As the new year came around much like I always do I zigged when everyone else zags. At the start of the year it’s common to make resolutions begin diets, join gyms, or quit their bad habits. I elected to spend the New Year relaxing , gaming, and scarfing down junk food. After the fun, I decided to take a minute to plot out my goals and plans for the upcoming year. I’d like to make an influencer guide for both myself and those wanting to build a personal brand.

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

Jim Rohn

Organization

This is always something I have struggled with, but organization can help eliminate so many wasted hours in the day. Being physically organized not only makes you happier, but makes it easier to find things when you need them. Organization can be applied to other areas of life through the use of things such as calendars, lists, apps schedules.

A list of short, medium, and long-term goals will lead me to create action steps to get there. The actions can then be organized onto things like lists, schedules, and plans. I’d like to develop more efficient routines going into the next year as well. For example learning how to properly study would pay dividends in my quest to learn Japanese.

Finances

A misconception on wealth is that most of the people who have it gained it by some illicit means. Another false fact is that wealthy CEOs are more stressed than their employees. Research shows that employees and those not in management positions are actually more stressed than their bosses. There are probably multiple variables that contribute to this fact, but no doubt money might be one of them.

Money is a tool

You might be asking what a young twenty-four year old could want money? The concept of financial Freedom includes being free of debt and making enough to cover living expenses. This gives you the freedom to work, learn, and develop skills or projects of your choice. I’d actually like to get a masters in art at Kyoto School of Art and Design. The next thing is also paying back my parents and freeing them from their debt as well. I desire the ability to invest and work on different ideas without worrying about bills.

Bring A Friend

Helping others is a little selfish because it gives you a good feeling too, but guiding others is enjoyable. I’d like to be that anomaly who pays people to do things they enjoy. The ability to use self development techniques and businesses to help the people I care about is the ultimate goal. Ken Block, Gary Vaynerchuk, Rob Dyrdek, and Richard Branson, have shown the possibility of success in various fields. The end goal for me is an apparel company, media production house, and car importation and racing team.

The last thing I’d like to do with the wealth is to give back to the institutions that helped me. Leaving greater opportunities for those who will walk after me. The schools I went to are privately funded so I’d like to make my contribution. I’d like to see their arts, digital media, and E Sports grow. I know one school I went to could use a roof that doesn’t leak. Although I can’t give much in terms of money right now, I leave these words of encouragement. Documenting my life to set an example for help others, the wise will learn from my successes, the wiser will learn more from my failures.

Financial Action Steps

It’s one thing to want something, it’s takes a different mindset to take the small steps to get there. Actionable steps I plan to take in the next year are as follows.

• Keeping a spreadsheet tracking my income and expenses (did this religiously in America it was made much more difficult in Japan)
• Finding a new job(more details on why in a future post)
• Investing a small percentage of the small amount I do save a month
• Creating passive income streams through T-shirt designs, Line Stickers, Music Streaming/sales
• Becoming a Partnered Youtuber .
• Becoming a partnered Twitch Streamer
• Writing Short, annotated, illustrated book summaries Then reaching out to authors via internet for publishing and advertising
• Taking/Finding more paid photography gigs
• Being less agreeable and more assertive

Content, Content, Content

If you read that title in Gary Vee’s Voice and not your own you wouldn’t be alone. A bright future waits for the companies who churn out media and turn their employees into the next reality TV stars. Can you remember how popular How It’s Made and Modern Marvels were? No one can deny the explosion of Reality TV since the early 2000s. Bringing that spirit into companies will be the next big step. Twitch streamers are walking talking advertisements for the games they play. People buy the same equipment and even use the same settings for games. Good salesmen have known this for years, people don’t buy from Brands or Companies they buy from people. They buy an idea.

People are naturally curious so why not peel back that veil and show them how things work? Let’s use used car sales as an example because I have some friends who could use the help. Some of you are doing great, but imagine doing much better. Using Gary’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook term most car salesmen throw nothing but Haymakers on social media. It’s no mystery to me why their posts lack engagement. Many will tire of your “Look at these cars in our inventory” and “Know anyone looking for a vehicle” posts(if they haven’t already).

The Alternative

Instead why not show them the process of how to change oil, the safety inspections that all cars go through, or into the auction for the first time? Showcase local businesses in town, what’s for lunch, or when people decide the toppings on a manager bought Pizza. Remember that not everyone who needs a car is a car person, but almost everyone can debate on whether a pineapple belongs on a pizza.

You Have to Do this for a while before it pays off

It’s hard to make this Kind of content because no one thinks their everyday life is interesting. Another obstacle is that you have to prove to your boss that sharing your best driving playlist is worth the time. If the content is valuable enough your audience won’t care if you throw a right hook every now and then. In fact people might seek you out if you become well known enough. Why not buy a car from the guy or gal that also told me where to get the best burrito in town?

Why Do You Want to be Known?

Being Known, also the title of a book by Mark Schaefer, has many benefits including making it easier to find opportunities, letting opportunities come to you, and finally security in a more competitive job market. Although a good side effect, being rich and famous isn’t the point. Being known grants the ability to make a living doing things you enjoy, who wouldn’t want that? I’ve already benefited from becoming slightly known as a photographer in my small city of Matsumoto Japan. Receiving a small commission for something I was already going to do in taking pictures at Tokyo Auto Salon. It was small proof that I had a future as a photographer, an influencer, and an online entrepreneur. In becoming more known I would create further opportunities to do so.

Spreading your circle of influence has another great manifestation in that you have the ability to help more people. One of the reasons I wanted to become a DJ was going to MitiS’s show. I realized the amazing power music had to make me forget about my problems and dance the night away. . . I thought Wow it would be nice to do that for other people. By documenting my journey I hope to provide a framework for those who want to follow their passion. I would like to help my audience find their way through the this game we play.

TL;DR Influencer Guide Part 1

• If you don’t have a plan or strategy make one, use calendars, lists, and plans to give you direction
• Get your finances in check so you can work on becoming the best version of you.

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