The Operating Creator: Step One + Day One - Building Your Personal Brand

A Working Session from Operating by John Brewton

I want to bring operating strategy, competitive positioning, and financial planning to a community that’s fundamentally different from my typical industrial and technology clients.

For the first 100 creator founders: Four 60-minute 1:1 advisory sessions for $95.

Context: My standard engagement starts at $10K/month. This isn’t that. This is me learning from you while helping you build something sustainable.

Limited to 100 spots. 61 of 100 have filled.

Offer expires this Friday, February 6th at midnight. And once it’s gone, it will not be returning.

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Start Here

Let’s create your 3-page brand-strategy guide together, today.

But first, a story…

January 8, 2008: Nashua, New Hampshire

It was a cold winter night. My mother and I were driving from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I was studying at Harvard, to Pittsburgh for a family event—an 11-hour drive through the dark.

We had NPR on. The broadcast was covering the New Hampshire primary results live.

Five days earlier, Barack Obama had won the Iowa caucuses as a first-term senator against the Clinton machine, bringing 80,000 new voters to the Democratic caucuses. Then came New Hampshire. The polls had him up by double digits. Instead, Hillary Clinton won. The comeback story dominated every cycle. Many said the Obama campaign was over.

That night in Nashua, as we drove through the darkness, we listened to Obama deliver what would become one of the defining speeches of his campaign, of my lifetime.

I want to be clear: this isn’t about politics. I’m not making commentary on his presidency or policies. This is about a moment when history happened, a brand was defined, and a profoundly positive speech articulated a promise so clearly that even in defeat, it felt like victory.

He didn’t make excuses. He didn’t attack Clinton. He didn’t focus on the loss.

Instead, he told a story about Ann Nixon Cooper, a 106-year-old woman in Atlanta who had voted for him. He talked about workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon, and a king who pointed to the promised land.

Then he said it:

“Yes, we can.”

He repeated it. Over and over. Yes, we can to justice and equality. Yes, we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world.

My mother and I looked at each other in the car, realizing we were listening to something historic, one of the most important and profound political speeches of our lifetime.

The speech went viral. Will.i.am turned it into a music video with 26 million views. The fundraising surge kept the campaign alive. Obama won the presidency.

But here’s what matters: the speech wasn’t about New Hampshire.

It was about the three words that had defined Obama’s campaign from the beginning:

Hope. Change. Yes We Can.

Those words didn’t emerge in Nashua as a reaction to a loss. They had been there since his 2003 Illinois Senate campaign. They were in his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote. They were woven into every speech, every ad, every rally.

The “Yes We Can” speech worked because it wasn’t new, it was consistent. Obama had made a promise (hope, change, unity), and he’d been proving it for five years. When he lost New Hampshire, he didn’t abandon the brand. He leaned into it.

That’s what a personal brand is: a promise you make and prove so consistently that people can predict what you’ll do next. That predictability is trust.

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I’ve spent the last two years trying, failing and incrementally succeeding to build my personal brand. It’s one of the best investments I’ve made as an Operating Creator.

Today, I’ll walk you through an exercise that I wish I had done at the start.

By the end, you’ll have:

• A clear 12-month brand goal

• Your 5 core content pillars (ranked by importance)

• A content-to-conversion funnel

• A written commitment

To help us think clearly about magnetic brands, I’ll share what I admire about 15 brands I study constantly: 10 global brands and 5 creator brands.

The framework has three pages (hit the link to download or make a copy for yourself to begin the work.

1. Your Brand Foundation — Why you’re building, what success looks like, what you stand for

2. Your Content Pillars — The 5 themes you’ll be known for

3. Your Content Funnel — How people discover you → trust you → support you

Let’s build it together.

- j -

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I want to share the single sentence that captures what a group of brands I deeply admire mean to me.

• Nike: Just do it. We are all athletes.

• Air Jordan: The greatest of all time.

• Goldman Sachs: The smartest thinking, people, and most professional execution.

• Hermès: The most exclusive, scarce, and highest quality products available.

• American Express: Live an aspirational life. The epitome of great customer service.

• Louis Vuitton: The heritage and history that defines luxury.

• Roger Federer: Refined, perfect, greatness.

• MIT: The smartest thinkers and scientists, inventing the future. Innovation personified.

• Patagonia: "We're in business to save our home planet"

• NBA: Making the beautiful game global.

• Barack Obama: Yes, we can. Unity in division.

• Gary Vaynerchuk: “Doing the right thing is always the right thing.” Document everything. Outwork everyone.

• Scott Galloway: Data-driven truth even when uncomfortable.

• Codie Sanchez: Own your future. Be an operator, not an employee.

• Nate Silver: Show your work. Transparency builds credibility.

• Mark Manson: Uncomfortable truths over false hope.

