From Knocking on Doors to Opening New Ones: My Journey in Personal Branding

There was a time when I thought building a career meant literally knocking on strangers’ doors.

As a contractor delivering business programs for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (Tertiary Organisation), I was the one responsible for everything. I had to recruit students, market the programs, deliver the training, handle the assessments, invoicing, and manage all the admin in between. But the hardest part? Filling those classes in the first place.

In the beginning, my strategy was pure hustle. I’d literally walk from house to house, knocking on doors, telling people about a fully funded NZQA Team Leadership course. I’d spend half a day hoping to get just one person interested. It was exhausting and, honestly, not that efficient. That’s when I had my big realisation: I was working hard, but I wasn’t working smart.

I looked around at other training providers and realised that they weren’t pounding the pavement like I was. They were leveraging the power of the internet. People were enrolling online, and I knew I had to shift my mindset and do the same.

So I created a Facebook page for my programs, making them look more like an organisation and less like a one-man show. At first, I tried posting on my personal Facebook page, but it didn’t quite click. But once I committed to the business page and started posting every single morning before heading to my full-time job, things changed. I was inspired by folks like Gary Vaynerchuk, who hammered home the idea that consistency on social media is key. So I made that commitment, and eventually, it worked.

Fast forward to today, and my personal brand, along with Zeducation, has opened doors I never thought possible. The same guy who used to knock on doors is now having them knocked on by people who trust in the brand I built. That’s the power of personal branding. It’s about making your story and your passion visible so that people come to you, ready to work together.

If you’re thinking about how to do the same, my advice is this: start sharing your story, be consistent, and remember that working smarter, not harder, can transform not just your business, but your life.

---

Need help using your personal brand to generate more business and clients?

Reach out to me here