Profile — Part 1: Become Known, Trusted and Remembered
Building a Profile That Makes Your Value Obvious
Introduction
You have built the foundations.
You have learned:
- Concept — what you are building.
- Audience — who you are building it for.
- Offer — what you are offering.
- Sales — how you create customers.
- Pitch — how you communicate your vision.
- Publish — how you demonstrate your thinking.
- Product — how you package your expertise into transformation.
Now we arrive at:
PROFILE
Because creating value is only half the journey.
People also need to:
know who you are.
They need to understand:
what you do.
They need reasons to:
trust you.
And they need to remember:
why you matter.
That is the purpose of Profile.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Understand what Profile actually means.
- Distinguish Profile from popularity.
- Create a clear and credible public identity.
- Design profiles around the needs of people who do not know you.
- Apply the principle of Radical Empathy to your Profile.
- Build a strong social profile.
- Communicate your Claim to Fame.
- Communicate your Aim in the Game.
- Make yourself easily discoverable.
- Understand how credibility signals influence trust.
- Strengthen your Profile through awards, media and achievements.
- Understand why visibility is about being found rather than hiding.
- Begin deliberately building a Profile that supports your business and products.
1. What Is Profile?
Profile is:
the perception people form about you when they encounter you.
It answers:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why should I care?
Why should I trust you?
How can I engage with you?
Profile therefore exists:
in the mind of the other person.
Not merely:
on your website.
Not merely:
on LinkedIn.
Not merely:
on Instagram.
Your Profile is:
the total impression created by your public presence.
2. Profile Is Not Popularity
This distinction is essential.
You do not necessarily need:
millions of followers.
You need:
the right people to understand your value.
A Founder with:
5,000 highly relevant followers
may have a stronger Profile than someone with:
500,000 irrelevant followers.
Therefore:
Profile ≠ Follower Count
Profile is about:
relevance + credibility + visibility + association.
3. Why Profile Matters
Imagine two businesses.
Business A
Has an excellent product.
But when someone searches for the Founder:
- unclear profile,
- generic photograph,
- no explanation,
- no achievements,
- no obvious expertise,
- no clear contact path.
Business B
Has an equally good product.
But the Founder appears:
- credible,
- clear,
- established,
- relevant,
- active,
- respected.
Which one is easier to trust?
The second.
The product may be identical.
But:
the Profile changes the perceived risk.
4. The Profile Problem
Modern customers often encounter you before they speak to you.
They may:
- Google you.
- Search LinkedIn.
- Look at Instagram.
- Watch your YouTube videos.
- Read your articles.
- Check your website.
- Search for your company.
- Look at reviews.
- Search your name.
Your Profile therefore exists:
before the sales conversation.
5. Be Googleable
One of the first objectives of Profile is:
Be Googleable
If someone hears your name and searches for you:
something useful should appear.
Your online presence should make it easy to understand:
- who you are,
- what you do,
- what you have achieved,
- what you care about,
- how to contact you.
The source frames the basic objective as being Googleable and likable: people should be able to find you and quickly understand enough to want to connect.
6. Being Discoverable Is Not Vanity
Some Founders resist visibility.
They think:
“I don't need to be famous.”
That may be true.
But the objective is not necessarily:
fame.
It is:
discoverability.
If someone is considering:
buying from you,
partnering with you,
hiring you,
interviewing you,
recommending you,
they will probably investigate you.
Make their investigation easy.
7. The Stranger Test
Imagine that someone who has:
never heard of you
lands on your profile.
They ask three questions:
1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. How can I engage with you?
If your profile doesn't answer these quickly:
your Profile is weak.
The source calls for exactly this perspective: look at your profile through the eyes of someone who knows nothing about you.
8. Radical Empathy
This is one of the most important principles in Profile.
Radical Empathy
means:
seeing your Profile from the perspective of the person who doesn't know you.
You know:
- your history,
- your achievements,
- your business,
- your terminology,
- your industry,
- your intentions.
The stranger knows:
none of it.
Do not make them work to understand you.
9. The Busy Stranger
Your Profile visitor is probably:
- busy,
- distracted,
- overloaded,
- scrolling quickly,
- comparing many people.
