Put yourself out there.

How we are building a personal brand and how you can too.

One of the great leaps in We Are Makers over the past 18 months was Kate, and I's shift to showing more of us. Who we are, our thoughts, our day to day... which is quite literally, we are makers from sun up to sun down (and oftentimes way before the sun is up and way after it is down). 

But why did we make this change? Well. We both buy from people, not necessarily products; we buy from those who make the product, those whose stories are intertwined in the very being of that thing. So we felt we had to embody that ourselves. 

This opened several doors for us. one being the podcast. By far, it is our most popular output, with thousands of people around the world listening to our episodes. We could only have done this with a personal brand. More importantly, this contributed to our personal brand. 

Some huge winners in the personal brand space are Huda Beauty, with a 600m empire in beauty products launched off of her personality, Connor McGregor, the UFC fighter and his Irish whisky brand Proper Twelve, which hit 600m in its first few years, and of course Dwayne "the rock" Johnson and his tequila brand Teramana. Which is reportedly worth over 3.5 billion, according to Yahoo Finance. 

These numbers are maddening. I personally find them incomprehensible. But the trend runs true. Big personalities behind the brands mean big numbers. Which enforces PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE. 

People buy from people.

We often forget this. Because we see digital storefronts and marketing campaigns. It's safe to say we all lack the high street interactions and community there once was. But not to dwell on the past; how can we move forward and inject some personality and our personal brand into what we do as makers. Here are some actionable steps Kate and I think you can immediately introduce your audience to you. 

1. Define Your Unique Value Proposition: What makes you different? Identify the core elements of your story and expertise that set you apart from others in your field. It could be anything from where you live to the tool choices you make to even the tea/coffee you drink. Or the copious amounts of it you drink. 
2. Be Authentic and Transparent: Share your journey, including the successes and challenges. Authenticity resonates with audiences and builds stronger connections. 
3. Consistently Create Content: Whether behind-the-scenes looks, tutorials, or sharing your inspirations, consistent content creation keeps your audience engaged and grows your presence. Show yourself in this content. Even if you can't bring yourself to the camera just yet, start with your hands and work up. 
4. Engage with Your Community: Building a personal brand is not just about broadcasting your story; it's about creating a dialogue. Respond to comments, participate in relevant conversations, and support other makers. Curly Jo is a great example of this, and having gained over 200k followers on Instagram in the last 12-18 months, I think that's plenty of proof that it works. Look at Jo's feed and look at the comments; she gets back to everyone. 
5. Leverage Multiple Platforms: While Instagram might be a hotspot for makers, don't overlook other platforms like Pinterest, YouTube, or TikTok. Each platform offers unique advantages and reaches different segments of your target audience. We find YouTube to be a great chance to get over your personal brand. In fact, since our last hive call (which will return soon), Will from Honey Brook Tools has started a YouTube channel. And I now know better than the many conversations we had before, just from watching his videos. 

So if you are not already doing it, set yourself a little challenge, to continue to be as you as you can be. and let others know you are you, unapologetically.

I cant wait to find out who you all are.

J