After receiving email after email from Squarespace pleading with me to upgrade my website, I reluctantly decided it was time to stop putting it off. I took to YouTube with the search, “Why should I upgrade my squarespace website from 7.0 to 7.1?” A video pops up with the exact title as my search query. It was a good video, I was convinced that I needed the upgrade. My next step in the process was to meet with people who could help me carry it out. After some research, I had a call with a guy named David. As we talked, I checked out his website. Boom. Right there on his homepage was the same YouTube video that I had “found” in my earlier search. Coincidence? Maybe. David’s content wasn’t just helpful for me, he quite literally positioned himself as the answer to my problem. That’s a good strategy followed up by good content. Flanking your customer with relevant content will help position you as the one with the answers. David created his content from my point of view. He even titled his video with the verbatim question I was asking. What questions are your prospects asking? Create your content from there. Where are your prospects searching for answers? Show up there with the solutions. To learn how to build your brand in an environment built for scoring, visit us at Relaunch U at joinrelaunchu.com or, click the link to join my masterclass: https://www.joinrelaunchu.com/masterclass-register

Rick Barry is a basketball Hall of Famer.

He had the highest free throw percentage in the league for seven seasons.

To this day, he has the fourth-highest free throw percentage. Ever.

He played the game 50 years ago. And his record free throw percentage remains in the top 5.

Incredible. Even more incredible is how he did it.

He shot every free throw underhand.

That’s right, granny style.

He didn’t care about looking cool. He was in the game to score.

Some pro basketball players, like Shaquille O’Neill, had terrible free throw percentages. But would Shaq adopt the granny-style shot?

Shaq said, “I told Rick Barry I’d rather shoot 0% than shoot underhand.”

Shaq chose style points over real points.

Well, I suppose Shaq can afford to be Shaq.

But my advice is don’t be like Shaq.

Take the real points.

Don’t waste your time building up style points.

The most pristine marketing funnel will someday break.

The most beautiful website design will eventually need an upgrade.

Be effective. Don’t fret about "perfect."

Always take the points.

To learn how to build your brand in an environment built for scoring, visit us at Relaunch U at joinrelaunchu.com or, click the link to join my masterclass: https://www.joinrelaunchu.com/masterclass-register

Scroll. Consume. Forget. Repeat.

This is how I surf the feeds. Why does the majority of content vanish from our minds as quickly as it appears on our screens?

No impact.

But every now and then you’ll find something that sticks. But the hit rate is very low for two reasons: 1. Low bar on creativity. Most stuff, frankly, isn’t interesting. 2. High noise level. This creates a high filter for tricks and gimmicks to gain attention.

There is also a third reason: Brain Doritos. Brain Doritos is content that is delightful for a moment but not substantial enough for me to remember it.

To make your content stick, focus on these three pillars:

Is it relevant?

Is it interesting?

Is it emotionally captivating?

It's not just about triggering mild attentiveness for a moment (Brain Doritos). It's about creating something that matters to someone in particular. And you need to activate all three pillars as one at the same time.

You can create something relevant that isn’t interesting. You can create something that emotionally captivating that isn’t relevant.

All three pillars need to hold up your content.

To build your brand and amplify your voice in the noisy world of social media, Relaunch U is for you. We're a vibrant community of solopreneurs learning skills and supporting each other on our quest to eradicate anonymity. Join us at joinrelaunchu.com or click the link to join my masterclass: https://www.letsgomonaco.com/masterclass-register

As you likely heard, Carl Weathers passed away.

His role as Rocky’s “Apollo Creed” had a profound impact on me as a pre-teen.

I remember the swagger and confidence of his character.

I don’t know much about Mr. Weathers beyond his commitment to the role of Apollo. For 120 minutes, he transformed into the heavyweight champion of the world in my eyes. I believed he was the champ because Mr. Weathers believed he was the champ.

If he didn’t walk, talk, and move like a real fighter, we would smell a phony. And the movie wouldn’t have the storytelling power.

What does this have to do with brand building? Do you fully believe in yourself? Do you walk, talk, and move like you mean it? If you aren’t convinced, how do you expect anyone else to be?

Take your first step toward more magnetism: check out Relaunch U at joinrelaunchu.com or, click the link to join my masterclass: https://www.letsgomonaco.com/masterclass-register

My family is relentlessly competitive.

Some of my earliest memories were of my father’s victory dances when he beat his 8-year-old son (me) at whatever game we happened to be playing.

