{"id":88307,"date":"2025-07-01T06:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T11:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/?p=88307"},"modified":"2025-07-31T13:48:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T18:48:37","slug":"rory-vaden-influence-income-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/rory-vaden-influence-income-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Be Wealthy and Well-Known? Follow Rory Vaden\u2019s Playbook for Building Influence and Income"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When New York Times<\/em> bestselling author and speaker Rory Vaden<\/a> and his wife AJ were at the height of their career after 12 years at a sales coaching company, AJ spoke up about an important issue at work\u2026 and got fired. Overnight, they lost their 8-figure business, including a podcast with millions of downloads, 200 team members, a huge social following and a bright future. \u201cWe were forced to [ask]\u2014how will we survive? We had a brand-new house, a brand-new baby and no income coming in,\u201d Rory says, along with a noncompete preventing them from starting over in the same business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little did he know that this struggle would lead to the creation of Brand Builders Group<\/a> and would teach him the skills to serve the top founders and brands today. Now, his motto to other personal brand founders is to \u201cserve who you once were.\u201d So, he serves that guy he once was, who knew he loved public speaking<\/a> and writing but didn\u2019t know what to say or how to rebuild after losing everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"SUCCESS<\/a>\n\n\n\n

Today, he has surpassed his goals and, together with his wife, is releasing the book Wealthy and Well Known<\/em><\/a> on July 1, and giving the audiobook away for free<\/a>. In the book, he shares his secrets of trial, error and ultimate success in his personal brand strategy firm for \u201cmission-driven messengers\u201d or thought leaders. Thought leaders and wildly successful brand builders have endorsed the book<\/a>, such as Jenna Kutcher, Henry Cloud, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Lewis Howes and others. He\u2019s the author of other bestselling books, including Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what he learned on his journey and what he wants others to know about building influence and becoming well-known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diluted focus, diluted results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Personal brands<\/a> like to \u201cspread themselves really thin,\u201d Vaden says, \u201ctrying to talk to too many audiences about too many different subjects on too many different platforms.\u201d This causes a \u201cdiluted focus\u201d and dilutes results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFind your uniqueness and exploit it in the service of others,\u201d Larry Winget<\/a> once told Vaden. Vaden helps people find just that. Brands should speak directly<\/em> to a target audience, like someone saying your name\u2014and getting your attention right away\u2014in an otherwise crowded and loud room, he says. Instead, many brands are focused on \u201camassing a large volume of followers,\u201d he shares, when they really need to provide deep value to one specific target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Niche down your target audience<\/a> from four-five groups to just one. Give yourself permission to serve a smaller audience. Vaden says aiming for multiple streams of income is terrible advice: \u201cYou get rich doing one thing really well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try it: <\/strong>Ask, \u201cWhat is the thing only they can do that nobody else can do quite like them?… What problem do they solve in one word? How would they solve that problem in one sentence? And what one revenue stream matters above all others?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build reputation through a \u2018relationship switchboard\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you could glance at Vaden\u2019s computer screen on your average Thursday, you\u2019d see a large spreadsheet with dozens of contacts down each side and across the top. Each intersection represents a relationship to be made through him introducing two contacts. Why? \u201cBuild relationships before you need them. How? Be so useful that people can\u2019t ignore you.\u201d This is one of his strategies for building his reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shares that many of his high-profile clients and brands come from introducing clients to each other, including to friends. \u201cI spend an exorbitant amount of time introducing people to each other, and I get no immediate financial benefit,\u201d he says. \u201cBut what I do get is trust.\u201d Becoming a \u201cgreat connector\u201d and systematically tracking it is one of the lessons he teaches founders, as part of learning \u201cpressure-free persuasion.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try it:<\/strong> Ask two people in your network separately if they\u2019d find value in being introduced to the other. Then, do it, and keep track on a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch for the typical roadblocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If reputation building and serving a smaller audience more deeply is so lucrative and even intuitive, why aren\u2019t more people doing it? Vaden points to some of the challenges he commonly sees people get caught up in as they build wealth and influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distraction and disorganization without strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost personal brands fail not because they don\u2019t have the skill or credibility\u2014it\u2019s because they are distracted. It\u2019s a dangerously deceptive saboteur of a small business,\u201d he says. AJ further describes it on their website<\/a>: \u201cThere are so many things vying for and competing for your attention, that it\u2019s almost impossible to keep a narrow focus with a clear direction on where you\u2019re going,\u201d and nobody knows where to start. Social media, newsletters, podcasts and opportunities abound, without a brand strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparison and impostor syndrome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, impostor syndrome<\/a>, comparison, and trying to build a massive social media following can stunt progress. \u201cComparison is going \u2018I\u2019m not as good as somebody else,\u2019 and impostor syndrome is \u2018I\u2019m not good enough.