Your Brand of Distinction

Dedication

To Your Vision.

To Your Value.

To Your Voice.

Acknowledgements

Low Oh Cheng

To my father, Mr. Low Oh Cheng, who at the time of writing this book, had passed into God’s Garden. I am awed with the most profound respect of the courageous battle you fought with stage IV cancer, and as a 75 year-old—you saw it through with grace. Dad, you saw strength in me that inspired me to succeed and grow during many difficult times in my life. Throughout your condition, you reassured me that I was doing the best I could, and that the greatest gift I could give you was to chase my dreams with ferocity. I can only look back on our time together with respect and gratitude. So I am. I thank you for my life, I respect your human experience of both joy and suffering, and I am well on my way.

Tam Mai Mai

To my mother, Mrs. Low (Tam) Mai Mai, you have always been one of the strongest women I have ever known. While you are physically quite small, your soul and energetic shine is cosmic. You have always seen greatness in me, and have supported me no matter what strange or risky choices I’ve made. I know at times you felt lost, even guilty, perceiving that you had not given me enough opportunities in life. That’s ridiculous of course, yet I honor that only a loving mother would feel that way. I thank you for my life, I respect your success in raising me as your son, and I am well on my way.

Foreword

T

HERE IS A QUESTION THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING EVENTUALLY

asks themselves during their life, What am I really meant to be doing with the time I have left on this planet?

That’s a big question for most. And it usually only occurs to us when we find ourselves in a situation of severe dissatisfaction, significant challenge, or when we are striving for much more in our lives. The answer to that question usually becomes clearer after an intense journey of self-reflection and personal evolution.

Steve Jobs once said, You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards… What he probably didn’t mention is that to be able to join the dots of the past, you have to be equipped with the tools and strategies to be able to reflect on your past with greater definition and precision.

This book you hold in your hands will help you with exactly that. Jon Low, and the message he carries, will not only empower you with branding principles to help you earn more money and transcend the noise in the market, he also provides you with sophisticated communication techniques to connect to the hearts of the many! And as a master of the written word, each chapter guides you through a profound personal journey to help you decode and monetize that special thing you are meant to bring to this world.

For me, there have been two themes in my business career over the last 20 years:

Technology startups (web and mobile).

Transformation of industries and people to evolve humanity.

In 1999, I joined start up Bamboo.com that grew from six employees to 1500 in year one, with a successful IPO and a 2.2 billion dollar market cap. Sleepless nights but tons of fun.

Years later, I founded The Ultimate Game of Life to give back by using technology, human psychology, and gamification to increase human performance in happiness, health and wealth. So far we have impacted over fifteen thousand players in forty-five countries worldwide and are well on our way to achieving the goal of having one billion people playing a bigger game in their lives.

Fun and success are inseparable. If we can look at every aspect of our life as a game that we signed up to play, we tap into an infinite stream of creativity, resourcefulness and inspiration. I have invested the majority of my life to playing the game of entrepreneurship with the hopes of evolving humanity. It’s what I love. It’s what I live. It’s what I breathe. That’s my mission in life.

You too have a mission in life. Something that is very significant. Something that will move the hearts of many people worldwide, and evolve the human race. That doesn’t necessarily have to involve fame or huge finances, it simply has to embody a higher level of energy that comes from the heart. As long as it is authentic and true to who you really are inside, the possibilities are endless. We can never underestimate the reach and magnitude that a heart-felt vision has.

But like anything, doing it alone or doing it all yourself is a recipe for disaster. While not all of us can immediately invest the funds for private mentors, I am certain that most of us can invest some of our time and commitment to a book that will help position us to level up. This book, written by Jon Low, is one such book.

Jon covers three significant themes in this book.

First, that what you love to do has been with you all along and that everything in your life has led you to this point for a very specific reason. Your brand must align with that authentic purpose. The closer you align to your nature (talents, inspirations and skills), the more natural your results in life and business will be.

