What does authenticity mean to you? We’re told people ‘like to engage with authentic content’ or ‘they like people to be authentic’. What does that mean for us as Youpreneurs? In this article, I’m going to be looking at what it means to be authentic, how that plays out and some of the things that might be holding you back.
Be you all the time
Being authentic means being you. That’s it. There’s no mystery to it. No magic. It’s about being your true self in every situation online or offline.
Honesty and integrity are central to being a successful business person. People buy from people and at the heart of that is trust. If someone doesn’t trust you if they see you say one thing on camera and then act a completely different way someplace else, they are not going to want to do business with you, plain and simple.
Share the reality of life behind the scenes. We often think that everyone else has it all mapped out. Social media is guilty of giving us that false impression. Nobody has life totally sorted. Don’t air your dirty laundry in public, as we say in the UK, but don’t hide the hard graft that goes into building your business and the life that you want either. People want to know that you’re human.
Being authentic means being an original. The joy of building a business around your personal brand is that you are the only person with your unique skills and experience, your personality and your interests. It’s highly unlikely someone will encounter another person who exactly mirrors all of those. Originality helps you stand out. Youpreneurs are at an advantage because they can’t be copied.
By being authentic you will create products, services, and content which catch people’s attention.
I believe that you should be yourself all the time. There shouldn’t be any smoke and mirrors. If you are running a personal brand business then don’t hide who you are.
The power of magnetic marketing
Let’s have a little talk about fear. When I talk about going behind the scenes and sharing more of yourself with your audience, I know some people get a little nervous. Some might get very nervous about this. And I know why you might not even realize this: it’s fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of not being liked. You might be worried about people writing negative comments on your blog or about your video.
Don’t let those negative voices, and we all have them, get the better of you. Don’t let them hold you back from being your authentic self. If you do, you will never be able to build your personal brand. You won’t stand out for being the brilliant person that you are.
You’re not going to be for everyone. You can’t be. The people you are for though will love you even more as they learn more about you. You’re building relationships, forming connections. Get out there and spread your message and let people get to know you.
Yes, you’ll come across trolls. As you grow your business you will encounter more of them. Block them. Hit delete. Don’t give them a second thought. I refer to this as the power of magnetic marketing because you attract the people you want and repel the rest.
Stop trying to be perfect
Being authentic means giving things a go. I always say to people, if you want to achieve things you’ve never achieved, you need to do things you’ve never done. Don’t hold back on putting something out there because you don’t think it is ‘perfect’.
Being authentic means giving things a go. If you want to achieve things you’ve never achieved, you need to do things you’ve never done. Don’t hold back on putting something out there because you don’t think it is ‘perfect’. #Youpreneur Click To TweetSomething which really surprised people at the 2018 Youpreneur Summit was when Antonio Centeno, who has more than 2 million subscribers on his Youtube channel Real Men, Real Style, said you have to make 100 videos just to get out of the blocks. One hundred!
Youtube is littered with channels with a handful of videos on where the person behind them just gave up. There are countless podcasts which ran for a few episodes and got canned. You need to start. And once you’ve started you need to show up time and time and time again.
Don’t compare yourself to other people. It’s not about some influencer you’ve been following who you think has it all wrapped up. They are not you. There are people out there who want you. Your style. Your words. Your wisdom. The right people will come your way.
Being authentic takes courage. It takes a lot to stand in front of the world and say: “this is me” and not worry about whether you fit in. But be bold and do it anyway. Your people will love you for it.
Chris founded Youpreneur® in 2015. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling books “Virtual Freedom” and “Rise of the Youpreneur”. He hosts our podcast, live events and coaches our clients inside the Youpreneur Incubator. Chris is based in Cambridge, UK.
