The safest investment you can ever make
Over the course of my career I have started companies, left them, and failed at others. I have invested time, energy and money into each of those with little to nothing to show for them years later.
All of the time, money and energy that I put into those companies yielded me little to no long term gain.
But there is one investment that has been worth every penny and every second.
That is the investment into myself and my personal brand.
My goal with this post is to explain to you why investing in your personal brand is the safest investment you can ever make.
The importance of a personal brand
Your personal brand goes above and beyond your social media accounts online. It is everything about you and how you are perceived by others.
It is your website, your messaging, how you introduce yourself to others and how you are perceived.
A personal brand has the ability to completely change your life if you are intentional in making it.
Take a look at Andy Samberg from Saturday Night Live. He and two other friends built up their personal brand with the youtube channel The Lonely Island. Ultimately that Youtube channel landed them their dream gig on Saturday Night Live and pushed them into Hollywood stardom.
Or take a look at Arnel Pineda, the new lead singer of the classic rock band Journey. Arnel was discovered by Journey’s lead guitarist through a Youtube video of him singing Journey cover songs. That video ultimately lead to him taking over as lead singer of the rock band Jouney when their old lead singer quit.
We hear these stories all of the time, but so many of us don’t see how it can relate to us.
What about the creative that started blogging and his blog posts indirectly helped fund a life where he could work remotely and travel the world?
Sound familiar? That last story is my own.
The power of a Platform
Six months ago I read a book that may have been one of the most important books I have read in years.
The book is called Platform : Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt.
The simple concept behind this book is that if you want to be noticed in this noisy world, then you need a platform where you can be seen and share your message.
Arnel Pineda had a platform, and that platform landed him the biggest career break of his life.
The lead signer from Journey had a platform and it landed him his dream gig.
My platform has helped me build relationships, build influence and build a client base. I am just getting started so there are much more to come.
Why I believe Platform is an essential read
This book is simple and quick to read. I am pretty sure I read it in one day, yet it changed my life in a massive way.
It wasn’t the tactics in the book that changed them, it was the simple idea. The idea of building a platform.
Once you have a platform, and you have an audience, you have power to do anything.
You can inspire change in the lives of your audience, you can point that audience toward different offers or products, and if you have an audience that is truly engaged then that audience will bring you opportunities that you could have never dreamed of before.
A platform is powerful but it takes time, energy and intention to build.
How a platform has changed my life
Six months ago I really started taking my platform seriously. I started blogging once a week and it has made a world of difference in my life.
My writing improved.
New opportunities opened up
People began reaching out to me on a regular basis asking for help, or just telling me how my writing affected their lives.
New consulting projects began coming in from a result of people visiting my website.
In addition to all of that, one of the biggest gains is that I feel that I have learned more about myself through this process than anything else.
When you share everything you create publicly, it forces you to be true to yourself and evaluate ever decision as to if you would be comfortable sharing that decision with the world.
This platform has completely changed my life personally, professionally and financially.
Start building your platform
I encourage you to pick up a copy of Platform: Get noticed in a noisy world.
It is a quick read and I promise that it may be one of the most important books you read all year.