They do not want to spend:
30 minutes investigating you.
They want:
a rapid signal.
Your Profile should therefore reduce:
cognitive effort.
10. The Three-Question Profile
Your Profile should make these obvious:
Who are you?
What do you do?
How do I get in touch with you?
Everything else supports those three questions.
11. Make Yourself Easy to Understand
Clarity beats cleverness.
A Founder might describe themselves as:
“Visionary catalyst for transformational ecosystems.”
Sounds impressive.
But what do they actually do?
Nobody knows.
A clearer description is:
“Founder helping small businesses build predictable sales systems.”
Now the reader understands.
12. Avoid Unnecessary Jargon
Industry jargon can create a false sense of sophistication.
You may think:
“Everyone in my industry knows this term.”
They may not.
And even if your immediate audience understands it, someone outside your industry may:
know someone who needs you.
If they don't understand what you do:
they cannot recommend you.
13. Explain the Value Simply
The goal is not to sound:
sophisticated.
The goal is to be:
understood.
Use words that allow someone to say:
“Ah, I understand what this person does.”
That moment of understanding is:
Profile clarity.
14. The Profile Pyramid
A useful way to think about Profile is:
LEVEL 1 — Clarity
Who are you?
What do you do?
↓
LEVEL 2 — Credibility
Why should I believe you?
↓
LEVEL 3 — Visibility
Can other people find you?
↓
LEVEL 4 — Association
Who are you connected with?
↓
LEVEL 5 — Authority
What does the market recognise you for?
Build from the bottom upward.
15. Start With Clarity
Before trying to:
- win awards,
- get media coverage,
- appear on podcasts,
- collaborate with famous people,
make sure:
your basic Profile is clear.
Visibility cannot fix confusion.
More people seeing an unclear profile simply creates:
more confused people.
16. The Profile Foundation
Your basic profile should contain:
Name
Who are you?
Role
What do you do?
Business
What organisation are you associated with?
Audience
Who do you help?
Outcome
What do you help them achieve?
Credibility
What evidence supports your expertise?
Direction
What are you trying to achieve?
Contact
How can someone engage?
17. The Social Pitch
A useful foundation for your Profile is:
Same → Claim to Fame → Aim in the Game
The source presents this as a concise profile structure that can be adapted across major social platforms.
18. SAME
The first part is:
Who are you?
This establishes context.
For example:
“I'm the Founder and CEO of…”
or:
“I'm a Founder building…”
or:
“I'm an entrepreneur helping…”
The reader immediately knows:
who they're looking at.
19. CLAIM TO FAME
Next:
Why should I pay attention?
This is your:
Claim to Fame
It could include:
- customers,
- revenue,
- awards,
- books,
- businesses built,
- notable achievements,
- unique experience,
- measurable outcomes.
The key is:
evidence.
20. Your Claim to Fame Is Evidence
Suppose you say:
“I'm an expert in entrepreneurship.”
That is a claim.
Now compare:
“I've built three companies from zero to £10 million valuations and written four books on entrepreneurship.”
The second contains:
evidence.
Your Profile becomes more credible.
21. Don't Hide Your Evidence
Some people hesitate to mention achievements because they think:
“I don't want to brag.”
But your Profile isn't about bragging.
It is about:
helping another person make an informed decision.
The source makes this point strongly: showing awards, books, businesses built and meaningful achievements is not merely self-promotion; it gives a busy stranger information they need to decide whether you are worth listening to.
22. The Humility Trap
False humility can actually reduce usefulness.
Imagine you have:
- written a book,
- won awards,
- built successful companies,
- achieved significant results.
But you hide all of it.
The visitor now has:
less information with which to evaluate you.
You are not necessarily being humble.
You may simply be:
making their decision harder.
23. Evidence Is Customer Empathy
When you show:
credible achievements,
you are saying:
“Here is the information you need to decide whether I'm relevant to you.”
That is:
Radical Empathy.
24. AIM IN THE GAME
The third part is:
What are you trying to achieve?
This is your:
Aim in the Game
It communicates:
- your mission,
- your purpose,
- your direction,
- the change you want to create.
