we'd like you to, meet Kevin and learn more about him.

Uh, he's the founder of Epiphany Content.

Uh, we'll call you a, a videographer, a content strategist, and a change

maker, So, um, if you could share how you, maybe what, who is it you

love to work with and what you like to help them with, and maybe a little

bit of how did you get to doing this?

Now,

Uh, I love working with, with leaders, either the, either thought leaders or

executives, people who have something to offer, you know, they've really

invested in the transformation or the impact that they can deliver.

And the bottleneck is then communicating that in a way that, you know, their, their

audience or the people who they, who will benefit, uh, from their knowledge, from

their experiences that, that they can, you know, with that, with as little friction

as possible to take on that message.

This work, it started again 'cause I have a previous career in the film and TV

industry and so the first time I worked on a Blockbuster film, um, I was wondering,

okay, how do I get more work like this?

And so one of the, kind of the gaffers, one of the someone on the

lighting team, they suggested that I take this course at London Film

Academy Foundations and filmmaking.

And for me it was really just to learn my way around, set.

But through the process it, I reconnected with my love for, for

creating and for storytelling and got a camera on the back of it.

Started kind of doing photography for a lot of the set designers and lighting

designers on the different, different TV sets, uh, that I was working on.

And that grew into a bit of a side hustle and started networking locally

back when I was living in Kent.

And a lot of the other business owners are like, yo, it's great that you do

photos, but this was around 2016 or so.

And they're like, you know what?

You know what really is impactful is, is video.

You know, you should really maybe consider, uh, branching out.

And so that's when I started really kinda focusing on how to tell stories and show

up on video and got on my first LinkedIn video and was just amazed because I,

I posted this video, which was just me breaking down an event that I'd visited,

you know, so as I was leaving the event, you kind of made a quick video, just

some summarizing, you know, how great the event was and some of the people

that I met and didn't really think much of it, but the next event that I went

to, the people who came up to me rushing to me, you know, with a hand extended,

you know, and they were like, so.

Kind of eager, uh, to engage.

And they felt, you know, like they, they recognized me.

They felt like they knew me.

And, and instantly I understood the, the power that comes with, with

showing up and that, you know, it's, people just want to feel connected.

They want to feel who you genuinely are.

And it doesn't have to be, you know, this kind of, is it, is it dog and pony show?

Horse and pony show?

Um, you know, it doesn't have to be this, you know, this big charade.

You just just show up as yourself talking about what you believe.

And yeah, that, that really leads to so many more like

connections and opportunity.

Just that example you shared, did you find it easy just to pick up the phone

or camera and just talk to camera?

Was it natural to you, would you say?

Or did you have to work through any sort of, uh, self-doubt or

feeling of imposter syndrome before you shared that first video?

I'd probably done it other iterations that I hadn't shared, uh, before that.

And what really gave me a leg up was that I, I started with, um, a bit of

an understanding or like some of the psychology behind showing up because

I, you know, I'd been, I posted photos, you know, lots and lots of

photos, and I po you know, shared copy.

And so I had a presence and, and so video was, yeah, just the next kind

of progression, uh, beyond that, but.

there were a couple of books.

One in particular, I don't, a lot of people hate Gary Chu, but his book Jab

Jab, jab, uh, right hook, yeah, right hook from, you know, from, um, you

know, for how you approach your, your online presence, it is something that

you, people really should refer to.

And I think that's the one key that will help anyone to be more confident with

how they show up, is that mental reframe of moving away from self-promotion

and like, how do I present myself?

And, and really just shifting to how can I share information, insight, something

that's relative in a way that it'll give the people watching an unlock

that it'll give them, you know, an, an idea of how to be more effective.

And so for me, approaching that first video with this idea, okay,

I've been to this event and.

I would love to both kind of cross promote it with the, you know, the

people who organized the event.

And so you're talking about, you know, the organizers and some of the speakers

and shifting the focus onto others, and then giving just some feedback

about how beneficial it was, how, um, how, you know, how enriching it was.

So anyone watching that, you know, gives them an idea, okay, this is something

that I can either learn or gain from a similar event or look to take away.

Nice.

Would you consider yourself an extrovert or an introvert?

Oh, very, very introverted.

big groups, you know, I'm no one's, I like the party, but

I'm not the life of the party.

I usually kind of like my own, like, I like music, I like movement.

But, uh, and so having a presence, like public speaking, no problem

showing up on video, no problem.

but I don't, it's not something that like, kind of feeds me because I get attention.

It's more this, this yearning or an interest in, in sharing something

that I think will help or connect.

and you're gonna correct me if I'm wrong here, I think there's

a, an assumption that if you are introverted, you don't want to be seen.

And I, and I know that that's that kind of.

Framing for me is also was, has been broken in the past by a friend of ours,

Pete Mosley, who himself classes himself as an introvert, but he's perfectly

happy to stand on stage to talk.

But there's something about that group thing.

Was there anything that stopped you from being visible because

of your introvertedness?

And if so, how were you able to overcome that?

Or was there just a very simple, you know, it, it, it wasn't an issue ever.

I was, what was limiting for me early on.

Was before I worked with a strategist.

So I worked with this, uh, brilliant, uh, kind of business coach and strategist.

And on the other side, you come away with this clarity, you know, who you're,

uh, communicating to and you understand the value of, of what you deliver.

And so when you have that, you know, that that clarity, uh, that

that foundation of, of, of why I'm here and that belief and what you

deliver, you have that confidence.

