Freelance Your Way to Freedom

15Using Your Freelance and Side Hustle Success to Launch a Personal Brand

If people like you, they'll listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you.

— Zig Ziglar

Caroline Castrillon came right out in Forbes and penned the article “Why Personal Branding Is More Important Than Ever” in 2019, famously stating that “whether you know it or not, you have a personal brand” (Castrillon 2019). Her statement rings truer than ever today, as more and more of our world becomes consumed by social media and virtual connection. You, right now while you read this book, have a personal brand that is apparent to people on social media at this very moment, even if you don't try to curate your content or strategize how you post.

With the metaverse looming not too far on the horizon, personal, virtual brands are going to become not only sought after, but also critical for relevance. In a metaverse, NFT‐ridden world, whether you like it or not, personal brands are going to be one of the main ways you connect, apply to jobs, network, build communities, and carve out your own personal meta‐life.

But before the immersive technology of web3 (a new form of the World Wide Web based on blockchain technology, incorporating elements of immersive technology) comes knocking at our doors, we remain a species enamored with social media. We eat, sleep, and breathe social media, so much so that the average person is estimated to spend 2.5 hours on social media every day (Cummins 2021). Some ...