• Keith Haring: Art is for everybody. Activism through joy.

When Nike considers a product, partnership, or ad campaign, they filter it through “Just do it. We are all athletes.” When Hermès considers mass production or lowering quality, they filter it through “The most exclusive, scarce, and highest quality achievable.”

These filters don’t change. They don’t get compromised for quarterly earnings. They compound over decades.

That’s what you’re building: a single sentence that becomes your operating system and decision-making filter.

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Section 1A: Why Are You Building Your Personal Brand?

Why does this matter to you? Not why should it matter—why does it actually matter, right now, in your life?

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: He built his brand because he believed America’s divisions could be healed. His “Yes We Can” wasn’t a slogan; it was a philosophy he’d lived since community organizing in Chicago. His why was unity.

Nike: They believe everyone deserves to feel like an athlete. That belief—”If you have a body, you’re an athlete”—drives billions in revenue, but started as a mission to make athletics accessible.

Keith Haring: He was furious that art was gatekept by galleries and rich collectors. He wanted kids on the subway to experience beauty and activism. His why was democratization.

Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard loved climbing and hated waste. The brand is an extension of personal conviction about environmental responsibility.

Gary Vaynerchuk: He wants his kids to see documentation of his entire career. His why is legacy—creating a record that outlives him.

Mark Manson: He was tired of self-help culture lying to people. His why was intellectual honesty in a field of empty positivity.

Your Turn:

Write one sentence. Why are you building your personal brand?

Examples:

• “I want to reach more founders who need operating systems, not hype.”

• “I want to build leverage so my time isn’t the only input.”

• “I want my thinking to outlive my consulting hours.”

Your answer:

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Section 1B: What’s Your 12-Month Win Condition?

Not “grow followers.” Not “post consistently.” What outcome does your brand enable in 12 months? What transaction, opportunity, or change happens because your brand exists?

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: His 12-month win wasn’t “win New Hampshire”—it was “build a movement of new voters who believe change is possible.” He lost New Hampshire but won the movement. That movement carried him to the presidency.

Roger Federer: After retirement, his goal was transitioning from athlete endorsements to co-creator and owner—the RF logo, equity in On Running. He moved from being paid to being an owner.

Codie Sanchez: Build a community of 10,000 Main Street business buyers who trust her enough to join cohorts and pay for deal flow. Community became her moat.

Nate Silver: Post-FiveThirtyEight, build a paid Substack (Silver Bulletin) generating more revenue and creative control than working for ESPN. Independence was the outcome.

American Express: Be the default premium card for high-spending customers who value experience over price. They position on lifestyle, not product.

Hermès: Maintain exclusivity and premium pricing by controlling scarcity and never compromising on craft. They measure success by waiting lists, not volume.

Your Turn:

What does success look like in 12 months? Be specific.

Examples:

• “500 paid Substack subscribers at $10/month”

• “10 inbound consulting leads from Fortune 500 companies”

• “5 podcast invitations from shows I actually respect”

• “One speaking engagement at a conference I’d pay to attend”

Your 12-month win condition:

How will you measure it?

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Section 1C: What 3 Brand Attributes Define You?

If someone described you in three words after following your work for six months, what would those words be?

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: Hopeful, Unifying, Steady. Even after New Hampshire, he didn’t panic or attack. The steadiness was the brand.

Louis Vuitton: Craftsmanship, Heritage, Precision. Every decision—from the 250 handcrafted steps per bag to the 1896 monogram still in use—filters through these attributes.

MIT: Ingenuity, Rigor, Playfulness. Notice “playfulness”—unexpected for a technical institution, which makes it distinctive. The beaver mascot, the hacks, the quirky personality.

Scott Galloway: Provocative, Data-Driven, Unapologetic. He built a multi-million-dollar brand on saying uncomfortable truths backed by numbers.

Keith Haring: Accessible, Activist, Joyful. Even addressing AIDS, apartheid, and homophobia, his aesthetic was joyful—radiant babies, dancing figures, bold colors. The joy made the activism reach further.

Goldman Sachs: Integrity, Excellence, Professional Execution (stated). The lesson is cautionary: if behavior doesn’t match stated attributes, your brand collapses. They said “clients first” while trading against clients. The gap cost them $2.2 billion in market cap in hours.

Your Turn:

Pick three words that define how people experience your brand. Make at least one unexpected for your category.

Examples:

• “Rigorous, Contrarian, Generous”

• “Historical, Practical, Optimistic”

• “Systematic, Playful, Uncompromising”

Your 3 brand attributes:

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Section 1D: What Can You Point to Right Now as Proof?

Brands are promises backed by proof. What proof do you have today that validates your claims? Not what you’ll create next month—what exists right now.

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: When he gave the “Yes We Can” speech in 2008, his proof was the Iowa victory five days earlier, the 2004 DNC keynote, years of community organizing in Chicago, and a State Senate record of bipartisan legislation. The speech worked because the proof already existed.

