In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I dig deep into a topic that impacts every part of your life, business, and legacy—reputation. Whether you’re growing a brand, building a company, raising a family, or simply trying to be someone others can count on, your reputation is one of the few things in life you have complete agency over.

I talk candidly about what it really means to earn trust, how your character shapes perception, why consistency is everything, and how one wrong move can undo decades of integrity. From business branding to parenting in the age of social media, this episode is part strategy, part wake-up call, and all heart.

If you care about what people say about you when you’re not in the room, this one’s for you.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

02:19 JJ’s Joke of the Week

03:20 Why I started blogging and how it led to this topic

06:02 Reputation vs. character: what people say vs. who you are

07:01 You can’t control your height but you can control how people remember you

10:21 The “Know, Like, Trust” factor: building a brand rooted in truth

15:36 The power of documenting what’s real

18:20 Why we document and not invent who we are at 608B Capital

21:05 Confidentiality, gossip, and how I judge who I’ll trust

28:27 Social media: teaching kids to protect their reputation for life

30:50 One poor decision can undo decades of character

32:12 Curating your reputation

34:24 It’s not complicated: honesty, kindness, consistency, and value

Quotables

“If you build a habit of operating with integrity, you don’t have to manage your reputation, it will manage itself.”

“Your reputation is the only thing in your life you have full agency over.”

“Your reputation takes a lifetime to build and a moment to lose. Guard it like your future depends on it, because it does.”

Links

608B Capital

https://www.608bcapital.com