The, that is dissolves most of the, the hurdles and the barriers.

And so I usually advise people who wanna show up, uh, work with, uh, a

strategist or, uh, graphic designers.

Uh, they, they also, uh, a brand, not graphic designers,

like a branding specialists.

Branding specialists for me are some of the, the, the best professionals

to work with because, you know, they put, you know, some kind

of artistic, uh, kind of visual.

complimentary element.

And they, they're excellent listeners.

You know, they, they put a mirror up and they really reflect what you're, what

you're saying that, and they take it, you know, personal, they take it to heart.

And, and so yeah, brand, brand specialists and, and business strategists.

You know, depending if you're slightly more analytical than maybe a business

strategist or, or some, someone like this, they'll do a similar job.

Um, but just not so much from the creative standpoint, but they're

both highly, highly effective.

And that gives, uh, gives you the confidence when you know you're talking

points and you can be consistent.

That is, you know, a huge advantage for anyone who wants to show up,

uh, with confidence and consistency.

Looking around social media and then how people talk about how

to be successful in business.

Particularly if you're a solopreneur, there's a huge emphasis of

building your personal brand.

Uh, and I know personally and many people really find that, I even that

phrase, personal brand, super icky.

It is, it's a currency, uh, content gives you leverage.

Uh, there's this book, uh, the Almanac of Naval Revant, and he talks

about how if you wanna build, uh, wealth, you know, you have your, your

kind of your pillars, of leverage.

And at the, kind of the fundamental, the base level, you have media and coding

because they scale and it's perception.

Uh, so you can maybe build an app that you can send out to, you know, loads

of people, or you can write a piece of content that shifts perception.

It adds value because of, of how it's framed and showcased or, or just

because it's spoken about, you know, to, to, to multiple people at once.

And then, you know, you have kind of capital and then

you have, uh, have people.

The great thing about media is that you can use it to bring together people.

And so you can essentially have two, uh, pillars, uh, at the, at at the same time.

And so thinking about personal branding, uh, thinking about it as

a way of establishing perception and building up credibility.

Uh, because if people can go back and they can see this, uh, this,

this track, uh, where you're.

Consistently showing up, providing valuable information or

perspective or, or inspiration.

And your values are not deviating.

You may, you may grow and expand beyond what your kind of, what initially

like was the catalyst for, for your why, for why you do what you do.

But you build that trust when people can trace back through the years.

So like, if you go onto my LinkedIn page and there's content, you know,

from 5, 6, 7 years ago that I'll see and it's like, it's, it's me.

You know, it's so me and I, I create better content or different content.

I serve a different market, but, you know, like I, I have a, you

know, like a real soft spot, you know, for, for that old content.

And I love seeing some of my old stuff.

And so when you are showing up being true to yourself.

And sharing what you believe in, what you know makes a difference.

That's what building a personal brand is all about.

You know, it's not about like, alright, let me calculate

how I want to come across.

Let me find other people who I look up to and find ways of emulating them.

That's, that's not sustainable and that is cringe worthy.

Uh, you'll make a character of yourself, um, if, if you're not just

being true to your own inspiration and what you, what you believe in

building a body of work that you can refer back to.

Like, I'm thinking evergreen content, that even if you, you've grown as a

person, there's still some substance to it that's still relevant, maybe years later.

Yeah, exactly that.

And it's also, uh, I think we've had conversations about, about service

and, you know, some people, they, they feel, uh, this, this yearning to serve.

And that's really goes, it couples up perfectly with building a personal brand.

Because if you approach your messaging and what you're sharing from this standpoint

of service, uh, then you're not like, it's not like this selfie like, Hey,

look at me, I've got a great outfit.

Or, you know, like, aren't I cool?

Look at me at the, at this premier spot, you know, with all these movers and

shakers that is genuinely cringe-worthy.

And I do my best.

Like I had so many, so many of the people who in business, I, I, uh,

support, I have great relationships with.

I adore them, but I find it difficult to support their content when it's.

Inwardly focused.

You know, like, and I, and one of the biggest things is I, I try to

advise people like, uh, do everything you can to avoid your posts.

Starting with I, you know, like, I, like no one is showing up to,

to hear about, you know, like you, people are showing up looking for

solutions for their own challenges.

And, and so, uh, yeah, if we can get, when we move away from wanting to talk

about ourselves, because it's easy and it's, I think it's, it's quite natural

as our first instinct is to talk about my experience or my point of view.

And, uh, I think that's, that's really the, one of the, the very, very first

step to getting past having this cringe-worthy relationship with personal

branding in your content is, is making your content about your audience.

I think I've got a better idea of what you define as cringe.

Which sounds like, um, something that's very much focusing on oneself and that

feeling cringey, and I've got a few questions around that, but there's, I

feel there's a reason why many people associate personal brand to this.

Look at me, you know, let, I wanna talk about me type approach, particularly

that, oh, video myself in whatever outfit or doing whatever thing.

From your perspective, just to maybe just kinda setting the scene, why

has that become such prevailing approach or narrative about how

to turn up impersonal brand?

and then what is the impact of that on everyone else?

I, I don't believe that platforms would make nearly as much money if they

promoted content that was values led and people talking about connection and, you

know, being content, uh, you know, with yourself and looking out, you know, for

the, you know, for the disenfranchised or, or, or the marginalized.

You know, that's, that's not what makes, uh, lots of money,

uh, for these platforms.

