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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of Image Group International, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies, and hacks for the new tech world. Here, you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques, and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image, and reputation.

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Welcome to another episode of John Michael's personal branding master class. I'm your host, John Michael, and today we're going to explore a topic that is both timely and transformative entrepreneurs. It's the influence economy, how entrepreneurs are monetizing authenticity in a post pandemic world. Look, the pandemic didn't just reshape economies and industries as we all know. It reshaped how people connect, how trust is built, and, of course, how businesses thrive. And by the way, it also identified a lot of businesses that did not thrive and are not here anymore, because obviously, for whatever reason, did not keep up with evolution. One of the biggest shifts we've seen, of course, is the rise of what I call the influence economy, a world where personal influence is now a currency as powerful as money itself like never before. So let's start with segment one and explain what the influence economy is all about. So what is it? Well, simply put, it's the new paradigm where you are and how you connect with your audience holds just as much value, if not more, than your products or service. Okay, so this is essential for entrepreneurship, niche businesses, micro businesses, solo businesses, and any other form of relationship where it's important that the relationship, obviously, is the one that's going to carry the capital to cement it and, of course, build on. So relationships are everything, as you would already agree with, I think, in most cases. So this takes it beyond just the transactional So gone are the days when corporate logos or glossy hands dominated the marketplace. Today, people trust people, not faceless brands. And of course, research that we've covered before, from Edelman's 2023 Trust Barometer reveals that 76% of consumers say they trust content from individuals over traditional business marketing. So I got that right. 76% trust individuals before businesses. So you can see the power of personal branding, why human beings matter, and thank God for that. So take the example of Sarah Blakely, the founder of Spanx.

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This is a lifestyle brand. Sarah can just sell shapewear. She shared her story, her struggles, her triumphs, and, of course, her humor, that authenticity helped to grow Spanx into a billion dollar brand. Remember, it started from nothing. So in a post pandemic, well, and also, by the way, in in a post American election, well, where you have now Trump as the new president, human connection will and has become more precious. And entrepreneurs have realized that authenticity is not a nice to have. It's a business strategy. So you really want to get that Be authentic for business, if that's going to help you, okay, as opposed to inauthentic. And of course, we need more authenticity big time. So entrepreneurs now also that they can't play political games that others in industry might like to play, especially politicians, and I'll tell you why, because, simply, they can't afford it. That's the mindset when having skin in the game matters more than ever. So remember, as I've said before, I trust people with skin in the game, so this is important. And of course, when our skin in the game is part of the trust factor. So you can advise the world to do this or that if you got no skin in the game, that means you got nothing to lose. So you can say whatever you want, so your opinions, as I've said before, can become like a fart in the wind. Don't matter much long term, just small smell in the immediate but long term. Who cares? So this brings us the critical question, how can entrepreneurs tap into this new economy? Well, let's get into segment two. And as we've said before, authenticity is the foundation of influence, so use of. Authenticity as the foundation of influence, and this is I'm talking about authentic influence. I'm not talking about board influence in reference to politics and lobbyists and cheap PR hacks. I'm talking about authentic influence that you've got within self. So let's start with why authenticity matters so much. The pandemic created a profound shift in consumer behavior so people no longer satisfied with polished, inauthentic facades. They crave transparency, relatability and genuine connections. And at times, it's difficult to find those genuine connections, because, of course, social media also, the dark side of social media has actually created the opposite of that, but let's look at the positives. So according to a survey by stackler, 86% of consumers say authenticity is a key factor when deciding which brands to support. And you know why? Right? Because at least authenticity, you know where that person stands, where inauthenticity means there could be anywhere. And of course, who trusts that? Even in authentic people do not trust in authentic people. It's just playing the game. You know that it's never addressing the elephant in the room. It's all about pretend that everything is going okay, and that might go okay for a while, but obviously, from a holistic point of view, that is not something that's going to be sustainable. So here's the truth, yes, the truth that word that we've been confused about in the last, you know, five to 10 years, authenticity builds trust, and trust is the gateway to influence. Heck. Trust, in my opinion, is the foundation of everything, including life, because if there's no trust, for instance, in daily living, you're not going to have much chance long term. So think of author Simon Sinek, whose authenticity and clarity of purpose have made him one of the most sought after speakers and authors in the world. He starts with why movement resonates because it feels real, not rehearsed, even if it was not an original idea. Remember, he came from advertised zings repackaged a fairly ancient concept. He packaged it well, and his tribe bought it. That's the beauty of branding. So you don't even have to be original. You're just going to put out the story. You might be thinking right now, how does authenticity work with that? Well, you can certainly take an idea, recreate it into something new and fresh, and that's very authentic if you did that, because that takes courage to do that, as opposed to complaining and whinging and thinking that's not really authentic, that's fake. Now, entrepreneurship is about recreating great concepts out there. 

