I remember when I first decided to call myself a “Personal Brand Strategist.” I woke up one morning and knew this was the name that felt most aligned with the work I was starting to do. During that time, I was designing Squarespace websites, writing copy, and helping people optimize their LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. I tried my hand at designing media kits, creating peoples’ visual identities, and even helped my clients take pictures for their social media posts. I tried my hand at everything under the sun…

Imagine what your life would be like if your sense of self was not based on painful past experiences that limit your beliefs? Imagine if you could rid yourself of negative learned behaviors that do not support the sensational vision you have for your future? The Enneagram shows us where our personality prevents us from going. It does not put us into a box, it shows us how to escape the box we’re already in.

As an entrepreneur, you’re in the business of communicating the importance of your company to anyone who will listen. You may share educational information, valuable insights, and facts about your products and services so people have a deeper understanding of what it is you’re selling. This is important. However, the best and most effective way of garnering a deep interest and understanding of your mission as an entrepreneur is to convey the importance of your business through a (personal) story.

Do you ever get that nagging feeling after you’ve posted something perhaps *a little* too honest on social media? Do you ever second-guess yourself on Instagram Stories; so much so, that you replay the video over and over again until you’ve watched yourself so many times that you can’t take it anymore? Does your Instagram bio change by the week? (Summarizing everything that you are in 150 characters is damn hard).

While building a personal brand is a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be the cheapest way to start a business. All things considered, there is very little overhead. You can build your personal brand in between meetings, after work, on the weekends, don’t overcomplicate this. It can be very easy. The biggest investment you will make in your personal brand is time. And this a resource that most people have and can willingly give.

You know you should be posting to Instagram. You know that you should be recording yourself on video, posting photos, and writing captions. You know that your competitors are already out there; building brand, closing deals and rising to the top. If you don’t level up on social media soon, you’ll be missing out on one of the massive opportunities of our era. Your brand is worth it. I don’t have to tell you this, because you already know it. So what’s the problem?

As I look back at 2019 in reflection, I can see that building my personal brand has been of the most transformational experiences of my life.