It's, it's, it's, it is more if they can push people who have these aspirational,

uh, kind of lifestyles and, and that make you feel inadequate, uh, to a degree.

Like, like, oh, I need to spend more money.

I need to buy that, you know, Rolex or, you know, like, have, you

know, this, this, this flashy car.

And so what, uh, the carrot that's dangled in front of us that says what

we're supposed to aspire to, it's.

Contrary to what's good for us, uh, as, as individuals.

And so the, there, there's a lot of people, there's a lot of talent out there.

There, there are people, um, a lot, a lot of these influencers

are incredibly creative.

Maybe a lot of them, you know, have, have gone to drama school or they've

been, you know, kind of be your C list, uh, kind of TV personality somewhere.

And so we are maybe judging ourself against people who are natural performers.

And, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Uh, and there's a lot of people who get joy from.

Showing up as a character.

But when you're looking to build relationships and build a business

that operates on a different model, that's on transparency and on

connection and you know, on people, people do business with people.

And so it's, but that's not what is, that's not sexy or glamorous.

That's not what gets, you know, like that's not what goes viral.

Uh, but that's what builds connection and relationships.

And so given that the platforms are optimized for that, either aspirational

or, polarizing content for want of a better term, you know, I, I'm, so,

I'm gonna talk personally, it's like, it's kind of a feeling like, well,

I'm just swimming against the tide, is it being of any service to me

being here and you know what you are?

What would you say to someone who's just like, feeling a bit

hopeless is because it sounds like a, a far in a thunderstorm from

you can, uh, use these, these, there's no right or wrong way to use these

platforms, and so you can use them.

You know, it's not this, this notion that the only way to be successful is

to, uh, go viral or to get hundreds of likes and comments on, on a post.

That is psychologically damaging and it's, it's not the barometer for success.

So, so LA last, uh, last night, you know, yesterday's event I met, like, I didn't

really know any of the people there and it was a reasonably well attended event.

And so being on this panel, I've got to share some, my story and perspective

and a lot of those people came away.

Uh, but yeah, we know each other a bit now.

We've spent some time together, so now we've connect, connected

with them on Instagram.

And so I am seeing their businesses, their stories and, and we can communicate

and we can build that relationship.

And I think I is what is like seven.

Hours or something like the, the number of nine touch points or something that people

need to see before they're ready to buy.

And when you build a genuine bond with someone, and then you can, can yeah, kind

of grow that and nurture it through social media then, and especially if they're

your ideal customer or audience, then that's a very efficient way of getting

those reps in, you know, of actually getting the interactions, getting them

to, to see you and be familiar with what you're about, how you deliver, you

know, your, your, your service and what your, you know, what your ethos is.

and, and again, that's just one, you know, way, you know, that's not,

that's, that's a kind of very two dimensional, way of, of being successful.

And also, gosh, a big thing is that a lot of times it's either

our friends or our peers that we're worried they're gonna see us and be

like, oh, you're not super popular.

And those are not your ideal customers.

And it doesn't matter if your post gets, you know, two likes.

Uh, if, and your ideal customer's almost definitely not going to be

one of the people engaging with your content, they're gonna be lurking.

And they don't care if it has two likes.

They care because you're on their radar and they wanna see what you have to say.

And so if you keep it real and clear and you do a good job of communicating the

value and how you can be transformative for them, then you're successful

without getting those that, that engagement or those vanity metrics.

So on that note, I'm gonna call it note visibility.

Uh, you talk about lurkers and maybe your ideal customers just lurking.

So I have a question around being seen on these platforms because on

one hand, and this is my own personal experience of writing regularly, I

have no idea which post is going to go from tens of views to thousands.

and it feels like for some people it just like a roulette wheel.

You just like gambling, you don't know what's gonna land.

be, and then that can be disheartening 'cause like, do I just have to now be on

this treadmill of posting every day, every minute, every week in order just to get

visibility of even, you know, the lurkers?

'cause it's that not knowing that anyone's out there can be dis.

uh, when I work with clients?

So what I like, my kind of signature service is that I work with, you know,

a CEO or you know, some thought leader and we're going to develop a six month

content strategy and then film that, that content over two to three days

and, and schedule it strategically.

And the whole goal of that campaign is to first get people to, to know them,

then move on to getting them the, the audience to liking that person, and then

finally to getting them to feel trust and, and build trust with that, with that

individual, different types of content.

Uh, achieve kind of different things in that strategy.

And so when you're just in the know phase, it's just like if, if you're

at a party or, or you're just meeting someone kind of like randomly at an

event or something, you're not gonna rush up to 'em and give them this

deep dive, something really emotional.

And you know, like my, my biggest challenge was, and this really taught

me this profound, like people are gonna be like, whoa, that's really intense.

And I don't know you, but if you think about, you know, like, yeah, we like

to see each other's face, you know, like maybe you see someone, it's

like, oh, nice shoes or something.

Like, something, something easy, something, you know, really digestible.

So if you're at that, that no phase and that's gonna be like

the widest part of the funnel.

That's awareness.

And so the easiest way to get started is just a selfie, is, is

sharing a selfie somewhere relevant.

So we're here in Bright.

So like a selfie in front of a Brighton pier on a sunny day,

um, kind of at the sunrise.

And maybe talking about how this puts me in the right mind frame to, um,

to be energetic and, you know, really look forward to tackling my day.

And so you're showing your face, you're giving people something really easy.