Patagonia: Their proof isn’t marketing—it’s 40+ years of donating 1% of sales to environmental organizations, discontinuing profitable products that harm the environment, and transferring ownership to a trust that ensures the mission outlives the founder.

Codie Sanchez: She owns and operates 25+ Main Street businesses (laundromats, car washes, ATMs) while teaching others how to buy them. She’s not theorizing—she’s doing.

Gary Vaynerchuk: Over 1,000 hours of free content, daily documentation for a decade, and VaynerMedia—a $200 million agency proving his marketing advice works at scale.

Keith Haring: 5,000 subway drawings over five years, created without permission, for free. He didn’t wait for gallery validation. He made art accessible and then galleries came to him.

NBA: Operating in 200+ countries, generating 29.4 billion social media views, and partnerships with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton that transcend sports demographics. They’re culture, not just basketball.

Your Turn:

List 3–5 pieces of proof you already have. Not aspirational—actual.

Examples:

• “127 Substack articles published over 18 months”

• “Advised 12 companies on operating system design”

• “Researched and synthesized 200+ business histories”

• “Built a community of 500 operators who read my newsletter”

Your proof inventory:

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Section 1E: What Do You Stand Against?

Great brands aren’t just defined by what they support—they’re defined by what they oppose. What’s your enemy? What conventional wisdom do you reject?

What I Think About With These Brands:

1. Barack Obama: He stood against cynicism, division, and “we can’t.” When critics said his sights were set too high, when they warned against “false hope,” he said: “There has never been anything false about hope.”

2. Patagonia: They stand against fast fashion, over-consumption, and shareholder-first capitalism. They’ve discontinued profitable products, launched “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaigns, and transferred ownership to ensure profits fund environmental work.

3. Mark Manson: He stands against toxic positivity, self-help lies, and avoidance of discomfort. His counterintuitive message: “Stop trying to be happy. Ask ‘What pain am I willing to sustain?’” He positioned as the anti-self-help self-help author.

4. Codie Sanchez: She stands against venture capital hype, “scale at all costs” mentality, and the employee mindset. Her mantra: “Be an owner, not an employee. Buy boring businesses with cash flow, not sexy startups with cash burn.”

5. Keith Haring: He stood against elitism in art, gatekeeping by galleries, and apathy toward the AIDS crisis. His subway drawings were acts of defiance—free, public, unauthorized, accessible.

6. Scott Galloway: He stands against Big Tech monopolies, income inequality, and higher education’s broken business model. He calls universities “luxury brands” that prey on aspiration while creating debt.

7. Nike: They stand against sedentary culture, exclusivity in athletics, and “you’re not an athlete unless you’re a pro.” Their enemy is gatekeeping movement and sport.

Your Turn:

What conventional wisdom in your field do you reject? What trend do you refuse to follow?

Your enemy: “Who will you throw stones at?” as Justin Welsh says.

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Section 1F: What Will You Review Every 90 Days?

Quarterly reviews keep you honest. Every 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, ask yourself four questions:

1. What worked? (Double down on this.)

2. What didn’t work? (Cut it.)

3. What did I learn? (Integrate it.)

4. What will I discontinue? (You’re defined by refusal as much as action.)

The Patagonia Principle:

In one quarterly review, Patagonia discontinued nylon shells—a bestselling, profitable product—because it contributed to plastic pollution in ways that violated their environmental mission. They chose mission over money. That discontinuation strengthened the brand.

The Obama Lesson:

Obama’s campaign reviewed constantly. After New Hampshire, they didn’t abandon “Hope” and “Change”—they doubled down. They learned the ground game in Iowa worked, so they replicated it in every state. They cut what wasn’t working (reactive responses to Clinton attacks) and integrated what they learned (authenticity beats tactics).

Your Turn:

Set calendar reminders now for 90 days, 180 days, 270 days, and 365 days from today. Commit to asking these four questions at each checkpoint.

Reminder set for:

3-month review: _______________

6-month review: _______________

9-month review: _______________

12-month review: _______________

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I want to bring operating strategy, competitive positioning, and financial planning to a community that’s fundamentally different from my typical industrial and technology clients.

For the first 100 creator founders: Four 60-minute 1:1 advisory sessions for $95.

Context: My standard engagement starts at $10K/month. This isn’t that. This is me learning from you while helping you build something sustainable.

Limited to 100 spots. 61 of 100 have filled.

Offer expires this Friday, February 6th at midnight. And once it’s gone, it will not be returning.

---

What Are Content Pillars?

Content pillars are the 5 themes you’ll be known for. Every piece of content you create should map to one of these five.

