From Invisible to Influential: Unlocking the Power of Your Personal Brand with Alan McLaren

Freddy D: 00:02:14

Hey, super fans. Superstar Freddie D.

Here in this episode 113, we're joined by Alan McLaren, co founder of Strata Originals, past international chair of the YPO Gold, and the ever enthusiastic chief squirrel tamer.

A veteran of the C suite with two decades guiding public companies and entrepreneur ventures, Alan has personally coached more than 600 CEOs in the last two years, turning leadership stories into standout personal brands.

From sharpening his marketing chops at Canon an icon to build infinitycom into a full service agency, he's learned how strategic authenticity can supercharge a leader's influence. Get ready for an energetic dive into the power of intentional personal branding and how it can elevate your impact.

Freddy D: 00:03:08

Welcome, Alan, to Business Superfam podcast. We're excited to have you join us.

Alan McLaren: 00:03:12

Great to be here, Freddie. Dan, let's have some fun.

Freddy D: 00:03:15

Yes. So, yeah, we were talking before we started recording about both of us speak French, which is surprising.

We both obviously have been to Australia because we both got boomerangs. So that's a unique coincidence. Love Australia and been there six times now. And yeah, so we just got back.

We got finally eloped and got married a little while ago and we went, thank you. I've been talking to her for about 12 years about Australia and finally that's where we went on our honeymoon.

And now she understands why I was a big fan of the country.

Alan McLaren: 00:03:50

It's a great.

Freddy D: 00:03:52

So, Ellen, let's get into how did you get started and what's the backstory of how did Strata come about and what's your background to where you're now really helping people develop their own personal brand?

Alan McLaren: 00:04:07

So my, my entire career started in the sales and marketing side, so I learned how to sell early on in my life and I spent 16 years in the business equipment industry and then wanted to move out of that so I wouldn't get pigeonholed into that world.

I moved into technology, moved into IT security, ran a NASDAQ listed IT security company, sold off some of their businesses and then joined one of their businesses. I sold off. And that's significant because I met my business partner Leanne there.

And so we did three years at a var, a value added reseller, had great success, sold our shares, and then my business partner comes to me and says, what are we going to do now? I said, what do you mean we? I'm going to go get a job somewhere as a CEO and we'll be buddies and off we go. She says, why don't we start something?

I said, what will we do? It was that conversation. She said, well, let's start a marketing agency. I said, okay, let's do that. 18 years we had an agency.

We started from nothing. A lot of the folks you talk to are entrepreneurs. It came that simple.

And we started and have been through everything good, bad and ugly that real entrepreneurial stories are. And then we had a moment, as many people did, around Covid, where our agency got crushed. 95% of our business disappeared in 48 hours.

So we had to look deeper and said, okay, what can we do now that will be Covid proof, recession proof, whatever it is. And we looked inside and said, you know what?

Personal branding is interesting because everybody has a personal brand, but nobody's really productized it to make it accessible for people. So three years ago we started the company, pulled it out, and we are having a blast. Can't wait to tell you more about it. So that's how it came about.

Freddy D: 00:05:40

Wow, what an interesting backstory.

spot weld guns that welded a: 1982

And then I was doing a lot of 3D geometry design work on a vertical drafting board and got involved in computer aided design in the very beginning, early stages of basically computers. And so I don't call myself a pioneer, but I was definitely at the onset of that whole wave and caught it.

And you bring up VARs, and I understand what that is. It's a value added reseller. I set up buying about 60 of them around the world for a product that I grew globally.

So it was a CAM product, Computer Aided Manufacturing product was called CamWorks and it still exists today. So I'm the guy that put that product on a map. Interesting background.

Alan McLaren: 00:06:37

Thank you. Thank you. There's a lot more stories in there, but that would take us about 20 years to get through it all. So let's go to the.

Freddy D: 00:06:43

Exactly, exactly. So let's talk about personal branding. And what is that really?

Because I don't think people really understand what that really is and how transformative that can be.

Alan McLaren: 00:06:56

Yeah, well, let's start out at the beginning. We all have one, right? So let's start out what a personal brand is. You have one, and it's how people describe it when you're not in the room.

