Warning: This Might Offend You (But It’ll Save Your Brand)

You’ve been lied to.

And no, I’m not talking about the time your high school gym teacher told you:

“Everyone’s a winner!”

I’m talking about the real reason why your personal brand isn’t attracting high-ticket clients faster than an open bar attracts your uncle at a wedding.

Here it is:

“Just be yourself, and the clients will come.”

LOL.

Sure.

Now, I hate to break it to you…

But sitting in your cozy little “authenticity” bubble isn’t enough.

The truth is, you can be your most “authentic” self all day long, but if nobody knows who you are, or worse…

If you blend in with every other creator spamming the same regurgitated crap on social media—guess what?

You’re invisible.

And the clients?

They’re ghosting you harder than your last Tinder date.

The Harsh Truth About Personal Branding

Here’s what the “gurus” didn’t tell you:

Branding isn’t just about “being yourself.”

It’s about standing out.

And part of that comes down to creating a polarizing message that separates you from the sea of copy/paste creators who all look, sound, and post the same crap.

You need to be the spicy jalapeño in a world full of plain oatmeal.

Let me give you an example:

How many times have you seen coaches or creators posting things like:

• “cReaTE, dON’T conSUmE”

• “bELieVe in yOuRSelF”

• “cONsIstenCY iS kEY”

Yeah, because that’s never been said before…

Meanwhile, you’ve got brands out there like Alex Hormozi, who openly says, “Most people shouldn’t be entrepreneurs,”

Or Dan Koe, who pushes the whole “generalist beats specialist” thing.

And guess what?

People either:

1) Love them.

or…

2) Hate them.

But they never ignore them.

Why?

Because these guys didn’t just build a brand.

They built a brand with a spine.

So, What’s The Biggest Lie About Branding?

The biggest lie is that you can play it safe and expect to make waves.

Wrong.

If your message isn’t strong enough to piss a few people off, it’s probably not strong enough to attract the people who’ll actually pay you.

You need to say something bold, something that cuts through the noise, something that makes people think:

“Damn, I never thought of it that way.”

You’ve got to challenge the status quo.

Here’s how you can start today:

1. Find Your Enemy

Every brand needs a villain.

Whether it’s:

• The 9-to-5 trap

• The “starving artist” mentality

• Or (my personal favorite) pineapple-on-pizza haters

You’ve got to take a stand against something.

Nobody cares about lukewarm opinions.

Give them a reason to care—make them choose sides.

2. Make Your Message Polarizing

Stop trying to please everyone.

Pleasing everyone makes you about as memorable as a damp sponge.

Instead, focus on building a message that repels the wrong people and magnetizes the right ones.

Sure, some people will disagree…

But that’s the point.

You’re not here to win a popularity contest; you’re here to stand out and win clients.

3. Brand Beats Expertise

Here’s another lie you’ve probably heard:

“Just be an expert, and people will find you.”

Ha.

Newsflash:

There are plenty of “experts” out there, and most of them are broke because nobody knows who they are.

If your brand isn’t in-your-face memorable, your expertise means squat.

Build your brand first while demonstrating your expertise.

So, What Does This Mean For You?

If you’re serious about scaling your brand and finally getting noticed, it’s time to throw out the “just be yourself” advice and replace it with:

“Be yourself, but with a mothafuckin’ flamethrower.”

Start saying the things that no one else is willing to say.

Take a stand for what you believe in.

Be bold.

And yes, you’ll lose some followers…

But you’ll gain a loyal army of raving fans who actually care—and who will pay you.

Wishing you nothing but the best.

Your Canadian friend,

Dakota “Don’t Get Cancelled” Robertson

P.S.

I just finished the lesson on creating your personal brand’s polarizing message.

It includes a plug and play framework walking you through everything you need to do.

It’ll be available upon launch of my new course + community, Full Stack Creator.

Launching October 1st.

Click here to join the waitlist: [link]