Why 5? Enough to avoid being one-dimensional, constrained enough to avoid being random. You’re not “a generalist who talks about everything.” You’re someone with a focused menu of expertise.

Your first pillar is your core—your non-negotiable, your craft. Pillars 2–5 support it and add dimension.

How the Brands Use Pillars:

Barack Obama’s Pillars (2008):

1. Hope / Change (America can be better)

2. Unity (Red states and blue states = United States)

3. Grassroots Organizing (Yes We Can = collective action)

4. Healthcare Reform

5. Ending the Iraq War

Louis Vuitton’s Pillars:

1. Craftsmanship (250+ handcrafted steps per bag)

2. Heritage (Monogram canvas since 1896)

3. Travel (Originally a trunk-maker for European aristocracy)

4. Innovation (Fashion collaborations, new materials)

5. Exclusivity (Premium pricing, controlled distribution)

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Pillars:

1. Hustle / Work Ethic

2. Social Media Strategy

3. Entrepreneurship

4. Legacy / Family

5. Marketing / Attention

Keith Haring’s Pillars:

1. Accessibility of Art

2. AIDS Activism

3. LGBTQ+ Rights

4. Anti-Apartheid / Social Justice

5. Joy / Playfulness

Patagonia’s Pillars:

1. Environmental Activism

2. Quality / Durability

3. Transparency

4. Adventure / Outdoor Culture

5. Anti-Consumption

Scott Galloway’s Pillars:

1. Big Tech Analysis

2. Higher Education

3. Marketing / Brand

4. Income Inequality

5. Personal Development / Masculinity

Your Turn: Define Your 5 Pillars

Rank them 1–5 by importance. Give a concrete example of each.

Pillar 1 (Your Core, Your “Yes We Can”):

Topic: _______________________________________________

Example: _______________________________________________

Why this is core: _______________________________________________

Pillar 2:

Topic: _______________________________________________

Example: _______________________________________________

Why this is core: _______________________________________________

Pillar 3:

Topic: _______________________________________________

Example: _______________________________________________

Why this is core: _______________________________________________

Pillar 4:

Topic: _______________________________________________

Example: _______________________________________________

Why this is core: _______________________________________________

Pillar 5:

Topic: _______________________________________________

Example: _______________________________________________

Why this is core: _______________________________________________

Guiding Principle:

Your Pillar 1 is your “Yes We Can”—the thing you’ll never compromise on. It’s the foundation. Everything else supports and adds dimension to it.

Obama had “Hope and Change” in 2003. He had it in 2004. He had it in Iowa. He had it after losing New Hampshire. He had it through the presidency. The pillar never changed. Applications evolved (healthcare, economy, foreign policy), but the core remained constant.

That’s what you’re building with Pillar 1.

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The 4 Stages:

Your content serves four purposes. Every piece should map to one:

1. GROWTH → How people discover you (top of funnel)

2. POSITIONING → How people understand what you stand for (building trust)

3. CONVERSION → How people get proof of your value (experiencing your work)

4. PAID → How people support you financially (revenue)

Let’s walk through each with examples, then you’ll define your own strategy.

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This is top-of-funnel. You’re meeting people where they already are. You’re platform-fluent, not just platform-present. You’re showing up in native formats on the platforms your audience uses.

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: Grassroots organizing—house parties, door-knocking, phone banking. But in 2008, he pioneered digital: email lists, social media, text messaging. The “Yes We Can” music video got 26 million YouTube views. He met voters everywhere.

NBA: Early adopters of Twitter and Instagram—on platforms before competitors, creating content in native formats. They generated 29.4 billion social media views in 2022 by being where fans are.

Keith Haring: 5,000 subway drawings over five years. He met people commuting on the New York subway—not where he wished they were (galleries). The distribution was the strategy.

Gary Vaynerchuk: His 30:1 content model is pure growth. One long-form piece (podcast, keynote, DailyVee) becomes 30 platform-native posts. Volume meets people everywhere.

MIT: Their brand evolved from a seal in 1864 to modern digital toolkits. Same core identity, but platforms changed—print to web to social to mobile. They adapted format, not mission.

American Express: “Membership Has Its Privileges” campaigns appeared everywhere their target audience was—airports, business magazines, premium experiences. They positioned on aspiration and met customers in aspirational contexts.

Your Turn: Your 3 Growth Actions

How will people discover you who don’t know you exist? Where are they spending attention?

Examples:

• “Publish weekly Substack, then create 10 LinkedIn posts from key insights”

• “Guest on 1 podcast per month in my niche”

• “Comment thoughtfully on 5 high-quality posts daily from people I want to reach”

• “Repurpose each article into Twitter thread, LinkedIn carousel, newsletter excerpt”

Your 3 Growth Actions:

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Once they’ve discovered you, they need to understand what makes you you. This is where your contrarian anchor lives. This is where you stake a claim and say, “Here’s what I believe that most people don’t.”

