Thread by @matt_gray_

I’m 35.

I wasted years grinding 80-hour weeks, chasing the wrong opportunities, and being a toxic workaholic.

Learn from my failures.

Here’s what I would do if I had to start over at 18:

Trust Is The New Currency

In the attention economy, YOU are the product.

Your personal brand isn't just nice to have—it's essential for survival and success in the digital age.

People trust people, not logos.

The Future Is Founder-led

In 2024, the personal brands of leaders is critical, and the evidence is clear:

• Elon Musk: 199M followers. Tesla: 22M
• Tim Cook: 15M. Apple: 10M
• Sara Blakely: 2M. Spanx: 400K

People follow people, not faceless corporations.

Personal Brand = Asset

Your personal brand is the best investment you can make. It's your digital real estate in the attention economy.

Every piece of content you create compounds over time, building your empire.

Your brand works for you 24/7, even while you sleep.

Founder Flywheel

Here are the tools that build your Flywheel and help you become a category champion:

• Personal Brand
• Business Brand
• Community

This is the self-propelling system that generates me millions in revenue, every year.

Personal Brand

Attention is the new oil, and your personal brand is the pipeline.

Share your point of view. Your mistakes. Your successes.

Build an audience around YOU.

Business Brand

The more people hear your story, the more they want to join your community and work with your business.

Your personal brand fuels massive word-of-mouth for your business.

Community

As more people gain value from your offerings, they tell their friends.

This creates a Referral Flood—an endless flow of customers without spending a dime on ads.

Win your audience, win your category.

To win in 2024, master the 5 pillars of the Organic Content Funnel:

• Brand System
• Compounding Content
• Audience Growth Systems
• Audience Growth Systems
• Core Team

Let’s break it down:

Brand System:

Be vulnerable with your audience to build trust. Craft a story that magnetizes your ideal clients.

Your brand isn't just what you say—it's the emotion you evoke.

Compounding Content

Each piece should build on the last, creating a powerful flywheel effect.

This isn't about viral hits; it's about consistent, valuable content that grows your authority exponentially.

Over time the value of each piece of content appreciates.

Audience Growth Systems

Growing an audience isn't about luck—it's about systems.

Master one platform first, then expand.

Focus on your 100 true fans. They're worth more than a million casual followers.

Build genuine connections and watch your tribe grow organically.

Monetization Moments

An audience without cash flow is just a hobby.

Build a clear value ladder: Social Media → Newsletter → Courses.

Your content builds trust; your offers turn that into cash.

Every piece of content should have a clear path to monetization.

Core Team

You can't build an empire alone. Hire a team of weapons so that you can focus on your zone of genius.

Weapons are A-players who believe in your vision and complement your skills.

Weapons don’t just support you—they multiply your impact.

Ready to position your brand for dominance in 2024?

I've helped thousands of founders do exactly that.

Want to learn the exact system I use?

Check out Founder OS. It's the blueprint for building a $5M/year automated empire: founderos.com/discover/audie…

P.S. If you like proven systems, you'll love my weekly newsletter (it's free).

1 actionable tip to grow your online business.

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