How to START a Personal Brand (Full Course)

The transcript outlines a comprehensive guide to building a personal brand, emphasizing the importance of creating content that fosters trust over mere virality. The speaker, alongside his content director Trevor Odum, shares his journey and insights from starting his personal brand, highlighting the significance of understanding one's goals and audience. They discuss the creation of a free six-hour course on personal branding, the challenges faced, and the strategies used to overcome them, such as hiring a chief of staff and a contractor to manage the growing demands. The speaker emphasizes iteration, authenticity, and the importance of a sustainable content strategy.

• You have a choice in building your personal brand: to gain followers or to attract customers.
• Contrary to popular belief, building trust with your ideal customer is more crucial than creating wide-reaching content.
• The speaker shares their experience of gaining 200,000 followers and 750 applications to work with them within 10 months by focusing on real customer engagement.

"You're either building a personal brand to get followers or you're building it to get customers."

• Highlights the fundamental choice in personal branding: popularity vs. business growth.

• Many people start building their personal brand without a clear goal or desired outcome.
• It's crucial to understand your objectives and how content creation fits into them.
• The speaker emphasizes that not everyone needs a personal brand for success.

"A huge mistake that I see is people are building their personal brand just to check a box."

• Warns against building a brand without a clear purpose, leading to wasted effort.

• Gary Vaynerchuk advised the speaker to ensure content creation aligns with personal and business goals.
• Personal branding might not be necessary for everyone; it's essential to evaluate if it fits your life and goals.

"I really think you should be sure that this is what you really want."

• Encourages careful consideration of personal branding's role in one's life and business.

• The speaker had two goals: to grow a business and to help people build personal brands.
• Content creation was necessary for the latter goal, not the former.
• Every content decision should support one of the two desired outcomes.

"Is this helping build the business or is this helping educate people for free?"

• Emphasizes aligning content with specific, measurable goals.

• A four-question framework helps identify desired outcomes and the path to achieve them.
• Questions include defining the desired outcome, necessary reputation, required actions, and learning needs.
• The framework provides a roadmap for personal brand development.

"What is your desired outcome? What are you wanting to achieve?"

• Guides individuals through a structured process to clarify and pursue their branding goals.

• Distinguishes between being a student or an expert in personal branding.
• Students should document their learning journey, while experts should teach from experience.
• Authenticity is crucial; pretending expertise can damage trust.

"If you're the student, be the student. Don't pretend and posture as the expert."

• Advises against misrepresenting expertise, which can erode audience trust.

• Students should create an "interest bank" of topics they are learning about.
• Experts should establish a "credibility bank" of achievements and lessons learned.
• These banks form the foundation for building and amplifying a personal brand.

"You're going to build what I call an interest bank. Interest as in what you are interested in."

• Encourages documenting interests and achievements to form a solid brand foundation.

• Burnout often results from building a brand around topics you're not passionate about.
• It's important to create a brand that excites you and aligns with your interests.
• Building a brand you're proud of is crucial for long-term sustainability.

"If you don't like the brand that you are building, do you really think that you're going to stick with it?"

• Stresses the importance of passion and pride in sustaining a personal brand.

• Building a brand should focus on solving your audience's painful problems.
• Avoid copying competitors; instead, optimize content around customer needs.
• Solving real problems builds trust and attracts the right audience.

"If you become known as someone who solves your ideal customers' problems, guess what? More people will come to you."

• Highlights the value of problem-solving in building a trusted brand.

• A contrarian belief is a powerful tool to differentiate your brand.
• It's not about being controversial but genuinely believing in a different perspective.
• Contrarian beliefs can drive growth and establish a unique brand identity.

"Your contrarian belief is when you are going against the dominant belief because you actually genuinely believe it."

• Clarifies the distinction between contrarian and controversial beliefs for brand differentiation.

• A brand statement concisely communicates the core of your contrarian belief.
• It should consistently be paired with your content to establish brand identity.
• The statement helps audiences understand who you are, what you do, and how you differ from competitors.