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: “Yes We Can” was positioning. It said: I believe in hope when cynics say hope is naive. I believe in unity when pundits say we’re hopelessly divided. I believe in change when insiders say the system can’t change. Clear, oppositional stance.

Mark Manson: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” is positioning in seven words. It tells you immediately: this isn’t typical self-help. He’s anti-positivity in a field built on positivity.

Patagonia: “We’re in business to save our home planet” is crystal-clear. You know exactly what they believe and what they’ll sacrifice for it. When they say “Don’t Buy This Jacket,” you believe them.

Codie Sanchez: “Buy boring businesses. Be an owner, not an employee.” That’s positioning against venture capital hype, against “scale fast, burn cash” startup mythology. She carved out a contrarian lane.

Scott Galloway: “Big Tech is dangerous, higher ed is broken, brand is dead” are provocative positioning statements. He’s willing to say things other marketing professors won’t. That’s his edge.

Keith Haring: “Art is for everybody. The public has a right to art.” That positioned him against the gallery system, against elitism, against gatekeeping. His free subway art was proof.

Your Turn: Your 3 Positioning Actions

What will you say that makes your worldview clear? What stance will you take publicly?

Examples:

• “Write a manifesto post about what I believe about operating companies”

• “Create a ‘What I’m Against’ page on my website”

• “Publish monthly contrarian takes on business strategy trends”

• “Define my enemy explicitly in my About page”

Your 3 Positioning Actions:

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This is where people experience your value firsthand—for free or low cost. They get proof that you’re credible. They touch your work. This builds trust and moves them from “I know who you are” to “I believe you can help me.”

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: His conversion was the campaign itself—volunteer opportunities, house parties, rallies. People didn’t just hear about “Yes We Can”—they participated in it. The campaign had 13 million email addresses and 1 million active volunteers. Participation was proof.

Keith Haring: Free subway drawings proved he was serious about accessibility. Then the Pop Shop made art affordable (posters, T-shirts, pins). Only after proving himself publicly did he sell to high-end galleries. Free work was the conversion mechanism.

American Express: Free card benefits—lounge access previews, statement credits, concierge trials—prove the value before you pay the $695 annual fee. You experience membership before you commit.

Nate Silver: Free articles with transparent methodology at FiveThirtyEight proved his statistical credibility. He showed his work, walked readers through models, admitted uncertainty. That proof justified the eventual Substack subscription.

Gary Vaynerchuk: Over 1,000 hours of free YouTube content proves he knows marketing, entrepreneurship, and hustle. The free content is so valuable that hiring VaynerMedia feels like a natural next step.

Patagonia: The Worn Wear program—free repair services, guides to fixing gear—proves they believe in durability and anti-consumption. You experience their values before you buy.

Your Turn: Your 3 Conversion Actions

What can people touch, download, or experience that proves you’re credible?

Examples:

• “Free downloadable framework (like this brand worksheet)”

• “Case study of a company transformation I led, with real numbers”

• “Free 3-part email course on operating systems for founders”

• “Monthly open office hours where I answer questions live”

Your 3 Conversion Actions:

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This is your offer. What do people pay you for? It should be built for the long term, not a quick cash grab. It should feel like a natural extension of the free value you’ve provided.

What I Think About With These Brands:

Barack Obama: His “paid” stage was donations—small-dollar contributions from millions of supporters who believed in the mission. The 2008 campaign raised $750 million, much from donors giving less than $200. The brand enabled financial support because the mission was clear and the proof was everywhere.

Hermès: Birkin bags with multi-year waitlists and five-figure prices. They’re not trying to serve everyone—they’re serving a specific customer who values scarcity, craft, and heritage. Premium pricing backed by uncompromising quality.

Roger Federer: He transitioned from endorsement deals (getting paid by brands) to ownership stakes (equity in On Running, ownership of the RF logo). He moved from employee to owner.

Codie Sanchez: Paid cohorts ($5K–$25K) where members get real deal flow, weekly calls, access to her operator network, and accountability. It’s expensive because it’s valuable and exclusive. Community is the product.

American Express: Platinum Card at $695/year. Not a one-time transaction—a membership. Recurring revenue where the card becomes part of your identity and lifestyle.

Patagonia: Premium-priced products ($300 jackets, $500 waders) that last 20+ years. They’re expensive upfront but cheaper over time. The price signals quality and aligns with anti-consumption values.

Nate Silver: Paid Substack at $8/month or $80/year. After years of free FiveThirtyEight content, the paid tier offers deeper analysis, independence from media conglomerates, and direct relationship with readers.

Your Turn: Your 3 Paid Actions

What will you offer that’s worth paying for—and built to last?

