He smiled, reached in his pocket, and handed me a..

A couple of days ago, I was sitting with a client of mine (we’ll call him Peter) at lunch.

He is, by far, one of my favorite people to work with; primarily because he brings such a natural energy and enthusiasm to our sessions. He is coachable, willing to try anything, and unafraid to put himself out there.

On our first Discovery Call, he told me he was looking for someone to help him manage his brand and reputation.

I kindly explained that we don’t quite do that. We’re not a PR firm, per se, we don’t help people create an idealized version of themselves for social media. Nor do we help people create a construct of the person they wish people to see them as. Rather, we empower people to be themselves.

Your personal brand is you.

To explain this further, I used my ‘home’ analogy. “First, you lay the foundation. Then, you build the home. Lastly, you invite people over for dinner.”

Your foundation is you. It’s your story. It’s what you stand for; the mission and vision you have for your life - the message you want to share with others.

Your home is your website. This includes your visual identity and your social media profiles.

As for your invitation to others? This is your content. It’s your blog posts, newsletters, TikTok videos, Instagram posts, etc. This content (if done correctly) has the potential to attract like-minded individuals to your home. They will want to “hang out” with you because they have seen your message and believe in what you stand for. These are the people with whom you can build a steadfast community and foster deeper connections built on respect, trust, and shared values.

While this wasn’t quite what Peter had in mind, he trusted me and my unique process and soon we began working together.

Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Peter dig deep: to uncover his story, clarify his message, and brave a whole new world of social media. My favorite thing about Peter? He isn’t afraid to take action. (Even when it requires taking a leap of faith.)

At lunch, we sat beside one another while he scrolled past his blog posts and TikTok videos. “Wow,” I said. “Do you know what I admire about you? No matter what I suggest or ask you to do, you just get it done. Whether it makes complete sense to you or not, you do the work and move on.”

He smiled, reached in his pocket, and handed me a medallion.

On the back it said, “The reward of a job well done, is the satisfaction of doing it.”

I held it in my hand and squeezed it tight.

There will always be a million reasons not to do something. You may not feel ready, you may want to prioritize the more lucrative thing over the passion project thing. Or, perhaps, you think you’ve got your whole life to get ‘it’ done.

And maybe those things are true.

Or, maybe, they’re also means of justifying the real truth of the matter: It’s a lot of work to sit down and do it.

The reward we seek is usually found in the work we avoid doing.

If building your personal brand is something you’ve thought about doing, but you still haven’t started yet. Why? What’s getting in the way? Hit ‘reply’ and tell me. I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

And, hey, if you’re looking for a chance to start, my 3-month program, Personal Brand Accelerator, is opening for enrollment in November (this only happens 2x per year).

If you're ready to tell your story, launch your blog or website, and post more intentionally on social media—you won't want to miss this. Join the waitlist, so you can be the first to know when it’s time.