Now more than ever, emphasis is being put on personal branding as today’s business environment changes. According to a recent article in Tech Co, “By 2020, more working Americans will be freelancers than not.” That same article said that two years ago, freelancers brought in approximately $715 billion in earnings. That’s some serious cash, and with that comes this newfound energy behind personal branding.
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For freelancers, their personal brand is everything – it is how they get new business. Our latest Edge of the Web guest is someone who has mastered the art of personal branding – Indiana’s very own Paul Poteet. Once a disc jockey in the late 70s, Poteet became an on-air radio personality in the early 80s and went on to do the weather on television in the late 80s.
The weather has been a constant in his life and something he still does today. He’s built his personal brand around the weather and coins himself “Indiana’s Weatherman.” What’s unique about Poteet’s brand is that he was able to leverage his past brand, “the weather,” and its authority to create who and what he is today
“I did a total play outside of media that had nothing to do with being on the air and my voice,” said Poteet.
After leaving television in 2009, Poteet knew that if he was to continue branding himself in the weather realm, he needed to offer visuals, graphics, and videos to stay with the times. Today, his website, Paul Poteet Dot Com, does just that. Rich with content, including the three items mentioned above, Poteet does a thorough job breaking down the weather around the state.
In addition to his personal website, Paul purchased Weather History Research from his friend, the late Cliff Nicholson. Cliff was also a meteorologist on WISH TV and WTHR. This website provided data on past weather events that would be of primary interest to insurance companies and legal experts around the country.
As you can see, Poteet has ventured outside his comfort zone of radio, which he still does daily on Freedom 95, into more diversified waters. And his secret?
Well, it’s pretty simple and yet for some is the hardest thing to do – “You’d better believe in yourself and not panic. You have to have a unique selling proposition, and as tacky as it sounds, you need to be a self-starter in this gig economy.”
With that being said, it’s obvious that as we head into a space where more and more people are becoming entrepreneurs, only the strong will survive. By strong, we mean those that take their personal branding serious, which takes time and patience. The rewards from doing so can be very fruitful, as is the case of guest Paul Poteet.
