Everyone who is a person has a brand in the sense that your reputation precedes you, that just hearing your name implies a promise. But Personal Brand with a capital P and a capital B, as something you do for a living – that doesn’t feel like a strategy to me.
A strategy to me is, “Who do you seek to serve?” Are they part of a tribe? What do they believe? What’s their worldview, and what are their challenges? Can you show up for that kind of person – the smallest viable audience – and bring them something that they need. Maybe it’s something that has your name on it, maybe it’s something that has an organisation’s name on it, maybe it’s simply something fairly anonymous, like a piece of software.
But we don’t begin with – at least I don’t begin with – “How do I get a microphone?” because I feel like that’s a little bit of a trap. Because social media rewards people who seek a spotlight in the short run, but in the long run it benefits social media, it doesn’t benefit you.
Seth Godin – Akimbo, S 8 E 16 Modern Monetary Theory