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You don't have to be the originator of anything. So how do you show up authentically as an entrepreneur, it starts with sharing your story. We've shared that before, your real story, the highs, the lows, the lessons learned and remember, vulnerability is not a weakness, it's a bridge to trust. Yes, vulnerability can be a weakness in a political environment, right, or a media environment if they're looking for gotcha moments, but in the entrepreneurial world where you're actually selling a product or service, yeah, vulnerability shows also you're not perfect, and it's a bridge to trust. Now let's shift gears the business side of things. How can you monetize your authenticity in today's influence economy. So that's segment three, monetizing authenticity. So here are four strategies that are working right now. There's more, by the way, but let's start off with four, and go from there, premium content. We've spoken about this many, many times, creating content that's LinkedIn, of course, LinkedIn, not LinkedIn the organization, but LinkedIn to your personal brand that really communicates different angles around the messaging of what you want to obviously put out to the world. So premium content is the foundation of the influence economy for entrepreneurs and niche businesses. And I said this years ago, when all these crappy videos were happening on YouTube, Instagram. And of course, now Tiktok, that's not the way to go. That's okay to make funny videos and and content that has no real production values, but that's not going to get you business. People aren't going to pay for that. They're going to use that for free. And of course, that works for certain influencers out there. That's not what I'm talking about today. I'm talking about quality. And if you're going to do something, that's going to be fairly simple, at least think about gravitas when you do that. So this is very important. I certainly if you expect people to pay for what your put. Thing out there, and that means also product or service. So premium content, this the foundation of the influence economy, especially for entrepreneurs and niche businesses. I'm not talking about mass marketing here. Okay, I'm talking about more niche and certainly the pointy end. But it's not about pumping out, as I've mentioned before, crappy material. The world does not need any more visual or audio pollution. It's about creating authentic content that resonates with the audience. So sharing your expertise, sharing your story, and, of course, providing added value beyond your orientations. You know, it's a bit like what I'm doing with you here on podcast. We have a lot of content out there. A lot of the content, of course, is free to you. So that's, for us, a high added value. And also it's designed also that you're going to get other type of insights that you're not going to get typically, online, and you'd only get it from an embedded expert. So that's what we attempt to do. Do we always get it right? Absolutely not. But this is the opportunity for you to do similar or even better. So did you know, and this is an interesting stat, that 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when a brand offers personalized and authentic content. We certainly do that with our audience. And of course, that statistic comes from Accenture that was only 2023 so let me share with you another entrepreneurial example. Gary Vay Ava built a multi million dollar empire by sharing practical advice. Example is entrepreneurial journey, and even his failures or with an authentic voice. Of course, it all started from a small liquor store, and of course, today he has a worldwide audience. So that's one example. And as many of these of the power of personal branding, and it's actually the power of authentic personal branding, the next step is turning your knowledge into something tangible that people can buy, think ebooks, online courses, coaching or consulting services. Now it is important that I preface this can buy, okay, there is so much free stuff out there, and if it was so good all this free stuff, it's like