Simple, right? So if I meet Freddie D today and I say, you know, I met Freddie, this is how I saw Freddie in my perception of him or her.

And so that's the starting point. And then the question becomes, are you doing something intentional about it?

Like, if you have a great brand and nobody knows about it, then your people know about it, and that's okay. But if you want to grow your business or get investment or do something, you need to express your talents out in the world.

So that's what personal branding is. Is now actively sharing the gifts that you have and the perspectives that you have with the people in your world.

Because selling is not what this is about. That's influencers, different world. You have a personal brand.

The transformation happens when you make a decision to get out there and share your gifts, like I'm doing today on a podcast, but in different ways. Speaking gigs, LinkedIn, Instagram and the like. So that's really the definition.

Freddy D: 00:08:06

So how does that transform somebody when they actually get their branding put together? Because that's question. An interesting aspect, because I've always struggled with that myself.

Alan McLaren: 00:08:19

You're not alone, right? 90% of the customers we have are terrified of the work we do. So let me explain how that works.

So if I say to you today, Freddie, okay, we're doing a video, right?

We're doing a video podcast, and it's audio as well, I say to you, and I want you, Freddie, to do six videos at 90 seconds to two minutes each on topics that you think are important to the people in your world. Most people go, oh, no, I don't like that green light in front of me.

I'm going to get inside my head and I'm going to start thinking of the three things I need to say. Well, what we do is we teach them how to do that.

First, we tell them to get over themselves and realize that this fear is unfounded like people think. My business partner often says, fear doesn't know the difference between a LinkedIn post and a bear. The fear is the same.

The reality is it's not that big a deal once you get out there. So we help people transform. The process of going from fear to being out there and doing videos on LinkedIn is the transformation.

And the metaphor is really that getting over that hump. Things happen to them while they're going through that.

That transforms them, gives them confidence and allows them to learn storytelling, learn to be articulate, how to tell a story in 90 seconds to two minutes. That's a skill. Like right now, I've developed a slow. Where if you, Freddy, said, alan, I'm going to ask you a question for you to do a video on it.

I will point this. I will talk for 90 seconds. I will end it. I'll send it off, and it's on LinkedIn in 30 seconds.

That requires time and skill to do that, but, boy, is it empowering. And that's part of the transformation that actually our clients go through. And then on the other side, they become fearless, which is so cool.

Freddy D: 00:10:02

It is, because I even struggle. I'll be put myself out there. I struggle looking and talking to the camera or actually the video screen on my laptop and trying to record a video.

And it's not that easy. I mean, it's challenging. This is much easier because I'm talking with you, for example, somebody else. I'm quite comfortable with that.

But trying to do something myself, it's not so easy.

Alan McLaren: 00:10:29

And that's why we exist, right? So for those people who are naturals at it, they may not need us. They usually need us to help them uncover the gifts they don't know they have.

That's the first part of the process, is to say, okay, what do I have that would be interesting to other people? Like, we get. We often get a question, why would anybody listen to me? We get that all the time.

And the answer is, what you think is normal, somebody else might find fascinating, but you just got to be the one to be out there to do the work. Your presence is actually the gift, Freddie. You have gifts based on what you just shared with me.

If there's an audience that's waiting to see that gift, your travels, where you were born, you speak French. All those things are perspectives. You gained that, and now you running a podcast about superfans.

All those things are perspectives that only you have. You're the only human in the world. There's only one you, and there's only one me. So that's what we get people to see.

And then when they see it now, it's about, how do I communicate that authentically so that I don't look like I'm selling something or pitching something? And that's why we exist.

Freddy D: 00:11:42

You bring up a great point, because if you think back when we were kids, we were fearless, and we would do stuff, we would pretend, and life got in the way. And as we get older, we lost a lot of those uniqueness and fearlessness.

And so what you're really doing is you're helping people get back to that fearless state so that they can really. You're helping them get themselves out of their own way so they can be who they are.

Alan McLaren: 00:12:14

It's a perfect way. We're actually unlocking what's Already inside somebody. We're not inventing something new. We had a client the other day.

