On this week’s episode, Tim Stoddart (@timstodz) and Ethan Brooks (@damn_ethan) talk about the nuance of developing a personal brand while you’re building a stand-alone business or working as an employee. What is personal brand actually good for? How does it change over your career? What do people typically miss in this discussion? They cover all that and more…


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Is Personal Brand Even Worth It?

The HeyCreator Show is for building your creator business.

Each week, hosts Matt Ragland and Tim Forkin talk through all stages of the creator journey, intentionally designing each conversation to meet you where you’re at along the way. We’re sharing lessons from over a decade of helping digital creators launch and scale courses, communities, and coaching services — along with building newsletters, YouTube channels, and podcasts to millions of subscribers and downloads for our clients.

For more about our show, company, and community go to heycreator.com.

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The HeyCreator Show is presented by Riverside — ⁠get 15% off a new subscription by using code HEYCREATOR at checkout.⁠
In today’s episode of The HeyCreator Show, Matt Ragland (⁠@mattragland⁠) and Tim Forkin (⁠@timforkindotcom⁠) interview Cody (@Cody_Hock) & Cole Hock (@UpNorthCole). These two brothers manage entertainment creators, but we wanted to talk about Enjoy Basketball — the media and lifestyle company they founded with one of the biggest sports creators on the internet, Kenny Beecham.
(0:00) — Presented by Riverside
(1:45) — About today’s show
(2:53) — “Cold emailing is my favorite thing to do.”
(10:21) — What goes into a great cold email?
(15:38) — Why choose Kenny as the face of Enjoy Basketball?
(18:18) — The first channel that made sense for their business
(24:29) — How EB pulls almost every lever a creator business can pull
(28:29) — Why they partnered with ESPN & Omaha Productions
(35:54) — How physical products create serendipity
(38:48) — The value of in-person community building for creators
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008: Cody & Cole Hock on Running A Creator Business That Does Everything

The HeyCreator Show is presented by Riverside — ⁠get 15% off a new subscription by using code HEYCREATOR at checkout.⁠
In today’s episode of The HeyCreator Show, Matt Ragland (⁠@mattragland⁠) and Tim Forkin (⁠@timforkindotcom⁠) give out their best advice for new creators. Tim lays out the lessons young creators need to learn in order to grow, while Matt speaks to established professionals looking to become side-hustle creators.
(0:00) — Presented by Riverside
(6:06) — Tim: Can you get past your immediate circle?
(12:25) — Matt: Pick one topic, one platform, for one audience
(16:40) — Tim: Don’t be an expert or idol when you aren’t
(22:43) — Matt: Are you making content for fun, or are you building a business?
(27:30) — Tim: Real artists don’t starve
(30:51) — Matt: What long-term project can you build alongside your content?
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007: Best Advice for New Creators

The HeyCreator Show is presented by Riverside — ⁠get 15% off a new subscription by using code HEYCREATOR at checkout.⁠
In today’s episode of The HeyCreator Show, Matt Ragland (⁠@mattragland⁠) and Nat Eliason (@nateliason) jam about what it actually takes to be a creator. Topics include Nat’s take on niching down, the main ways creators become replaceable, choosing between money and passion, why consistency alone isn’t enough, and much more.
(3:18) — Nat’s article Be Yourself, Not a Niche
(7:23) — The #1 way creators fail
(16:10) — Nat’s article When the Money’s Just Too Damn Good
(25:28) — Do you care enough to make your content great?
(32:25) — The illusion that success comes quickly as a creator
(40:17) — Balancing ambition, productivity, and parenting
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006: Nat Eliason on What It Actually Takes To Be a Creator

The HeyCreator Show is presented by Riverside — ⁠get 15% off a new subscription by using code HEYCREATOR at checkout.⁠
In today’s episode of The HeyCreator Show, Matt Ragland (⁠@mattragland⁠) and Tim Forkin (⁠@timforkindotcom⁠) discuss equity for creators — more specifically, how and why creators should think about owning pieces of others’ businesses.
Stories include MKBHD’s deal with Ridge, the launch of Authors Equity, Blenders X Coach Prime, Pop Daddy Snacks and more.
(0:00) — Presented by Riverside
(1:45) — Rundown of today’s show
(2:40) — MKBHD’s deal with Ridge
(10:48) — Authors Equity, backed by Tim Ferriss, James Clear and Louise Penny
(16:31) — James Clear’s new app, Atoms
(20:41) — The two ways creators can get equity in businesses
(21:41) — How John Barchard negotiated a deal to own part of an English soccer club in exchange for content
(25:45) — How Pop Daddy Snacks scaled their business by becoming a creator
(29:19) — How Blenders landed Deion Sanders to be their flagship “creator”
(36:33) — The creator skills you have are enough to own someone else’s business
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005: How Creators Can Get Equity In Their Favorite Companies

The HeyCreator Show is presented by Riverside — get 15% off a new subscription by using code HEYCREATOR at checkout.⁠
In today’s episode of The HeyCreator Show, Matt Ragland (⁠@mattragland⁠) and Tim Forkin (⁠@timforkindotcom⁠) push through initial feelings of not wanting to record. The conversation evolves into how creators can make the most of their limited time — both in what they spend their time on and the quality of what they create.
(0:00) — Presented by Riverside
(1:43) — Rundown of today’s show
(2:45) — Doing the work when you don’t feel like it
(7:45) — Managing capacity when you have limited time to create
(20:11) — Managing quality when you have limited time to create
(26:48) — How consistent writers can succeed on YouTube with little time
(30:32) — Are you prioritizing production value quality or message quality?
(36:45) — The middle is not where you want to be
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Is Personal Brand Even Worth It?

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