Competition was everywhere—even in my childhood neighborhood. Juggling a soccer ball was a big deal around the cul-de-sac. We juggled everything: footballs, basketballs, tennis balls.

Then came the hacky sack.

I decided one afternoon that I was going to be the Michael Jordon of hacky. After an hour of juggling the hacky, I could consistently juggle 6 times. Then the planets and the stars aligned. I went from 6 juggles to a whopping 51!

Five. One. Wow!

I was giggling at the absurdity. How was this happening? For a second, I felt like the most talented hacky sacker on Wild Oak Lane.

Until I realized, no witnesses.

I told my brother about my good fortune. And he responded with, “Shut up. Didn't happen. Show me.”

I got 13 juggles. Maybe. On 20 tries.

He laughed. I pleaded with him to believe me. To this day, he doesn’t.

That was my moment to be celebrated as the MJ of hacky and nobody knew. Michael Jordan was once asked about what makes him the GOAT.

He simply said, “I don't compete with other people. I compete with what I'm capable of.”

I wish I knew that quote when I was 12.

Get all of the resources you need to turn your dream gigs into paid gigs, click the link to join my masterclass: https://www.letsgomonaco.com/masterclass-register

I had a Zoom call with a 25 year marketer.

He's interested in finding his next gig, even though he’s tired of the grind.

I can see that he's thinking about the most tolerable situation using the skills he already has.

As we were having the conversation, I noticed his background on the Zoom call. His home is gorgeous. Light is pouring in. It's meticulously designed. It's open and inviting. I made a comment about it.

He said, “Thanks for noticing. I love to entertain, and I love to cook. And if you like the interior, you should see the exterior, because I just got my Master Gardener certification.”

If you were on the call, you could just see the difference in his energy level: a 10 when he was talking about his gardening. A 5 when he was talking about marketing.

I asked, “Why are you pursuing this in house marketing stuff?” He says, “Greg, if I won the lottery, there’s no question I would just do the gardening. I'm pursuing the in house marketing stuff right now because I want to quiet the uncertainty.”

This is a beautiful way of describing fear. Going “all in” on gardening would be scary. And then, of course, there’s the inevitable dip in income by pursuing something new. When you're in a transition, you’ll be challenged, your salary will likely go down and you will trip over yourself as you're building momentum. It’s part of the process. There will be moments when you are frustrated. There will also be moments when you are elated at your progress.

But if you don’t trust yourself, you will regret it. Honor that part of you, even in the smallest ways, which is what we do in Relaunch U. Stay true to yourself. It’s the most compelling strategy of all.

If you are ready to quiet the uncertainty, Relaunch U is full of creators and business owners (like yourself) who have come together to build business and generate income doing what they love.

Take this free 30-minute masterclass to break you out of a rut and see if you're a fit for Relaunch U.

https://www.letsgomonaco.com/masterclass-register

I met Gary Vaynerchuk in the early stages of his company, VaynerMedia. We were collaborating on a project. My impression of him: Fast talker. Opinionated. Had all the answers. Blowhard.

Fast forward to today: Gary has 4.5 million YouTube followers. He commands $200,000 per speaking gig.

What changed in Gary? As far as I can tell, nothing. He’s the same guy: Fast talker. Opinionated. Has all the answers.

When I see Gary Vee's success—his millions of followers and how much money he makes for one speaking gig—I reflect on my judging him. The time I spent critiquing, he spent getting to work: Publishing content. Writing books. Helping people. Sharing.

He did his work relentlessly and unapologetically.

Every tool that he has available to him, I have available to me. Right now. Everything is in my control.

Why am I not commanding $200k like Gary? Simple. I don’t want it like he does. But I can’t judge him for that. If you find yourself comparing or judging others. Take a minute to look at yourself. It’s never about them. It’s always about you. These are the hard conversations that we must have to create breakthrough progress.

And we have these conversations every day at Relaunch U. If you're curious, check out Relaunch U at www.joinrelaunchu.com #personalbranding #insights #solopreneur

Greg Monaco's breakthrough in rebranding his community, formerly "Fearless Brands," underscores the power of jotting down and sharing ideas. Writing helped clarify his thoughts and attract support, even as he developed a new website and logo with limited initial enthusiasm from others. Monaco learned that while no one may care as deeply about an idea as its creator, sharing it is crucial for progress.

https://linktr.ee/gregmonaco