"I believe that business owners and entrepreneurs trying to grow their business through their personal brand should optimize for trust, not virality."

• Demonstrates how a clear brand statement communicates core values and differentiators.

• Optimizing for trust involves solving painful problems for your audience.
• Viral content may attract views but can dilute your message and alienate potential customers.
• A trust-based strategy builds a loyal audience more likely to convert into customers.

"Trust is how much you believe that someone or something will meet your expectations in the future based on how they have behaved in the past."

• Explains the importance of trust in building a sustainable and effective content strategy.

• A sustainable content strategy aligns with your business, life, and experience constraints.
• Avoid unrealistic expectations and focus on creating a manageable and consistent content plan.
• Building a sustainable system ensures long-term success and reduces the risk of burnout.

"Your content strategy needs to fit within the constraints of your business, your life, and your experience level."

• Advises tailoring content strategies to individual capabilities and circumstances for longevity.

• Building a sustainable content system is crucial for long-term success. Avoid overwhelming yourself by starting small and gradually increasing your output.
• Consistency beats intensity; posting regularly over time is more effective than short bursts of high volume.
• Tailor your content strategy to fit your lifestyle and business needs, not based on what others are doing.

"You'll get way greater returns doing 20-minute walks every day for the rest of your life than six months of Ronnie Coleman-esque working out."

• Consistent, manageable efforts yield better results than intense, unsustainable bursts.

• Customize your content system based on your personal and professional constraints.
• Identify when you are most productive and align your content creation schedule accordingly.
• Use a workbook to determine your actual capacity for content creation and to identify what energizes or drains you.

"You need to look at what your day-to-day looks like and then build the system from there."

• Tailor your content creation to fit your unique schedule and energy levels, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

• Select a content medium that feels natural and authentic to you, whether it's video, audio, written, or graphic.
• Video offers versatility but choose a medium that you can consistently maintain and grow with.

"Pick something that you can get momentum on and allow the momentum to guide you into the next medium that you choose."

• Start with a medium that suits your strengths and gradually expand to others as you gain confidence.

• Avoid spreading yourself too thin by trying to dominate all platforms at once.
• Focus on one primary platform and one secondary platform for content distribution.
• Use pillar content from your primary platform to create content for your secondary platform.

"Trying to be everywhere all at once will cause you more harm than good."

• Concentrate on a few platforms to maintain quality and avoid burnout.

• Establish a realistic content cadence that you can sustain over time.
• It's easier to increase content volume than to scale back once expectations are set.
• Gradually increase your content output as you become more comfortable.

"Start with something that feels very realistic now and increase over time."

• Begin with a manageable pace and adjust as needed to maintain consistency.

• Use the Accordion Method to determine what your audience values as quality by expanding and contracting your content volume.
• Apply the 70-20-10 Framework: 70% content you know works, 20% iterations of that content, and 10% experimental content.

"It's 70% should be content that you know is going to at least perform at benchmark, if not higher."

• Focus on proven content while allowing room for innovation and growth.

• Start with your audience's pain points and tailor your content to address their needs with your unique solutions.
• Use your contextual credibility to enhance the effectiveness of your content.

"What problems do they have that you solve? What are they afraid of? What pisses them off and makes them frustrated?"

• Understand your audience deeply to create content that resonates and builds trust.

• Deliver content authentically, reflecting your true self rather than adopting a performative persona.
• Use your natural communication style to connect with your audience.

"Delivery is actually about removing all the things that keep you and are stopping you from being fully you."

• Authenticity in delivery builds a stronger and more relatable personal brand.

• The way you package your content (title, thumbnail, format) significantly impacts its attractiveness.
• Develop a wrapping paper library to draw inspiration from various sources and stand out in your niche.

"Your wrapping paper is what causes them to click so they can find out what your contrarian belief is."

• Effective packaging attracts attention and encourages engagement with your content.

• Balance your content strategy with deep educational content, niche-wide content, and personal content.
• Use personal content to inject uniqueness and build a personal connection with your audience.