It answers:
“What are you about?”
25. Why Aim Matters
People don't only connect with:
what you do.
They connect with:
what you are trying to achieve.
For example:
“We develop entrepreneurs who stand out, scale up and make a positive impact.”
That communicates:
direction.
It tells people:
what kind of work belongs inside your Profile.
26. Same + Claim to Fame + Aim
The structure becomes:
SAME
Who am I?
CLAIM TO FAME
What have I achieved?
AIM IN THE GAME
What am I trying to achieve?
Together:
Identity + Evidence + Direction
This creates:
a compact personal narrative.
27. The 30-Second Profile
Your Profile should be compressible.
Imagine someone asks:
“Who are you?”
You should be able to answer in roughly:
30 seconds.
Not because your entire life fits into 30 seconds.
But because:
clarity creates accessibility.
28. Profile Example
A strong structure might look like:
I'm the Founder and CEO of [Company]. We help [Audience] achieve [Outcome]. We've [credible achievement]. My aim is to [mission]. You can find me on [platform].
Short.
Clear.
Credible.
Directional.
29. Signposting
Your Profile should tell people:
where to go next.
For example:
“I'm most active on LinkedIn.”
or:
“I share my work on YouTube.”
or:
“You can learn more at my website.”
This is:
Signposting
You are making the journey easier.
30. Don't Be Everywhere
You don't need to become:
active on every platform.
But you should:
reserve your presence where relevant.
Think of major platforms as:
digital real estate.
If people are searching there:
make yourself findable.
31. The Digital Real Estate Principle
Imagine someone offered you:
a free retail space inside a shopping centre with millions of visitors.
Would you say:
“I don't personally shop there.”
Probably not.
You would take the space because:
your customers are there.
The same principle applies to major digital platforms.
The source uses this retail analogy to make the point that personal preference about a platform is less important than whether relevant people are already using it.
32. Be Present Where People Search
Your Profile strategy should consider:
- LinkedIn,
- Instagram,
- YouTube,
- X,
- Facebook,
- personal website,
- relevant industry platforms.
The objective isn't:
post constantly everywhere.
It is:
be findable and consistent.
33. Consistency Across Platforms
Your major profiles should communicate:
the same essential identity.
That means:
- same name,
- recognisable photograph,
- similar positioning,
- consistent description,
- consistent mission,
- consistent links.
The exact wording can change by platform.
The:
core identity
should not.
34. Your Photograph
Your photograph is part of Profile.
The purpose is simple:
recognition.
People should quickly know:
“This is the same person.”
A good profile photograph should generally be:
- recognisable,
- current,
- relevant,
- professional enough for the context,
- visually clear.
35. Your Bio
Your bio should not read like:
a random collection of facts.
It should communicate:
a coherent identity.
Weak:
Founder | Husband | Coffee | Travel | Thoughts | Business | Life
Strong:
Founder helping service businesses build predictable growth systems. Author of X. Built Y. My mission is Z.
The second tells a story.
36. The Profile Audit
Open your social profiles.
Now imagine:
you have never met yourself.
Ask:
Who is this person?
What do they do?
Who do they help?
Why should I care?
Why should I trust them?
How do I contact them?
If you cannot answer these quickly:
fix the profile.
37. Radical Empathy Exercise
For each profile, write down what a stranger sees in the first:
5 seconds.
Record:
- photograph,
- name,
- headline,
- first sentence,
- credibility signal,
- link.
Then ask:
Does this communicate the person I want to be known as?
38. Credibility Signals
Profile becomes stronger when you provide:
signals of credibility.
These can include:
- awards,
- media coverage,
- books,
- customer numbers,
- notable clients,
- speaking appearances,
- measurable results,
- industry recognition,
- relevant experience.
The purpose is not:
to decorate your profile.
It is:
to reduce uncertainty.
39. Awards
Awards can be powerful Profile accelerators.
But:
not every award is equally valuable.
A credible award can provide:
- recognition,
- social proof,
- media opportunities,
- networking,
- content,
- authority.
It can create:
external validation.
40. The Award Is Not the Story
Winning an award isn't enough.
