DISQUS

JohnSternal · 1 month ago

I don't think it's ever a good idea to "be" someone else. But it is important to not be afraid to "learn" from smart people. Nice post and good food for thought here. But definitely consider studying the people you mentioned as we all might learn a thing or two from them.

John
@sternalpr

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

I've learned plenty from each person I mentioned in this post. If I hadn't I don't know if I would be able to confidently make the statements I did in this post.

The learning curve is steep. But once you hit a certain point? You have blaze your own trail.

@sarahmerion · 1 month ago

Kudos, Stu. I completely feel you on not wanting to be any type of Brogan, but I -always- have entrepreneur crushes, mentors, and people who inspire me. That doesn't mean that I'm trying to -be- them, but I respect them enough to learn from them and maybe emulate what they do and see where I can improve or make it work for me. Make sense? This article reminds me a bit of Carlos' goodbye article to Seth Godin: http://www.owlsparks.com/decisions/thank-you-an...

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

It does share some similarities with Carlos' post. I do think that you should emulate and see what works to a certain extent at the beginning. After all, how else will you learn?

Robert Dempsey · 1 month ago

Thanks for the post Stuart. I think there is a big difference between a personal brand and a brand in the common use of the word. Now I'm no marketer so you know better than me, however I think that of the people you mention that I know of - Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk - these folks do have companies, however they got their start by branding themselves, from which they spawned companies. I think it depends on what you are going for. I agree with you that if you are trying to build a bigger brand, your personal self needs to take a back seat. This is what I've done with my company from day 1. Interestingly, even before personal branding became popular, I was told that in order to get my company out there more, I needed to brand myself in a bigger way, namely because I was running a small business and could be a lot more personal with people. If people knew who I was and what I was all about, then they would inherently know more about my company and what they could expect. Thanks again for your post. It's given me more to think about.

JStolarcyk · 1 month ago

I agree with like 150% of this, especially the last point. In part because I want to maintain divisions between my work (I'm just an agency flack after all, not an entrepreneur, instapreneur, mompreneur or whatever buzzword we're going to start eliding with entrepreneur next) and my personal life whenever I can (for my own sanity more than anything else). The other thing that segmenting lets me do is remember that my work is about the client, that it's not just another platform for promoting myself.

I think the thing I appreciate most about TLJ is its constant reminder that there's actual shoulder-to-the-grindstone work waiting to be done and not just high-fiving and calling each other rock stars.

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

Thanks for the vote of confidence Jeff.

I like my workmanlike attitude when it comes to marketing. I think it's both effective and useful. Strategy is great. But it means jack shit if you can't implement it effectively.

Sydney Owen · 1 month ago

I happen to love the minds of a couple of the people mentioned up top. I think the last line of this post is the most important.

"The client knows their business. Why don't you listen to them?"

That part was hard for me to wrap my head around and first. Not like I wanted to be a superstar with my name all over everything, but realizing how much of a backseat we take in this business, that our job is to make people realize why our clients matter, that's what took me a minute. Fortunately I had that part figured out before I got my first job. If I hadn't, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here today.

Great post - got me thinking early, which I always appreciate. :)

geechee_girl · 1 month ago

:) good post, with some great points - nice one, SF

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

Thanks Leslie :)

brandonchesnutt · 1 month ago

To paraphrase my friend Hajj Flemings (@hajjflemings), "I'm the best Brandon Chesnutt out there. I have a trademark on that. I can't be the best Chris Brogan, but I can be the best Brandon Chesnutt."

Brandon
@bchesnutt

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

I'm just the shit.

Seth Hosko · 1 month ago

Good post, Stuart. When you say "your personal brand takes a backseat to the brand you're representing", I'm not sure if you're referring to the brand you've started / work under, or a client, or both. Either way, I see some of the people you mentioned are bigger personal brands than their companies that they represent. Take Gary V and Vaynermedia for example, which is the consulting business he runs this with his brother, AJ. Clearly, Gary's personal brand is bigger than Vaynermedia. Do you feel this hurts or helps the Vaynermedia brand as a whole?

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

I think it hurts Vayner Media a little bit. I don't think it necessarily hurts Gary though.

AdamPieniazek · 1 month ago

Blasphemy!

Seriously though, being yourself always leads to best results. Even if you succeed while imitating someone else, you'd be less happy than if you succeed in your own way. Find yourself, find your niche, and own it.

Stuart Foster · 1 month ago

Exactly. Wish Media Temple would own their niche of not sucking...

Elisa Doucette · 1 month ago

Great post! And another reason why businesses should seriously be beating down your doors to use TLJ. It baffles me the "laundry lists" that come out from consultants and entrepreneurs on "How You Should" and "What Works Best" because if they really were that good then they would understand that a cookie cutter solution works for NO ONE. Churning out little gingerbread doesn't separate a business from it's competitors. And trying to be one thing to all people doesn't make you a good consultant...it makes you fake and eventually you'll be "caught."

Tim Jahn · 1 month ago

I'll be the first to admit, I don't always agree with you, you come across as egotistical quite often, and you're blunt.

But that's you. And your "brand". I respect that greatly; those who are direct, don't sugar coat, and question no matter what someone's role/status is.

People are so caught up with being the next (this is SUCH a ridiculous term) "social media superstar", they lose track of just being themselves. The great thinkers out there learned a lot from other great thinkers, but they did most of that learning through questioning. Not blindly following, but carving their own path.

Keep it up Stuart. Wish you were in town last week, hope to meet ya sometime soon.

Danny Brown · 1 month ago

Why anyone would want to be a social media superstar is beyond me, buddy. What does that mean, exactly? That you spend hours on Twitter saying stuff as opposed to doing it, and having one way conversations with Ashton? Yeah, go superstar... ;-)

Colby Gergen · 1 month ago

In the immortal wisdom of Rocko, "You just do you, umma do me", and "You like dancin, I just two step"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNemkBDsfgc

Matt Cheuvront · 1 month ago

In short: Don't try to be something or someone you're not. You have a swagger about you that may turn some people off, but who cares - you're being you and you have to respect anyone who sticks to their guns. Keep doing what you do Stuart and don't let up (not that you need me to tell you that).

Danny Brown · 1 month ago

Dude, I don't even want to be me half the time - I'd rather be some rich fella living in a castle in Scotland with one-of-a-kind original Star Wars play sets ;-)

Bang on thoughts, mate. As most of the commentors here have said, it's easy to copy and pretend; it's not quite so easy to be original and be real. You stand out as both - don't change for any perceived name. Or else I shall hunt you down and beat you with a wobbly sprig :)

Sasha H. Muradali · 1 month ago

lol, this made me laugh.

But nonetheless, another really great post. You make excellent point. I think each person has their own unique style and you are right, what is good for the goose, may no be so great for the gander :)

Lucy · 1 month ago

I think an important point to note is that the people you refer to in your post play a really important role in educating those hungry for knowledge about social media - which results in these tools being accessible to a wider group of individuals and organisations.

This education takes place via their own online channels, those of the organisation they represent or at industry conferences/events in either capacity. I don't know about you, but I would rather learn from a person who has been there and has stories and learnings than a brand.

I also really respect this team of professionals who make themselves available to help people get up to speed. The social media sphere is hard to firstly get your head around and even when you think you've got it then starts the challenge - staying up to date with the unrelentless innovation and change which makes the industry so exciting and great to be a part of.

Also, a thank you - This post made me think. My opinion at this stage is that it could have stopped at "What works for one person/company could be catastrophic for another" - with the "could" being key. I think there are no rules or barriers and as soon as we try to impose them we will constrain ourselves, our brands or both!