I caught myself pretending to be someone else online last year.

The horrifying part?

I almost didn't notice.

There I was, carefully crafting this "professional" persona that would impress potential clients... when it hit me: I was building someone else's brand, not mine.

Sound familiar?

Here's the truth that nobody's telling you: personal branding has that word "personal" for a reason.

If you try to be somebody else, you'll become nobody.
But if you lean into being more YOU? That's when magic happens.

LinkedIn is flooded with advice about personal branding.

I don’t want to even mention it.

You already knew a lot of that sh..t

But at the end of the day, everything comes down to one simple truth:

The most authentic you is the most powerful you.

Think about the people who captivate you online.

Aren't they the ones who seem most genuinely themselves?

After my mistakes and the mistakes of my clients, the only path is this:

Be the person online that you are offline.

Walk like you talk.
Write like you talk.

That's literally it.

But finding that clarity isn't always easy when we're bombarded with "shoulds" and "musts" from every LinkedIn guy/girl.

So I've developed a personal branding compass - five question categories that will guide you back to your authentic core

Personal Branding Compass (with my example along the way) 🧭

Let’s start from the purpose and end with the impact:

🔍 Values & Purpose

• What principles guide your decisions when faced with difficult choices?

My Example: Being a good person, help others without asking anything in return, share knowledge and do not keep anything for myself, build community that will serve as my purpose and my lifelong legacy.
I value good connection and trust

• When you imagine leaving your mark on the world, what does that legacy look like?

My Example: I want to leave the world as a better place with the kindness, positive energy and more purpose. I want to inspired others while I am learning and improving myself

⚡ Passion & Drive

• What conversations or activities make you lose track of time?

LinkedIn's growth for creators in general and publishers & advertisers from the affiliate space, AI workflows and automations; Content marketing. I enjoy learning about business, and I am inspired by the creator economy and how rewarding it is to earn money from your passion. I enjoy sports (playing football, basketball, and boxing), and I would like to get my body in better shape.

• If all career paths offered equal stability, which would you naturally gravitate toward?

I will spend more time with my family, I will do more traveling and documenting my experiences with other entrepreneurs, cultures, food, and music.

💎 Unique Strengths

• What combination of skills comes so naturally to you that you sometimes undervalue it?

Content Marketing, how to grow the quality audience on LinkedIn, I know how to attract + create + execute the Linkedin presence using my ACE framework. 

• When have you solved problems in ways that surprised others in your field?

I always sell before I build, which allows me to identify demand. I approach problems by first understanding them and then delivering the solution. I understand how LinkedIn works and how to create content with AI.

🤲 Community & Connection

• Whose growth and development gives you the greatest satisfaction?

I would love to serve publishers and advertisers from affiliate space on how to monetize their LinekdIn presence. I want to inspire and connect with other creators by sharing my approach using buid in public method. I want to demonstrate how I can serve one specific niche and share that to the broader audience to do it for their niches

• What kind of people energize you during conversations rather than drain you?

Kind human being; Startup founders, Affiliate marketing people, creators, AI experts

🌟 Impact & Impression

• What feeling do you want to leave lingering after someone engages with your work?

I want to make them feel seen, understand, relaxed and relieved

• If people described your contribution in just three words, what would you hope they'd say?

LinkedIn, Trust and AI

These aren't just casual questions….

They're the foundation of a personal brand that resonates and converts.

I love visualizing personal brands as rivers.

Your core values are the source, your narrative is the current, your content themes are the tributaries, and the topics you explore are the landscapes you pass through.

When your river flows naturally, people are drawn to its banks. When you try to force it into artificial channels? That's when things get stagnant.

I hope this edition helps and gives you more clarity about YOU and your WHY.

Power to you,

Sabahudin "Just Be You" Murtic

P.S.

The most meaningful personal brands aren't built on strategies - they're built on stories. What's yours?