Ask:
Why did you deserve to win?
The strongest award stories connect:
achievement
to:
impact.
The source gives an example of a technology company initially trying to promote an impressive technical capability. The more powerful story emerged when they connected the technology to its human impact on small businesses.
41. Features vs Benefits in Profile
A technology company might say:
“Our system transfers funds in four seconds.”
That is:
a feature.
But:
“Small businesses can now offer customers payment options they previously couldn't provide.”
is:
an impact story.
Profile becomes stronger when you communicate:
what changed because of what you did.
42. Human Impact
Even technical businesses should ask:
What human impact does this create?
Technology:
enables something.
The customer:
experiences something.
The market:
responds to something.
The human outcome is often:
the most compelling story.
43. Evidence: Quantitative + Qualitative
Strong credibility combines:
Quantitative Evidence
Numbers.
Examples:
- 10,000 customers,
- 30% improvement,
- £5m revenue,
- 1.2 million identities verified.
Qualitative Evidence
Human proof.
Examples:
- testimonials,
- stories,
- case studies,
- customer experiences.
Together:
numbers + stories
create stronger evidence.
The source explicitly highlights the combination of quantitative impact data and qualitative customer testimonials as powerful evidence.
44. Build Your Evidence Bank
Start collecting:
Numbers
Awards
Media
Customers
Results
Testimonials
Books
Speaking
Interesting Experiences
This becomes your:
Profile Evidence Bank
45. Don't Wait Until You Need Proof
Profile building becomes difficult when you try to reconstruct:
10 years of achievements
the day you need them.
Instead:
capture evidence continuously.
Every meaningful result should create:
a record.
46. Awards as a Training Discipline
Winning awards is not purely about:
entering competitions.
It requires:
- identifying the right category,
- understanding judging criteria,
- gathering evidence,
- communicating impact,
- telling the story,
- refining the submission.
The source compares this to athletic training: you don't merely dream about winning; you train for it.
47. Aggregation of Marginal Gains
Awards can be won by:
very small differences.
Therefore improve every element:
- story,
- evidence,
- structure,
- clarity,
- impact,
- presentation.
The principle is:
small improvements compound.
48. Don't Chase Every Award
Awards should be:
strategic.
Ask:
Is the award credible?
Is it relevant?
Does the audience recognise it?
Does it align with your positioning?
Does winning it strengthen your Profile?
Is the investment reasonable?
Do your research.
49. Profile Through Media
Another powerful credibility mechanism is:
being featured by credible platforms.
Examples:
- industry publications,
- podcasts,
- interviews,
- newspapers,
- magazines,
- conferences,
- specialist media.
Each feature creates:
third-party validation.
50. Build a Media Trail
Instead of trying to get:
one massive feature,
build a trail of:
- interviews,
- podcasts,
- articles,
- guest appearances,
- talks,
- industry commentary.
Over time:
the evidence accumulates.
51. Drown Out the Noise
Your online search results may contain:
- company registrations,
- directories,
- old documents,
- bureaucratic records,
- irrelevant references.
You don't necessarily need to:
remove everything.
You can:
drown it out.
The source explicitly recommends thinking in terms of “drowning out” unwanted or irrelevant search results by creating stronger, more relevant content and coverage that rises to the top.
52. Create Better Search Results
If you want people to find:
your expertise,
create more evidence of:
your expertise.
Publish:
- articles,
- interviews,
- videos,
- podcasts,
- books,
- talks,
- case studies,
- profiles.
Over time:
your relevant footprint grows.
53. Profile Is a Long Game
You don't build Profile:
overnight.
You build it through:
consistent evidence accumulation.
Every:
- article,
- interview,
- award,
- customer result,
- collaboration,
- speaking event
adds another piece.
Eventually the market sees:
a pattern.
54. The Pattern Creates Authority
One achievement says:
“Something happened.”
Ten relevant achievements say:
“This person consistently does this.”
Authority is often:
a pattern of demonstrated capability.
55. From Achievement to Reputation
The sequence is:
DO SOMETHING
↓
CREATE RESULT
↓
CAPTURE EVIDENCE
↓
SHARE EVIDENCE
↓
OTHERS RECOGNISE IT
↓
REPUTATION GROWS
↓
PROFILE STRENGTHENS
This is a much more durable approach than simply:
claiming expertise.