She says, I never thought of myself that way. That was her words to us. That's an interesting perspective on me. Why?

I have another buddy of mine who says, you can't see the label from inside the jar. Well, you're the jar, you're in the jar. So sometimes you need help getting out of there to see how people see me.

But then you can communicate that and then the benefits of being out there are. There are hundreds of those benefits. But it is a very enlightening and freeing to be out there once you come over. Get over the fear.

Freddy D: 00:12:56

Sure. I remember my wife, we went to a business networking function.

It was a BNI meeting and we were substitutes and I was doing substituting for several different chapters and a couple people asked me because I was reliable and I could do the commercials and all that stuff and I have no problem speaking publicly. And so I brought her along and all she had to do is read a sentence.

We still laugh about it today because she got in, she was all dressed up and everything else and she looked and there was like 30 some people in the room and she goes, I gotta stand up and read this in front of all these people. I'm going to keep kill you. Except she used a couple other words in there that were nice adjectives and she did it, but she was furious.

And so she ended up taking a Toastmasters speaking class and that really helped her get herself out of the way and. But we still laugh about that today. She shares that story. Yeah, I totally get what you're talking about. And that can be fearful for some people.

Alan McLaren: 00:13:59

We work with pilots, power lifters, psychologists, CEOs of billion dollar companies, CEOs of startups. 90%, Freddie, 90% are starting with the word terrified. That's the word they're using, terrified.

But that's why they need coaching to get them through that. Because they'll just not do it right. Because the majority of our prospects that we have what they get is not ready yet.

And we try to get inside their head. What is what. I'm really terrified. That's what it is. So we can't make them unterrified when we're not working with them. But that's the big leap.

And then. But the fun is for us to watch them evolve and thank us.

One of our clients in Singapore said, this is her words exactly, Freddie, thank you for changing my life. That's a big word for personal branding, isn't it?

Freddy D: 00:14:54

It's transformative.

Alan McLaren: 00:14:56

So tell me why you said that. It was with my business partner, Leanne. They were crying while they were having this conversation. But she says, I now see myself the way you do.

So think of how transformative that is when someone who doesn't have the confidence to now be out there and saying, okay, I am valid, I am real, I have worth. Because we all question that imposter syndrome is real and alive and well.

And so our job is to help people see that in themselves so that they can express themselves in a positive way. So that's why we love what we do, Freddy.

Because it's not the posting on LinkedIn, it's not the YouTube work, and it's not the likes and the engagement. It's watching someone go from terrified to thriving on the other side. That's what gives us a kick. And everybody can do it, introverts alike.

So if you're sitting here going, that's not me. Get over yourself. It can be you if you make that decision.

Freddy D: 00:15:51

Oh, sure, I did part of it because I used to be an engineer, and then I went into sales. And in sales is, you got to be out there. And fortunately, I have left brain, right brain.

So I'm creative as well as I'm technical, which is good and bad. But. So I understand that.

But this is when you're talking about doing videos and things like, that's a whole nother level, because again, when you're doing in sales, you're still dealing with people and you're still engaging. So it's. That's a skill set in itself, but you're helping people go up a whole nother level. So share with us, Alan.

How do you work with somebody and give us a story as part of that conversation of how you've transformed somebody? You gave us a couple examples, but where were they? What's the story?

And how they became a super fan to where they're telling everybody how transformative you've helped, the transformation that you walked them through.

Alan McLaren: 00:16:44

I got a couple. There's so many stories. Every customer has a story. But let's think. I'll think of one particularly so one who attended a workshop. He did.

He did a free workshop about a year ago and stayed in touch. And stayed in touch. And we have a newsletter, and so we stayed in touch.

And then one day I texted and I said, are you ready to have another conversation? She says, I think it's time, because she was in transition. A lot of our CEOs were in transition from one gig to the next.

And she said, I need some help figuring out who I am. I said, okay, so let's do that.

And we went through what we call our brand DNA process, which is essentially a 90 minute forensic interview where we really dig deep into the talents and who you are. Right. And then we present back who you are. And that's where we get that feedback on, you know, thank you for helping me kind of get to that stage.

