I got introduced to Paul Jarvis’ work not so long ago. He is not some loud influencer (if you compare him to say Gay Vernaychuck these two are polar opposites). If you want to really get to know him, all you need to do is sign up to his newsletter which comes out every Sunday.
He started out as a web designer/programmer decades ago. Now he is a bestselling author with quite a sizable international following of like-minded people. In his latest book, Company of One, he talks briefly about personal branding and shares an interesting insight. While he discloses that he is socially awkward and not a good public speaker, he has been writing for many years and so his followers know about those areas of his character.
He once asked his network of tens of thousands of people why they bought his products and followed his work. It turned out they did so precisely because of his aforementioned character traits, which included his honesty to show up as himself.
The lesson in all of this? It pays to be yourself.
Even when I feel like I don’t quite measure up to some arbitrarily high standard I have set, I have to remind myself that my clients come to me because of who I am (warts and all).
