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- đź’° These Brands Make Billions
đź’° These Brands Make Billions
School of Hard Knocks
May 02, 2024
Happy Thursday, Hard Knocks community đź’°
Today we are talking all about brand building. This weeks class is a deep dive behind why personal brands are so valuable and how an 8-figure entrepreneur is using his personal brand to make his businesses more successful. Reply to this newsletter if you like this format!
Today’s Schedule
Build Brands To Make Billions: The Importance of Building A Personal Brand For Long Term Business Success
From the Hard Knocks Library: Zero To One by Peter Thiel
In Case You Missed It: Learn Life and Business Lessons From Successful Entrepreneurs on The Golf Course
Lets Get into it!🔥
Build Brands To Make Billions
Serial Entrepreneur - Grant Mitt
Today we are going to be talking about the most valuable currency in the world… Attention. Let’s look at some of the most popular brands that have exploded in recent years.
Kylie Cosmetics - A Cosmetic company started in 2015 by Kylie Jenner and is worth over $1.2 Billion.
Happy Dad - An alcohol and seltzer brand started in 2021 by Canadian YouTube Collective NELK and is valued at over $250 Million.
Skims - A clothing and shapewear company founded by Kim Kardashian in 2019 is valued at over $4 Billion.
What do all of these brands have in common?
Their founders all had massive personal brands.
Okay, that’s great but how can we actually learn from this and build a brand of our own?
We sat down with Grant Mitt - a successful serial entrepreneur who is the founder of a solar company that has done over $50million in sales in the past 3 years, has over 1 million organic followers across social media and is turning his content & personal brand into an asset for future business growth.
On June 6, 2020 Grant Mitt posted his first video on TikTok talking about how to be fulfilled and how to change your current situation in life. This video was filmed in a car and shot using an iPhone. His first video did 6.5k views and then the next video did a whopping 424k views. It was at this moment that Grant knew he had something on his hands.
Since 2020 Grant has posted hundreds of videos and now has an audience of over 1 million followers.
But how does a busy 8-figure entrepreneur make time to film content, use it to grow his company or even benefit from making it?
Here’s what Grant had to share with us:
How do you make time for content as an 8-figure entrepreneur? "In the beginning I would just film videos in the car using my phone in-between meetings and post raw unedited videos. As my brand grew I brought team members in who help with the process of filming, editing and posting."
Most people think that in order to start creating content or build a brand you need thousands of dollars of equipment. The reality is all you need is a phone and an internet connection to get started. Then as you scale, bring in a team to help with the process - that’s exactly what we did to grow The School of Hard Knocks to over 4 million followers.
Do you have any advice for others trying to grow their brand? "You have to listen to your audience and look at the results of your videos. When it comes to content the cream always rises to the top, so if your videos aren’t getting the traction you think they deserve, there is a good chance you need to improve certain aspects of your videos. Don’t worry about having hyper edited videos or having insane videography work, when you are authentically yourself and provide entertainment / education people gravitate towards that."
What has been the biggest benefit of growing your personal brand? "The biggest benefit for me so far has to be finding new talent. My company does work all over the United States so if someone comes across my video and really likes it, I often get people who are interested in working with me or my companies. "
Here’s something to think about as well, if a viewer loves your personal branding content, then there is a very good chance they will fit the core values and align with your company principles. Always remember, great companies are built because they have great people.
What is the biggest change in the social media landscape since you started making content? "There is a lot more competition now because people have started to realize just how powerful personal branding is. When you are authentically yourself and people love you for who you are, you can build any product or business and people will be interested in it because they are invested into you, the founder."
What is your vision for your brand in the future? "I am looking to turn my brand into a full blown media company. Right now my focus is to continue building my own personal brand alongside my podcast where I interview and talk with some of the brightest people in the world."
You can connect with Grant on Instagram at @grantmitt
Watch The School of Hard Knocks on the Grant Mitt Podcast below👇
Words of Wisdom
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
In Case You Missed It
There is a famous saying "more deals are done on the golf course than any other place" so we took that saying to the heart and visited some of the most high end golf courses in Texas and interviewed business owners / entrepreneurs. We were able to connect with some really cool people, so make sure you check it out🔥
Let Us Hear From You
Do you like it when dive deeper into one subject like we did with Grant Mitt today? Please reply back with your thoughts or things you would like us to include in future newsletters!