But terrified was the word she used to go through this process and to get on video. And I'll give you an example. The first time we recorded video, we try to batch our content.

So we'll record six videos at a time, and then we'll take it and become them online and do the work for them in that way. So the first recordings took three hours to do two videos, three hours to do two videos. The third time we recorded, she did 10 videos in 45 minutes.

Freddy D: 00:18:01

Wow.

Alan McLaren: 00:18:03

So think of the difference of two videos. Why? What happened got in her head. I have to think about the three things, the three points. What's the story?

And then when we get to the place, just like you like to do podcasts. No, no, it's just conversation. It's like a salesperson. Somebody asked, were you and I having a glass of wine?

You're from Bordeaux, so you know all about that. If you know, Right. You ask the question, we're having a glass of wine. And I answer it the same way I answer it if we were recording a video today.

This is exactly how I talk. Not on. I'm not trying to use my hands more. But getting people to that authentic place was the magic.

And here's what happened while she did that to create a superfan, she decided to start her own business coming out of that process. And she is a rocky man. Why? She didn't have the confidence to do what? She had an idea in the back of her head for years and she says, I'm ready now.

Now she's an entrepreneur. She's out there, she's doing great, and she's a super fan. She talks to everybody about us, and we talk to everybody about her.

So that's one great story. There are dozens of others if you want me to keep going, but that's one great one.

Freddy D: 00:19:20

Yeah, let's go into another one. And how did you work with them?

Let's go a little deeper into your process so that our listeners can understand somebody's interested in transforming themselves. What is the process that you kind of do? And it's part of a story.

Alan McLaren: 00:19:37

Sure. So the first thing we do, if we focus on the video part, because that's the part that most of them are terrified of.

The first thing, when we do the brand DNA, they're now getting a real mirror and a lens to who they are. Right. So that's a big part to really understand and feel validated.

They have the confidence as we're doing that we are cheerleading, we are insightful, we are listening, we have empathy. Those things all help, as you know, because we're dealing with humans, right? Not dealing with AI, robots, dealing with humans.

So the first part is the trust and confidence they have in the work that we're doing, which elevates them to a place. So that's the first step that happens. And it's all just basic human interaction. That's what we do. And we're very supportive.

We're cheerleaders, but we're also honest. If they're messing up, we're kind. But we're saying, I think you can do better. Yeah, I think you're right. Okay, let's talk about that.

You're in your head now. So we're coaching. The coaching is a really important part.

Then when we get to that green light where we're doing the video recordings, that's practice until you get it. That's where we approach everything in a very loving way with our customers. Even though they're CEOs, you think that they're all hard asses.

They're not. They're human. They're frail, they're weak, they're strong, they're loving, they're confused. They're human. They have titles, but human.

So what we work with them is to get them to a place where they feel that they're more confident in their work. But it's trial and error.

And when we're doing the video work, we tell them, really the simplest thing is let's think of the title of the video, whatever we want to call it. So let's call it why Personal branding. What's the one point I want to make?

One point I want to make sure people know they have a unique story to tell. Let's say that's the point. And what's the story I'm going to tell to reinforce that? That's all we tell them to do. They still get in their head.

And so then we kind of go backwards. Okay, let's go back to it. What's the one point? And we coach and coach and coach and coach. They get the first one done. All right, now we're Done.

Then they do second one. They screw up, take three, take five. Then once they get into a role Freddie.

That's where the story of two videos in three hours versus 10 videos in 45 minutes comes out. Because now develop the skill. They develop the confidence. They know what they should be doing and it's. And they.

And their brain has kicked in where they know what 90 seconds and 2 minutes feels like when they're doing a video as opposed to I got to get it in, I got to stretch it out. I got right. You remember when you first. If you drove a standard car the first time a clutch give shift remove brake, press brake. You were.

When you're. What happens after you get the skill, you're not thinking anymore.

Freddy D: 00:22:29

It's automatic.

Alan McLaren: 00:22:29

Right? That's get them out of their heads and back to what their true authentic self is. And just being able to do what I'm doing today with you.

