Brand You Personal Branding

No other framework has impacted my marketing, message, and business more than Donald Miller's StoryBrand framework. I first connected with Don in April 2016 when he contacted me to work with him on a book about the StoryBrand framework. That book is out now: Building A StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen (Amazon) Don joins me on this episode of the podcast to walk you through...

Are you aware of your competitive advantage? Most people don't, and it's because they're not even sure what kind of competitive advantages are out there. In this episode, I unpack 5 competitive distinct advantages: Price Affinity Authority Skill Availability Here are some snippets from today's episode: What I learned about competition during a dinner with the owner of Connecticut's largest moving...

This week I reflect on some thoughts inspired by the terrific business leaders I've met over the past few weeks ... as well as Jiro Ono, widely considered the world's greatest sushi chef and star of the film,  Jiro Dreams of Sushi . I also pose three questions for you to consider as you continue your journey in building your business and creating impact with your ideas. Here are some snippets from...

John Nemo helps coaches, consultants, and small business owners generate quality leads, build their client base, and increase revenue using digital marketing platforms and tools like LinkedIn and Webinars.   John is a former Associated Press Reporter, Talk Radio Producer, Award-Winning PR Director and Social Media Consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.   John has personally rewritten LinkedIn...

Blogging remains one of the best ways to market your thought leadership business, and today Katie Hornor shares a few strategies she used to monetize her blog ... all the way from Mexico. Years ago, Katie and her family relocated in order to missions and social work. They decided blogging would how they would raise money, and they created their first product: a homeschool curriculum in Spanish. Si...

Success is sequential, not simultaneous. This episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the system I am implementing now, step-by-step. I anticipate that implementing this system will skyrocket my reach and revenue because it "touches" all aspects of what I need to grow the online portion of my business: brand awareness, authority, a growing email list, and sales. Gather data Commit to doing m...

This past week I spent 3 days in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for an exclusive mastermind with other business owners to share wisdom, ask questions, and connect over great food and amazing scenery. In this episode, I share 5 takeaways from my time with Ray Edwards , John Nemo , Jeff Bullas , Ernie Svenson , Matt and Tara McWilliams , Mark Sieverkropp , Mark and Amy Timm , and Jody Maberry . I ha...

In this special episode, my friend Jody Maberry flips the lineup and interviews me right after wrapping up Influence & Impact 2017. Tune in for some of my personal biggest takeaways from hosting this conference, including: the "3 little pigs" business strategy and why it works why business success is sequential, not simultaneous how I used a strategic approach year-by-year to fill this conference...

Planning and promoting a live event is like starting an entirely new business in itself. In this episode, I give you a "pick my brain" look into how I made certain decisions for my conference, Influence & Impact 2017. Any new product or service I create starts with one simple question, "What is the big problem I'm trying to solve?" The answer to that determines every decision I make thereafter, af...

On Friday nights, I often catch up with friends in Alphabet City, a neighborhood in the East Village of New York City. One of our favorite spots is a bar called  Fat Buddha . We're regulars, so we've gotten to know the bartenders. One night I got I in early before the night crowd strolled in. The crew was still getting setup and  I noticed Shannon, one of bartenders, put out a tip jar … then add h...

Years ago, a study showed that just after placing a bet, people felt much more confident about their horse's chance of winning than they did just prior to making the bet. Obviously, their bet doesn't actually change the chances of that horse winning. The jockey, horse, track, weather ... none of it is impacted at all… So why the spike in confidence? It has to do with commitment & consistency, whic...

Influence has been the magic ingredient to my success - both in business and in life. Today, I kick off a series on the topic of influence. Each episode will contain some practical tips for your marketing, and a story or two from my own life where I've seen these factors at play. In this episode, I cover the topic of reciprocity. Human beings hate being in a state of obligation, which is precisely...

Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They're an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want. In this episode, I share 3 things do whenever my business goes through a transition: Accept that success = change. Re-evaluate who I spend time with, and who spends time with me. Re-evaluate what I spend most of my...

In this episode you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at my recent speaking / coaching trip to Franklin, TN. Tune in and you'll learn: The story behind losing my wallet on the plane, and having Dan Miller and Jody Maberry help me focus on "What does this make possible?" How answering the question, "What is the ONE THING I need to do next that will make everything else easier?" The "5 balls of life"...

What do you do if you market a product or service that people HAVE to buy, rather than WANT to buy? In this episode I interview Vince Parry of the Parry Branding Group . Vince is one of most recognized experts in the field of healthcare branding and has worked on many of the most iconic health and wellness brands over the last 30 years, including Lipitor, Colgate Total, Botox, Prozac, Dove, Advil...

In this episode, I interview Neal Samudre of EssentialHustle.com on how he builds evergreen funnels that sell online courses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the same approach he has used for his private clients to help them generate five and even six-figures a MONTH with these funnels. ​Record an evergreen webinar Automate your webinar recording Write your email copy Automate your email del...

I, Mike Kim, am an opportunity junkie. While leveraging opportunities has contributed greatly to my success, it's become really apparent that I need a different approach to business and life. These 7 principles from Greg McKeown's book Essentialism have helped me make difficult decisions in the past few weeks: 1. We can make one-time decisions that make a thousand future decisions so we don't exha...

The key to delivering a successful speech or workshop involves more than just content. Presentation is vital. But any professional communicator knows there are a myriad of external factors that affect you and the audience's ability to engage with you: lighting, room layout, ambient noise, time of day, and more. In today's episode, I outline 5 things I do to manage these external factors so I can s...

The key to clarity lies in asking the right questions. In today's episode, I share 4 questions that I learned from Michael Hudson on a recent consulting trip. Michael uses these questions when journaling every morning, and he recommended I try them out. In the days since I started asking (and answering) these questions, my clarity and focus have sharpened like never before. Michael is a well-respe...

Facilitating brainstorming sessions can be a challenge, especially when you have a room full of creative people. In today's episode, I share 3 simple tips that can dramatically increase the quality, engagement, and results of brainstorming sessions that you host -- especially if you are a coach or consultant working with a client's team. I learned these simple tips this past week during a consulti...

We continue our "Niches" series today with Ernie Svenson. Ernie is a former lawyer based in New Orleans who then went on to launch one of the most successful personal brand blogs in his industry. Ernie now runs a full-time online business serving the very niche he made his living in. This is a terrific interview that showcases how you can utilize your digital footprint to start, run, and grow a pe...

If you're a speaker looking to "pivot" the type of audience you serve, this episode is a must listen. We continue our "Niches" series today with Kent Julian . Kent has one of the most interesting -- and intentional -- speaking businesses I've seen. He started out as a director of youth ministries (churches), went into the education space, then into youth leadership, and most recently into the asso...

It's been said the "riches are in the niches" -- and that's what we're going to be looking at for the next 3 episodes on the podcast. You're going to get real-world case studies of how several of my friends and colleagues have built significant six-figure personal brands by narrowing their niche. In today's episode, I interview Jeff McMahon of Total Body Construction , a personal trainer who has t...

In today's episode I interview Alissa Daire Nelson, a speaker, coach, and author of the new book From Frustrated to Frickin' Awesome: 4 Steps To Achieve the Success You're Wired For. If you've ever felt guilty about not being good at "everything" then this episode is for you! Alissa specializes in strengths-based coaching, using both the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment and her own material. We...

This episode is a direct response to a question posted in the Brand You Community Facebook group by Mariana Ruiz: "One thing that keeps coming to mind is how do you get good at networking? I am a huge introvert and this year I have pushed myself out to join masterminds and even going to a live event. How do I keep up those relationships and nourish the right ones without feeling burnt out? And als...