"You want to make sure that it's not just deep and wide. It's deep, wide, and personal."

• A balanced content mix enhances engagement and strengthens your personal brand.

• Use a structured approach to content creation, focusing on clarity and actionable insights.
• Repurpose content effectively using the waterfall method to maximize its reach across platforms.

"The waterfall method is about taking one really good moment from your pillar piece of content and getting as much as possible out of it."

• Efficient content repurposing amplifies your message and extends its lifespan.

• Start with an introduction video, a positioning deep dive, and an experimental video to establish your brand and explore different formats.
• Use these initial videos to share your story, establish your expertise, and experiment with new content styles.

"The first video that I recommend you make is an introduction video. This is where you're sharing your story paired with lessons that your audience can use immediately."

• Begin with foundational content that introduces your brand and engages your audience.

• Building a sustainable content creation system is crucial to avoid burnout and maintain consistency.
• Experimenting with different formats while keeping consistent value can help in finding what works best for both creators and audiences.
• Enjoyment in content creation increases the likelihood of sustaining the effort over time.

"What we're building here, like we've talked about, is a sustainable system that you can actually stick with."

• Emphasizes the importance of sustainability in content creation to prevent burnout.

"By increasing the amount of content that we make that we like, we increase the odds that we stick with it."

• Suggests that creating enjoyable content boosts the chances of maintaining content creation efforts.

• Audience feedback is critical, but creators should balance it with their own enjoyment of the content.
• Positive audience response can guide future content directions, but creators should also pursue content they enjoy even if the audience response is lukewarm.

"If the audience wouldn't have responded well... but we really liked it, we would still continue to do it, just at a very low frequency."

• Highlights the balance between audience feedback and personal content enjoyment.

"You and a lot of other people that were watching it were like, 'Hey, we'd like to see more videos like this.'"

• Indicates the importance of audience feedback in deciding future content directions.

• Starting a personal brand involves transitioning from being behind the camera to becoming the main character in front of it.
• Introducing the team behind the scenes is crucial for transparency and showcasing the collaborative effort in brand building.
• Creating an introduction video is vital for framing how the audience perceives you and establishing credibility.

"In 2025, I decided to start building my personal brand... we grew the audience to over 265,000 people."

• Demonstrates the initial success and growth in building a personal brand.

"We decided to introduce your career... what that video was and what the goal was."

• Highlights the importance of an introductory video to establish credibility and introduce oneself to the audience.

• Organizing content and establishing a project management system is essential for efficient content production.
• Using tools like Google Drive and project management boards helps keep track of content status and ensures smooth workflow.

"Organize our Google Drive a certain way and have a file structure like a file naming convention and everything."

• Emphasizes the need for organized content management systems.

"Get yourself a project management board... and make sure that you can stay on track."

• Suggests using project management tools to maintain content production efficiency.

• Translating natural ways of operating into frameworks helps in creating structured and understandable content.
• Learning from experienced communicators can provide insights into effective content delivery.

"How do I develop my natural ways of operating into frameworks?"

• Discusses the process of creating structured content from inherent ways of thinking.

"I've worked for some amazing individuals who are wildly gifted communicators."

• Acknowledges the influence of experienced communicators on content creation skills.

• Experimenting with new video formats and styles can provide insights into what works best for both creators and audiences.
• Detailed pre-production planning, including scripting and shot listing, is crucial for successful video production.

"We did another video like this, like the first experimental video in London, and it was so much fun."

• Reflects on the positive experience of experimenting with new video formats.

"We ended up shooting this video over 3 days wanting to get it done in one."

• Highlights the importance of thorough pre-production planning to avoid extended shooting schedules.

• Engaging skilled motion graphics artists can enhance video quality and viewer engagement.
• Providing clear instructions and creative freedom to contractors can lead to innovative and effective results.

"Shout out Michael Moyes... He's [__] awesome."

• Praises the contribution of a skilled motion graphics artist to the project's success.

"If you hire somebody who has a portfolio that shows you that they are good at what they do, trust them."

