When I was 8,
I sold Garbage Pail Kids
to my grandparents
during Sunday night dinner.
Each week, Murray, Rachel, Berenice, or Moses would toss a quarter into my hat. In return, they would receive a single Garbage Pail Kid Card. This was quite the markup, as that same quarter could buy a pack of 5 at the local stationery store.
These were people in their 60s and 70s.
They didn’t care about collecting sticker cards.
They just wanted to support their grandson.
That’s the power of a personal brand.
In my life, I’ve had so many personal brands
- I was a precocious kid selling things to family and friends.
- I was a high schooler with a resume of Tech jobs and internships.
- I was a college grad with a fancy marketing degree and a 9-5.
- I was a disillusioned 25-year-old who quits it all to follow a dream.
- I was a fish out of water – a New York City kid living in a small Nicaraguan village.
- I was a backpacker who travels the world with his beloved wife.
- I was a 30-year-old artist who works at a photo lab in San Francisco.
- I was a photographic storyteller who shares his life’s journey online.
- I was the founder of a one-man web design and digital marketing agency.
- I was a compassionate guide to therapists who need help filling their caseloads.
- I was (and still am) a dad, husband, and family man.
- I am a human being dedicated to using his own personal development to inspire others.
- I am an embodiment of the journey I want to help business owners go on.
- I am a guide, coach, mentor, teacher, ______.
- I am all of the things that I have been
- I am all of the things I will become
- I am Gregory Richard Goodman
- I am me
What is the difference between a business and a personal brand?
A business brand is all about the logo, colors, typography. It’s about the copy and words you use in ads, marketing, and your website. If your business closes, that brand goes away.
A personal brand transcends your business and your life. A personal brand is YOU in your most true, authentic self.
Start by understanding your WHY? What drives you?
To truly attract your dream client, your business must come second — even if your biz the best possible answer to your dream client’s problem. Start by asking yourself:
- Who do you want to attract into your life?
- What sort of relationships do you want? Business or otherwise?
- What is your story?
- What makes YOU different?
- What knowledge, inspiration, wisdom, and advice can you share?
- Who do I most want to serve?
- What problem can you solve?
It’s all about sharing your beautiful, authentic YOU with the world! Want to learn more? Click play on the video below and watch me passionately talk about how to grow a personal brand that stands out in a very busy online crowd.
How to build an ETHICAL personal brand
In our new online globally connected world, personal branding and online marketing are intrinsically linked.
As someone with a personal brand, you’re always going to make self-promoting posts. It’s how you attract your dream client into your sphere. It’s also how the “organic marketing game” is played.
That’s why it’s so important to be constantly giving back on social media. To provide value in other people’s feeds – not just your own. To balance the “value-added scale.”
To keep the scale tipped in the right direction, you need to give more than you get. When you do, the law of attraction takes over and your dream client starts finding YOU!
How can your own story and wisdom be used to inspire and help others? How can someone’s life be made better just by your existing? Whether you are promoting someone else’s product or running your own business, YOU are the face that people want to see.
