As I’m sitting here, wracking my brains and extending my knowledge into creating my own website, I’ve come upon a few realizations about myself and my “personal brand”.
The First realization is that web design and development – in a basic form – is way easier than I thought. In fairness, I know that hardcore software development and custom design implementation are abusive mistresses. However, simple, basic, and generally “good enough” website projects? Yeah – way easier than I expected.
Don’t get me wrong: This website isn’t even NEAR done, and (frankly) shouldn’t even be live right now. BUT, it wasn’t really all that hard to do. Or expensive. As I’m currently “unemployed” I’m a little sensitive to costs so I’ve been tracking my expenses. Thus far, my little escapade into self indulgence has cost me around $400.
The Second realization is that personal branding is one of the worst kinds of branding. Not because it’s hard, but because it’s really hard. Maybe for sane people, they have a fantastic sense of self and value. Unfortunately, for fucked up people like me, insane people that “seem” sane have a huge gap between self-awareness and self-worth – which, in the context of this prose makes a huge difference.
See, personal branding requires one to look in on themselves and decide “what am I, what is my voice, what do I stand for?” In general singles bar situations, this is just feigned bravado and some really good/fast talking. In business/silly self-employment escapades, this is like climbing Mount Everest, twice, and then just walking back across the Pacific so I can have a beer and relax on the couch (at least, that’s MY opinion).
However, in all this introspection (for me, my best work happens in the shower, on the throne, or just driving in my car) I’ve discovered my personal brand, which leads us to…
The Third Realization. I am who I am. I’m certifiably mentally ill, I’m funny, I’m crass, I have a fuck-ton of experience that I never wanted but found myself getting, and (with friends) I can actually let loose and just be 100% authentic. All of this means that if I’m going to put MYSELF out there as a business, a talent, and a consultant I have to decide whether I want potential clients to see “Agency Me” (he’s boring, btw) or “Real Me”.
I have recently (in the last 4 hours) decided that “fuck it”, I’m only going to offer “Real Me” (straight talk, still a toned-down version of the “REALLY REALLY Me) to potential clients. I feel it’s part of the “authentic” piece of my value, and honestly – I don’t know what to charge for acting like a real “professional” anymore. Successful Hollywood actors make millions per hour, and I don’t think that’s fair to charge for my line of work. It’s worth it – I’m a great actor, but nobody will pay it. So, I’ll just be me. And I say “fuck” a lot.
Which brings me around to the title of this post. Why are so many businesses afraid of the F-Bomb? I’ve counselled clients to be authentic, to be real, and to be themselves. People buy from people, right? That’s BUS 101. Yet, here we are in a world that everybody is afraid to say it in print whether or not they say it in real life. Often.
I guess, this is less about my opinions and realizations, but more about what I’ll decide to be my own personal brand. On careful consideration, I have decided that I (and any – god save us all – future employee of the FIXIT Group) will be bound to say the word “fuck” to any client at any time.
Fair play again, the clients of the FIXIT Group will likely be people that say “fuck” on regular/often occassion anyways, so maybe – just maybe – we’ll all be more comfortable talking adult to adult, peer to peer, and human to human. I guess my personal brand is to just say “Fuck It. I’m Me”, and I’ll hope to empower others to be more comfortable with the word (at least in my presence).
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