• Stresses the importance of trusting skilled professionals to deliver quality work.

• Involving team members in creative decisions fosters trust and can lead to better content outcomes.
• Encouraging team members to provide input and make creative arguments can enhance content quality.

"Bringing in that level of trust and asking your team... giving that creative flexibility."

• Highlights the value of involving team members in creative decision-making processes.

"If you make a good argument for it, I'm probably going to go with you."

• Encourages team members to contribute creatively by making well-reasoned arguments.

• Observing and learning from industry leaders, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, can provide valuable insights into personal brand building and audience engagement.
• Prioritizing the audience and putting them first can lead to long-term success and credibility.

"Gary for the last couple years has been focused... and he wanted to do something really [__] cool in May for V friends."

• Describes the influence of Gary Vaynerchuk's approach to audience engagement and brand building.

"I really want to act like Gary and do what Gary does, which is put the audience first."

• Expresses the desire to emulate Gary Vaynerchuk's audience-first approach in personal brand building.

• The course launched in May, achieving 49,362 views in the first month, which was unexpectedly high.
• By the end of May, views had reached 165,161, continuing to grow with daily hits between 2,000 to 4,000.
• The course's success led to an increase in email subscribers and demand for business services.

"By the end of May, I was conducting quite a few of these interviews and one in particular really stood out."

• The course's rapid growth necessitated operational changes and hiring, such as bringing on a chief of staff.

• The demand from the course led to a need for better operational management, prompting the search for an executive assistant.
• Kate Padoba was hired as the chief of staff, marking a significant operational shift from a personal project to a business.

"We determined that we didn't just need an executive assistant. We needed a chief of staff, somebody to help with the operations of everything."

• Kate's hiring allowed for more personal time and better business management, highlighting the importance of strategic hiring.

• The business growth allowed for personal experiences, such as a motorcycle trip, reflecting a balance between professional and personal life.
• The year marked a shift from just business growth to personal fulfillment and living.

"The really cool thing about this year is not only did we do a lot with the business content, but I also got to live, which was wild."

• This balance was a new experience, emphasizing the importance of personal time amidst professional demands.

• The first public speaking engagement in Mexico was a significant milestone, despite initial anxiety.
• The concept of contrarian takes as a key to brand success was developed, emphasizing unique positioning in the market.

"The big unlock that was so wildly clear was all the ones that were doing a really good job had a contrarian take."

• The importance of brand positioning through contrarian takes, delivery, and wrapping paper was identified as crucial for standing out.

• Continuous iteration was identified as a key strategy for content improvement and brand development.
• The process of refining content and operational strategies through constant feedback and adaptation was emphasized.

"The number one takeaway so far in this entire podcast is like if you can operate like that for your first few years of your personal brand, you will grow."

• Iteration was highlighted as crucial for both content and operational strategies, allowing for continuous improvement.

• A failed video shoot led to a lesson in respecting the audience's time, resulting in a pivot to more pre-production focus.
• The importance of preparation and audience respect was reinforced through this experience.

"I remember so distinctly too just pounding into my head as I was sitting there in front of the lights with nothing to say being like this will never happen again."

• This experience underscored the need for thorough preparation and respect for the audience's time and attention.

• A major focus was on creating sustainable content workflows and finding efficiencies in content production.
• The hiring of an editor was a strategic move to manage workload and maintain content quality.

"We needed to hire an editor. So, we did editor tryouts actually for like finding an editor."

• The emphasis was on building a team and workflow that could support increased content output and quality.

• Planning for 2026 involved setting goals for doubling content output and expanding to new platforms like Instagram.
• The focus was on building a sustainable foundation and scaling content efforts strategically.

"Next year, I want to... we have the goal of doubling the amount of YouTube videos at the same quote unquote quality."

• Strategic planning was key to ensuring sustainable growth and effective content scaling.

These notes encapsulate the key themes and insights from the transcript, highlighting the growth, operational changes, and strategic planning undertaken throughout the year.