We love seeing each other's face.

Um, it's relatable.

So people who are from the region or people who've traveled

here, they'll recognize it.

People who align with, you know, that kind of, um, approach to, to, to

wellness and, and having, you know, like a good, I guess, mental state

of, state of mind, you know, they're going to be like, okay, you know?

Yeah.

I see.

I, I, I line up with that.

And so starting with something easy, like loads of people are gonna like it, uh,

because we like seeing each other's face.

It's really relatable.

And you can predict that, uh, yeah, you'll get more engagement on

something like that, especially if you just leave the copy reasonably

simple and relatable and moving towards, uh, from no, no type content.

Moving to like content.

And that's more of your, of your values.

You know, that's more of, of, of, of why you stand for this.

Cause, you know, like, like why are you out cleaning up, you know, Brighton Beach?

You know, and, and the story that has for, for community and your,

your feelings about community.

And so that's more of your, of your values.

And so after people know you, then, uh, like only and may, maybe 30% of those

people who know you are gonna be like, you know what, you know, my, our values align.

I'm also an activist, uh, you know, for the, for the coastline.

And yeah, I, I, I believe in that person.

You know, like I, I see, see you.

I, I don't know why you do that.

And.

It is gonna appeal to less people, uh, but it's gonna build a deeper connection.

And then if you're moving to the trust phase of your content, that's

where you're sharing your solutions.

And if people don't, you know, if, if you just run up to a random person

at a party and you, and you tell 'em, it's like, Hey, look, this is what you

need to do, uh, to grow your business.

All right?

Listen to me first.

You need to, you know, implement this strategy.

They're gonna be like, I don't know you again.

Like, please, this is too intense.

But if they've been with you on this journey, you know they're

familiar with your face, they, they resonate with your values, and

now you're starting to give them.

You know, unlocks the things that are actionable that help

them to solve their problem.

And that establishes you as a credible authority and someone who,

who gives, you know, like, you're, you're not gatekeeping knowledge.

Again, that's only going to be, you know, rele, you know, uh, relevant to, you know,

maybe 10, 10 or 15% of the, of the 30%.

And so that you're not gonna get tons of engagement.

But the value of the people who connect with that trust building, expert

expertise, sharing type content, that's, it's gonna be immense.

Those, those, those people are, you're gonna really solidify that relationship

and establish yourself, uh, as an authority and as a trusted, uh, figure.

And so.

Yeah, I think, yeah, we have to really reassess what we're

looking to achieve online.

And having every one of your posts be relatable to loads and loads of

people, that's not driving conversions.

That's just making you aware to a bunch of people who are not looking to buy.

And if you're not delivering anything of depth, then none of those

people are gonna really appreciate the solutions that you bring.

And so, yeah, I think there's different stages, different types of content

for where you are, uh, for where your audience is in the buyer's journey.

So we have the no content, the like content and the trust content.

And from my linear way of thinking, I love this as a scientist,

there's a process, bam, bam, bam.

however that works.

If I know I'm talking to the same person and they're going on this journey.

How, how would I cope with all of this when I'm, I'm not sure who's listening and

when, how, when do I do the no content?

When do I do the like content?

When do I do the trust content?

Do I do it all the same time?

Do I focus on this?

You know,

It's, I think it depends on what you need in terms of customers or revenue.

Uh, and so if you have like it's content's, a relationship building

game, you know, it's nothing but, but conversations, you know, it's

you presenting yourself and other people engaging and interacting.

And so if you're just starting fresh, you know, like I always advise

people just start out, you know, with a selfie and something simple.

Um, but also, you know, try to make it about the people who

were, who are watching, not like about you, about yourself, and.

From there, you know, there's so many different styles or so many

ways of showing up that you have to find your, your voice, you

know, like what resonates with you.

And if that's, you know, copywriting, if that's like walking, um, while holding

the camera, um, maybe not even looking at the camera, just like fly on the wall.

The camera just happens to be there while you're walking

and talking about something.

Um, or maybe like you've got a, a static camera, you know, like a setup like

this, you know, where you put the camera down and you've prepared, you know,

like a, a bit of a script or talking points and you know, you're really

delivering concise information and value.

I think you have to know what suits you and to also like what energizes you.

Uh, and, and so.

I, yeah, I love creating, I love sharing, and I have like so many

different approaches to it that I'm not, uh, confined at any, any, any time.

If I wanna express something, I can do it in an article or, you

know, with a photo, with copy, and I, it, it, it will be effective.

And I also have such a huge body of content that like, if I have been

away from LinkedIn for a while, you know, I'll definitely put up a selfie

or I'll put up, um, like a portrait or a headshot or something and, uh,

and, and that, you know, just kind of gets the momentum going again.

So again, it's an investment.

And so when you, when, when you, when you've built up a presence,

uh, consistently over time, then it just doesn't take nearly as

much, you know, to, to keep the, that, that momentum, uh, going

Well, the thing that I like about what Kevin said, well, I think it aligns

with my thinking on this, is like, whilst we want to get results from

this, we wanna see some feeling that this is working, trying not to tie

ourselves too much to these vanity metrics, you know, especially on a like

short term basis is what I'm hearing.

So I like this idea of which I'm a believer, and if we're obsessed by

how many likes I get on the post, then it might dishearten you and

you might not, might not carry on.

There's no momentum there.

