The Power of the Personal Brand and Showing Up Imperfectly

It is not a foreign concept that gets lost too often.

Being genuine and showing up as your authentic self is the best way to connect with people and grow your audience and your business simultaneously.

People resonate with real stories.

People connect with real experiences.

We all look up to the people who are ahead of us in life, but we forget that there are and always will be those who are looking up to us.

While you yearn to improve your situation, there are people wishing they could be like you.

We have all gone through transitions in our lives - if you share that journey, there are so many people that will connect with your message.

And maybe, just maybe your story will help them.

We are a social species, but I think we tend to forget the importance of that.

We forget that social media is meant for just that. For us to be social.

The problem is, the more access you have to people the more likely you are to find frauds and the more likely you are to feel like you have to portray a certain version of yourself.

Don’t fall into that trap.

When you are transparent about your wins, losses, and lessons, people connect with that more and will trust what you say.

When you are honest about where you started and where you are now, people will believe they can make that transition themselves.

Believe it or not, people value honesty over perfection.

People don’t believe in perfection.

People believe in struggle. People believe in failure. People believe in progress.

One of the most common questions I hear is, “But there are so many people in the {insert niche/topic/business}, how to I separate myself from the competition?”

Being authentic and vulnerable is what differentiates you from the crowd. That is what separates you from all the other personal brands within your niche.

There is no one else exactly like you.

Therefore, your story will resonate with certain people while someone else just doesn’t. That is the power of the personal brand in full effect. The power of your individuality is what separates you from everyone else.

There is no competition when you focus on being the best and most authentic version of yourself rather than trying to mimic others or try to portray the version of yourself you think people want to see.

So…

Show them your struggles. Show them your failures. Show them your progress.

That is how you will build an audience of people who connect with you and want to learn from you.

Authenticity isn’t all about what you post. It is about living your brand with all of your interactions - online and offline. People can tell when something feels forced or fake. 

So don’t be fake, don’t force it. Keep your message true to who you really are.

Building a personal brand isn’t about creating a version of yourself to showcase on social media.

Building a personal brand is about sharing your story.

Building a personal brand is about finding your people. It is about connecting with people.

Building a personal brand is about being personal.

Don’t force it. Don’t fake it. Be real.