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Okay, that's great, but how are you going to pay for all this content if noone buys it? So you gotta be thinking about that. And that's entrepreneurship in itself. Entrepreneurs do not depend on government to give them handouts. We basically have to pitch ourselves out to the market, the free market, and obviously, if our goods or service are not any good, we go broke. So it's very, very important, when you think about this, that also it's about supporting the Creator economy as well. Because if you expect everything for free, eventually what you're going to get is obviously products that are all the same. Because obviously a lot of these great creators when broke. So it's probably none of your concern from that perspective, but as entrepreneur, you gotta be thinking also. You gotta be thinking how you're gonna create some Win win out there. Because if you keep on stealing good information and not putting back in the pond, eventually the pond will get really murky. So I think ebooks, online courses, coaching, consulting services. These are all available, and we know that the online market alone, the online education market, is projected to hit $350 billion by 2025 and that's a stat by global industry analysts. So people are hungry for expertise, but they'll only buy from someone they trust. Why is that important? Because the human being in the element of expertise is essential. And I'm going to give you an example. Mental health is out of control. Depression is out of control, anxiety is out of control. So there's all these therapists out there, psychologists, etc, many, many, many out there, but the statistics show that mental health is getting worse. Why? Well, if it was up to buying a book or buying a course, you would read that and hopefully you would get well. But who makes the biggest difference in my experience in that specific and coaching, by the way, is exactly the same after 35 years experience doing this is going to be who the facilitator? In the case of mental health, who is going to be your therapist, okay, or psych analyst or Coach? In this case, that's going to make the biggest difference with you, because they are the ones that integrate the wisdom of course into action. And of course, if you've got a wimpy advisor, consultant, therapist, coach, etc, it's not going to happen, trust me. Okay, so you want to be looking for what I would say, beyond expertise, you want to be looking for mastery. And that's rare. I agree with that, but you gotta keep on looking. Out there. Because, as I said before, the statistics truly show this. You gotta there's so much competition for therapy as an example out there. But if it was so good, the statistics wouldn't show that people are getting worse and worse. So what it means, in my experience, is fine, find the right one, and you got to do a lot of research for that, and of course, possibly even referrals from people that have got the evidence to prove that. So this is very important, and I probably should do a whole segment on that somewhere down the track. For example, another one entrepreneur would be Marie Fauci, who monetize authenticity by creating B School. And B School is a course that really that teaches business fundamentals with the signature, relatable style. She's very, very cool and sweet and all of that sort of thing. But she has helped hundreds of clients also, of course, create part of their own programs and parcel, also some of their own business offerings. So this is just another example. There's many ways to do this, but it is the relationship you're going to have if you're going to be working with somebody very close, like a coach. This is essential, as I noted just before, next is number three, and that's brand partnerships. And of course, sponsorships see as your influence grows, brands will want to partner with you. But here's the kicker, only collaborate with brands that align with your values, by the way, if you're desperate for money, right? Sometimes you will do things and you don't want to be doing this, but you will do things that might go against your values. So just remember that the values are the key here. If the partnership doesn't feel authentic, your audience will see right through it. And I'll show numerous examples of this based on how I will solicit brand partnerships for, of course, for this product as an example, although I haven't put a lot of effort into that, because I don't really care from that perspective. I mean, we fund it all ourselves. So that's all good, but also for our seminars, and that's an area that I do care.

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So for instance, you could have, certainly, we could have a high performance leadership a tool sponsored by notion. And why would that be a fit? Well, notion aligns perfectly with our focus on personal branding leadership and entrepreneurial growth. So as a versatile productivity tool, it supports high performing leaders in organizing their ideas, tracking their goals, and, of course, building strategic plans that are all part and parcel of what they do. And of course, all integral to our podcast and seminar themes. So the integration bit here, the sponsorship integration is the big one. So for instance, an episode highlight would be streamlining your personal brand strategy sponsored by notion. So example will be Today's episode is brought to you by notion, the all in one productivity tool, empowering leaders to stay on top of the goals who are building the personal brand, whether you're structuring your business of tracking your next big breakthrough notion is your perfect partner for success. So you can see there, obviously we've got a link. We've got a real connection there. And then I'd say something like visit this particular link and start building your vision today. These are all ideas. The next idea that's also very popular right now and growing is sustainable fashion brands. So we could partner with RM Williams, why it's a fit as a podcast addressing wardrobe management, authenticity in branding. RM Williams, a premium Australian brand known for its timeless, sustainable designs, fits seamlessly the focus on craftsmanship and authenticity mirrors image group internationals and my ethos of investing in quality for long term success. How would the sponsorship integration work well, for instance, the episode highlight could be quality over quantity, wardrobe strategies that work sponsored segment will include, you know, this episode is supported by Aaron Williams, a brand that's been crafting timeless, versatile pieces for leaders and entrepreneurs for over 90 years, when your wardrobe reflects your authenticity, you step into every room with confidence. So remember your next investment piece at and, of course, we would show the link to Rm Williams. So again, obviously something that I somebody been in the fashion world once upon a time as a designer, would also really resonate because, of course, they are a premium brand now that has a lot of what I would call gravitas, and a final one in our leadership development could be sponsored by Goldman Sachs leadership programs. Why to fit well? Goldman Sachs is a renowned leader for its leadership development. Initiatives such as the program 10,000 small businesses and another program called 10,000 women program. So these align with our focus on empowering entrepreneurs and executives to build confidence and of course, succeed in leadership roles. So by highlighting Goldman Sachs commitment to nurturing talent, this partnership reinforces the podcast mission of sustainable personal, professional growth. The integration of the sponsorship will be like could be an episode highlighting, for instance, the power of coaching, building confidence in leadership. This episode is brought to you by Goldman Sachs, a global leader in leadership development, so through initiatives like the 10,000 small business program, Goldman Sachs has helped 1000s of entrepreneurs and executives unlock the potential, gain confidence and lead with purpose. Learn more about the ground breaking leadership programs at particular link and discover how coaching and mentorship can transform your journey to success. This is an example of how this partnership underscores the importance of high impact coaching and mentorship, and it aligns our mastery image group internationals and, of course, my personal with Goldman Sachs long standing legacy of empowering leaders worldwide. So let's get to number four, of course, speaking as an opportunity in monetization has been there for a long time, okay? And today I'm going to be talking about speaking engagements and thought leaderships with an example. So finally, over time, your growing influence will lead to speaking opportunities. My advice to you is, even when you're not ready speak. Get get into practice. 

