How To Build A Personal Brand That Lasts 10+ Years (Chris Do's 10 Rules - Part 2)

Key Concepts

Authenticity, Evolution, Personal Growth, Community Engagement, Movement Building, Personal Branding, Consistency Across Platforms, Value Creation, Niche vs. Broad Audience, Gravity (as a metaphor for limiting beliefs), Visualization, Identity Revolution.

1. Staying Relevant Through Evolution

• Core Essence vs. Adaptability: While core beliefs and values remain relatively constant, how one shows up in the world, including knowledge and opinions, should evolve with learning and growth.
• Content Evolution: Chris Doe initially focused on design and typography, then expanded to brand strategy, identity design, running a business, pricing, and negotiation. This evolution attracted a broader audience, including those outside the design field.
• Audience Dynamics: As a personal brand evolves, the initial core audience may or may not stay, while new audiences are attracted to the evolved brand.
• Gary Vaynerchuk Example: Gary Vaynerchuk's brand evolved from "hustle and grind" to kindness, empathy, and parenting, demonstrating the potential for growth and broader appeal.
• Niche vs. Broad: While focusing on a niche is crucial for initial success, expanding to broader markets is necessary for continued growth.
• Riches in the Niches: Chris Doe agrees with the philosophy that focusing on one person, one problem, and providing that solution to them is important for initial success. He recommends doing that until you become successful.

2. The Importance of Experience and Expertise

• Building a Foundation: Chris Doe emphasizes the importance of putting in the work and gaining expertise before trying to emulate someone at a later stage of their career. He did commercial work for 23 years before teaching.
• Jefferson Fischer Example: Jefferson Fischer, a trial attorney for 8-9 years, built a foundation of communication skills before creating content on YouTube and Instagram. His upbringing in a family of attorneys further contributed to his expertise.
• Avoiding Osmosis: Success doesn't happen by osmosis; it requires time, energy, and effort.
• Professionalization of YouTube: The platform has evolved from amateur content to professional content from experts in various fields (psychologists, engineers, etc.).
• Articulation for Clarity: Explaining what you know to others helps solidify your understanding. David C. Baker quote: "We have to articulate what we understand and know because we gain clarity through articulation."
• Client-Driven Expansion: Clients often request services outside your initial expertise, indicating an opportunity to expand your offerings. This is how a logo designer becomes an identity designer, then a brand design firm, and finally a user experience firm.

3. Making Personal Growth Your Brand Strategy

• Beyond Goals: The pursuit of goals without understanding their personal impact is empty.
• Visualization and Inhabitation: Chris Doe visualizes himself in a $38 million house, considering how he would use the space and who he would host. He asks himself, "Who do you have to become such that this is not even a problem for you to afford?"
• Return on Investment (ROI): Consider the emotional satisfaction and business opportunities associated with investments.
• Concrete Dreams: Dream with your eyes open and feet on the ground, visualizing the details.
• Releasing Limiting Beliefs: To visualize effectively, you must release limiting beliefs.
• Gravity as a Metaphor: Past life, habits, routines, and value systems act as "gravity," holding you back.
• Demagnetization and Remagnetization: Release enough "gravity" to create distance from the past, then "remagnetize" to a new body or mindset.
• Gratitude vs. Want: Be grateful for what you have while working for what you want. Jim Rohn quote: "Be grateful for what you have while you work for all that you want in life."
• Explorer vs. Settler: Embrace the spirit of exploration and continuous pursuit of new territory.
• Personal Development as a Life Pursuit: Personal growth allows you to share more with others and contribute to their growth.

4. Consistency Across Platforms: The Prism Analogy

• The Sun and the Prism: You are the sun, emitting too much energy for people to consume at once. A prism refracts sunlight into a rainbow of colors, representing different facets of your personality.
• Gradual Revelation: Slowly open the spectrum of your personality, revealing different aspects over time.
• Avoiding Overwhelm: Don't show everything at once, as it can be overwhelming.
• Platform-Specific Content: Tailor content to each platform's unique audience and strengths.
• Consistency vs. Copy-Pasting: Be consistently yourself, but adapt the content to the platform.
• Choosing One Platform: Start with one platform that matches your creative strengths and the capacity of your nervous system.
• Creative Strengths and Nervous System Capacity: Choose a platform where you can safely express your brilliance and experiment.
• Threads as a Safe Space: Threads is a good starting point for introverted or shy individuals.
• Inner Jack Nicholson: "You can't handle more than one platform."

5. Engaging Your Community vs. Growing Followers

• Beyond Numbers: Don't just focus on increasing follower counts; genuinely engage with your community.
• Reciprocity: If you ask for people's time and attention, give them some of yours.
• Social as a Connection Tool: Social media can be a great place to connect with people and build meaningful relationships at scale.
• The Party Host Analogy: Invite people to a party and be a good host. Austin Kleon writes, "Think of it as a party. You invited people to your party and you're the host, but when they arrive, you don't open the door. Somebody else does and you disappear."
• Energetic Transmission: If you view social media as a burden, your negative energy will be transmitted online.

6. Building a Movement, Not Just Followers

• Age of Identity: We live in an age of identity, where people seek to express who they are and what they value.
• Buying into Tribes: We buy into tribes to feel safe.
• Repeatable Story: Have a repeatable story that others can easily share.
• Sports Fan Analogy: Sports fans actively convert others to their team, strengthening their tribe.
• From Kingdoms to Virtual Kings: We've moved away from real kings to virtual kings, represented by brands and logos.
• Brand Loyalty as Tribalism: Choosing between brands like Starbucks, Dunkin', and Coffee Bean is like choosing a house.
• Dunkin' Ad Example: Dunkin' took out an ad that said, "Friends don't let friends drink Starbucks."
• Apple vs. Non-Apple: Being an Apple user, Chris Doe is like, "They can't talk to you. That's trash."
• Defining Your Mission: Clearly communicate what you're in business to do, such as ridding the world of a common evil or unjust idea.
• Examples of Missions: Ridding the world of crippling debt, outdated schooling systems, or the idea of selling time for money.
• Supporting Independent Creators: Encourage people to support independent creators who share their values.

7. Conclusion: Unblending Yourself

• Hollow Pursuit: Building a personal brand solely to grow your business or increase sales is a hollow pursuit.
• Branding Definition: Branding is the act of influencing other people's perception of you.
• The Personal in Personal Branding: The "personal" part of personal branding is you.
• Avoiding Genericization: Don't sanitize or homogenize your content to fit in.
• Comfort in the Masses: There is comfort in the masses, but that's how you disappear.
• Mission to Unblend: Chris Doe's mission is to help you unblend yourself, find your unique differentiators, and express them authentically.
• Standing Apart: To create a personal brand, do everything you can to not blend in.