56. Don't Manufacture Authority
There is a crucial ethical principle here.
Do not:
- invent achievements,
- exaggerate numbers,
- buy fake awards,
- manufacture testimonials,
- imply relationships that don't exist.
Your Profile should be:
credible because it is true.
57. Profile Is an Information Architecture Problem
Your public identity should make information:
easy to find.
Think about:
- what appears first,
- what appears second,
- what evidence is visible,
- what links are available,
- what search results show.
You are designing:
the information journey around yourself.
58. The Profile Journey
A stranger should ideally move through:
Discovery
“I've heard this name.”
↓
Recognition
“I know who this is.”
↓
Clarity
“I understand what they do.”
↓
Credibility
“They've actually done this.”
↓
Relevance
“This matters to me.”
↓
Interest
“I want to learn more.”
↓
Engagement
“I'll follow/contact/connect.”
That is:
Profile working properly.
59. Profile + Publish
Publish creates:
evidence of your thinking.
Profile organises:
the evidence of who you are.
Therefore:
Publish feeds Profile.
Every piece of content contributes to:
your public body of work.
60. Profile + Product
Your Product creates:
results.
Results create:
proof.
Proof strengthens:
Profile.
Therefore:
Product feeds Profile.
The stronger your product:
the more credible your Profile can become.
61. Profile + Sales
Profile reduces:
uncertainty.
Reduced uncertainty can make:
Sales easier.
A prospect who already knows:
- who you are,
- what you do,
- what you've achieved,
enters a sales conversation differently from:
a complete stranger.
62. Profile + Pitch
Pitch communicates:
your vision.
Profile demonstrates:
your credibility and identity.
Pitch says:
“This is what I believe we can create.”
Profile says:
“This is who I am and what I've already done.”
Together they create:
vision + evidence.
63. Profile + Partnership
Partners ask:
Who is this person?
What have they built?
Who knows them?
Who trusts them?
What can they bring?
A strong Profile answers these questions before the partnership conversation begins.
64. The Profile Equation
A useful mental model is:
PROFILE = CLARITY + CREDIBILITY + VISIBILITY + ASSOCIATION
Clarity
People understand you.
Credibility
People believe you.
Visibility
People can find you.
Association
People see you alongside relevant respected people and organisations.
Together:
Profile becomes powerful.
65. Profile Is Not About Being Famous
The objective is not:
“Everybody knows me.”
The objective is:
“The right people know what I am known for.”
That distinction protects you from:
vanity metrics.
66. The Right Metric
Instead of asking:
How many followers do I have?
ask:
How many relevant people understand what I do?
Instead of:
How many likes did I receive?
ask:
Did the right people become interested?
Instead of:
Did I go viral?
ask:
Did my Profile become stronger?
67. The Profile Audit Worksheet
For each platform, complete:
Name
Role
Audience
Outcome
Claim to Fame
Aim in the Game
Credibility Evidence
Main Link
Primary Contact Path
68. The Five-Second Test
Give your profile to someone who doesn't know you.
Allow them:
five seconds.
Then ask:
Who am I?
What do I do?
Who do I help?
What have I achieved?
If they cannot answer:
simplify your Profile.
69. The 30-Second Test
Now give them:
30 seconds.
Ask:
“Tell me what this person is about.”
If their answer sounds like:
your intended positioning,
your Profile is working.
If they say:
“I'm not really sure…”
you have work to do.
70. Your Claim to Fame Exercise
Complete:
I am known for ______________________________.
I have achieved ______________________________.
I have helped ________________________________.
I have been recognised by ______________________.
The most interesting thing about my experience is __________________.
Now identify the strongest evidence.
71. Your Aim in the Game Exercise
Complete:
I am trying to __________________________________.
I want to help __________________________________.
I believe ______________________________________.
The change I want to create is ____________________.
Your Aim should provide:
direction.
72. Build Your Social Pitch
Now combine:
SAME
Who are you?
↓
CLAIM TO FAME
What have you achieved?
