Don't Build A Personal Brand Business

There's a much better way

I have generated a lot of success through my personal brand. I am grateful for every opportunity it has created. But the longer I create content, the more I realize that monetizing a personal brand directly is a trap.

Let’s talk about why you shouldn’t build a personal brand business, and what you should do instead.

LFG. 🔥

Personal Brand Businesses Are Bad Businesses

I have been pouring energy into The Machine Method. I want to build a community that brings aspiring entrepreneurs together.

It excites me. It challenges me. It feels meaningful.

But if we are looking at pure financial returns, it is not the smartest use of my time. If I poured the same time and effort into Quantum Leads, I would generate significantly more revenue and my life would be a lot simpler.

Just in the last six days, I sent out proposals totaling $17,000 in monthly recurring revenue. I think I will close all three deals. Every high ticket agency deal is exponentially more valuable than any new subscription that comes into The Machine Method.

This is where people misunderstand the creator economy. There is a narrative online that everyone is making millions selling digital courses and communities. The truth is that almost no one is.

Monetizing your personal brand directly is an incredibly difficult business model, especially when it becomes the only thing you sell. When the business is tied to your name, you are forced to show up endlessly. You are the product. It becomes a treadmill.

However, You Should Absolutely Build A Personal Brand

Here is the nuance.

Your personal brand is one of the most valuable assets you can build, because your personal brand is your reputation. It gives you leverage. It gives you authority. It gives you opportunity.

You should create content. You should publish your ideas. You should build a media presence and let people see how you think. But you should not attempt to turn that into your primary business model.

It is far more strategic to allow your personal brand to support a separate business entity that stands on its own.

One of my favorite examples is my friend Alex Membrillo. Alex is the CEO of Cardinal Digital Marketing, an agency in the healthcare space.

He has a strong personal brand. He speaks on stages. He runs a podcast. He hosts events. People know him. But his business does not depend on his personal brand. His personal brand supports the business. Alex knows that his personal brand will create personal opportunity for him, but only through the lens of the bigger picture. His personal brand opens doors and creates relationships that he would not have had otherwise.

Yet, his businesses is not dependent on him “showing up”, day in and day out to monetize himself.

He built both. He keeps them separate. And that is the magic.

Your Personal Brand Is An Opportunity Machine

When I look back at the last decade of my career, I have made far more money from the opportunities that emerged because of my personal brand than I have from trying to monetize it directly.

I’ve built …

• Relationships.

• Partnerships.

• Equity deals.

• High ticket clients.

None of those came from selling my personal brand. They came from the attention and authority my personal brand created. Even my deal with Charles and him taking over Copyblogger came as a result of my personal brand.

We often look at people like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez, or Sahil Bloom and assume that we should copy their business model. What we do not see is the mountain of infrastructure behind the scenes, the years of momentum, and the fact that they were operators before they became creators.

It is far easier and much more reliable to build a cash flow positive business and then use your personal brand to fuel its growth.

Start with something simple that solves a real problem and generates real money. Build a business that earns while you sleep. Then let your personal brand be the catalyst that brings in relationships, credibility, and distribution.

Do I regret building The Machine Method No. I love coaching hungry entrepreneurs. I love creating content. I love the mission.

But would I recommend someone else copy my journey and try to monetize their personal brand from day one?

Absolutely not. It’s way more difficult and much lower likelihood of success.

Build a business that can operate without you. Build a personal brand with no expectation of monetization. Give freely, serve others and share without selling. Over time, opportunities show up that you did not plan for and could not have predicted.

Your personal brand is not the business. It is the engine that fuels the business.

The likes, follows and shares are not nearly as valuable as the dollars in your bank account.

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I’ll Teach You How To Build A Seven Figure Business

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from my life as an entrepreneur, it’s this.

ENTREPRENUERSHIP IS NOT COMPLICATED.

Internet gurus love to talk about “frameworks, secrets, and insights.” The reality is that every business follows the same exact process in order to generate sales, build internal systems, and scale.

I have broken this process down into six steps, which I call The Machine Method.

If you’re serious about starting an online business, I will guide you on your quest to seven figures.

Welcome to the machine. 🤖