“My real life helped me sell a lot of records.” – Christopher Wallace, Born May 21, 1972.
In this age where “authenticity” is a buzzword, lots of brand wonks will tell you that what you need to do is just be yourself.
Wrong, friendo.
That skips a step.
Step 1: Be awesome.
Step 2: Be yourself.
That order works like a charm. If you're awesome, being yourself just shows it off. People like you, and therefore they like what you do and what you have for them. Your audience grows, and therefore so do sales.
HOWEVER…
If you're NOT awesome, your self probably sucks. Don't be that sucky self. It will make you look bad. No one will like you or want to buy your crap. Even if you are being 100% authentic with your sucky ass.
But hey…
Do you want to be awesome?
I'm going to tell you the secret of awesomeness.
You ready? Write it down in big letters and post it up somewhere. It’s a mantra, it’s simple, and it’s all you have to do.
“Share your attempts at doing awesome things.”
Every YouTube vlog star, every Twitch streamer, Instagram influencer, etc. who ever found fame and a paycheck to compensate for the eager eyeballs of their fans did this and only this. And they built an income stream ACCIDENTALLY alongside it.
We are smarter and will build the business alongside from the start. Choose a niche you are genuinely interested in and just pursue it with your natural curiosity.
Just do things that genuinely interest you, and that's a start. Chances are, other people you can meet online will also find that thing interesting. Enthusiasm is contagious.
That's it. Share your attempts to do awesome things. That's the secret of authenticity. It's how you make it so you can make a living just being yourself, and sharing that with your fans.
And that's a pretty good way to be.