↓
AIM IN THE GAME
What are you trying to achieve?
↓
SIGNPOST
Where should people find you?
Write your 30-second version:
73. Your Profile Evidence Bank
Create five categories.
Achievements
Recognition
Results
Experiences
Associations
Keep adding to these throughout your career.
74. Profile Improvement Plan
Choose three improvements.
Improvement 1
Improvement 2
Improvement 3
Then ask:
Which one would most improve the experience of a stranger visiting my Profile?
Do that first.
75. The Radical Empathy Rule
Before publishing anything about yourself, ask:
“Am I doing this for me, or am I making it easier for them to understand me?”
If the answer is:
them
you are thinking correctly.
Your Profile exists to help another person:
make a decision.
76. The Profile Principle
Remember:
Don't make people investigate you.
Make the important information:
obvious.
Don't force them to:
search five websites.
Don't make them:
decode your jargon.
Don't make them:
guess what you do.
Don't hide:
relevant evidence.
Instead:
give people the information they need.
77. From Invisible to Visible
The progression is:
UNKNOWN
↓
DISCOVERABLE
↓
CLEAR
↓
CREDIBLE
↓
RECOGNISED
↓
REMEMBERED
↓
TRUSTED
This is:
Profile building.
78. Profile Mastery Checklist
Before completing Part 1, confirm:
- I am easy to find.
- My profiles are clear.
- My photograph is recognisable.
- My role is obvious.
- My Audience is clear.
- My value is clear.
- My Claim to Fame is visible.
- My Aim in the Game is visible.
- My achievements are supported by evidence.
- My links are clear.
- My contact path is obvious.
- My profiles are consistent.
- My terminology is understandable.
- My credibility is visible.
- I have an evidence bank.
- I regularly create new evidence.
- I view my Profile through the eyes of a stranger.
79. The Deeper Lesson
Profile is not:
“Look at me.”
It is:
“Here is enough useful information for you to decide whether I am relevant to you.”
That distinction changes the psychology completely.
You are not asking:
“How can I make myself look important?”
You are asking:
“How can I make it easier for the right person to recognise my value?”
That is:
Radical Empathy applied to Profile.
80. The Creator Founder Profile
As a Creator Founder, your Profile should communicate three things:
WHAT YOU KNOW
Your:
ideas, knowledge and expertise.
WHAT YOU HAVE DONE
Your:
results, experience and evidence.
WHAT YOU ARE BUILDING
Your:
products, companies, mission and future direction.
Together they create:
Expertise + Experience + Direction
81. The Profile Flywheel
Your Creator Founder system now looks like:
PUBLISH
↓
People discover your ideas.
↓
PROFILE
↓
People understand who you are.
↓
PRODUCT
↓
People experience your expertise.
↓
RESULTS
↓
People see evidence.
↓
PROFILE
↓
Your reputation strengthens.
↓
PUBLISH
↓
Your ideas reach more people.
The system compounds.
82. Part 1 Conclusion
In this first part of Profile, you learned that:
Profile is not fame.
It is:
the deliberate creation of a clear, credible and discoverable public identity.
You learned to think from the perspective of:
the stranger.
You learned:
Radical Empathy.
You learned to make your Profile answer:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why should I trust you?
How can I engage with you?
You learned the foundation:
SAME → CLAIM TO FAME → AIM IN THE GAME
And you learned that credibility comes from:
evidence, impact, recognition and association.
83. The Profile Transformation
You are moving from:
“I know what I do.”
to:
“Other people can quickly understand what I do.”
From:
“I've achieved things.”
to:
“The evidence of what I've achieved is visible.”
From:
“People should know me.”
to:
“I've made myself easy to discover.”
And from:
“I don't want to brag.”
to:
“I want to give people the information they need to make a good decision.”
That is the beginning of a powerful Profile.
PROFILE — PART 1 COMPLETE
Be Clear. Be Credible. Be Discoverable.
Your job now is not to become famous.
Your job is to become:
known for something valuable.
And once people know:
who you are,
what you do,
what you've achieved,
and:
what you're trying to create,
you have created the foundation upon which the next layer of Profile can be built.