Branding Will Save Your Soul

Dinner

I think there were eight of us in the room that night. Pablo Gonzales had texted me before NARPM Broker/Owner this year with a dinner invite to kick off a content creation mastermind. A few weeks earlier, he’d mailed me Gary Vee’s Day Trading Attention. I’ll admit, I was skeptical. Was this a setup for some expensive coaching upsell? Was I about to get pressured into dropping a few grand on a program to “level up” my content game?

But that’s not Pablo’s way. He understands the power of genuine community and leads with authenticity, not agenda. He didn’t ask for anything—not for the book, not for dinner, not for a single favor afterward. He just keeps showing up with value, connection, and a sincere desire to elevate those around him.

That night turned into three hours of idea-sharing with some of the sharpest minds in residential property management content. No posturing, no sales pitches—just great food, real conversations, and mutual encouragement. Yes, there were two cameras rolling, but it didn’t feel performative. We left with our minds sharper and our hearts fuller. And in two weeks, I’ll be hiking the Grand Canyon with Pablo and a few others from that dinner. That’s the kind of connection I want more of in my life.

This Chapter: Identity Work, Not Lead Gen

I’ve been on a personal quest lately—to figure out who I really am, what I believe, what gifts I bring to the table, and how to use them to create meaningful value. Right now, branding, marketing, and content creation are the arenas where that exploration is playing out. And I’ve realized it’s not about tactics. This is identity work.

Peter Lohmann’s invitation to a mastermind retreat earlier this year helped spark this journey. If it weren’t for him, this newsletter wouldn’t exist. Vince—my fractional CMO and unofficial co-conspirator in brand evolution—has been another major player. His ability to see and articulate brand potential is world-class. He’s helped me envision not just what I’m capable of, but what Mark Brower Properties could become. And the return on working with him? It’s already paid off in unexpected, transformational ways.

Business is like a jet ski: you can’t steer if you’re not on the throttle. For the past six months, branding has been my throttle. I thought I was chasing more leads. What I’ve discovered is something bigger—clarity, confidence, direction. This isn’t marketing. This is metamorphosis.

Why Writing Is the Key

If you want to grow your business, start by growing yourself. And one of the highest-leverage ways to do that is writing. Writing is structured thinking. It’s clarity on paper. It’s how we turn abstract chaos into useful ideas. It’s how we make sense of ourselves and share something that actually matters with the world.

Writing teaches us to aim for progress over perfection. It helps form personal philosophy. It invites vulnerability. It builds trust with people we’ll never meet. It sharpens speaking. It strengthens leadership. And it connects us—across space, time, and even generations. It’s legacy work.

Still resisting writing? That resistance is costing you. Pick up Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s about fiction, but it’s also about devotion, discipline, and getting out of your own way. He calls writing “telepathy.” I get that now.

The Power of Community and Content Creation

Don’t do this alone. Find your people. Declare your intent. A year and a half ago, my friend Tony Cline gathered a small mastermind around content creation. I joined. Mr. Beast did the same his first year—ate, slept, breathed content daily with a crew of obsessed creators. That kind of shared obsession is a multiplier. Your growth curve steepens when you walk this road with others.

Also, study the craft. Read newsletters that make you pause. Reverse-engineer them. Ask why they work. Pay attention to structure, voice, rhythm. You need your own voice, yes, but you also need to understand how attention works. I’ve paid for ghostwriting courses, joined private forums, and experimented heavily on LinkedIn. I recommend reading Day Trading Attention and They Ask, You Answer. Both have shaped how I think and communicate.

You Already Have a Writing Team

Here’s something most people miss: you already have a writing team. It’s never been more accessible. Editors at newspapers used to hand off ideas to staff writers. Now, we just need one bold idea and a solid AI tool to help bring it to life.

My go-to is Claude. Sometimes I use it a ton, sometimes (like today) just for clarity and polish. The real magic is in the idea—the spark that only you can bring. AI just helps you fan the flame.

Share the Real Journey

Gary Vee’s mantra: “Document, don’t create.” People want your real journey—not the perfectly packaged version. But to document a meaningful journey, you have to live one. That doesn’t mean yachts and photo ops. It means pursuing things that matter. Risking. Reflecting. Caring.

If you’re not convinced your story is worth sharing, start there. You are worth it. More than you know.

The Thursday Breakthrough

This past Thursday was a breakthrough. Best video session I’ve ever had. Vince, Cesar (our video guy), and Laban (remote) were all in the room—or on screen. We set up in the conference room, backed by two glass blackboards filled with scribbles, thoughts, and ideas. Vince handed me curated scripts tailored to our marketing vision. And we picked a time when, apparently, I’m least likely to be grumpy. (Vince’s idea.)

I can’t read from a script. Never could. So I scanned for the key ideas, then told the team, “This is going to be garbage, and we’re just doing this for practice.” And that unlocked something. My perfectionism loosened. My self-consciousness dropped. That one sentence gave me permission to be bad—and as a result, I was the most free I’ve ever felt on camera.

Then I tried something I’ve never done successfully before: I imagined talking to just one person. I’d heard this tip for a year, but it never clicked until now. I paired it with another powerful principle: be honest. Speak simply. Say what’s true. The result? I wasn’t performing. I was connecting. And for the first time, the camera didn’t intimidate me. I flowed. I felt clear, calm, expressive. It felt like I stepped into the next version of myself.

That session didn’t happen by accident. It was earned. Two years of internal work—overcoming fear, training presence, sharpening articulation—all led to that moment. Just like running a marathon requires 500+ miles of prep, this was race day. And it felt amazing.

Marketing in the New Era

Gary Vee is right: we’re in a new age of branding. Marketing isn’t a function to outsource and forget. It’s not about pushing features and benefits. It’s about connection. Humanity. Trust.

People are overloaded with noise. If we’re lucky enough to earn a few seconds of someone’s attention, we owe them something—insight, emotion, value. Marketing should be the first gift we give. Not a grab for attention, but a real moment of service.

What began as a quest for more leads became a journey into something much more important—becoming a more grounded, self-aware, vulnerable, articulate version of myself. I started posting more freely. I embraced failure. I partnered with peers who were also doing the work. And now I see branding not as a tactic—but as a path of transformation.

Your Turn

Where are you in your branding journey?
Where are you in your leadership journey? (Spoiler: they’re intertwined.)
What’s your relationship with writing?

If it’s not great—let me influence you. It can be. Writing can become a joy. It can help you think more clearly, connect more deeply, and lead more powerfully. It will help you build the kind of business—and legacy—you actually want.

Let writing change you. Let it change others. Let it open the door to real connection and real impact.

My Ask (and Promise)

Start writing daily. Not just emails. Get a system. Try a daily Notion prompt. One of my favorites: “What just happened?”
Answer that every day for 10 days. Write into the void. The void will write back. You’ll be surprised at what you unlock—for yourself and for the people you serve.

P.S. About the Car...

URCOOKD is officially off the table. Dane—my 21-year-old son—and I thought it was the perfect sleeper plate, especially with all the Tesla-as-microwave jokes floating around. We’re now on the hunt for something even better.

Meanwhile, Operation Speed Freak is working beautifully. With no Plaid badge on the back, I’m getting challenged way more than I ever did in the Model 3 Performance. And the Plaid? It’s absurd. From a rolling 60, it pulls like you’ve just been catapulted into another dimension. It’s violent, in the best way. I’ll stop here before I incriminate myself. 😳