Past Potential with Khoi
By Khoi Nguyen
Past Potential with KhoiApr 25, 2022
Advice on Outsourcing and Delegation | The Business of Blogging Pt. 5
This is part 5 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
Monetizing Your Work and Influence | The Business of Blogging Pt. 4
This is part 4 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
Advice on Authenticity | The Business of Blogging Pt. 3
This is part 3 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
What Differentiates You? | The Business of Blogging Pt. 2
This is part 2 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
What's Your Edge? | The Business of Blogging Pt. 1
This is part 1 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
Advice to Those Who are Just Starting Out | My Content Creator Journey (so far) Pt. 6
This is part 6 of a 6 part series on My Content Creator Journey (so far) where you'll get tips and insight on finding your voice & the importance of consistent practice along with struggles I've gone through and am currently going through.
Furthermore, you'll learn my best tips and strategies for breaking out of the funk when it ultimately does hit you. And finally I offer my best advice for those who are just starting out as digital creators and their solopreneur journey.
Breaking Out of the Funk | My Content Creator Journey (so far) Pt. 5
This is part 5 of a 6 part series on My Content Creator Journey (so far) where you'll get tips and insight on finding your voice & the importance of consistent practice along with struggles I've gone through and am currently going through.
Furthermore, you'll learn my best tips and strategies for breaking out of the funk when it ultimately does hit you. And finally I offer my best advice for those who are just starting out as digital creators and their solopreneur journey.
Struggles I've Gone and Am Going Through | My Content Creator Journey (so far) Pt. 4
This is part 4 of a 6 part series on My Content Creator Journey (so far) where you'll get tips and insight on finding your voice & the importance of consistent practice along with struggles I've gone through and am currently going through.
Furthermore, you'll learn my best tips and strategies for breaking out of the funk when it ultimately does hit you. And finally I offer my best advice for those who are just starting out as digital creators and their solopreneur journey.
Finding Your Voice and Consistent Practice | My Content Creator Journey (so far) Pt. 3
This is part 3 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
Becoming a Digital Creator | My Content Creator Journey (so far) Pt. 2
This is part 2 of a 6 part series on The Business of Blogging where you'll discover the importance of finding your edge and what makes you different, knowing your worth and how to be your authentic self as an 'influencer'.
Furthermore, you'll learn some of my best tactics on how to monetize your influence, advice on outsourcing, recalibrating, and how you can ultimately break into your industry, whatever that may be.
Leaving the Advertising Industry | My Content Creator Journey (so far) Pt. 1
This is part 1 of a 6 part series on My Content Creator Journey (so far) where you'll get tips and insight on finding your voice & the importance of consistent practice along with struggles I've gone through and am currently going through.
Furthermore, you'll learn my best tips and strategies for breaking out of the funk when it ultimately does hit you. And finally I offer my best advice for those who are just starting out as digital creators and their solopreneur journey.
My Content Creator Journey (so far): Transitioning from Advertising Creative to Making a Living as a Digital Creator
This is My Content Creator Journey (so far)...
In this 6-part series I talk about leaving the ad industry to becoming a digital creator. I'll touch on finding your voice & the importance of consistent practice along with struggles I've gone through and am currently going through.
I'll also provide my best tips and strategies for breaking out of the funk when it ultimately does hit you. And finally I offer my best advice for those who are just starting out as digital creators and their solopreneur journey.
Each short episode contains bite-sized nuggets of wisdom I've learned through the years. I'll release one each week and so it'll be super easy to consume.
So, why am I doing this?
I want to document the journey because not many others are. I want to show the good along with the bad, with the ultimate goal of inspiring others and that it is possible to start from zero and make a living doing something you absolutely love.
Part 1 starts off with why I left the advertising industry.
Grooming Yourself to Be Great (On Self-Improvement & Building Self-Confidence)
In this episode I share my experience with self-confidence through the years and offer advice on building self-confidence.
Speed vs. Perfection
Perfect is what some people see when they feel inspired. Perfect is beauty in the details. The perfect shot, perfect landing, a perfect 10.
But who's the judge?
Defined as having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
But who decides what is or isn't perfect? The only judge that matters is your audience.