Second, there is no distinction between personal growth and personal branding. Both are necessary if you want to build a brand that earns you more money, cuts through noisy marketing, and impacts people’s lives. Everyone is different. So the clearer you are on you, the more distinct your brand will be too.

Third, your life and your brand is a message. A message that represents the huge sum of life experiences, professional skills and natural talents you have. And that message can be replicated in the form of books, brochures or web copy. It is what is remembered while you are alive, and revered when you are gone. It is also what attracts the right people and resources to help you live the life you were born to live.

Can you imagine what the world would look like if developing yourself and doing what you love were the norm? Can you imagine what the world will look like when you take a stand with your brand?

I can. I am certain that your heart-felt contribution will take humanity that extra step forward (if not already). And I promise you this, the view from the top looks incredible.

Create an Ultimate Life,

Jim Bunch

Founder of The Ultimate Game of Life, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor and Chairman of the Board with the US Chamber for Commerce

Jim Bunch

Preface

H

E CRIED. HIS VOICE SHOOK, AND TEARS STREAMED DOWN HIS

face. For the first time in his life, he had discovered what he was born to do. That gentleman’s name was Christian. He attended my workshop on branding yourself because he wanted to earn more money doing what he loved. At the point where we uncovered his highest vision and values, something magical happened. The dream he had forgotten as a child was reignited. As a result, he went from broke to bustling with business within a matter of months—specializing in the educational sector. And today, he earns a full-time living doing what he loves, sharing what is innate to him.

Christian is just one of hundreds of clients and customers I have served to help crystallize their brand, reignite their dreams, and share it with the world. What I have to share with you in this book reinvigorates lives consistently and reliably. If you have ever felt the gratitude that comes with having the ability to move hearts and inspire minds, you too would dedicate your life to passing it on. That power is already in you, of course. And if you aren’t certain of it yet, by the end of this book you will be.

I don’t know what brought you here, but chances are—it’s not by chance. A part of you aspires for greater distinction in your life or business. You might be working a less than fulfilling job. Perhaps you sometimes lay awake at night, wondering if there is more to life than what you experienced in your day. Or, you might be thinking I already have something great to share with the world. How do I make sure it gets the attention it deserves?

If you can relate to any of these, then I am certain that this book is meant to be in your hands. I wrote it for the heart-felt change maker and entrepreneur. People who want to profit and prosper, and invigorate the quality of other people’s lives. To fulfill for them what feels like destiny.

Myself? For over 20 years of my life, many people were convinced that I was stunted when it came to the written word. Why? I lived in fear of what others would think of me if I expressed my truth in writing. I even had nightmares of being wrongly judged and misunderstood for who I truly was deep inside.

Colleagues used to fear letting me email or contact their clients. Emails I wanted to send had to undergo a strict review process. My father even used to force me to read more books and spend my evenings in bed with a dictionary because my teachers told him how horrible my command of written communication was. And of course, my English teachers would fail me at essays that I had painstakingly written over the course of countless all-nighters.

I took all of it to heart. I knew what it was I wanted to say, but everybody seemed to take it the wrong way. And to be ridiculed for what was true to me hurt like you wouldn’t believe. Because deep inside, I knew I wasn’t disabled with the written word. I knew I had much more to offer. I could feel, surging within me, an inherent value I wanted to bring to the world. And I thought If I could just tap into it, I’d be able to render a vast service to humanity.

If only I knew how. But like a diamond, hidden in the dark and subdued by the tremendous forces of nature, a substance of eternity needs to be forged under the immense pressure of the times. I finally decided to take control of my situation. So rather than playing victim to my challenges, I sought to transcend them. What I lacked in ability, I made up for with movement. I spent early mornings, late evenings and well into the late hours of the night, tapping away on my keyboard for 1,095 days straight.

The metallic paint on my laptop faded from the sweat of my palms. I alienated my peers and colleagues because of the newfound writing obsession I had, but I made new friends and was never without my books, pens and trusty keyboard. Deep into the silent nights under the dutiful watch of a sacred fire, I would continue to write.

