How to Build a Personal Brand from Nothing

#QOTD: Are you a Vayniac or part of the VaynerNation? What's the difference?

If I were to go back in time and start all over again, I would change NOTHING. From 22 to 32, for the first ten years of my hustle, I remained quiet and I put in the work. I did the work that allowed me to have the audacity to go out and build the Gary Vaynerchuk brand.

The notion that there's people out there that are growth hacking, and getting exposure through other people's podcasts, and leveraging the brands of others to build themselves as "experts," is LUDICROUS. What are these people actually experts in? What have they accomplished to be deemed an expert?

Here's what I did and why I think you should listen to me when it comes to business. I am in the midst of building my second $50M plus business in a 5 year window. Is it $50 Billion? No - but it's a very substantial business. I was ahead of the market and I executed. I put in the work, I built up the business at a speed many can't comprehend, and I did the things that allowed me to be worthy enough to have a shot at putting out a $15-20 book and amass the following that I have.

So my question is, what did these self-proclaimed experts do to claim that title? If you want to be an "expert" in your craft you need to be in the trenches, day in and day out. You can't just rely on modern day technology to build up your brand. The notion that people are leveraging these technologies and the brand equity of others to build their name is LAUGHABLE. You need to actually execute. You need to earn the opportunity to be a personal brand. You need to show them the proof. If you're an actual expert the proof should be in your forethought, your wins, and your execution.