, first and foremost, a business decision.
Only once I had decided to build a āpersonal brandā, did I decide that I wanted to do so in an enjoyable way, which inevitably led me to the creative work I now pursue.
But thereās always one point that I emphasise, something most people donāt seem to have realised.
Youāre Always Had a Personal Brand
In marketing, itās said that a companyās brand is exactly what someone thinks of them.
Therefore, it follows that our personal brand is what other people think of us.
In the context of juggling an online presence with my medical career, I often discuss with medical colleagues what theyād like to achieve in their respective fields.
They almost always say something along the lines of: āIād like to be an expert in my field. Iād like to be known for my work. I want to be respected for X work, have Y accolades etc.ā
To which I follow up with the question: is that not a personal brand youāre seeking?
To be deemed an āexpertā at something or to be widely ārespectedā, it requires a third party to actually give us that ārespectā or call us an āexpertā. I almost never hear someone say āI want to be the best at Xā without expressing the desire for an element of external recognition for it.
Itās not good enough that weāre the best at what we do, we want to be known for it.
That makes what we seek, a personal brand.
A New Type of Personal Brand
Weāre all seeking personal brands.
Once we accept this, it places us on a level playing field.
Although I (and many others) use the term synonymously with this relatively new form of personal branding (content creation, building an online presence etc.), the truth is that we all have a personal brand to begin with. Iām not āgrowingā it for the first time either, Iām just doing it in a different way from what I used to.
My issue with the traditional, institutional āpersonal brandā is that itās binary, leads to injustice and can even be taken away from you.
For example, if you gain an academic degree, you further your personal brand. If you miss out on the final degree certificate but did 99% of the hard work, you donāt further your personal brand. The result is binary (0 or 1). It doesnāt reward the hard work, just the end result.
In a corporate environment, if someone less deserving gets promoted over you, theyāve furthered their personal brand, you havenāt. Injustice is prevalent in a world where you allow other people to dictate your personal brand.
Similarly, a job can be taken away from you. If your personal brand revolved around your career, now thatās also been taken away from you.
So hereās a new type of personal brandā¦
You build an audience from scratch. What they think of you and your work becomes your personal brand.
You control its growth (but also its downfall). You donāt need permission to grow it and all your hard work isnāt wasted if it's going towards it. You can monetise it in many different ways, and pivot into a new discipline if your audience is receptive to it.
Itās decentralised, particularly if you own direct access to the audience (such as an email list that can be downloaded). Growth can also increase exponentially instead of linearly/incrementally as we see with traditional, institutional roles.
Weāre all working on personal brands, and I donāt think itās riskier to pursue the relatively ānewā way of doing so. In fact, I think in this day and age, itās riskier to stay with the traditional route.
Iām creating a series of meaningful video projects on Youtube.
Theyāre short, packed with value and always getting better.
š Join 1950+ Subscribers on Youtube by subscribing here.
š Quote of the Week
āWe must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.ā - Steven Pressfield
š The Weekly Link Up
Iāve been trialling a new task management app called Sunsama. They reached out to me via Youtube to try out the app and Iām glad I did! Iām currently using it for its Kanban board task management, integrated google calendar and overall clean UI interface. Iām really enjoying it so far - think google calendar + to-do app in one place. Theyāre offering a free 14-day trial - let me know if you try it and what you think!
Iāve uploaded 2 travel videos on Youtube from my Iceland trip so far (see above). I love expanding my creative horizons - let me know if youāve enjoyed the new style of content!
NEW films Iāve enjoyed - āFirst manā, āThe Grand Budapest Hotelā āFantastic Mr. Foxā
š If you enjoyed this weekās newsletter, hit and let me know your thoughts, I read every one.
š It would really help if you could share this newsletter with your friends, it really does go a long way!
If you'd like to support my free newsletter and videos, check out some of my genuine product/service recommendations that help me through affiliate commission:
š§ My Skillshare Classesš„ My Youtube Gearš¹ My Techš My Book Summaries, Notes and Quotesš All My Favourite Booksš Audible - Get a free Audiobookš„ Make websites (Beginner - Carrd)š„ Make websites (Intermediate - Webflow)šµ Get a Free Stock Shareš” Airbnb - Get Ā£50 off your first tripā° Sunsama - Task Manager