So that consistency, that habit to build that over time and, and maybe look longer

term than just, um, on a sort of micro basis of this idea of I'm building a brand

here, I'm building a, uh, a long-term relationship with people and that's

gonna take time to bear, to bear fruit.

Um, and I've also seen this, that sometimes the lu is other

people who get the most value.

So not everyone engages who gets value, right?

And maybe linked to our work, there's people who maybe don't

wanna be seen to be liking.

Happy Startup School 'cause they're in a job and they don't want to

be associated to something that maybe think makes their employer

think that they're gonna jump ship.

So I think there's often things we don't think about in terms

of our potential customers, uh, situation that may influence how

they engage with our content.

the other thing that stuck for me was just the idea of like social media almost being

like just a reflection of capitalism.

Let me talk about like this machine that is geared up for like us to buy

more stuff, to feel less worthy, to fuel the system in some ways going the other

route, like it's more authentic route.

Just being ourselves is actually like an act of rebellion almost.

So seeing it as a bit of a sort of sticking your fingers up to

the, to the metas of this world.

So actually say no, there's another way of doing this.

And it maybe it is a slower approach, but it's more authentic and more sustainable.

I think.

Like you said, not, you're not crashing and burning.

So yeah, I dunno if that's been your experience of just this more

steady development over time.

'cause you said you're just topping up the, the oil almost, rather than like

having to sort of go on a big campaign or having a viral post and then it, nothing

works and you're trying to work out how to get back to that high I had before.

I find like I can, I can put out something that'll get, you know, lots

of likes and, and, and engagement kinda any, any time, uh, I want.

but I am even more focused on, uh, like my, my newsletter and

people who, uh, having more kinda genuine interaction and, and, and

a deeper, um, kind of relationship.

I think if you feel good, I think the key is do you know how you

feel about something you share?

You know, like, like I look at my content, I don't care if it gets

loads of engagement, I know if I like it, I know if I believe in it.

Mm-hmm.

And that has to be the Yeah.

How, how, how we gauge our, our messaging.

but the thing is, is so few people look at their content as a way

of sharing something useful or valuable that it's to, to, to judge

the effectiveness of, of content.

Uh, for anyone, you know, to this point it's like, well, if you haven't

been looking at it as a relationship building exercise and, and relationships

only flourish and thrive when we're interested in other people.

If we become great listeners and we hold space for people, then yeah,

people come away with, with good vibes.

And you, you, you, you, you grow a relationship that way.

Uh, and so we have to think of our content in that same context of how

can we hold space for someone else and make sure that what we are sharing is

what other people are interested in.

And that's where conversations come in, into the picture.

When you have a great conversation with someone about your, about your work or

your area of expertise, that is what you should be making content about.

Because if it's made for a captivating conversation between someone that you

respect, admire, uh, you enjoy, then.

Similarly, that conversation, that topic is going to resonate with other

people who align with those values and those qualities of that person that

you had a great conversation with.

And, and just like I said, you know, it's kind of at the beginning of our talk,

moving away from trying to appease like our friends or our peers, uh, the people

who we're maybe trying to show that we're super successful or live up to, you know,

this, you know, this, this, this image.

When we move away from looking to appease them 'cause they are not buying from us,

you know, that's not our ideal audience.

It's not our, the people are, it's not our ideal clients.

And so really, really being aware of the people that we wanna build relationships

with and, and serving them by taking on board what they want to hear,

what they're interested in, and then giving them that in, in content form.

That's something you can always be proud of and you'll get better and better at.

Delivering it in a way that people can grasp.

You know, that, that message being respectful, mindful of the audience, you

know, like how do you respect their time?

And, uh, yeah, you, you get better and better at it and you,

and you'll feel good, feel good about it when you get it right.

where does authenticity land in this place for you?

How, and I, I'm going to frame authenticity in one way where it's this,

I just wanna be able to say what I want to say and, and in whatever format.

and of course for me there's the other, the other authenticity

of, you know, not performative, not trying to be someone else.

And then marrying that with, what I'm hearing you talk about just

now is being of service, so sharing things that you believe or you feel.

We'll help others.

Uh, yeah.

Well, I think first and foremost, we have to kind of reconcile that, uh, that, that,

that urge within us that is me focused, like, this is what I want to share.

This is what, like who the hell wants to hang out with somebody who

just comes around and just shoves their agenda down the throat of

the people, um, in their periphery.

Like no one wants to hang out with that person.

And on your online presence is exactly the same.

There, there are a lot of people who come with, uh, with, with credibility.

So maybe they are influential, uh, locally or in this industry or,

yeah, just maybe they're, they're, they're, they're, they're noteworthy.

Um, in some ways some kind of celebrity and.

People will show up to listen to their ME focused messaging just

because they want to, in some way, cozy up to this, to this person.

And most of us don't come with that degree of, of notoriety.

And so it doesn't work for us to show up online with, this

is what I want to talk about.

Like, nobody wants to hang out with that person.

so yeah, kind of shifting and, and, and, and having an awareness

of, of how you can serve others yeah, that's really kind of key.

And, and there's no way around that.

And then from there, authenticity, like, okay, I can just grab my

mobile phone in a, in a dark room and just be authentically me.

Um, I think about my content.

Like my attire, uh, my attire when I go to a networking event.

And so like here, you know, like I, you, you want to come across clean and crisp.

I've got a good mic.

some lighting, a nice camera and lens, because that dissolves friction.

It makes it easier for the message to land.

