Start Over: A New Beginning for Your Brand

Do you feel like you're on a treadmill of content creation? Constantly running with no end in sight? That's exactly how I feel all the time. Recently, I was reviewing my YouTube channel and noticed an interesting pattern: for the past 7 years, I've been starting and stopping. But I never give up, and neither should you.

If you're here, you're likely a creator or professional struggling to create content consistently. That's normal, but it's not a reason to give up. Starting, stopping, and restarting is all part of growing your personal brand.

I remember uploading this video yonks ago, and the content is still relevant today.?YouTube holds the value of knowledge better.

It's never too late to start or take a step back, reset, and reflect on your personal brand journey. Here's how:

??Start small by showing up

7 years ago, I began my personal branding journey with zero followers and everything to gain. I chose a live-streaming app called Meerkat to start. It died within six months, but I showed up every day, streaming and engaging. The effort paid off, and I became a top streamer with 22k followers. This period taught me the value of consistency, which helped me develop confidence in telling better stories and prepared me for success.

When LinkedIn introduced videos in late 2017, I was ready to grab attention with my own hands. I started with zero followers, but this one video opened the floodgates for me to grow rapidly. I noticed an opportunity and began consistently creating content on this platform. Growing my audience opened doors for running my own businesses like Chubbiverse and developing my skills in branding and marketing.

I'm also giggling, I love this video as it was my entry into growing a presence on LinkedIn. We don't know when we will be worthwhile till we start.

So, what's the key to starting your video or any content?

?? Start creating content and be a voice.?

?? Start by commenting for 15 minutes per day

?? Start building intentional relationships & collab with creators

?? Start gaining clarity and focus on how to grow your personal brand

These small steps are applicable to any social media platform, and this is a timely reminder for me: that I need to make the effort on YouTube to create an impact.

??It's okay to stop to reset, and then start again

Taking a break to reset is perfectly fine. Initially, I felt guilty about it despite having experienced growth, but it's important to prioritise and respect our energy and effort, especially during busy periods. My focus has been on Chubbiverse for the past 18 months, but I now have the mental space to create again. The me-now is a lot more interesting and wiser. I’m excited to share my knowledge.

Taking a break allowed me to reflect and re-strategise, which resulted in higher conviction and patience. Although YouTube requires a long-term commitment, I’m going to experiment and treat it like a game to help me have fun. Also, I have so many stuck things in my head, that I want to share about how I gained an audience and made a business out of it.?

?? Follow along my journey as I go through a re-brand

I'm currently resetting and re-organizing my personal brand through a new newsletter (TBH, I'm winging it), which specifically caters to creators interested in growing and starting their personal brand. Life can be hectic and that’s okay. When you’re ready to restart, it's crucial to take things one step at a time and set realistic goals to ensure consistency. Remember, it's never too late to start again.

For me, YouTube has been a stop-and-start-stop-start-again journey, but each restart has provided more clarity on strategic growth. While it requires patience, the investment is worthwhile, and I'm proud of the progressive quality of my output.

Strategically, it feels like Shorts is the way to go. I'm planning to document it via my creator newsletter. My string-spidery says YouTube Shorts + podcasting, and the Substack newsletter are the next opportunities for growth in 2023.

?? Keep moving forward; share your golden nuggets

No matter where you are in your journey, you are constantly growing and evolving. As you may have noticed, I am biased towards personal branding as it has been a powerful tool that helped me throughout my own journey. I strongly believe that it can also help you grow exponentially. Remember, it's never too late to start building your personal brand.

???String Nguyen

See you next week for more Golden Nuggets.