What if you got recognized everywhere?

A few years ago my wife and I went to Orcas Island, WA for our anniversary— it’s pretty remote: about 20 miles off the coast, near the Canadian border.

We went to dinner and the waiter was acting kind of strange the whole time. I wondered what his deal was. Did I say something that offended him? Just a weirdo?

Then finally as we were about to leave he said “Uh hey, I’m a big fan… can I get a picture?”

(turns out he was cool, just nervous)

And I’ve had dozens more interactions like that over the years— I’m never surprised by it anymore.

“Cool story, bro. What’s your point?”

Some people might like that for the ego boost but to me, it’s not about that at all.

(one of the benefits of autism… attention from strangers is meaningless to me)

Here’s the way I think about it:

To have people just know your name and face might be the most valuable asset you could possibly have.

Humans have a fundamental drive to feel safe. And they feel more safe when they’re dealing with people that they know.

It’s “stranger danger” at scale.

And if someone has read a bunch of your LinkedIn posts or watched your YouTube videos, they feel like they know you (and they’re not really wrong).

And what happens when people know you?

→ They’re 10x more likely to reply to your DMs

→ When you apply for jobs, your resume goes to the top of the pile

→ If you get on a sales call with them, they’re already halfway closed

But there’s an important nuance I want you to understand:

It’s not a popularity contest, it’s a trust contest.

You might be thinking “Damn, I’m not an extrovert and I’m not really good at playing the popularity game. Am I fkd?”

You’re not fked.

I know, because this has worked for me despite the obvious fact that I’m not exactly Mr Popular:

→ I’ve almost gotten fired multiple times for being bad at office politics

→ I’m not great at small talk and BSing

→ I’m biologically incapable of lying, even when I know I should

If I can make this work, anyone can 😅

You aren’t trying to make people like you in the sense of “We should really ask her if she wants to go bowling with us next weekend!”

You want people to TRUST you.

That’s the real currency of business.

There are lots of people I like. But would I trust them with my business? Hell no. I wouldn’t trust them to water our plants while we’re on vacation.

And oftentimes the kind of people who aren’t great at popularity contests can be INCREDIBLE at earning trust.

Extroverts are great at small talk, chatting someone up in an elevator, etc. They’re good at being liked.

But introverts are oftentimes much better at having deep, nuanced conversations than extroverts— and those are where you can quickly earn trust.

So your content just needs to give people the same vibe they would get from a conversation with you.

That’s it!

So here’s what you do:

Put yourself out there. Starting NOW.

→ Post 3x a week on LinkedIn. Comment on other people’s content. Send at least one DM a day.

→ If you’ve been thinking about starting a YouTube channel, do it. Optimize for 10-15 minute videos that show your knowledge AND your personality.

And you don’t have to be Mr/Ms Popular. God knows I’m not.

You just need people to know and remember you!