Perfect is different to everyone. Perfect is an ideal that cripples brilliant minds under the weight of performing at a level impossible to sustain.
Is perfect worth striving for? Sure, it raises our standards. A 7 to a creator could be a perfect 10 to the receiver.
What is perfection anyway. It's all subjective and doesn't exist. So lose the thought of the perfect blog post, perfect video edit, the perfect site launch — and start doing. So long as you know the direction you want to go, speed always trumps perfection. One caveat is to not compromise on quality.
What are you stalling on today? Forget perfect. Embrace speed. A friend once told me that Direction > Progress > Perfect. It has become a mantra I've been trying to live by, but still struggle mightily with.
Once you've figured out the direction you want to go, the only course of action is to get there as fast as possible. No compromises. Like Mr. Wonderful always says. [Perfect] is dead to me.
Who Are You Becoming?
Instead of asking yourself who am I? ask, "who am I becoming?"
Are you becoming a better version of yourself? Are you on the path of self-betterment or spiraling down a dangerous road? Are you becoming someone you can be proud of?
Again, it's not about who you currently are — instead, ask yourself who are you becoming.
I have a post it note in my bedroom above my full body length mirror, and so everyday when I look at myself, I glance up and am reminded of the question, "who am I becoming?"
And if in my heart of hearts I feel genuinely excited and happy for the person I am becoming, I give myself a nod of recognition that I am on the right path.
Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss (Read Aloud)
Oh, The Places You'll Go is great for kids, but as an adult, I'm inspired by it to no end.
In this podcast episode, I recite the classic poem from start to finish.
Hope you enjoy!
10 Habits for the New Year that can Change Your Life
It’s the start of a new year — a defining decade and of course many people are heading back to the gym to whip themselves back into shape, but the truth is many of them will lose motivation after the luster of the new year has faded.
In this video Gentleman Within proposes new years resolution ideas that might not be sexy, but if you can begin implementing them, will help guide you to a more happy and fulfilling life.
Look at it like a self-improvement manual that you can check off and slowly work towards accomplishing throughout the year.
Let's get started!
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➢Tiege Hanley (10% off) → http://www.tiege.com/gentlemanwithin
➢Otis Skincare → http://bit.ly/2NJlfGW
➢Everlane → https://rstyle.me/+vl3WI_3rfRaSoblQtPsWGg
➢PACT → https://rstyle.me/+Bta_ZvtlR15rLihfk9H2Ag
➢Nisolo → https://rstyle.me/+Iz7EWqUjpO51dEfF8S9LHw
➢Outerknown → https://rstyle.me/+HAYiAPuVe-_vZNX2w_gk2w
➢Patagonia → http://bit.ly/2SONHcO
What Is On The Other Side Of Fear?
The little guy was completely terrified of the waves. He squeezed tightly around my neck as I inched closer to the water to put him down. And when I did manage to get him on the sand, he would run in the opposite direction in sheer horror. Poor kid.
To him, crashing waves are scary. He feared the thunderous sounds and massive wall of rushing water. Adults know there's no real danger, but the baby doesn't know that.
So what I'm getting at here is how can adults apply a baby's completely rational fear of the ocean to their own situations?
Take the leap.
What scares you? Do you have a burning desire to start a new venture or create something special? To pursue your passions and find your purpose? But the fear of critique or the unknown prevents you from taking actionable steps to get there?
You're not alone.
In an interview on the Tim Ferriss Show (podcast), actor, musician and comedian, Jamie Foxx asked the question, "what's on the other side of fear?"
His answer? "Nothing."
"Either you do or you don't, but there's no penalty," there's no reward. It's just be yourself... People are nervous for no reason. No one's going to come out and slap you or beat you up. You're just nervous." –Jamie Foxx
He used the question about fear to teach his kids to have confidence. Foxx learned this himself when he decided to pursue comedy shortly after graduating. It was at an open mic that he realized the root of his fear was that people would think he wasn't funny. He told himself that it wasn't worth being afraid of.
Ultimately, his leap into comedy, despite a classical music background, propelled his massively successful career in the entertainment industry.
It's so imperative to take the leap. Because in the end, it's not as scary as you think. And the people who care will be there to help support you if you happen to fall.
