Taking time to care about your “personal brand” doesn’t make you a bad person.

Taking time to care about your “personal brand” doesn’t make you a bad person.

We need to stop vilifying terms we don’t understand. Too many people want to paint anyone who cares about their personal brand as egotistical or self-centered. I don’t see it that way.

Things get less scary when they are simplified:

Personal brand = What you are known for

Let’s look at what I was known for throughout my career:

Early 20’s - DJ

Mid 20’s - radio station promo guy

Late 20’s to early 30’s - web content and marketing guy / DJ (again)

Early 30’s - Dolphins guy

Mid 30’s to early 40’s - Padres brand guy. CMO.

Mid 40’s - Brand guy. Entrepreneur. Speaker.

When I transitioned from being the best t-shirt hander-outer in the game to a more serious role in the mid-2000’s is when I discovered the power of “personal brand”. I WAS “Wayne & the Waterboyz” from WEEI and many people couldn’t let that perception of me go. I decided to take control of who I was and more importantly who I wanted to be.

Fast forward to 2018, I didn’t believe my love of storytelling was only in sports. I knew I wanted to scratch my entrepreneurial itch. I saw the top of the mountain for the goals I had set when I arrived in SD.

Five years ago I had a vision for where I would be today. So when others tried to vilify my commitment to controlling “what I am known for” or my personal brand, I laughed. I knew my destination and knew my reasons. I didn’t need to justify them to people who didn’t know where I was going.

I share this today, because too many people are afraid to redefine “what they are known for”. Don’t be afraid. Set a goal.

What will you be known for in 2028?

#WhatsYourCUENTO

#Goals #PersonalBrand #Brand #Resume #Vilify #DoYou #Radio #Dj