Jules Marcoux - Be The Brand: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Personal Brand

BE THE BRAND: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Personal Brand

Jules Marcoux All Rights reserved.

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Introduction

Jules Marcoux? Who the hell is that?

Thats actually a great question, but in all honesty, Im a nobody.

I grew up in a quiet suburb of cold Quebec City. But unlike the smallness of where I lived, my dreams and creativity were bigger than the confines of where I lived. Since an early age, my creativity ran rampant and was constantly on the search for the next thing to do. From fluttering tunes of music, to lifelike portraits, to photography of the world that was constantly changing round me, I created.

And though my creative mind was expansive, my story is but a short one.

At the age of 16 years old, I started to seriously invest myself into one of my lifelong passions: music. With the few but hard earned dollars saved up in my piggy bank, I bought serious studio and video equipment to help me actualize my lifelong dream: to become a rap star. I know, it may be a funny dream to have, but it was something I was completely serious about.

Fast forward 2 years later, I was on stage at one the biggest venues in Quebec, actualizing my dream and displaying my talent through a passion that I really invested time into. And what was so great about all of this success? Girls were asking for my photo in shopping malls. Photos!? Who wouldve guessed that a small time kid would start getting fans who randomly tried to get a quick pic. But hey, I wasnt complaining. If youre interested in learning more of my rapping days, just search Jaymark on YouTube, otherwise lets get on with this story.

While displaying my passion of rap I wanted something more, but I wasnt sure what that something was. Was it more money? Maybe. Entertainment and fun? Perhaps. Fame and recognition? Most likely. So to meet these ends I started to throw nightclub events. Then pool parties. Then back to more nightclub events. And so on. This back and forth soon started catching crowds of people from just 10 people to over 4,000.

But I soon lost interest in all of that.

I quickly began to wonder: where did the creative kid go?

I knew I could do more. I knew I could be more.

I read numerous books regarding marketing, and my short music career and nightclub business which was pretty successful for a young guy like me taught me a lot about the ever elusive yet oh so interesting realm of marketing.

But what could I do with that? What was the next step for me and my supposedly learned marketing knowledge?

Well, I started to invest my creativity into bigger projects. Through a string of events and perhaps even lady luck being on my side, I found a couple of clients that had immense faith in me and in my services, and then it grew from there.

I now get the chance to work on projects with clients and brands of all shapes and size; whether it is helping the local coffee shop, or putting my skills to the profit of bigger brands.

Last year, in 2015, I decided that I would write my first book, an enormous project for anyone. Needless to say, I was both ecstatic and completely unprepared to take on such a feat. I mean, yes, Im good at marketing and yes,I delivered massively favorable results to clients. But I didnt work 20 years in the marketing industry, I never sold a business to Apple, and I never really had a successful venture that would traditionally classify me as a huge business tycoon.

But I said screw it, and I wrote the god damned book, not because I just wanted a book under my name, but because my passions led me there. And that passion not only led to a finished book, but made it a best-seller on Amazon.

As of today (2016), more than 250,000 people are following my journey and sharing their passion of marketing with me. I get to work on great projects and with even greater individuals, and I get to run my own solo marketing agency.

I can say with conviction that there is at least one person from every corner of the world learning from my vision on marketing. And yes, that was probably the most obvious brag out there, but hey, for a guy who wasn't classified as a traditional marketing tycoon, I was proud in achieving such a great goal.

I literally started from nothing and now people stop me in small town Chipotles to tell me how I inspired them, even when Im 2,000 miles from home. Thats insane, mind-boggling, and I absolutely love it.

Im so immensely proud that every day around the world, people trust the Jules Marcoux brand, are learning from it, and are venturing out to pursue their own endeavors and dreams by looking to my brand as a source of inspiration and motivation. It's both scary at times but just as exciting to have people look up to you in such a big way.

So, What Is This Book About?

See how I ended the last few sentences by writing the Jules Marcoux brand?

Thats because Ive always considered myself as the brand.

The very first years of my consulting business has been a constant struggle regarding whether I should create a completely different brand from my personal brand for my business.

Then, after thousands of hours of anxiety, research, and plain old reading books, I came to a realization: People dont buy from businesses; they buy from people . Indeed, even if they love a specific company, they decide to do business with it more times than not because of the people behind it, the individuals who endorse or represent the ideals of the brand.

So I asked myself: instead of focusing my energy on building a completely separate brand, why dont I brand myself and make myself a business?

So thats what Ive decided to do since the last 7 years. And frankly, this has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. My journey has involved a constant hustle, and a constant strive towards bettering myself, my brand, and the relations I have with those around me. In doing so, I am able to grow my personal brand and shape it the way that I want it to be.

And this book is about just that.

It is not a book on business nor a book on how to get rich quick or successful overnight.

In no way in hell am I the best business man or the richest person to come to advice for.

Im just a young marketer servicing businesses around the world and having fun building projects. Beyond that, Im a guy who tries to think as differently as possible from the conventional wisdom that so many people follow in hopes of creating my own path that other people can follow too.

If you want to learn how you can leverage and grow your personal brand, you picked up the right book. This book is a collection of short lessons because Ive learned that simplicity is key and on ways to build the foundations of your personal brand, methods to growing your tribe, tips on monetizing your personal brand, and how to reinvent yourself constantly to be more in tune with your mission and your vision.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this journey and I am confident there is something for everyone found within the pages of this book.

What Is A Personal Brand And Why Should I Build One?

Personal branding and its power is structured around this very simple principle: the more you market yourself and treat yourself like a brand, the more successful you will be. Personal branding means building your reputation, growing your following, and constructing your name.

It also means leveraging it and effectively using it to make capital.

Let me ask you this: what does Oprah, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Picasso, David Ogilvy, and Michael Jordan have in common? They all treated themselves as brands to get where they are today.