By the end of the day, my little nephew wasn't afraid of the waves anymore. I guess all it takes is a few hits to the chin to realize that things are never as bad as we imagine.
The Moment I Realized The Power Of Owning A Blog
It was an all expenses paid trip—the flight, hotels, food, etc. I was skeptical and replied to the email with "what's the catch?" There was none. To me, that'd be living the dream. The next two days I was hanging out with Chevy executives talking about life as a publisher and life in general. We later road tripped from LA out to Joshua Tree and historic Pioneertown in the brand new Chevy Traverse SUVs. Work and play was never so much fun.
The experience was incredible. It was a full-on musical experience. I got a behind the scenes look of the production studios where the likes of Katy Perry and Bruno Mars recorded. I got to hang out at Spike Edney's house in the middle of the desert. He's the keyboardist for Queen, yes that Queen.
I found myself surrounded by giants in the blogging world. Site owners with 10s of millions of unique visitors a month, and then there was me with my I think hundreds a month at that time? To say that I felt in over my head and that they were out of my league is an understatement.
I was just getting started on my journey, my site wasn't getting any traction at the time, BUT and this is a huge but—I was invited. And they don't invite just anybody. I felt like I belonged. There have been many occasions that I wanted to give up on my blog, but after this trip, I realized that owning a blog is powerful. It's what separates me from all those other "influencers" out there.
And now, today. Blogging is changing my life, and I know a few years down the line, it will have changed my life for the better.
I flew back to Philly via the Palm Springs airport, having missed the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl parade down Broad. #FlyEaglesFly, but I was already flying high.
Here is the content I created for the trip: bit.ly/2tjaB0V
Why I Like Blogging Over Social Media
From the outside looking in, there's no real way to tell how well a site is actually doing. That's not to say vanity metrics tell a whole story either, because they don't.
With blogging, I like the ability to fly under the radar. Someday when you "make it" people will say he was an overnight success, when in reality no one saw the behind the scenes and how much work and effort it actually takes to build something meaningful and self sustaining from the ground up. That's blogging for ya, with each post it's like you're planting seeds. You may not see the fruits of your labor now, but over time it grows and a bountiful garden awaits.
The Key To Great Writing
If you're a writer, the key to good writing....is to JUST WRITE!
Stream of consciousness, let it flow. Let your creative energy be released. Your creative writing brain and your meticulous editing brain are two separate halves. You must focus on one first and then the other. Don't try to do both at the same time. It's possible, but you are then restricting your creativity. Don't try to self-edit during the initial creative writing process.
LET IT FLOW.
Write now, edit later. Remember that.
There's something to be said about the muse. The creative genius. The higher spirit or creative imagination....that is so very real. You have to open yourself up to it and allow for it to flow through you. It will come, but it starts with just writing. Get started, don't get stuck. Be true to who you are. Stop trying to copy and emulate others. That's great that you can tell what good writing is, but be stay true to your real voice. Don't get lost by trying to be someone else.
Get it all out first...make sense of it later. The process will be quicker, more streamlined and you will become better at both writing and editing.
Fail Forward, Fail Fast
Apply the things you learn right away. Brain research shows that we retain more information when we either attempt to teach what we’ve learned or apply it immediately. If you read an article or watch a video without doing anything with the newly acquired knowledge, you’ll retain much less.
This is because we learn via our mistakes. The more mistakes we make, the more ingrained the process becomes. Who cares if you don't really know what you're doing or think you don't know enough about a subject to talk about it.
The key to learning more is to take action, make mistakes, and fail. Don’t simply consume to consume. Anyone can do that. Consume to apply, to make mistakes, to fail — so that you can grow. Our failures will never define us, but they teach us the most. Learn from them. The most successful people discover that they failed their way to success. We all do.
The Next Rung
They're the blueprint. Mirror what they did to get to where they are. Learn from everything they did to get there. Great artists steal from many different sources. Do that, put your own unique spin on it. Slowly you'll start to find your voice. Keep going. Push through the resistance to create. No matter what, create every single day. Create more than you consume. Do the work. It's what professionals do, even when they don't feel like it.