\u2019\u201d But, Vaden says, people compare themselves too often to someone else with an entirely different business model. \u201cThe secret strategy to overcome impostor syndrome is not courage\u2014it\u2019s service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be dentist-rich not Oprah-famous<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand builders can become intimidated by others\u2019 large followings, instead of applying their real-world small business experience to an online setting. \u201cWe think, \u2018If I\u2019m not Oprah, I\u2019m not doing it right.\u2019\u201d But, Vaden points to that the dentist down your street, who just might also make six to seven figures, isn\u2019t someone people know about beyond your community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost small business owners would double or triple their best year in income ever if they had five or 10 of their perfect clients\u2026 maybe 20. But you don\u2019t need thousands or tens of thousands of customers.\u201d But, he says, everyone is \u201cchasing views\u201d and trying to go viral instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try it: <\/strong>Swap self-centered language and \u201cthrow yourself relentlessly into \u2018how can I be useful to the person on the other side of the camera?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serve who you once were<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Josh Axe<\/a>, a leading holistic health expert, has around 17 million unique monthly visitors, Vaden says. \u201cHow did he get into what he was doing? He was trying to cure his mom from cancer, then he turned that into a business,\u201d he says. \u201cServe the person you once were, and you\u2019re helping the people around you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He calls it a spiritual practice, and it even answers the toughest questions for him like \u2018why do we experience pain?\u2019 \u201cEvery amount of pain you\u2019ve walked through has shaped you and molded you and made you into the person you were meant to one day be,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s what prepares you to become the person you need to be in the future, to one day reach back and help someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaden helped Lewis Howes<\/a> grow his podcast from 30 million downloads to 500 million, starting with a two-day strategy meeting on the future of his business. Afterward, Howes told Vaden: \u201cThis is what you were born to do.\u201d And that\u2019s what Vaden wants others to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try it<\/strong>: \u201cAsk what challenge you\u2019ve conquered, what setbacks you survived, what tragedies you\u2019ve triumphed over, what problems you\u2019ve pushed past.\u2026 [That\u2019s] who you are most qualified to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo courtesy of Rory Vaden<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Overnight, they lost their 8-figure business, including a podcast with millions of downloads, 200 team members, a huge social following and a bright future. \u201cWe were forced to [ask]\u2014how will we survive? We had a brand-new house, a brand-new baby and no income coming in,\u201d Rory says, along with a noncompete preventing them from starting over in the same business.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Little did he know that this struggle would lead to the creation of <a href=\"https:\/\/brandbuildersgroup.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brand Builders Group<\/a> and would teach him the skills to serve the top founders and brands today. Now, his motto to other personal brand founders is to \u201cserve who you once were.\u201d So, he serves that guy he once was, who knew he loved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/communication-skills-for-success\/\">public speaking<\/a> and writing but didn\u2019t know what to say or how to rebuild after losing everything.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:html -->\n\n<!-- \/wp:html -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Today, he has surpassed his goals and, together with his wife, is releasing the book <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4kkFztZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wealthy and Well Known<\/em><\/a> on July 1, and <a href=\"https:\/\/freebrandaudiobook.com\/success\/\">giving the audiobook away for free<\/a>. In the book, he shares his secrets of trial, error and ultimate success in his personal brand strategy firm for \u201cmission-driven messengers\u201d or thought leaders. Thought leaders and wildly successful brand builders have <a href=\"https:\/\/wealthyandwellknown.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">endorsed the book<\/a>, such as Jenna Kutcher, Henry Cloud, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, Lewis Howes and others. He\u2019s the author of other bestselling books, including <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4lpBs0k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Here\u2019s what he learned on his journey and what he wants others to know about building influence and becoming well-known.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-diluted-focus-diluted-results\">Diluted focus, diluted results<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/how-to-build-your-personal-brand\/\">Personal brands<\/a> like to \u201cspread themselves really thin,\u201d Vaden says, \u201ctrying to talk to too many audiences about too many different subjects on too many different platforms.\u201d This causes a \u201cdiluted focus\u201d and dilutes results.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cFind your uniqueness and exploit it in the service of others,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/larrywinget.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Larry Winget<\/a> once told Vaden. Vaden helps people find just that. Brands should speak <em>directly<\/em> to a target audience, like someone saying your name\u2014and getting your attention right away\u2014in an otherwise crowded and loud room, he says. Instead, many brands are focused on \u201camassing a large volume of followers,\u201d he shares, when they really need to provide deep value to one specific target audience.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/the-riches-are-in-the-micro-niches-how-to-grow-your-business-by-narrowing-your-focus\/\">Niche down your target audience<\/a> from four-five groups to just one. Give yourself permission to serve a smaller audience. Vaden says aiming for multiple streams of income is terrible advice: \u201cYou get rich doing one thing really well.