I'm not sure this has anything to do with the Life Sutra, however I've really been digging these cover songs by Tyler Ward so I wanted to pass my +1 for these guys on. No disrespect to the Far East Movement, but G6 is probably more the style of my young nieces and nephews. When Tyler Ward covers it, well, that's something I can actually listen to! Check out their cover of Far East Movement's Rocketeer (if truth be told, the original is actually pretty good too):
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This is perhaps the most refreshing blog post I've read in a long time: Julien Smith's Complete Guide to Not Giving a Fuck. Very timely as I've just gone through a period where I was deeply concerned about what people were thinking about me, and it was driving me nuts. Julien's advice: people are judging you right now and there is nothing you can do about it. Furthermore, you don't need everyone to like you. The part on focusing on the people who actually care about you is priceless (think of the people you can - and probably do unfortunately - take for granted). You must read Julien's guide right now!
Note: My first reaction was not to use a swear word in the title, or quote the actual title of Julien's post because of the F bomb, but Julien makes a great point about that too: don't hide your true voice, the eye you feel watching you can do only that - watch. So fuck it, here's to Julien!
photo credit: Verano y mil tormentas.
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We've all had to deal with crap: difficult people like a tyrannical boss or scheming coworkers and/or difficult situations like losing a job, trouble with your child at school, or even the loss of a loved one (whether through a breakup or even death). How we deal with crap says a lot about who we are. Often we don't even know how to consciously deal with difficult people and situations and we fall back on our unconscious learned/automatic responses. Its helpful to consider our options when dealing with being hit by something bad. There are three things we can do:
The first two methods are the usual responses we have when faced by bad things. They are also the two options where the crap persists or impacts us directly. The last option requires that we take responsibility for the difficult thing and deal with it. It's also the only option for having any power over it.
Enough preaching! How about an example: I remember a moment years ago when I was confronted by two friends, and they were upset about something I said or did. They confronted me at a party and I felt literally trapped - I'd have to explain myself (an excuse - i.e. avoid the issue), or sit there and take their rage (be a victim - maybe others would see this and think not so nice of my friends). In a moment of clarity, I realized there was another option, I could make space for their anger, in fact I could make a lot of space for their anger by simply turning around and leaving! I didn't try to make them less angry, I didn't allow myself to become the victim, I simply accepted that they were upset and made space for it in my life by turning around and walking away from the confrontation. I wasn't avoiding their anger, I made a decision not to care about it, but accepting that they would continue to be upset.
Yes, there is a helpful video segment to today's post! Dealing with bad things is a lot like dealing with being physically hit: you can try to avoid the punch, sit there and take it, or as many martial arts such as Akido would teach, make space for the hit - work with the hit, not against it. In this segment from the Tonight Show in 1973, Werner Erhard demonstrates for guest host John Denver how you can deal with being hit (it comes after the first commercial break, so watch the video to the end):
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My original title for this post was How To Become A Self Promoting Slut. I thought it would be bold and a lot more attention grabbing than “Marketing Your Brand” which is what this post is about. Just so you know, I even went to the trouble of seeing what other people on the web thought of the s-word and opinions seem to be divided so I figured: I'm going with it! The original title was also extremely accurate: once you have developed your personal brand, your full time job will be to market that brand non-stop. Anyway, for this part of our 4 Easy Steps To Creating The Brand Called You, I thought I’d do something a little different. This post on marketing your brand is going to be a case study in personal branding. Even though I dis’d his home studio in a prior post, Aaron Marino, the man behind Alpha M Image Consulting and ever the gentleman, graciously gave of his time and described for me how he built and marketed his personal brand. Which also explains why I had to change the title: I was looking at the finished product with the picture of Aaron right under the title and I knew someone was going to get the totally wrong idea. My shock marketing tactics will have to wait for another day, but at least I feel better about the whole thing! In any event, on with the case study:
The guy’s guide: image, style and fashion expertise for the average, everyday guy from a regular, heterosexual guy who happens to have a distinguished talent for fashion and image awareness.
Aaron’s brand stands for redefining the alpha male.
Aaron is a YouTube sensation, providing advice to men on how to manage their image. Aaron covers everything from fashion, style, hygiene and character development for the average, everyday guy. His short video segments are immediately appealing, accessible, and helpful, and as a result they garner thousands of views. He’s a regular guy with a developed fashion awareness: a guy who happens to know about cuts, fit, fabrics and threads. He teaches basic fashion and image lessons that work for real guys. As a result, Aaron has established himself as an authority on men’s style and image on the internet. Through his YouTube channel, his reach is global and he is now sought after for fashion advice and image consulting from men all over the world.
Aaron started with a web site, blog and ebook called Male Style Guide. His early target market was middle aged, recently divorced men trying to get back out into the dating scene. As Aaron got busier, the blog became harder to maintain and he started making videos that he published on YouTube. The videos were a huge hit and opened a whole new set of opportunities. Aaron, now 35, noticed that his videos appealed not just to middle aged guys, but also a younger audience: young men looking for basic skills in fashion and image. When Aaron started posting videos, there were tons of videos and channels on YouTube dedicated to women’s fashion and style (try searching for "makeup" or “outfit of the day” and you’ll see what I mean), but there was scarcely anything on the topics of fashion and style for the regular guy. Aaron took a first mover advantage on YouTube for the everyday male fashion and style market segment. The brand has evolved beyond male fashion and style to include character development. Aaron now advocates a rebirth of chivalry to go along with the confident and self assured character that comes with looking good.
In the early days when he was promoting his web site, Aaron used Google Adwords and described it as the “best bang” for his buck at the time. While Adwords were good, the development of the YouTube channel was a game changer: his reach became global and has resulted in his business taking off. Just like the YouTube videos, Aaron recommends going after free press over advertising. He suggests emailing the editors of magazines and newspapers relevant to your target market and pitching actual story ideas. You’re helping them and helping yourself at the same time, and it doesn’t cost anything.
Aaron told me that he receives emails almost every day now by men telling him how much his short videos have helped them turn their lives around. Knowing that he impacts the lives of others in a meaningful and significant way means the most to Aaron. I could feel a bit of the emotion in Aaron’s voice when he told me about this, and it’s a reminder that what we do as a contribution to others that is the real payoff - not the business or the money. One could only describe Aaron's videos as a genuine service to the fashion challenged male.
Once you’ve defined your brand and your passion, think outside of the box: besides your niche, what is your “gimmick”, what is that thing that you do differently that makes you memorable. Go with it, and become a self promoting slut. Identify all the avenues and streams to get the word out!
Besides sharing the story of his brand and how he markets it, Aaron also provided some tips for the average guy on how to “package yourself”, because as we know, how you look is an important component of packaging your brand:
Finally Aaron's must have wardrobe. Every guy must have at least the following in his closet:
For more information on Aaron Marino, check out Alpha M Image Consulting and definitely go to his YouTube channel. Besides being helpful, the videos are extremely entertaining. My wife and I have had a good laugh watching some of them, usually because I’m guilty of various fashion sins described by Aaron. If you’ve suffered a fashion crisis your entire life like I have, you might want to consider getting in touch with Aaron. He’s the real deal when it comes to male image and a really great guy. Thanks Aaron!
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