So it's not about being swish or like trying to position yourself as, uh,

like some, some kind of celebrity.

this is media, this is me.

A, a media for translating or for for transferring

information for communicating.

And you want to.

You want that to be as frictionless as possible.

And so while you want to be authentic, we also authentically

show up at networking events in clean close, and we speak audibly.

You know, we make sure that people can hear us, uh, and, and we're concise.

Uh, and and, and so you're, you're, your content has to kind of, yeah.

Has to adhere to those, those boundaries of It has to be about the stuff that

other people are interested in, and it has to be put in a format that is

as frictionless as, as possible, or as frictionless as needs as it needs

to be for the quality or, or for the, the impact of the message to land.

So there is a level of intention required based on wanting to communicate.

And if you, and what I'm hearing, there's the message and there's the medium.

And it doesn't matter how good the message is.

If you are not working with the medium in the most frictionless way, then

it's not gonna create the impact or deliver the knowledge or create the

shift that you wish for it to create.

Exactly that.

And in addition to the packaging, you know, each platform has its

own, expectations or, or norms.

And at the moment I'm very comfortable and confident with LinkedIn and, and TikTok,

uh, funny enough, Instagram, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm personally, I don't feel like

I'm formatting my content in a way that.

It's frictionless for Instagram.

Uh, and I've not paid any attention to Instagram, you

know, for, for, for years now.

But now that a lot of my recent connections are on

Instagram, I'm rethinking that.

So, uh, but that means that I have to invest in learning

the language of, of Instagram.

I have to learn to format my messaging in a way that it's, you know, how

this is what people expect when they, when they show up on Instagram.

And so just this idea that you want to be visible, that you wanna show up online,

I hear LinkedIn is the place to be.

Well, there's also, there's work that has to be done to understand the psychology

of, of, of, of LinkedIn and how to mm-hmm.

You know, format your messaging.

I'm, I'm from Little Rock, Arkansas, you know, I'm from,

from Wrightsville, Arkansas.

I grew up on a farm in the country.

And when I'm with my mom, I don't speak like this.

And so, you know, like that's Instagram, you know, I communicate completely

differently and yeah, I grew up listening to a lot of hip hop, and so like if I'm

with, if I'm with my boys and, you know, we're listening to, to hip hop, then I,

I show up in a slightly different way.

But in a business environment in the uk, this is, is is how I show up.

And so your platforms, your content, it all has to be formatted in

a way so that it's frictionless for, for, for the platform.

And this for me speaks to the need for if, if anyone listening to this

feels overwhelmed and struggling with, oh, how do I get started?

And I want to be my authentic self, but I also need to consider how

this content lands, which means also understanding who I'm serving as well

as how the platforms work, working with.

Someone like yourself or a coach, a consultant that can just give some kind

of structure, some way to just work through this without feeling overwhelmed.

that that's the problem that gets solved by having help like this.

That's how I'm understanding this.

Um, you talked earlier about credibility and how credibility is created.

Well, by what I'm hearing, this consistency of turning up in public,

sharing yourself, uh, not just to be seen, but to also invite

conversations and that builds this sense of people knowing who you are.

I think the phrase I hear, I'm connecting this, is the idea of social capital.

And then when you have that, you can use that in all sorts of ways.

And so what I'm connecting this to is how Brighton United started.

Just sharing how, by doing the work to turn up, when there is a mission

that you are passionate about, you now have a platform to make that happen.

yeah.

The, the Brighton United community, that movement all started as a result

of my experiences with networking up here in Brighton and Hove Brighton.

It has this reputation for being incredibly inclusive.

But the networking environments, you know, the professional spaces, coworking

spaces don't reflect that in terms of global majority representation.

Go to events and, and often, one of one or two black or brown people and that

in and of itself, uh, was, was puzzling.

But beyond that, you know, I'm a very confident networker and I, I

struggled to build relationships.

Went to an event once, and this is after trying to network a few times

and was in, in, in this, uh, it was a fairly large event and right before

Christmas, an award ceremony, it's like, all right, I'm gonna network.

I'm gonna make some connections here.

Um, this is, um.

Yeah, a year and a half ago stood in the middle of the, you know, kind of the, the

room, this massive, um, this massive room.

And I'm thinking, okay, I am going to like, find some ways to engage and,

and get some ins with some people.

And for like 15 minutes, uh, people just kind of walked around me,

looked through me, and I was, I was a member, um, at this space.

It was a coworking space that was having this event.

and so I was like, I've, I've seen these people around the building, but

somehow I'm just really struggling to, uh, to build relationships, get

struggling, to get people to engage.

And I knew that a number of other people from the global majority had

experienced, uh, had similar experiences.

So fast forward to, uh, TEDx, uh, Brighton 2024, and I was in the crowd,

you know, kind of having is maybe what, six months after that, that

experience with networking and kind of starting to become a bit frustrated

and there was this performance by, you know, performing arts college and.

They were on stage, uh, doing this hip hop street dance routine, and, and

they were just perfect for, for lack of a better word, they were so good.

Uh, but there were no black or brown people in their performing,

in their troop, which for me, it felt like appropriation.

I was like, whoa, this is something.

This is Brighton.

It's just so reflective of Brighton, um, to not normalize black or

brown people's presence somewhere Premier, you know, where we could.

Be just kind of be seen as being, oh, it's just normal that,

you know, diversity is here.

And uh, and so yeah, I took out my phone right there on the spot, took

a picture of the performance and went to share it on LinkedIn because at all

I kind of, I'd written the city off.

