Nathan Martin

As promised in my last post…more about Scott Ginsberg.  I have to share this really cool story:

About a month after I heard Scott at XBM and got Make a Name For Yourself, Jon and I were at Book Expo America(BEA) for a day.  We were standing in line at one of the food vendors when I noticed the guy in front of me holding the very same book I was reading on my way to BEA (How To Be That Guy).  When I asked him about the book, he said what an amazing speaker Scott is and that he had just heard him.  I was very disappointed that I had missed him–didn’t know he was going to be there.  After lunch, Jon and I decided to walk through the Tech conference downstairs in the Javits Center.  As we were walking through the sparse exhibits in the Tech conference, Jon punched me and said “Is that the guy you were telling me about?”  Sure enough there was The Nametag Guy being interviewed.  We waited until the interview was over then kidnapped Scott for a while over lunch.  After spending some time with him, I’m a bigger fan than ever.  At some point I hope to convince him to do a book with me.  =)

So I’m sure you’re wondering about How To Be That Guy: 47 Ways to Create an UNFORGETTABLE Brand That MAGNETIZES More Business.  He had me at the subtitle.  Scott’s quirky way of out of the box thinking makes this book shine.  Some are principles you’ve heard 47 times in your life already, but the way Scott frames them makes you stop and think for a few minutes.  And I’m pretty sure that is exactly what he wanted you to do.  Mostly we already have the answers to our dilemmas.  It’s just that we(I) seldom stop and think for a while.

So here are some of the reasons I love How To Be That Guy:

• Kiss your power suit goodbye… “The outfit that allows you to feel most comfortable and most like yourself will, in fact, give you the most power.”
• Is your idea simple enough that a five year old could understand it?
• The most important word in marketing… hint: it all depends
• Allow customers to participate in your brand.

In case I haven’t made it clear–Scott Ginsberg is awesome.  Check out some of his videos on YouTube.  Buy his books on Amazon.  Check out his website at www.hellomynameisscott.com.

I’ve been studying branding this year.  When I saw Chris Brogan’s blog post on personal branding a few weeks ago, I was intrigued.  I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Purpose in Life?

This really isn’t a new topic.  I’ve struggled off and on since high school to know what to do with the rest of my life.  Chris states that that we’re all damned good at something even if we don’t realize it.  What I love is that Chris then goes on to share how that one thing we’re good at can grow and transition into bigger and better branding if we manage it correctly.  Start where we are, but steer toward dreams and aspirations.  Good stuff!

So where am I?

Back to the original question…what am I damned good at?  This is what I’ve been wrestling with since reading Chris’s blog.  I often feel like Jack of All Trades, Master of None.  So I’ve begun creating lists of things that I’ve done, done well at, enjoyed, and I’m still not sure of my specialty.  I’ve begun asking some trusted friends what they see as my strengths…stay tuned.

What is your brand?