Issue 18

April 29, 2024

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3 Myths About Brand Building That You Should Stop Believing

Myths can be dangerous. They can skew your perception of reality and prevent you from taking action if you believe them.

When it comes to building your brand, there are three myths I hear over and over again.

1. I don't have time.
2. It's too hard to get started.
3. I'm going to sound salesy.

None of these are true. They are misconceptions perpetuated by people who have never tried to build their brand. It's time to debunk these myths once and for all.

Yes, you do have time

I don't have time.

We all have time and I'll prove it to you. Answer these questions:

• How much time do you spend checking email?
• How much time do you spend on social media?
• How much time do you spend watching TV?

I bet you spend many minutes every day on these activities. Add those minutes up during the week and you'll have several hours of free time. That's all you need.

I work full-time, have two kids, and still find time to build my brand. Some days I grab time in the morning before I start my job. On other days I devote part of my lunch break. I'm not the only one with a busy schedule who does this.

Meet Kori Wilson. She's building a ghostwriting business while being a full-time lawyer and mom. She finds time in the morning and evening to write for her clients. It's not easy, but she does it one day at a time. If she can do it, you can too.

You can start building your brand in one hour

It's too hard to get started.

I admit that getting started is the hardest part of building your brand. However, it's not impossible. I wrote a getting started guide. You can start in one hour.

Building your brand is no different than building anything else. If you have a good strategy, create new habits, and focus on consistency, your brand will grow over time.

Meet Gabriel, one of my favorite builders. He's already halfway through his impressive 2024 goal. His third app, FeaturesVote, even has paying customers. He didn't wait around to get started. He set a goal and then got to work building his brand and business. Over the past few months, I've watched his brand and business grow. He inspires the Build in Public community on X and is a great example of what can happen if you just get started.

Focus on value, not sales

I'm going to sound salesy.

First things first, it's okay to promote your thoughts, opinions, and work. If you want a successful career, I would argue it's not just okay but essential to self-promote.

Ideally, our friends and co-workers would do all the marketing for us. They would tell the world about our latest achievements and be our biggest publicists. However, this rarely happens because people are busy and usually focus on themselves.

You know yourself the best. You know exactly how far you've come and what you've accomplished. That makes you a better hype person than anyone else.

One way to promote yourself without sounding salesy is to focus on the value you add.

• Did you finish a big project at work?
• Did you solve a problem?
• Did you help a friend or co-worker in need?

By doing good things for yourself and others, you're spreading positivity. And positivity is something that should always be shared.

Regardless of what you're selling, focus on the value it provides, the problem it solves, and the results it can produce. Someone who does this better than most is Justin Welsh.

He is one of the most successful solopreneurs on social media right now. He has hundreds of thousands of LinkedIn followers and newsletter subscribers. His digital products have made him millions of dollars. And he does all this without sounding salesy.

Does he promote his products? Absolutely. However, he only does so when it's relevant. He's not pushy and he never sounds like a broken record. He makes sure you know about his products, but he doesn't force you to buy them.

So there you have it. You can build your brand, promote yourself, and not sound salesy. Justin, Kori, and Gabriel are excellent examples of how to do this.

Now that you know it's possible to build your brand, I hope you believe you can too.

When you're ready to get started, check out my 3-step method to start building your brand.

Thanks for reading this week. See you next week! 👋

David Weiss Founder • Made by DW ​Follow me on X, LinkedIn, & Instagram​

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