Today, I sat down with the brilliant Philip VanDusen, and we explored the critical importance of building your personal brand. For all of you experts, entrepreneurs, and executives out there, understanding and actively shaping your personal brand isn't just about looking good; it's genuinely about future-proofing your career and business. In a world where jobs can disappear through no fault of your own, your personal brand is your ultimate career insurance policy.

Here are three key areas we delved into:

✳️ Defining Your Brand: We discussed how to uncover what makes you tick, the problem you solve, and why you're different through strategic tools like the Brand Positioning Statement and Brand Pyramid. It's about finding clarity and making tough decisions on what you offer and to whom.

✳️ Manifesting Your Brand in the World: Once you have that crystal-clear identity, we talked about how it becomes a filter for all your actions, from product development to social media posts. This ensures everything you put out into the world is aligned and intentional.

✳️ Overcoming Emotional Hurdles: Philip and I tackled the emotional challenges of personal branding, like imposter syndrome and comparison. We highlighted the importance of being inspired by others without copying them directly, and knowing when to pull the plug on things that aren't working.

Inspired by Philip's invaluable insights, here are three actionable takeaways you can implement today:

✳️ Embrace Community, Not Competition: Shift your mindset. Instead of viewing others in your industry as rivals, see them as colleagues, collaborators, and part of a valuable community. These connections can fast-track your learning and open doors to incredible partnerships.

✳️ Content is Currency: Start creating a body of work that showcases your expertise. Whether it's videos, articles, or audio, this content acts as a digital asset that works for you even when you're not actively selling, building visibility and attracting clients over time.

✳️ Utilise the Personal Brand Wheel: Philip has developed a fantastic tool to simplify the often-overwhelming process of personal branding into 12 core activities.

You can download this resource with examples and instructions at philipvandusenn.com/pbw. It's a brilliant way to gain focus and make your personal branding efforts more manageable.

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If you've ever wondered how your personal brand shows up online, you've probably focused on Google. But the game is changing. The rise of AI search means we need a new way to think about our digital presence. Getting this right is no longer just an option; it's essential for anyone looking to build, market, and monetise their expertise.

In this episode, I speak with Jason Barnard about the monumental shift from traditional search to AI-assistive engine optimisation. We explore the unique opportunity this presents for experts and small businesses to take control of their narrative and build a powerful digital legacy.

Here are some of the key areas we discussed:

🗣️ Your New AI Resume: We talk about how AI platforms like ChatGPT are becoming the new front door to your reputation. We explore what it means to shape what these systems say about you, moving beyond old metrics to build a brand that AI understands and recommends.

💡 The Window of Opportunity: Large corporations are often slow to adapt. We discuss why this moment in digital history gives a distinct advantage to solopreneurs and small businesses who can organise their digital footprint quickly and effectively to educate the AI.

🛠️ Claim, Frame, and Prove: Jason breaks down his powerful method for building authority. It involves claiming your expertise, framing your history to support your present value, and proving it with concrete evidence from your digital footprint.

Feeling ready to take action? Here are three things you can do right now to start managing how AI perceives you:

1️⃣ Build Your 'Entity Home': Before anything else, make sure you have a personal website. It doesn't need to be complicated. A simple homepage and an 'About' page are the perfect foundation. This website is the central point of reference for AI to understand who you are.

2️⃣ Clarify Your Message: Take your 'About' page and write a clear, concise description of who you are, what you do, who you serve, and why you are credible. Start with what's most important today and use your past experiences to support your current positioning.

3️⃣ Create Consistency: Update all your professional online profiles (like LinkedIn, YouTube, or any platform where you have a presence) to reflect the core message on your 'About' page. Link from your website out to these profiles, and where possible, link back. This connects the dots for the AI, confirming your story and building its understanding and trust in your brand.

About Jason Barnard

We are at the second great inflection point in the digital age, and it’s a moment of immense opportunity for every high-growth business leader. The old rules of SEO are irrelevant. Today, the core challenge is simple: Can the new generation of AI Assistive Engines (like ChatGPT and Perplexity) accurately explain why you are the best choice in your market?

If the answer is anything less than a resounding, enthusiastic "Yes," you are losing business—and missing out on time you simply can’t afford to waste.

The Problem: Your Digital Past is Undermining Your Present

Jason Barnard, CEO of Kalicube, learned this lesson the hard way. Early in his career, he was the CEO of an EdTech company (UpToTen) that built a children’s edutainment platform. It was a massive success: they hit a billion page views and competed head-to-head with giants like Disney, the BBC, and PBS.

Yet, despite that success, Jason lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in new business. Why? Because after meeting him, potential clients would Google his name, find "voice of the blue cartoon dog," and their confidence would vanish. That experience forced him to crack the code on how machines understand people. That solution is now what he calls Digital Brand Intelligence, and it is the single most important asset for any ambitious leader today.

The Core Client: For Whom Brand is an Existential Asset

At Kalicube,...

If LinkedIn feels like a minefield - whether you’re worried about sounding too salesy, posting into the void, or turning connections into clients - this episode is for you. Nicole Osborne, a LinkedIn strategist and trusted advisor to tech founders and agency owners, shares practical, mindset-shifting tactics to help you use the platform with confidence.

3 Key Takeaways

✳️ LinkedIn Isn’t About Your Peers - It’s About Your Audience

• Many professionals avoid posting because they fear judgment from colleagues. Nicole’s reframe: Focus on attracting clients, not impressing peers. Speak to the people who need your expertise, not those who already have it.

✳️ Start Small: Engage Before You Create

• If posting feels daunting, begin by commenting thoughtfully on others’ content. This builds visibility, trains the algorithm, and eases you into showing up consistently.

✳️ Consistency > Virality

• Not every post will "go viral," and that’s okay. Silent opportunities (referrals, DMs) often matter more than likes. Nicole’s mantra: Stay top of mind, not trendy.

3 Actionable Steps

✳️ Reintroduce Yourself

• Share a short, relatable story (e.g., a career pivot or lesson learned). Example: "When I left corporate, I struggled with X—here’s what changed everything."

✳️ Audit Your Profile for "Talking Points"

• Add a human touch (e.g., Nicole’s pretzel emoji for her German roots) or a client-focused headline. Ask: What would make someone remember me after a networking event?

✳️ Turn Client Conversations into Content

• Repurpose a recent client question or win into a post. End with a low-barrier CTA like: "Has this ever happened to you? Comment below."

Find our more about Nicole Osbourne : wunderstars.com/content-inspiration----

Get your copy of my Personal Brand Business Blueprint

It's the FREE roadmap to starting, scaling or just fixing your expert business.

www.amplifyme.agency/roadmap

----

Subscribe to my Youtube!!

Follow on Instagram and Twitter @bobgentle

Join the Amplify Insiders Facebook Community : www.amplifyme.agency/insiders

Please take a second to rate this show in Apple Podcasts. ❤ It will mean a lot to me.