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Try it: <\/strong>Ask, \u201cWhat is the thing only they can do that nobody else can do quite like them?... What problem do they solve in one word? How would they solve that problem in one sentence? And what one revenue stream matters above all others?\u201d <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-build-reputation-through-a-relationship-switchboard\">Build reputation through a \u2018relationship switchboard\u2019<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>If you could glance at Vaden\u2019s computer screen on your average Thursday, you\u2019d see a large spreadsheet with dozens of contacts down each side and across the top. Each intersection represents a relationship to be made through him introducing two contacts. Why? \u201cBuild relationships before you need them. How? Be so useful that people can\u2019t ignore you.\u201d This is one of his strategies for building his reputation.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>He shares that many of his high-profile clients and brands come from introducing clients to each other, including to friends. \u201cI spend an exorbitant amount of time introducing people to each other, and I get no immediate financial benefit,\u201d he says. \u201cBut what I do get is trust.\u201d Becoming a \u201cgreat connector\u201d and systematically tracking it is one of the lessons he teaches founders, as part of learning \u201cpressure-free persuasion.\u201d <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Try it:<\/strong> Ask two people in your network separately if they\u2019d find value in being introduced to the other. Then, do it, and keep track on a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-watch-for-the-typical-roadblocks\">Watch for the typical roadblocks<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>If reputation building and serving a smaller audience more deeply is so lucrative and even intuitive, why aren\u2019t more people doing it? Vaden points to some of the challenges he commonly sees people get caught up in as they build wealth and influence. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Distraction and disorganization without strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cMost personal brands fail not because they don\u2019t have the skill or credibility\u2014it\u2019s because they are distracted. It\u2019s a dangerously deceptive saboteur of a small business,\u201d he says. AJ further describes it <a href=\"https:\/\/brandbuildersgroup.com\/live-events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on their website<\/a>: \u201cThere are so many things vying for and competing for your attention, that it\u2019s almost impossible to keep a narrow focus with a clear direction on where you\u2019re going,\u201d and nobody knows where to start. Social media, newsletters, podcasts and opportunities abound, without a brand strategy.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Comparison and impostor syndrome<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In addition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/what-is-imposter-syndrome\/\">impostor syndrome<\/a>, comparison, and trying to build a massive social media following can stunt progress. \u201cComparison is going \u2018I\u2019m not as good as somebody else,\u2019 and impostor syndrome is \u2018I\u2019m not good enough.\u2019\u201d But, Vaden says, people compare themselves too often to someone else with an entirely different business model. \u201cThe secret strategy to overcome impostor syndrome is not courage\u2014it\u2019s service.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Be dentist-rich not Oprah-famous<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Brand builders can become intimidated by others\u2019 large followings, instead of applying their real-world small business experience to an online setting. \u201cWe think, \u2018If I\u2019m not Oprah, I\u2019m not doing it right.\u2019\u201d But, Vaden points to that the dentist down your street, who just might also make six to seven figures, isn\u2019t someone people know about beyond your community. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cMost small business owners would double or triple their best year in income ever if they had five or 10 of their perfect clients\u2026 maybe 20. But you don\u2019t need thousands or tens of thousands of customers.\u201d But, he says, everyone is \u201cchasing views\u201d and trying to go viral instead.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Try it: <\/strong>Swap self-centered language and \u201cthrow yourself relentlessly into \u2018how can I be useful to the person on the other side of the camera?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-serve-who-you-once-were\">Serve who you once were<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drjoshaxe\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Josh Axe<\/a>, a leading holistic health expert, has around 17 million unique monthly visitors, Vaden says. \u201cHow did he get into what he was doing? He was trying to cure his mom from cancer, then he turned that into a business,\u201d he says. \u201cServe the person you once were, and you\u2019re helping the people around you.\u201d <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>He calls it a spiritual practice, and it even answers the toughest questions for him like \u2018why do we experience pain?\u2019 \u201cEvery amount of pain you\u2019ve walked through has shaped you and molded you and made you into the person you were meant to one day be,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s what prepares you to become the person you need to be in the future, to one day reach back and help someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Vaden helped <a href=\"https:\/\/lewishowes.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lewis Howes<\/a> grow his podcast from 30 million downloads to 500 million, starting with a two-day strategy meeting on the future of his business. Afterward, Howes told Vaden: \u201cThis is what you were born to do.\u201d And that\u2019s what Vaden wants others to find.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Try it<\/strong>: \u201cAsk what challenge you\u2019ve conquered, what setbacks you survived, what tragedies you\u2019ve triumphed over, what problems you\u2019ve pushed past.\u2026 [That\u2019s] who you are most qualified to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"fontSize\":\"small\"} -->\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Photo courtesy of Rory Vaden<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","tag_names":[],"post_attachment_urls":[],"author_email":"charity.de-souza@success.com","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}