As a member of Gary Vaynerchuk’s brand team, I am in the business of content creation and distribution. I am a part of an amazing group of people who work together to produce his content. Gary drops verbal gems every few minutes, so it’s not hard to come up with compelling material for every platform based on watching or listening to him for a short period of time.
Content Creation Is Hard Work
Trying to come up with my own personal content is not nearly as easy. Granted, this is something I’ll have to work on after hours and on weekends, but that’s really no excuse. I set my new website live on Monday and while that was work in itself, it is nothing compared to the work that I’m about to have to do.
I am now responsible for everything from generating regular content, to growing an audience, to cultivating a brand identity, and tending to little details— all to create something that many would say is entirely optional.
Starting something is easy. It’s everything after the gun goes off that matters.
A lot of thought, money, and time goes into what people put out there and how they want you to perceive them. Do I feel confident I can look at your social platforms and tell you what I think you should do based on your personal or professional goals? Yes. I’m comfortable with the space, as well as my ability to be objective and assess human behavior and motivations. I also really enjoy issue spotting and helping other people grow their businesses. On some level, it makes me feel like I am doing something meaningful for someone else.
This project is different for me.
This feels more selfish with an added layer of vulnerability. There’s an insecurity here: why would anyone want to trust me with their brand, if I can’t build my own?
I know myself incredibly well, but that doesn’t mean content will flow effortlessly. I don’t know how to be anyone other than unabashedly who I am. A good amount of “randomness” is on brand for me. Hell, look at any of my social media profile descriptions (here and here). I don’t want to be pigeonholed as one thing because I am not one thing. That doesn’t mean I can’t build off of a particular interest or skill set and go from there.
In the meantime, I’m going to document this process publicly because:
1. The most interesting part in anyone’s story is the journey.
2. I don’t know how to live any other way.
*This is not optional for me. I’ve had a suffocating need to create something of my own for a long time so this is the start of that.