Examples:

• “Paid Substack tier ($10/month) with deeper research, frameworks, case studies”

• “Quarterly cohort for operators ($2,500) with live sessions and peer accountability”

• “Consulting retainer for portfolio companies ($10K/month)”

• “Annual membership community ($500/year) with exclusive workshops and resources”

Your 3 Paid Actions:

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Reflection: What These 15 Brands Have in Common

Look at what these brands share:

Barack Obama didn’t abandon his message after losing New Hampshire—he doubled down.

Nike and Keith Haring made things accessible to everyone, not gatekept.

Hermès and Louis Vuitton refused to compromise on quality even when it limited scale.

Patagonia chose mission over profit, repeatedly, publicly.

Gary Vaynerchuk and Codie Sanchez documented everything and led by example—they operate the businesses they teach about.

Roger Federer and MIT thought in decades, not quarters. Federer’s design philosophy: “Can we look at it in 20 years and it’s still beautiful?”

Mark Manson and Scott Galloway said uncomfortable truths when it would’ve been easier to stay quiet.

Nate Silver showed his work transparently, even when he was wrong.

American Express and NBA built platforms where the experience proved the promise.

These brands aren’t perfect. But they’re consistent. You can predict what they’ll do next. That predictability is trust.

Your Commitment

Write and sign this commitment. Make it public if you’re ready. Share it. Let it hold you accountable.

I commit to building a personal brand where my promise and my proof are aligned.

I commit to the 3 brand attributes I chose:

I commit to creating content around my 5 pillars, ranked in order of importance.

I commit to quarterly reviews where I ask:

• What worked?

• What didn’t work?

• What did I learn?

• What will I discontinue?

I commit to showing up on platforms where my audience is, in formats native to those platforms.

I commit to one thing above all: building proof, not just promises.

Your Name: _______________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

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I filled out a similar worksheet six months ago in Chris Donnelly’s Creator Accelerator cohort (it was a great investment of time and money), and it changed how I think about my work.

Before: I was posting randomly. I had ideas but no system. I had a Substack but no clear promise. I was creating content, but I wasn’t building a brand.

After: I had clarity.

My win condition: Build a community of operators who think historically and systematically about companies.

My pillars: Business history, company operating systems, economics of firms, technology’s impact on organizations, optimizing at scale.

My enemy: Hype-driven business advice, ahistorical thinking, tactics without systems.

My proof: 127 Substack articles over 18 months, deep research on 200+ business histories, frameworks operators use in real companies. Well over a thousand LinkedIn posts and a following of +50,000 across my social channels.

My two sentence filter:

1. We are all becoming companies.

2. What is the future of companies?

The worksheet gave me a lens. Every piece of content now maps to a pillar. Every opportunity filters through my brand attributes. Every quarter, I review and discontinue what doesn’t serve the mission.

I’m sharing this because personal brands aren’t built through aesthetics, viral tricks, or growth hacks. They’re built through decision systems people can predict.

Barack Obama stood in Nashua, New Hampshire, on January 8, 2008, after losing a primary he was supposed to win. He could have pivoted. He could have blamed someone. He could have changed his message to match what polling said voters wanted to hear.

Instead, he said: “Yes, we can.”

And because he’d been saying it for five years—in Illinois, at the 2004 Convention, in Iowa, in every speech and ad—people believed him. The consistency was the brand.

If you fill out this worksheet today—your win condition, your attributes, your pillars, your funnel, your commitment—you’ll have more clarity than 95% of creators.

And if you share it publicly (tag me on X or LinkedIn at @JohnBrewont), you’ll have accountability. I’ll read every one. I’ll celebrate your clarity. I’ll hold you to your commitment.

Let’s build brands that outlive the algorithm.

Let’s build brands that prove what we promise.

Let’s build brands worth following.

Yes, we can.

I’ll see you in the next article.

— John

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Download the Worksheet

I’ve created a clean, fillable version of this 3-page worksheet for you. Download it, print it, and work through it with a pen. There’s something powerful about writing by hand.

[Download: The Operating Creator’s 3-Page Brand Strategy]

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If you want to study these brands in real time, follow their thinking, and see how they operationalize the principles we discussed in this article, here’s where to find them:

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THE 10 INSTITUTIONAL & CONSUMER BRANDS

Nike / Air Jordan

• Official Site: nike.com

• Purpose / Values: nike.com/about

• Instagram: @nike (32M followers)

• Twitter/X: @Nike

• YouTube: Nike

• Where to Study Them: Watch how every campaign, every product launch, every partnership reflects “Just do it. We are all athletes.” Notice the consistency across platforms.

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Goldman Sachs

• Official Site: goldmansachs.com

• Leadership Insights: goldmansachs.com/insights

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/goldman-sachs

• Twitter/X: @GoldmanSachs

• YouTube: Goldman Sachs

• Where to Study Them: This is the cautionary tale. Watch how the gap between their stated values (integrity, client-first) and their actual behavior nearly destroyed the brand. A lesson in what not to do.