That's how I record a video. No different point in my head. Keep talking the same way. That's where we get. And you either like them or you don't. Can't change who you are.

But we get them to that place and that's the transformation. That's what we do. And then we constantly reinforce and always going back to remember we talked about that. Get it down.

And then that's what we continue to coach them on. And then they thrive and it's so much fun. And then we have one lawyer. He doesn't even need us anymore. He just likes hanging out with us.

He comes up at the topics, we push the button, he bangs out six videos and then we're done. He's so great, but he needs us to be able to make sure he can be accountable or else he'll go back to doing the things that he was doing before.

So we also help with accountability, which is a big piece when you're a busy CEO. So that's our process.

Freddy D: 00:23:26

Yeah, it's an interesting process and it's very comprehensive in what you guys are doing and thorough. And it's really. From what I'm.

I can only say transformative because it's making me think of when I would started doing presentations when I was selling software. You had to get yourself out of your way. When I remember the first video that I did, I still have. It's on vhs. I sucked. I was like a robot.

I was reading the presentation and years later on I remember having to do a presentation in front of a CEO and this guy was a railroad car manufacturer. So it was big money. He walked into a huge office, he's got glass wall, helo pad outside. Talk about intimidation.

And he doesn't even get up from his desk. And he tells, I was with the engineering manager, we're getting his approval for the deal. And he goes, you guys got five minutes.

And I looked at my watch and I talked. And you're right about you get to know. And I stopped and I looked. I was right at the five minute mark and I said, sir, my time is up.

And he just looked and he smile came on his face. He got up and then walked over, shook our hands and looked at the guy, says, are you happy with what he's got? Does the numbers look good?

Guy goes, yeah, this is a good deal, blah, blah. He goes, picks up the phone, says, please get a purchase order for Mr. Dudek. And that was it. It was done.

But the fact that I, I was not afraid of myself. I had confidence because I was a badass sales guy and. But I also had the definition of time.

Alan McLaren: 00:25:12

Yeah. And the other thing, of course, when you think about it, is think about the skill of storytelling that is applicable in every part of your life.

So when we teach people storytelling and it's not, here's an origin story, you need to like, don't get technical around it. But it's really learn. Every story has a beginning, middle and end. Just make sure you have a beginning, middle and you can tell it inside two minutes.

Because I could take the story I told you and make it 10 minutes. We don't have 10 minutes for that story. So it's inside 90 seconds. It makes a point. If you want more, you ask me more. That's a skill.

Now we're doing that on. And you do that on digital. So now when I post that on LinkedIn, I have a thousand people that can see that.

What other place can I have a thousand people see what I'm doing? None. There's no speaking gig, right?

Podcast could be, but on average, it's hard to get a thousand people to listen to you on a podcast, unless you're Joe Rogan. So then you have your tribe already on your social media. They're already there. They already know you. You're not surprising them with, with.

Who's Freddie D? No, we know Freddy D. He's the superfans guy. Great. That's what he's known for.

And I start posting, oh, Freddy, I love your video and what you end up happening and it's mind blowing. Sometimes people don't say a thing on your LinkedIn, but you go to an event, hey, Al, love your videos.

I had a guy, I used to play football a million years ago, and one of our friends passed away. We were there. The least likely person, the least intellectual business guy I've ever met walks up to me, says, hey, Al, man, I love your videos.

I said, you listen to my videos all the time. That's what ultimately happens.

You don't realize the people you're influencing or reaching because they're invisible and behind impressions on LinkedIn, but they're there, and there's no other way to communicate. You and I didn't grow up with that. We didn't grow up with that scale. Opportunity. This is what LinkedIn is. And Facebook and Instagram is all of that.

Freddy D: 00:27:21

What you're bringing up here, Alan, is the fact that it's a way for business leaders to really connect with their teams, their prospective customers, their existing customers, their suppliers, their distributors, their complementary business partners, their bankers or finance advisors.

Everybody, in an authentic, real way that, in a sense, creates super fans for them, just because of the fact that they're being authentic and sharing and empowering people.