Eventually, I was earning enough money to replace my full-time income. At first a trickle (a couple hundred dollars). Then a stream (a few thousand). And eventually, tens of thousands. But it’s not just about the money. It’s the fact that I am earning money doing what I love, which allows me to continue doing what I love; traveling the world, meeting new people, being of service and experiencing greater satisfaction and creative expression.

It was worth it. What I sacrificed in many areas of my life, I gained in others. Through persistence and hands-on experience, I synthesized a philosophy and system of inquiry that anyone can use to discover their vision, value and voice. To discover what it is they would love to share with the world, commercially, professionally, and personally.

Today, communication and writing is my gift. And I have worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants to help uncover their own gifts, communicate their brand message, and impact lives across the globe. My words are my form of wealth, and if you work with what I have to share in this book, I am confident it can be the source of your prosperity too.

It fills me with joy that this book, and the culmination of my knowledge and experience is now in your hands. Soon you will have all the resources and insight you need to be positioned to create a brand message that moves past people’s apprehensions, gently caressing their hearts. Your brand message will also help you grow your business, earn more money and put a smile on the faces of the many. A message that is distinct in a world where everyone seems to be saying, doing and promising the same things.

Together, we will reach into the fabric of what is innate to you and construct a brand that does justice to who you are, who you serve and the many more you will serve. You will also experience greater personal satisfaction, confidence and peace of mind. All of which naturally arise when your work feels like your holiday—your vocation, your vacation.

Personal and professional success are inseparable.

What I share in this book may take months, or even years to implement. But when you follow the process with the persistence and consistency of a sage, for even 15 minutes a day, you will be amazed at what unfolds naturally.

My masters taught me that distinction is the cumulative sum of small but potent efforts that you commit to for an extended period of time. My wish for you is to have a brand of distinction.

Construct it by choice. Summon the life you are meant to live.

Section One

A Brand of Distinction Is an Extension of Your Life

Chapter One

Branded by Choice

Branded by Choice

"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.

– Jim Collins

P

ICTURE THIS—TWO PEOPLE RUNNING AT A LOCAL TRACK OVAL.

They are neck and neck as they zoom by, kicking up dust, and overtaking almost every other runner on the track. No doubt they are high performers, and it doesn’t take you long to figure out that these two runners are in direct competition with one another.

As they approach the finish line Runner A throttles up the effort and gains a whole body length of distance ahead of Runner B. With only five steps to the race’s completion, Runner B has no chance of catching up. Runner B has lost, so it seems.

But let’s take a closer look at what is going on in Runner A’s mind and life. In his mind, he repeats things like I can’t lose! I won’t lose! and I’ll show them who is best! For most of his life, Runner A has been in competition and in fear of losing. He has done whatever it takes to avoid being looked down upon. However, deep down Runner A knows that if he had nothing to prove, he would rather relax and spend his time searching for the lady of his life. He dreams that one day he might be able to settle into a healthy relationship and raise a strong family. Though he performs well athletically, maintaining it is stressful and distracts him from the life he’d rather be living.

Let’s look at Runner B. As he crosses the finishing line he looks at his watch. He timed his lap, and it says one minute and nine seconds. A personal best that’s two seconds faster than his previous time. At this, he smiles. He is satisfied, and he is grateful that Runner A helped push him to a greater height in his personal performance. We find out that Runner B is optimizing his cardiovascular health because he wants to stay in good shape to have more energy to travel the world and build his international business. It’s what he loves, dreams about and talks about all day long. So he doesn’t mind that day’s loss against Runner A. It doesn’t bother him. He is happy that every second he claws back in his run is supporting his way of living.

Who really won the race? We can’t say for sure. It’s a matter of perspective. Something that is going to be a very important pillar of exploration in this book. Keep this anecdote in mind as you read because before we craft your brand of distinction, you must first understand what branding is, and how branding differs from other aspects of business building and development, such as marketing and sales.

In this first chapter I provide you with a foundational perspective on exactly that. That way you can clearly discern the difference and maximize the value you extract from this book as a whole.

