Glossary
The messy middle
The ground between builder and authority, where a personal brand says both things at once and stalls.
Why does it matter?
Sit between builder and authority and nobody can tell what you stand for in the first three seconds. The brand stalls because every post argues with the last one.
How does it work?
- Read the last 30 posts and mark each one builder or authority.
- If the split is anywhere near even, the brand is in the middle.
- Pick the side that is true today and cut the content that argues for the other one.
- Keep the other side as story inside the content.
Where has Tom used it?
Sam Stoffel made his money, sold the business and now teaches, so his brand sits on the authority side. The formats Tom built for him all teach from that result.
Related terms
- Builder: A personal brand in the trenches, documenting the journey while it happens.
- Authority: A personal brand that has already done the thing and teaches from it.
- Mission and enemy: What a brand is for, and what it is against. The enemy is the shortcut to the mission.
Where is it explained?
Where else does it come up?
- The consulting session, How I work