The Personal Brand Roadmap

You need to start creating content immediately.

Attention is the new currency.

If you want to make a ton of money in the future you need to gain as much attention as possible.

This is why you need to have a personal brand.

To effectively do that

You need to create content.

This does more than gain attention

It helps you build authority.

Authority is key in the online space

It's why people will listen to you.

This letter is divided into various subsections

Depending on the level you currently are in the creator space, you can skip to anyone that interests you.

Now let's begin….

HOW TO START

How do I start?

What do I need to do?

Simple. Just start.

Pick a platform that suits your nature.

If you like to write, then use Twitter (X) or LinkedIn.

If you're a picture/ Video person, then Instagram or Pinterest is probably your best choice.

Now I will advise against immediately starting a blog or YouTube channel.

Why?

Because you need to learn how to grab attention first.

This is why you start on social media platforms first.

Once you've been able to build a substantial following on a social media platform of your choice

It becomes easier to drive that traffic to your blog or channel.

An example of that is this newsletter you're reading.

Most of you signed up for this through my Twitter, or got a product of mine which I advertised there.

Either way, it was easier for you to find it, because of social media.

LEARN ON THE JOB

When I started content creation, I had no idea what I was doing.

It was just a funny pastime for me.

I would create these Instagram posts and reply to the comments that came with them.

This was way back in 2021 after my blog had flopped.

Fast forward to 2023, Instagram burned me out because I was more in tune with writing

So I decided to just journal to myself on Twitter.

Then I realized I could create content here and it wouldn't be as stressful as Instagram was.

So I began.

Still not knowing what I was doing.

My first 100 tweets were shit.

But I was still attracting followers.

After 20 days, I moved from 11 to 50 followers

But I kept learning from other creators.

Now I've surpassed some of them.

I wouldn't have come this far if I was looking to be perfect from the start.

Start first.

Then learn on the job.

OWN YOUR PLATFORM

Social media platforms are great for building an audience, but they have one major flaw:

You don't own your account!

It can be blocked or taken down at any time.

And you need to be prepared for it.

This is where building an email list for a newsletter, starting a blog or having a YouTube channel comes in.

Once your account gains enough traction, you get at least one of these and consistently get people into it.

You need a platform you own.

NB: You don't technically own YouTube, but hopefully you get my point.

BUILD A COMMUNITY

At this stage in your journey, you don't need followers anymore

You need fans.

Personally, I'm yet to get to this stage, but I am part of Dan West's community of creators on Discord

So I know exactly what it does for a brand.

This is where you build your brand's ambassadors.

People that will take the time to showcase you to the world as much as possible.

Every Personal brand needs that kind of exposure if they ever want to be big.

Creating a community brings warmth to your brand because you're helping others achieve their dreams with your expertise

And in turn they're building with you.

SELL SELL SELL

You have to start monetizing from the get go.

Find something to sell.

And once you've built all these layers of leverage

From your email list to your community, sell it to them.

Make sure it is a product you trust will help in solving their problems.

Reputation is everything, don't ruin it just to make quick cash.

In this stage it's usually better to create your own products or services and then sell to your audience.

But if you don't want to

The easiest thing to sell is always someone else's stuff.

ITERATE

Perfection is an illusion.

You'll never get perfect at all of this.

You'll have to constantly reflect and see what you're doing wrong

Then find a way to improve.

It's a never ending process.

One that guarantees you stay relevant in the game.

Afterall, evolution is the essence of life.

Keep improving, find ways to be better than you were yesterday

And you'll be fine.

BUILD SYSTEMS

This is where the big boys play.

At this stage, you automate, delegate and eliminate certain tasks.

You create a system that makes the entire process easier for you.

Famous solopreneurs like Dan Koe and Justin Welsh do this.

They've stated that they only work 4 hours a day

Why?

Because they've created a system that gives them back their time.

Ofcourse to reach this stage is not child's play

But at this point already you've made so much progress that you now need your time back.

That's what you get here.

You can do this with automated email sequences

Creating a course

Hiring a VA

Whatever you choose that'll make the entire process less daunting. It's your choice.

This is by no means a comprehensive guide to the personal branding journey

But it is a super comprehensive overview of what is necessary.

I wish you luck on your journey.

Your friend

Michael.