I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna network with these people.

I'm not gonna build relationships with them.

And uh, uh, somebody needs to call out, you know, this fake inclusivity.

And I have an online presence, so I get all my clients further

afield anyway, so who cares?

And uh, yeah, I put this, put this post up on LinkedIn.

It's completely out of character, you know, it's not my style at all.

And that's, for me, what made was the real catalyst for the

movement was that people knew that.

It wa if it wa if, if it wasn't how I typically showed up on LinkedIn,

there must be something to it.

You know, there must be something real in that experience.

And because people felt like they, you know, knew my values or felt like

they knew me all of a sudden out of the woodworks, you know, like, like

dozens and dozens of people like, yeah.

Kevin, I've noticed similar, and this is from all backgrounds, you know,

from, from the business community, the global majority community.

Like, there was no barrier on the people who resonated

with, uh, with what I shared.

And fast forward, you know, and now we have established Brighton United,

which is a community interest company that's bringing more global majority

representation to the professional spaces, uh, and, and business networks

and communities across Brighton and Hove.

And this really only happened because of that credibility, uh,

that you, that you mentioned.

People you felt confident in my values and, and what I stood for.

And I was able to put forward this message in a way that it landed, it resonated.

People could clearly connect with, with the why and with what I was sharing

and what challenge I was presenting for the City of Brighton and Hove.

And so that's, yeah.

It is what, what's possible with a credible presence

with having that foundation.

It, it makes so much more possible than, um, than we could do without

having that kind of online presence.

And that for me is a story of the benefits of showing up when maybe there's no

mission that we're on or at the moment.

And maybe there's no cause that we feel called to, um, promote,

but at some point there may be.

And if we are in a position where we've made.

Enough connections with others, whether that's online or offline, to then have a

platform to really push something forward.

It nearly feels like it's your responsibility to turn up on TikTok.

Some

of the best discussions you got, some that I've had have been on, on TikTok,

uh, kind of, and that's where I put a lot of the content that I test to see,

uh, like is this an interesting topic?

Uh, but TikTok is, is it's a super useful tool and you'll, you'll start

amazing conversations, uh, on TikTok.

that example we shared at TEDx felt like a shift from like,

and we hear this all the time.

Oh, I should be on social media.

I should post something, I gotta write five posts a week.

I got right two.

I need to do this.

This isn't like I should, this is like, this is gonna happen and it

might create some friction, but maybe a friction that that's welcome.

Guess what comes with a voice?

Uh, when, when you, when, when you build up that credibility, when you

have a voice and you can influence perception, to a degree, then I feel

a very strong responsibility for people, um, who are marginalized.

And I just don't want, I don't want other people to experience that feeling

of being at a networking event, wanting to connect, having something of value

to add and having people like just look over you or around you or straight

through you is a really crummy feeling.

Uh, and.

Yeah, I, I'm not gonna lie down and, and accept kinda being relegated

to this role in, in society, I'm going to step up, uh, yeah.

Even if it means that I have to find clients somewhere else.

I totally thought that I would just get ostracized and that that

was it for my chances in Brighton.

But, uh, the people of Brighton have, have shown, have proven me wrong.

And, uh, yeah, there's just so much Yeah.

Support such an appetite for, for this, for this Brighton United movement.

It made, made me really proud and it helped me to understand that the way

that things are is not intentional.

Uh, mean, know, think nobody is decided like, Hey, look, you know, let's

keep the black and brown people out.

You know, it's not like that.

Uh, but, you know, it will take an intentional effort, uh, to change things.

And, and that starts with clarifying your message and bringing together the people

who you know are, who are, who are gonna be a part of that, that transformation.

no.

Wonderful.

And it was an amazing, amazing launch event by the way.

And thank you.

Just a real, a real energy in the room.

I felt like, I know you may have, there've been some stories about initiatives

before that have started and not, um, taken hold, but it feels like hearing

you and your story, but also your co-founding team, similar stories, um,

and stories in the room too, and an appetite from the community to step up.

So yeah, thank you for, for doing that.

Thank you for being there.

Alliance

and I, I feel there's something here around this because you're visible,

because you're credible, because you shared something that was heartfelt,

the serendipity that that creates.

Because to be honest, we, we talked many months ago, but I think now because of

this story, because of learning more about you, It's, for me at least, uh, clarified

what the connection is between us.

And now you're coming to summer camp and you're gonna give a talk

and you're gonna do a workshop.

And it's, uh, it's as if without that visibility and without you sharing

Exactly, you know, something that you were really passionate about.

The potential of where we can are now, might not have

existed, might not come about.

And so I, you know, I'm not saying this is a surefire sort of recipe

for finding, you know, the, the right path, but if you don't show

up, you won't necessarily be able to, to take advantage of these things.

So there's, there's, there is.

Uh, I feel there is a lesson here.

I dunno what it is.

We'll have to ask TikTok what's the best way to do.

But then even on top of that though, is like the more that you show

up, like when you share what you have, uh, that's, that's valuable.

You get better and better at talking about it.

And so there's no stress or trepidation with an event like this because

I've worked out the value of, of what I bring to the table over time.

Uh, and I'm really clear on that.

And I have gotten adept at communicating that on video.

And so I can show up anytime and talk about the value of,

of what I bring to the table.

And that's also a huge benefit of consistently sharing your message,

uh, and, and, and clarifying it.