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Hermès

• Official Site: hermes.com

• Our Mission: hermes.com/about

• Instagram: @hermes (4.2M followers)

• Twitter/X: @HERMES

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hermes

• Where to Study Them: Study their scarcity strategy. Watch how they control production, maintain waitlists, and refuse to compromise on craft. Notice how every Birkin bag, every product has the same extraordinary quality regardless of price point.

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American Express

• Official Site: americanexpress.com

• Our Values: americanexpress.com/about

• Instagram: @americanexpress (3.8M followers)

• Twitter/X: @AmericanExpress

• YouTube: American Express

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/american-express

• Where to Study Them: Study how they’ve positioned a financial product as a lifestyle. Watch their campaigns—they sell aspirational living, not credit. Notice the benefits-first positioning.

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Louis Vuitton

• Official Site: louisvuitton.com

• Our Heritage: louisvuitton.com/about

• Instagram: @louisvuitton (35M followers)

• Twitter/X: @LouisVuitton

• YouTube: Louis Vuitton

• TikTok: @louisvuitton

• Where to Study Them: Study how they balance heritage (monogram since 1896) with innovation (collaborations, new materials). Notice how every campaign reinforces the 1896 DNA while feeling contemporary.

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Roger Federer

• Official Site: rogerfederer.com

• Instagram: @rogerfederer (13M followers)

• Twitter/X: @rogerfederer

• YouTube: Roger Federer

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rogerfederer

• Where to Study Them: Study his post-retirement brand evolution. Watch how he transitioned from athlete endorsements to ownership (On Running equity, RF monogram). Notice his design philosophy applied to every product.

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MIT

• Official Site: mit.edu

• MIT Brand Guide: brand.mit.edu

• Instagram: @mit (1.2M followers)

• Twitter/X: @MIT

• YouTube: MIT

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology

• Where to Study Them: Study their visual identity evolution (seal 1864 → modern logo). Notice how they maintain core brand while adapting to new platforms. Watch how “quirky innovation” appears in everything from mascots to social media.

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NBA

• Official Site: nba.com

• NBA Vision: nba.com/about

• Instagram: @nba (55M followers)

• Twitter/X: @NBA

• YouTube: NBA

• TikTok: @nba

• Where to Study Them: Study their early platform adoption strategy. Watch how they create platform-native content (different on TikTok vs. Instagram vs. Twitter). Notice how individual player brands amplify the league brand.

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Patagonia

• Official Site: patagonia.com

• Mission & Values: patagonia.com/core-values

• Our Activism: patagonia.com/activism

• Instagram: @patagonia (1.8M followers)

• Twitter/X: @patagonia

• YouTube: Patagonia

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/patagonia

• Where to Study Them: Study their values-as-decision-filter framework. Read their Worn Wear program (repair, reuse, anti-consumption). Notice product discontinuations. Watch how they communicate environmental action, not just environmental concern.

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Air Jordan (Michael Jordan)

• Official Site: jumpman23.com

• Air Jordan Brand: nike.com/air-jordan

• Instagram: @airjordan (6.5M followers)

• Twitter/X: @Jumpman23

• YouTube: Air Jordan

• Where to Study Them: Study how a personal brand (Michael Jordan) became a company brand (Air Jordan). Notice how “GOAT” positioning compounds over decades. Watch how the brand transcends basketball into fashion, culture, and identity.

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THE 5 CREATOR BRANDS

Barack Obama

• Official Site: obama.org (The Obama Foundation)

• Writing: Medium.com/@BarackObama

• Instagram: @barackobama (38M followers)

• Twitter/X: @BarackObama (133M followers)

• YouTube: Obama Foundation

• Podcast: “Renegades: Born in the USA” (with Bruce Springsteen)

• Where to Study Them: Study how he maintained “Yes We Can” consistency from 2003 through his presidency to today. Notice how he uses platforms differently (Twitter for direct messages, Instagram for behind-the-scenes, YouTube for long-form content). Watch his foundation’s work as the proof of his stated values.

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Gary Vaynerchuk

• Official Site: garyvaynerchuk.com

• VaynerMedia: vayner.com

• Instagram: @garyvee (9.4M followers)

• Twitter/X: @garyvee

• YouTube: GaryVeeTV (2.8M subscribers)

• TikTok: @garyvee

• Podcast: “The GaryVee Audio Experience”

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garyvaynerchuk

• Where to Study Them: Study his 30:1 content multiplication model in real time. Watch one DailyVee episode and track how it becomes 30+ pieces of content. Notice the authenticity (unfiltered, no scripts) across all platforms. Study VaynerMedia as proof of his advice.