In the chapters that follow, we will explore how seemingly unrelated aspects of your life are of great significance to your brand. For example:

What do your earliest memories as a child, have to do with your brand of distinction?

How do we transform seemingly mundane aspects of our life to build a brand that stands out in the market?

How can we make sure that nothing you have done to date in life goes to waste? (No matter what you are currently doing).

We will also explore the amazingly unexpected results that can arise when you craft your brand of distinction. For example:

A café worker becomes a solo-entrepreneur who earns a living as a specialist writer in the self-help industry.

A project administrator ends up getting paid five-figures to get on stage to sing and move the hearts of their audience.

A qualified and practicing psychologist becomes a paid stylist and fashion designer in a matter of months.

We have lots of ground to cover! So let’s get started.

1 – Branding is Distinct From Marketing

The disciplines of branding and marketing are often confused. And it can mean a big loss of opportunity if you are looking to earn more money, grow your practice and impact more lives. Whether you are an entrepreneur, coach, therapist or healer, understanding the difference is key.

For one, many people who teach you about marketing your business will teach you things such as how to develop a sales funnel, identify your client’s wants and needs, communicate your value in terms of their needs, answer objections, ask for the sale, and even how to upsell.

This is great standard practice for marketing. After all, many businesses fail to bring in more clients and revenue because of a lack of process or a lack of a system that works. However, therein lies the problem. Your competitors can replicate your marketing. Just when you think you have one over them, they get one over you, beating you at your own game.

Simple examples include; Want to earn more money?, Sick and tired of your job?, Are you ready to move on? You’ve heard them before. All these are all marketing hooks that are easy to copy and paste. Anyone can make the same promises and use the same unique selling points. Anyone can obtain proof for their claims by asking a friend or strategic business partner to provide them with an endorsement.

What’s not replicable however, is a brand of distinction. Well, when it is done right. Everything a business does communicates a message. A brand message. Often confused with marketing and sales, branding must precede all marketing, web design or sales campaign you ever do. A brand represents an emotional experience, personality and promise that cannot be copied. Especially when it is done right. It is the seed of all your business operations.

Without getting clear on your brand message and what you stand for, you end up competing with everyone else in the market who all look the same, sound the same, and promise the same things. But if you get your branding right, you won’t look the same, sound the same or have to promise the same. In fact, it’ll become very difficult for people to pigeon hole you. And that’s great news.

Think, for example, of Apple Computers. They have a personality of their own, while happening to offer computer, phone and technology products. You don’t get the Apple experience anywhere else. It represents a lifestyle and a way of living, all by way of their design. From the experience of using their smartphone, to their website, to their physical stores, the look and feel is the same. And the lifestyle that Apple represents is something people are willing to protect and are fiercely loyal to. Their loyal customers fight to preserve their way of living, of which Apple happens to be a strong part of.

That’s why, despite financial struggles and economic uncertainty, millions of people still find the resources and means to purchase their products. They might find something similar or comparable in the market but they won’t hesitate to tell you, It’s not quite the same.

" A brand is a beautiful thing. Enormously powerful. Enormously fragile. Building a brand takes vision. It takes passion and sweat. And perhaps most importantly, it takes discipline. The discipline to never waiver from your brand’s DNA and what your message to the world will be. "

– I Love New York

They refuse to settle for anything different. So they do what it takes to get what they want. To get what they need. Even if that means camping out in a queue for a new product at three o’clock in the morning! And isn’t it amazing that the Apple brand is something so many people use as an exemplary of business and brand success? Without even intending to, by positively referencing the Apple brand in this book, I am inadvertently building their brand.

How does a brand insert itself this strongly into the lifestyles of the many? Great question. A brand occupies what brand masters call mind-space. This means that once someone is properly attached to your brand, they will only go to your brand for their specific needs. And that brand of course, includes you, your personal brand.

Without a proper brand, marketing and sales efforts are diluted in the game of competing for attention, whereas branding occupies mind-space, meaning that customers and clients become blind to the competition. In the digital age, branding couldn’t be