It's a constant in life that never changes. Those above us, those below us. Learn from those above you. And when you get to a place where you feel confident in your own abilities...start teaching others. Lead by example. It's all you can do. You can't tell them where they need to go. But you can help guide them. You can inspire them. You can give them the resources and the tools to get there themselves.
What will you do on the next rung?
The Problem With Gary Vee's Document Vs Create
You need to create something worth documenting.
In order to be able to get to a place that people will even be interested in what you are documenting, you have to create something worth documenting. Whether it's a blog in the men's style niche or a YT channel teaching people how to grow their YouTube channel. You have to create first, document later.
That's the punchline. It's a fallacy to think that you can just start documenting today and people will magically start following you. You have to create first, document later. That's the steps to get the attention you want and deserve. It takes time. Gary is all about micro speed, macro patience and so It's important to be patient in creating. If you're good enough. If you're so good they can't ignore you, then you'll get people's attention.
So my advice to those in the trenches...keep creating. You can document later.
Early On, Go Fast
When you're early on in your entrepreneurial journey, go as fast as you can. You already know the direction that you want to go and you already set a level of excellence with everything you do.
Now the key is to go fast. Put out a high volume of work. It's the best way to give yourself a chance to win big. The more at bats you have, the better your chances for a home run. The more pieces of content you put out, the greater your chances to go viral.
Go fast and don't look back. It's also a great way to keep momentum going and don't rest on your laurels. It's a good way to stay outside of your head and to keep the focus on what's ahead — what's the next target.
You won't have any time to reflect on whether or not what you did was good, bad, sucks, making an impact. The only thing that matters is you stay focused and go fast. This is especially important early on. It's all about volume and repetition.
This is how you're going to get better, by learning from each experience that came before. With every blog post and every video you will improve with each one, day by day. Go fast.
The Early Stages: Starting Out On YouTube, Creating Your Own Lane & Thoughts On Competition
This was recorded earlier on in my journey as a content creator, back in 2017 with Ozeal from the No Permission Needed Podcast.
You'll want to listen to this podcast if you want to know:
- About the early stages of Gentleman Within
- How I started on YouTube
- How I'm creating my own lane
- My thoughts on competition,
- 5 tips on how you can start dressing better today
- My goals moving forward and much more.
This is the perfect listen if you are just getting started in the content creation game or an early business owner. Hope you enjoy!
Link to the original interview: https://www.thinkozeal.com/77-2/
On Negotiating Rates With Brands (Know Your Worth)
Do you struggle in negotiations with brands?
Here's what Khoi recommends you do to set yourself up for success.
Transcript Below:
Always know your worth.
If you don't know your worth then you will always charge too little.
You are worth way more than you think.
In fact, I recommend to charge more than you think you are worth.
It may feel uncomfortable, but in this game — you've gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
You don't know what others are willing to pay you — until you test the waters.
It's a negotiation. Both sides are trying to get the best deal possible.
My advice is to reach for the stars and throw out your loftiest numbers.
Continue raising your rates until no brands are willing to meet you at that number.
Then you can go down from there.
But always, always, ALWAYS know your worth!
Don't let what others are charging dictate your rates.
I don't care if someone has 10x — hell 100x your subscriber base, and charges less than you do.
Know your value and what you have to offer.
And NEVER look at what others are charging or willing to accept when it comes to setting your own rate.
If a brand sees what you're charging and scoffs at you — pay no mind.
Because there are brands who will work with you because A. They have the budget and B. They see the potential value that you can bring. Those are the brands that you want to work with. Where there's a mutual understanding and respect.
Remember, as former First Lady of the US, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
If someone tries to knock you down a few pegs by saying you're not worth that much, they're probably not worth doing business with.
You want to work with brands that respect you and know what you can bring to the table.
You want brands who will respect you even more because you know what you're worth and aren't afraid to charge as such.
Be unapologetic.
In the end, rates are not one size fits all.
Rates are fluid and dependent on perceived value that you offer.
And trust me, you offer a lot more than you realize.
Let me wrap this up by saying (I can't stress this enough) — Know your worth and approach every brand deal negotiation with that top of mind.
You owe it to yourself.
No go out there and make a deal that's worthy of your time and energy.