Alan McLaren: 00:28:00

You couldn't have said it better. And here's the interesting part. You know how sometimes on LinkedIn you see people.

Well, I'm proud to announce that, you know, that stuff, which is so cringeworthy at times, what happens when you have superfans is they're telling that story to others without you knowing about it.

Freddy D: 00:28:19

Right.

Alan McLaren: 00:28:20

You know, because they tag you, but you're going, where did that come from?

It came from somebody you helped, somebody you influenced, somebody you made a difference in their lives, or even the video made them think about something. Isn't that cool?

Freddy D: 00:28:37

Yes, it's totally cool.

Alan McLaren: 00:28:38

By the way, generates leads.

Freddy D: 00:28:41

Sure it does.

Alan McLaren: 00:28:42

If you do it, you generate sites and your audience are small SMDs. Right. Don't hide behind your logo. You're the business. You're the rainmaker. You're the one doing the sales.

If you're hiding behind your logo, nobody can see you. So time to get out from behind it and share your expertise with your tribe. Could be 500 people. That's a lot of people.

Freddy D: 00:29:03

There it is.

Alan McLaren: 00:29:04

That's the opportunity. That's the opportunity.

Freddy D: 00:29:06

Yeah. And 500 becomes 5,000, 5,000 becomes 50,000, because everybody knows at least 250 people, as they say. So, you know, that just Snowballs.

Alan McLaren: 00:29:20

And on LinkedIn, Freddie, the numbers are if you and I know this because we've done the math. If you have 2,000 people on your LinkedIn, that next level's 750,000. That next level is 15 million. So they're crazy numbers.

They're unrealistic numbers, but they're possible. I don't reach 15 million people. I don't even reach 750,000 people. I don't need to reach that many people, but I know I reach thousands.

How could I do that in any other way? I can't reach thousands in any other way. Right. So that's opportunity in front of the folks listening.

Freddy D: 00:29:57

And that's really.

You bring up a really strong point there because of the fact that it's a way to not only share what it is that you do and you're sharing your knowledge, and that's a great way to help somebody someplace else. And just like you mentioned helping that lady earlier in Singapore, you can impact someone's life in a positive way.

Thousands and thousands of miles away, and you may not even know it, but because of the fact that there's no connection.

But they heard from you on LinkedIn, they saw you on YouTube, they saw you on TikTok or whatever it is, and they go, oh, that's a great little something that so and so shared. Alan said, Freddie D said, John said, Susie said, Kylie said. And I applied this, and it really made a difference in my business.

Alan McLaren: 00:30:55

It's such a beautiful thing because outside of our business, we all have business that we want to drive and drive revenue and growth. There's a karmic side of the world. Right? Do good, put good in the world, and good will come back to you.

And so what we believe is when we share, sometimes we're going on podcasts that are not our target audience, there's no chance someone will become a client of ours. And you know what? We don't care. Because there's a part that we believe.

Our mandate is to share this, evangelize about this, get people out there, because the aggregate you talked about earlier, how superfans get created, is Freddie, and now Alan's a friend of Freddie, and now we start building that out. And my banker heard from that ecosystem that you talk about gets created when you're doing that.

So to me, it changes social media from a cesspool to something positive. Because the side I see of social media is all positive, because I don't engage in politics, I don't engage in religion.

I want to say things, but I do that with my buddies. I don't do it publicly because it doesn't serve me right.

Freddy D: 00:32:01

I'm the same way. 100%, 100% oh, I have a lot.

Alan McLaren: 00:32:05

Of opinions, but as soon as I put it out there, I'm no longer a personal branding and leadership expert. I'm now Alan McLaren, who doesn't like X. And you know that you can't win, you just never can win in that world.

Freddy D: 00:32:18

So, yeah, one of the things I say is an individual's perception is their reality, right or wrong, and you're not going to change it. And you have to understand it and respect it and call it a day.

Alan McLaren: 00:32:33

You know, Dale Carnegie once said, find people that believe what you believe and that's your tribe. And I hate the word tribe because it's so divisive. But it's the people that believe who you believe.

