So, you think you can brand, huh? ?? Don't give up your day job.

Welcome to the first edition of Newsletter for Noobs.

Every Saturday, at 7 a.m. (GMT), you'll get a microdose of brand & copywriting medicine to take with your morning coffee. ??

Enjoy!

And thanks for subscribing! ??

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Estimated read time: 4 mins

Okay! So, why are you here?

You signed up for one of 3 reasons:

• You're a noob.
• You're curious.
• You're nosy.

Or maybe you're just here to steal the greatest playlist ever made:

Some people make branding look easy, don't they? ??

Ignore those people.

Branding is hard. And breaking into "branding" is even harder.

Do you want to know how I did it?

It took me over 20 years to get to where I am now...and I'm still not where I want to be! But I know I'm on the right path.

In my experience, "experience" means nothing.

I had no "experience" when I first started out. I had no qualifications, no connections, and no luck.

But I also had no doubt, no fear, and no choice.

It was 2016.

I had spent years working a number of jobs that made me miserable. I wanted to do something different; to be something different.

I just needed one chance.

Then I got it.

A guy I knew wanted to open a restaurant. A restaurant that not only served locally-sourced ingredients to local customers, but would also serve the local community with events, entertainment, and hangout spaces. It had to be unlike anything the town had seen before. It had to be unique. It had to stand out.

What he needed was a brand.

Now, I don't believe in luck, so I'm not lying when I said that I had none.

People create their own luck, and what others may perceive as luck, is actually just smart positioning, perfect timing, and positive action – and I was in the right time, the right place, so I acted.

I appointed myself as his brand manager...then I branded the shit outta his restaurant!

It was the talk of the town and had the biggest social following of any business in the area before it opened its doors.

But, soon after those doors opened, I started to feel overwhelmed. I wasn't just managing a brand anymore; I had to manage the restaurant, the business, the staff.

I am 'The Imposter'.

I was a fraud. A fake. A liar.

I wasn't a good restaurant manager at all. I was a brand manager.

As soon as I realised that, I quit.

Unemployed again. Broke again. Lost again.

Thankfully, the brandwork I did for the restaurant had impressed a few local businesses, and I had learned enough about myself to be confident in what I did.

So, I decided to set up my own business to offer branding, copywriting, and design services – I called it 'Rebel Creative Company'.

I had a handful of clients, but it wasn't enough. I reached out to agencies in Helsinki for freelance work. I sent them my portfolio and I got a call-back from an agency I liked.

They wanted to see more examples of my work. The problem was that I had none.

So, I did what I had done in the past – and I faked it!

I created a fake brand. Gave it a fake name with a fake logo. Fake tagline, even a fake product.

They bought it. And I won a 3-month contract.

I was thriving – surrounded by people who were better than I was. I observed, absorbed, and learned every day, and I grew into a well-rounded, competent, professional.

I had racked up almost 4 years of "experience" out of nowhere.

And soon after, I got my big break when a global brand that I really admired was looking for a full-time copywriter.

I ended up turning my belief, my passion, and my natural ability into a permanent career.

"Fake it...until you make it!"

In this job, you will always be a fraud until you convince everyone that you're not – remember that.

You will have to do this over and over again, starting from scratch each time: with every new project; every new line of copy; or every new client – it's exhausting, but you do it because you love what you do.

I'm no expert, and I will never claim to be (don't listen to anyone claiming to be one!), but I do do it professionally now.

"do do" ??

And I'm good at it!

I went from the daily grind, to crafting brand-level copy & strategy on the daily.

It's a day job that I'm extremely proud of.

I earned it. I deserve it.

And, if you want it bad enough; you deserve it, too!

But, how the hell do YOU get industry "experience" if you've never been in the industry?

That's the easy part.

You're going to like this!

You ready?

It has nothing to do with "experience" at all!

It has nothing to do with education, or luck.

It's all about your real experience. It's about what you manifest and love and work hard for – and try and try and try and fail for. And then you get back up and you try again.

The best way to get "experience" is to create it!

And your personal brand is the most important brand you'll ever build.

Get out there and build it!

Believe. Learn. Adapt. Grow. Do. Be.

I've made it my personal mission to help as many Brand Noobs. as I can.

So, if you're a NEW:

• Brander or Copywriter;
• Solopreneur or Personal Brand;
• Brand-New Brand or Early-Stage Startup.

Feel free to DM me. Follow me on LinkedIn. And join me next Saturday for another edition of Newsletter for Noobs.

Thanks for reading! ??

David