And, um, I would love to just give a pro, like what I consider to be a pro

tip for people who do want to, uh, both understand their, that cornerstone, you

know, that their values and to really, um, be more confident in what they

want to share in terms of messaging.

And that is, uh, just voice notes.

Um, taking voice recording, especially on iPhone.

I don't know if you can do it on Android, but it gives you the transcripts.

And so anytime you have an idea or you have a great conversation or you know,

just you, you're musing about something, it's just taking, uh, a voice note and

then you can take those transcripts and then put those into like a, like

chat GBT or, or Claude agent, you know, like make yourself a knowledge bank.

With all of your, your thoughts or like what you're impassioned by, if maybe you

see something on the news and it made you really think, you know, like, this is what

I feel or believe about the situation.

And you start collecting all of your, your knowledge, your way of

communicating into, uh, into an agent.

And then you can use that to help you create content.

Because this now you can use that agent that's all of your, your ip, you know,

like your thoughts, your feelings, your way of communicating, and then

that, that's a way to really kind of supercharge the content creation process.

Um, because yeah, you don't have to like hunt for, for inspiration if you're just

kind of archiving and like, if you're having meetings like Carlos, you and

I, we had a meeting a couple days ago.

It was like first thing, oh, do you mind if I record this?

Because I know we're gonna say, you know, like some, some stuff that, uh,

we're impassioned by or it's some kind of insight or that, that collaborative

process, you know, just being with someone else who spurs on ideas.

Uh, and, and so you want to, you wanna capture that and you

want to archive it, and then you want to turn that into content.

And so that is the real, um, pro tip, the real takeaway I think for

anyone who wants something actionable.

Mm-hmm.

Knowledge bomb dropped.

Um, as well as that knowledge bomb, I'd love for you to answer a

question 'cause I think it's also a general question for many people.

Uh, and Kumaran just asked this, he's he specifically in this

area of software, ERP software.

But the thing I think that's more generic general for people is that

he may not know everything and it may be only knows one 10%, but he doubts

and hesitates to share what he knows.

do you have any thoughts on how to help him overcome this?

Think about how he got started, what was were his first steps there?

So many people are going to want to go from zero to whatever that first step was.

And, you know, uh, another, a hack is that as long as you're one step ahead of the

people that you're teaching or leading, you're gonna come across as an expert.

And when we start practicing anything, we, we forget that learning curve.

And I think we probably don't realize the, the actual density

of, of, of, of information and knowledge that we, that we hold.

And so doing tutorials is a great way of delivering audience first content.

So I do a lot of lighting tutorials or teach people about audio and.

A camera, you know, positioning and framing, and is, if you're delivering a

1 0 1 style, uh, tutorial to help someone go from zero to their first step, then

that's a great way of, of, of creating content and doing so in a structured step

by step way so that you're always a couple of steps ahead, ahead, but you're laying

the foundation and you giving value.

Thank you, Kevin.

I hope that helps Kumaran and I hope that helps anyone else who, who

feels like they're not the expert.

They don't know a hundred percent of everything, and so

what have they got to share?

Um, there are ways around that, and I love that.

Yeah, just making it as concise as possible.

I think that's the real area that people who don't edit, if you haven't

like practiced editing a video and you, you could have something that's

really profound, but if you're leaving spaces and you drop in a, um, every

now and then, then you might have something that really is beneficial,

but it's not in a streamlined, condensed format that prioritizes the audience.

And so, uh, it, you really have to trim.

Every bit of fat.

And so that you're just taking people, every, everything that's included in that

final piece of video is, is necessary.

And taking them on that step to, to understanding and discovery.

So yeah, be, be, be edit more than less, you know, take

out too much and, and mm-hmm.

Let people fill in the gaps.

Uh, so it's a little bit of a ritual that we have at the end of our session, is just

to share, you know, something that we're taking away, whether it's some, a new.

Uh, a feeling or a thought.

Um, and I'd love the audience to join us as well.

yeah, for me, just that idea that I think it's more of a reminder of we

wouldn't be here if maybe Kevin didn't share online or we didn't share online.

And I'd say our community wouldn't exist.

The relationships we've built have started by us showing a bit of courage,

probably like you did when you shared that post from TEDx, or that first time

you shared that video from an event.

That little bit of a leap of faith.

for me it's just that, just that reminder, that connection is at the heart of this

really, it's all about relationships and connection, and the tech and the design

and the stuff are great, but ultimately there's someone at the end of the line.

He's gonna benefit from something you have to say, and maybe they

become friends and collaborators.

So, yeah, that, that's a great, uh, reminder for me.

I am gonna take away something a bit more strategic and that is this real

reminder of the know, like, trust buckets.

And I feel I might be guilty of just being stuck in the trust bucket.

And forgetting that there are people out there that have never

met me, known me, had no idea.

And so the f if they see there's something straight off about, yes,

join Vision 2020 and get the blah, blah, blah, like, who are you?

So not having enough of that mix of content.

And being too eager to just sell an idea or even just be too familiar.

I like the idea, it was like, come and it's that horrible, it reminds me of

those emails where someone emails says, say, oh, hey Carlos, how are you doing?

Great to know.

Do you want to know this and that?

No, go away.

So,

mm-hmm.

So you're gonna posting pictures of your shoes soon.

Sorry, say

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, that's it.

I'm gonna be posting a selfie.

Oh, you're having for lunch.

Saying hello and, uh, telling people how, what I'm having for breakfast.