A small tip for you, or maybe an ask, if I may. The world is going crazy, so be nice, be good, smile at strangers, and go do something you always wanted to do.
but, until this happens, i’m here, writing another edition of Storyletter, Your boy, the zavaroness believer, your world traveler, beer lover, and forever hopeful, Nir Zavaro

What do we have this week?

• Do you really need to become a personal brand?

• #marketinpublic is the next big thing?

• You need to hear this music tip

• September early-bird is on. Get the details

  Let’s go

THOUGHTS

Personal brand, really?

Enough with the concept of being a personal brand. I get it—you want to be famous, and that’s cool. Everybody wants to be known. My question is: What do you want to be known for? What is your craft or skill? Your experience or ability?

 In my first meeting of the week, the person in front of me wanted to be a personal brand. I said, "I'm out," and he was surprised. Why aim to be a personal brand? To be famous? If you want to help people, great—then help them. If you help enough people and are successful, they will know who you are, what you’re known for, and you might, just might, rise to be a recognized name in your field.

Here’s a secret most people should know but often forget: everyone is already a brand. Pause and think about it. This is the first lesson I teach freshmen in their first week of college—everyone and everything is a brand. We can argue about how well-known or skilled you are or what you’re known for, but the fact remains: you are a brand.

If you have something to offer, whether you can teach or bring value, do it—don’t hold back. Now that we’ve established this important piece of the puzzle, let’s focus on what you want to be known for. Write it down. Turn it into nuggets of wisdom, tips, stories, posts, videos—heck, write a book.

Once you know what you are proud of, start talking about it—only about that. Become obsessed with helping others achieve what you’ve achieved. Whether for free or paid, as part of your business or as a speaker, let the content flow.

You can become famous for something, or you can be an influencer with a large enough following to help other brands sell products through your platform. Some people are solopreneurs, building their own ventures, and many will sell courses on how to achieve certain goals. Those who succeed in selling you a course are often those who haven’t done much themselves before; a few might have, but they usually sell the "magic formula" to success, right?

When you’ve built something, achieved a goal, or crossed a metaphorical or literal mountain, you have earned the right to share your experiences. Identify what you will talk about and why, find the people who need your knowledge, and don’t look back.

Remember this: if you have valuable knowledge and are fearful about posting, I would call you a bit selfish. Get over your fear. Every day you hesitate to share, you are holding others back from success. The fear is the same, but the way you look at it can make all the difference.

When an applicant for my Story Pitcher cohort started his interview, the first thing he said was, “I want to be a strong personal brand.” I replied, “Thank you, but I’m out.” However, as we continued the conversation, it became clear that his true goal was not to be a personal brand but to share his journey of building something unique. He wanted to better explain what he does. During our time together in my live cohort, week after week, he became a better writer. He understood the power of words and became fascinated with explaining his work. He now posts regularly and is becoming known for his work. He is building a stronger brand in his industry.

Forget about being a personal brand. It’s not about being known; it’s about what you want to be known for.

Poll time

Feel free to share some information after you make your selection. Questions are more than welcome (some will be answered on my YouTube channel).

#MARKETINPUBLIC

Let’s commit to success

Going through a journey can be hard at times; going alone might be even harder. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo needs Sam to succeed. Together, they face countless challenges, places, enemies, and surprises on their way to vanquishing evil.

This post is an invitation for you to be my Sam on my journey to help 1 million people become better storytellers. Building in public is about the journey and the process—being open and sharing my goals, failures, and everything in between in a transparent way.

What does that mean?

Building in public is a concept where founders share the whole journey in public via newsletters, blog posts, or Twitter. It is a transparent way to invite people like you to be a part, to get a glimpse of what really goes on behind the scenes. It also creates accountability, where I won’t be alone; we can connect, and it will hopefully be valuable to many of you.

My plan is to share the various products I’m working on, all based on storytelling techniques. I’ll cover the creation process, the business side, platforms, and results.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you and getting your input and ideas.

Here are the main areas I’ll focus on:

1. The Story-Pitcher: My live cohort, which will launch its new class on September 19th.

2. Storyletter: This newsletter, which I hope to use to share the journey,.

3. My Speaking Gigs: Around the World and Online.

4. Story-Vibes: A new special show about entrepreneurs and specific moments in their lives.

5. Story-Cave: An entrepreneur’s accountability group where we use writing to accomplish big tasks together.

The journey will also include marketing strategies, plans, and processes I have created. Reply to this email if you’re working on something similar or need help with anything.

MUSIC

Samurai vibes: Enjoying this new album

Working on my computer these last few months, I’ve probably gone through every music style there is. From classics to my favorites to lo-fi work music, let me tell you, each style got a different writer out of me.

Lately, I have been complaining about Spotify’s inability to expose me to new music. And I tried it all, until I just decided to give up. I left the app open and let it run around for a few hours on my desktop. Funny enough, it worked. This morning, on my way to grab a morning cup of coffee, this album came up on my suggested list. Yeah, I know, for many here on this list, it won’t be your first choice, but it is really good.

This is Lupe Fiasco’s 9th studio album, and to be honest, I really only remember his cameos in Kanye and other artists albums. The meditative vibe is awesome, with fine craftsmanship. Enjoy the opening track, let it take you somewhere, and start writing. let me know what you think.

NEW COHORT DATES

New Story-Pitcher dates announced

After the successful completion of the first cohort, I’m thrilled to announce the dates for the next live cohort. This 6-week, 12-session course will launch on September 19th at 12 PM European time (the hour might vary). This small group of founders will join me on a journey to learn more about storytelling and how to unlock their subconscious through story writing.

During the course, you will learn how to harness storytelling skills, measure your writing, and improve your messaging. A key aspect of the course is focusing on one area you want to enhance in your business. This approach will help you see a return on your investment and motivate you to achieve more. The course is so effective that it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.

The early bird price of $3,420 is now available for the first sign-ups. Interested?

Check out the landing page and apply today. Once you fill out the form, we will arrange a call to ensure this course is right for you. See you on the other side!

APPLY NOW