And what you find is then you start attracting more of those loving people in your life, if that's what's important to you. And then you repel the ones who are not. Doesn't mean you don't have them in your life as kind of in the circle somewhere.

But they're not in your center. My center is very well protected. But I have a lot of wonderful people in my life and I keep attracting them.

In fact, three of my best friends started on LinkedIn. Three of my best friends started on LinkedIn. People go, can happen. Yeah, it can happen. Three. I talk to them every week. One of them is in my city.

Two are not. Two are in America, One's actually in Arizona, one's in Austin, and then one buddy in Toronto. Like, come on. People go, that's possible.

If you're a giver. Yes. And you will deliver value at every turn. Yes. Then you have a chance to build great relationships.

Freddy D: 00:33:41

I still have relationships. I still have relationships.

the computer industry back in: 1980

I actually went through a threes company situation where I had two girls renting two, two bedrooms.

I had a three bedroom townhouse in Chicago area and I traveled a lot because I was in the computer industry and I was installing software and doing whatever, but I had two girls renting for me and I'm still friends with one of them 44 years later.

Alan McLaren: 00:34:26

Yeah, that says, that says a lot about you.

And so what if I were to extrapolate that into personal branding, that those people would describe you a certain way and they would Start with the word you can count on Freddie. You could trust Freddie. I don't even know you, Freddie, but I know that that's. You only have friendships that long when people can say that.

So then take that to the personal branding world. You're building trust at scale. That's what it does.

If you're doing it right and you're not promoting and self promoting and doing all that stuff, that's what you're doing.

So I have built likely thousands of relationships based on trust, and that's why I'll get a lead from Cyprus and I'll get a lead from New York and I'll get a lead from London of people I have never met before I don't even know. They're not even my connections on LinkedIn, because I'm delivering value and they're spending time with you.

Remember, if you do, you know, video, they might spend an hour with you over a year watching your content, and then eventually they wake up and go, oh, I need to talk to this guy. They talk to you when you're doing your first call. They know more about you than you know about them because they've spent time with you.

Freddy D: 00:35:38

Sure.

Alan McLaren: 00:35:39

There's no other way to do so. That's.

Freddy D: 00:35:42

You're absolutely correct. You're getting my brain thinking about stuff, so. Because you know, you shouldn't look there.

Alan McLaren: 00:35:48

But I won't do that.

Freddy D: 00:35:51

I'm working on it. I'm working on it. I'm getting there. I'm putting stuff out.

Alan McLaren: 00:35:56

You're doing west. This is a big one. Podcast is a big one.

Freddy D: 00:35:59

Yeah.

I'm actually surprised, but just the other day I found out I'm in the top 10% and I've only been seriously doing this since November of last year and I'm booked out through July with guests, so I'm doing something right.

Alan McLaren: 00:36:15

You were doing something right. It's great. It's such a great tool as well, that we're using so to. To connect us. There's no other way to do that. So it's great.

Freddy D: 00:36:23

And I'm meeting phenomenal people like yourself that bring value and help people. So it's a fun conversation. And. And I'm building relationships from that perspective as well.

Alan McLaren: 00:36:33

Yeah, stuff happens, as you know, outside of the podcast, sometimes to help each other because we're building trust together in our little half hour conversation together. And then now you have a relationship, oh, you need to talk to Alan. Oh, you need to talk to Freddie. That's how the game is played.

The superfans World you live in is what we need to create in all of our businesses. Because that's word of mouth on scale. That's really what we're talking about.

Freddy D: 00:36:59

I think it goes further than I think in just life because you want super fans of your friends. It's really life in my mind.

Alan McLaren: 00:37:06

You're right. Absolutely right. You're absolutely right.

Freddy D: 00:37:09

Because you're dealing with your banker personally, you're dealing with the repair shop, all that stuff. It's really. When you stop and think about it, it's pretty crazy.

But you really need to be creating super fans out of all the relationships that you're doing.

Alan McLaren: 00:37:29

Yeah, I think you're right. It's. You know, I'm a big believer in your heart leads you. That's how I lead my team, and that's how I lead my life.