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Scott Galloway

• Official Site: profgalloway.com

• NYU Stern Faculty Page: stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/scott-galloway

• Instagram: @profgalloway (1.4M followers)

• Twitter/X: @profgalloway

• YouTube: Scott Galloway

• Podcast: “Pivot” (with Kara Swisher)

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/profgalloway

• Substack: profgalloway.com

• Where to Study Them: Study how he positions data-driven contrarian views. Notice his willingness to debate publicly (search “Scott Galloway vs. Rory Sutherland” or similar). Watch how academic credibility + business experience = authority. Notice his Substack as the paid extension of free YouTube/podcast content.

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Codie Sanchez

• Official Site: contrarianthinking.co

• Acquisition Foundations: contrarianthinking.co/acquisition-foundations

• Instagram: @codiesanchez (380K followers)

• Twitter/X: @Codie_Sanchez

• YouTube: Codie Sanchez

• TikTok: @codiesanchez

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/codiesanchez

• Newsletter: contrarianthinking.co/newsletter

• Where to Study Them: Study how she positions “boring businesses” as contrarian in an entrepreneurship space obsessed with venture hype. Notice how she operates 25+ businesses while teaching (proof, not just positioning). Watch her cohort model as the paid offering. Study her content across platforms—consistent message, different formats.

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Nate Silver

• Silver Bulletin (Paid Substack): silverpulse.substack.com

• FiveThirtyEight (Archive): fivethirtyeight.com

• Twitter/X: @NateSilver538

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nate-silver

• Where to Study Them: Study his transparency in methodology. Read his articles on why his 2016 election model was right (he was less wrong than competitors) and what he learned. Notice how his credibility is built on showing his work, not hiding it. Study how he transitioned from ESPN to independent Substack.

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Mark Manson

• Official Site: markmanson.net

• Writing: markmanson.net/articles

• Instagram: @markmansonnet (1.2M followers)

• Twitter/X: @MarkManson

• YouTube: Mark Manson

• TikTok: @markmansonnet

• Podcast: “The Mark Manson Podcast”

• Newsletter: markmanson.net/newsletter

• Where to Study Them: Study how he positions anti-positivity in the self-help space. Notice his writing style (casual, friend-in-the-bar tone) versus typical self-help gurus. Watch how his books (The Subtle Art, Everything is F*cked) became bestsellers by being refreshingly honest. Study his newsletter as deeper thinking beyond Twitter.

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Keith Haring

• Official Site: haring.com

• Foundation: keithharingfoundation.org

• Instagram: @officialkeithharing (1.8M followers)

• Instagram (Foundation): @keithharingfoundation

• Twitter/X: @KeithHaringFdn

• YouTube: Keith Haring Foundation

• Where to Study Them: Study how his visual language (radiant baby, dancing figures) became iconic shorthand. Notice how his art appears across platforms (Uniqlo, Adidas, museum shows). Research his Pop Shop model—how he made art accessible across price points. Study the Keith Haring Foundation’s work continuing his mission post-death. Watch how “Art is for everybody” lives on in merchandise, education, and activism.

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HOW TO USE THIS APPENDIX

Option 1: Follow One Brand Deeply
Pick one brand from above that most resonates with your vision. Follow their every move for 30 days. Watch their content, study their messaging, notice their consistency. Ask: “How do they operationalize their single-sentence filter?”

Option 2: Comparative Study
Pick 3 brands and compare how they use Instagram vs. Twitter vs. YouTube vs. TikTok. Notice how each platform gets different content types but the same core message. This trains your eye for platform fluency.

Option 3: Crisis Response Study
Most of these brands have faced moments where they had to choose between their stated values and profit/convenience. Find these moments (search news archives). Watch how they responded. Did they stay consistent with their brand, or did they compromise?

Option 4: Real-Time Execution
As you build your own brand, use these 15 brands as your daily operating manual. When you’re deciding whether to post something, ask: “Does this align with my single-sentence filter?” When you’re evaluating an opportunity, ask: “Would Nike/Hermès/Patagonia do this?” Let their consistency become your compass.

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ONE MORE THING

These 15 brands aren’t perfect. They all have made mistakes, faced criticism, and had to evolve. The point isn’t to copy them. The point is to study how they think.

They think in filters. They think in long-term. They think in consistency. They think in proof, not promises.

That’s the operating system we’re building together.

Now go fill out your worksheet.

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John Brewton documents the history and future of operating companies at Operating by John Brewton. He is a graduate of Harvard University and began his career as a Phd. student in economics at the University of Chicago. After selling his family’s B2B industrial distribution company in 2021, he has been helping business owners, founders and investors optimize their operations ever since. He is the founder of 6A East Partners, a research and advisory firm asking the question: What is the future of companies? He still cringes at his early LinkedIn posts and loves making content each and everyday, despite the protestations of his beloved wife, Fabiola, at times.