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This is essential, especially for Australians that are listening to this, because when I work in the States, Americans have such an open possibility to public speaking like I've never seen before. But Australians, at times, are very gun shy. I think it's a tall poppy syndrome here that really creates a lot of psychological traps where, what's the worst thing that could happen when you start public speaking, you're going to fail and look like an idiot. So what overall, from the perspective of life and your long term journey, you're going to get there over time with practice, practice, practice. So finally, granular inference will certainly lead to speaking opportunities, events, webinars, even guest spots, of course, on a podcast like our one. So speaking not only boosts visibility, but also creates an additional revenue stream. Did you know The top speakers, example, like Brene Brown, command 100,000 plus us for speaking engagement. And I won't go into what Obama, Clinton and the rest of the politicians have made in ESPA it's been part of their speaking obviously, careers, because a lot of their speaking engagements have have brought in millions compared to what they were earning prior. So this is the power of speaking. Now, of course, not everyone's going to be able to do that at that level, but of course, there's certainly different examples. I mean, why would you say no, for instance, to earning $10,000 for a speaking engagement that could run from anything from 45 minutes to half a day? I don't think so. And I've met very few people that would actually say no to that, including footballers and other type of personalities out there speech, especially elite, elite athletes. They love this space, so it's proof that influence can lead to incredible opportunities. Now let's talk about something I cannot emphasize enough, segment for our community or community in the influence economy, a loyal community is your greatest asset, alright? Because without a community, you got no distribution. Understand that, otherwise you're selling to the power of zero. So people want to feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves, and that's where community comes into play, also, definitely after the pandemic, because communities have broken down all over the world, in different areas, okay, where people want to belong. And of course, if you're diligent enough, and you do your work, your groundwork, you'll find great communities out there that would love to have you as a part of so it's not just about buying a product. It's about being part of a movement. For example, the rise of Palatine during the pandemic. Yes, you might remember him. It was a fitness company. He's a fitness company, but it's real strength lies in its community of passionate users who motivate each other daily, and you got to love that. So how can you build your own community? Well, platforms like LinkedIn, of course, Facebook groups and close groups as well, or even email newsletters, yes, the old fashioned way and snail mail, by the way, to create niche spaces where your audience feels seen, heard and. You are very, very popular. And I'm talking about not just online here, but I'm talking about offline as well. Alright, so let's get to segment five, the future of the influence economy as we move deeper into the digital age, the influence economy will only grow. But here's the catch, while technology like AI and data analytics can enhance engagement. Human connection will always be the cornerstone of influence, because if it's not, imagine what that world will look like. I'll just leave that with you to ponder. So 2023 study by PwC found the 63% of consumers prefer to buy from companies that reflect the personal values. Of course, bad luck for PwC, as they did not follow their own research, especially with their recent scandal. Anyway, what does this mean for authenticity? Well, your story, your values, your mission, will always be your most valuable asset. It's the currency you can bank. And as we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with a challenge. Take a moment to evaluate your personal brand. Think about how do you show up right now? Are you showing up authentically? Are you creating premium content that resonates with the audience? And most importantly, how are you turning your influence into meaningful, sustainable revenue streams? I think that's essential, because that's the Win. Win. If you're going to create, you know, create sustainable content that's premium out there, you expect to get a return on that, and that's something that we can help you with. So I want to thank you for joining me today. If you found value in this episode, please subscribe, share with fellow entrepreneurs and connect with me on social media. My Twitter, or X, is Jon_Michail, my LinkedIn is Jon Michail, and you can find me as Image Group International on Facebook. And if you want to learn more about our services, contact Patricia at patricia.bossa@imagegroup.com.au remember in the influence economy, authenticity is your superpower, let's make it work for you, and until next time, keep shaping your future. Cheerio

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence, and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for personal coaching, seminars, and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.