And you just attract more people like that in your life. It's such a beautiful thing. And then, you know, kindness is something we talk about a lot. It's never overrated. You can never be too kind. And.

And that attracts people that are kind. They care about you when you're not home.

Freddy D: 00:37:54

One of the quotes of my book, Creating Business Superfans is, people will crawl through broken glass for appreciation and recognition.

Alan McLaren: 00:38:04

Yeah, they will. You're right.

Freddy D: 00:38:06

And that's business. That's in life. That's everywhere. My other quote that I've got is, the little things are really the big things.

Alan McLaren: 00:38:19

Yeah. That's marriage advice. Those two things you just talked about. It's relationship advice, but it's marriage advice.

Nothing is too small as a gesture to show you're thinking about somebody.

And clearly, at the end of the day, you have to be there for somebody right at the end of the day, the validation that you talked about, if they're craving it and you're not giving it to them, you're a bad person. If you give it to them without them craving it, then you just have a nice, smooth life. And you're right. Teammates, relationships, sports, teams.

Pick it, everybody. Yeah, we need it everywhere.

Freddy D: 00:38:56

One of the things I do since I've been with my second marriage, but I buy my wife flowers roughly every three weeks and has been doing it for 12 years.

Alan McLaren: 00:39:11

Me too. I go every two weeks. You know what my sign is? My sign is when the flowers die. Time to buy some new ones.

Freddy D: 00:39:17

Yeah, I do. Two, three weeks. It depends. Sometimes they're dead. And then all of a sudden, I realized she threw them out. And like, oh, I missed that.

So I summarized her. But. Yeah, but. But funny. Interesting. We do the same thing. Cool. Alan, it's been a great conversation as we come to the end here.

So how can people find you?

Alan McLaren: 00:39:38

There's one thing I'd like to offer a little gift, too, that maybe you can put in the show notes.

Freddy D: 00:39:42

I was going to ask that, but go ahead.

Alan McLaren: 00:39:44

Yeah, there's a worksheet that we have that can help your listeners kind of help think about their personal brand. So, you know, go fill out the worksheet.

And then what I would encourage you to do is if you're terrified of social media, just go on LinkedIn and start commenting on other people's stuff.

Just get used to the feeling of playing around because it's a nice reciprocal piece when you go on and comment on Alan's video or Freddie's video or whatever. And then reach out to me on LinkedIn if you want.

Just let me know that you saw me on the podcast or heard me on the podcast, because I get so people try to sell me a lot of stuff. So if you say, I saw you on the podcast, then I will connect with you. And if you need any help, I'm happy to help because that's the first step.

So that Alan McLaren on LinkedIn is the best place to start. And I've got lots of channels, but that'll be an easy place to go.

Freddy D: 00:40:33

And what's the website again?

Alan McLaren: 00:40:36

So strataoriginals.com okay, we'll make sure that.

Freddy D: 00:40:41

That'S in the show notes for our listeners.

And great conversation, really enjoyed it and definitely would love to have you on the show down the road again because I think we could probably talk for hours on this stuff.

Alan McLaren: 00:40:54

Let me show you something that just happened with the Harvard Business Review. You may not be able to see this. It says the entire magazine is how to build your personal brand. So I'm not just saying it, Albert, saying it.

So it's time to start thinking about your personal brand as an asset. Love to leave you with that. And Freddie, of course, I'd love to talk some more. I'm sure we could talk for hours. So. Yep, it was great. Great.

Thank you for this opportunity. Let's see.

Freddy D: 00:41:27

Hey, superfan superstar Freddy D Here again before wrap. Here's your three playbook power move to attract ideal clients, turn them into advocates, and accelerate your business success.

So here's the top insight from today's episode. Visibility builds velocity. Your next level of growth starts the moment you consistently show up and speak up.

So here's your business growth action step.

Commit to a weekly 90 second video series that answers one burning question your clients are asking, and post it every Monday on LinkedIn to build momentum and trust.

If today's conversation sparked an idea for you, or you know of a fellow business leader who could benefit, share it with them, support the show with the donation, and grab the full breakdown in show notes. Let's accelerate together and start creating business superfans who champion your brand.