Brand You Personal Branding

We're back on the show after taking the holiday week off and we're hitting the ground running with the first of several copywriting-based episodes. Tune in and you'll hear a presentation I gave at a private, high-ticket workshop on some of the most recent copyhacks I've been using and teaching. If you want to "look over my shoulder" as I write a launch in real-time (and get access to some of my favorite copywriting resources) then go to writegreatcopy.com and sign up. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

"In a personal brand, the messenger is often more important than the message." One of the most underrated and overlooked pieces of marketing content you can create is this very episode! In the personal brand space, the messenger is more important than the message. Think about every "guru" or expert you follow. Does that person say anything radically different from his or her competition? Radically different? Probably not. So why do you follow that person over, say, someone else? It's because of the way you feel about them. It's because there's some level of connection or commonality, and that's exactly what doing a "7 Things You May Not Know About Me" post does for you. I often use this kind of content in new settings like group coaching days or mastermind sessions to build rapport and pick up on interesting things about people that might be used in their marketing. For this episode, I selected these topics (and you'll hear my answers to each): Favorite food Nickname as a kid First job Best travel story Family tradition What you wanted to be as a kid Something you are "OCD" about The point is to have fun with this kind of post. I'll often pull from the answers to these questions and create a "Hi, I'm Mike" post after I've received a number of new followers on social media. Otherwise people feel like they're jumping into my story mid-season, and doing a post that summarizes some of these things can help bring people into my journey and brand. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Having been raised in the restaurant industry, sister duo Kay Salerno and Shila Morris know business. They are responsible for 5 corporate stores and a growing franchise company, Squeeze In. I met Kay and Shi during my work with the John Maxwell Team, and we'll be teaming up for a workshop on personal branding in Orlando this August at the International Maxwell Certification event. We cover several business building and social media marketing tips in this interview, including: How Kay and Shi got featured on Throw Down with Bobby Flay on the Food Network How they navigate price increases and changes in market positioning How they created premium experiences (and charged premium prices) in a demographic that didn't seem like it would accept it Some of my favorite takeaways from this episode include the idea that numbers are the language of business, and that we should serve one-to-one, not one-size-fits-all. For more on Kay and Shi: Visit their website Follow @KayandShi on Instagram Tune into their podcast, Millennial Mentorship EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

This is one of the most important interviews I've ever done, because it has to do with the financial side of running a personal brand business. Jessica Mae from the Bottom Line CPA has been the single-handed biggest change agent in my business over the past year. In this interview, you'll hear how my own financial negligence completely cleaned me out and how Jessica and her team brought me up from rock-bottom to get to a healthy place in my finances. We talk about the "Profit First" plan and the process by which Jess led me to create systems, gather facts, and then plan my profit strategy. I often joke that I'd let every other contractor I hire go before losing Jess and her team, and it's actually very true. If you struggle AT ALL with finances in your business, i.e. budgeting, payroll, taxes -- anything -- please listen to this interview. The Bottom Line CPA: thebottomlinecpa.com Connect with Me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn Facebook Twitter YouTube

My time in Florida has come to a close (nothing to worry about, it was always intended to be a 6-month tenure) -- and I have so many incredible insights from my time there. When you work with people of the caliber of John Maxwell and Paul Martinelli, you're bound to pick up on a few things. Here are just a few that impacted me, that I hope will help add value to you: Incentivize people with money and commissions. You'll hear a bit of my background in sales (yes, I used to be a telemarketer!) and how I was inspired to return to my roots in commission-based incentives. You can't save your way to wealth. I spent more money to keep my business running during this time period, and it made more money because of it. You're being hired to either put out a fire or fan a flame. Remember this analogy! It will be of use to you when having conversations with potential clients. Telling is not selling. If all you do is tell, you aren't having a conversation, you're giving a lecture. There are fans, and there are people who actually want to learn. My time in Florida was amazing from a professional standpoint. The wisdom I gained there is invaluable -- but I also gained tremendous personal clarity because, well, I didn't like living in Florida! It was good for me in that I had a place to land for six months. Life was a bit chaotic the past few years, so it was good to be grounded for a season. I realized more than ever that I want to live in a place where I can feed off the energy, atmosphere, and culture. EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

As you may know, video is one of the fastest growing marketing channels out there right now. Chances are you already consume video in some aspect, whether it's Facebook Lives, Instagram videos or stories, YouTube, and so forth. But how do you get comfortable doing video? In this solo episode, I take a few minutes to share how I got my start doing video: Start Big Go Small Start Strong You'll also get some of my insights on how I approach hosting webinars and group coaching calls, as well as what I learned from comedian Chris Rock about creating a bigger personality that people can connect with. Looking for tools? Visit My Resources Page Here » EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

There's an important distinction between keynotes in the personal brand space: Informational vs. Inspirational. The two require different approaches. Since I'm mostly in the informational space, I prepare for my keynotes this sequence: Determine the Call To Action Write quotables and Tweetables Gather stories for within the presentation, not without Create sparse slides (clean, minimalistic) Dress the way I want to be photographed EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

I met Mark Wade in 2018 when I attended a mastermind he hosted in Puerto Rico. I received so much value from the event that I went in 2019 and have already registered to attend in 2020. One of the biggest takeaways involved virtual summits. Mark inspired me to host one. I knew the power of summits but resisted the idea but it just seemed like so much work. Then he told me about repurposing content for a summit and about his "One Day Summit" formula -- and I was hooked. Tune into this episode and you'll hear about how I implemented what Mark shared with me, earned five-figures on a summit at just $67 per purchase, and what it did for my business. RESOURCES: Puerto Rico Masterminds The Virtual Summit Podcast Virtual Summit Software EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Karen Anderson is an associate publisher with Morgan James Publishing in NYC. Considered one of the "titans" of direct marketing, Karen shares insights from an illustrious career in book publishing, marketing, and copywriting. If you've ever wanted to know how to get started writing a book, what publishers look for in book proposals, or what it really takes to land a book deal then this episode is for you. Karen's Resources: strategicbookcoach.com EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Kate Erickson is the brilliant business strategist and implementer behind the wildly popular online brand, Entrepreneurs On Fire. "EOFire" generates over $3M in annual revenue, and Kate and her partner John run the entire business virtually with just a handful of team members (less than 5 total). The key to their success is found in their systems, and Kate pulls back the curtain to show you: Automate: done by apps Delegate: done by people Batch: done by you, the content creator The single most time-saving app that Kate uses (Text Expander) and so much more This episode is a must-see for anyone who set a strong foundation to scale their business. Kate's Entire Podcast, Season 2 on Systems: https://www.eofire.com/creating-systems-for-your-business/ EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com