The Cringe Epidemic: How I Quit My Job by Building My Personal Brand
For a long time, I thought the reason I wasn’t growing faster online was strategy - better hooks, stronger content ideas, improved timing. But looking back now, it wasn’t any of that. It was something much simpler, I hadn’t built my personal brand.
I started creating content five years ago, documenting the renovation of my new build. On paper, things were going well. I built an audience quickly, people were engaging, and I was consistent. But there was one thing I avoided at all costs… I didn’t show my face.
Not once.
For two whole years.
My first Instagram post was on 23rd February 2020. My first photo actually showing my face? Two years later. In that time, I had posted 178 times and grown to around 4,000 followers. At the time, it felt like progress. But now I see it differently.
Because I wasn’t building a personal brand, I was building a content page.
A content page can grow, sure. But a personal brand is what converts. It’s what builds trust. It’s what makes people care. And ultimately, it’s what turns Influence To Income™.
The moment I finally showed my face, everything shifted. Not overnight. Not in one viral post. But steadily, consistently, things started to click. Nine months later, and 161 posts after that decision, I quit my job.
I outgrew my salary, gained nearly 30,000 followers, and turned content creation into my full-time career. Not because I suddenly became a “better” creator, but because I became visible.
And this is where so many creators are stuck right now. We’re in what I can only describe as a cringe epidemic. Everyone wants to hide behind content, filter their voice, avoid the camera. And I get it, I still find it uncomfortable to this day. But avoiding that discomfort comes at a cost. Because the very thing you’re avoiding is often the thing that unlocks everything.
I speak to creators all the time who feel frustrated that they’re not monetising, not growing, or not being taken seriously. More often than not, it’s not a lack of potential. It’s a lack of visibility, positioning, and strategy behind them as a person, not just their content.
That’s exactly why I built my agency, OAC. When I was starting out, there was no roadmap. No one to show me what actually mattered. No one helping me bridge the gap between creating content and building a career from it. And that gap? It’s where most people stay stuck.
Now, I spend my time helping creators close it. Not just by posting more, but by understanding how to position themselves, build trust, and create content that actually leads somewhere. Because the goal isn’t just to grow an audience. It’s to build something that supports your life, your income and your choices.
So if you’re someone who’s been sitting on content ideas, overthinking showing your face, waiting until you feel “ready”… know that I’ve been there. I get it more than you think. But it might also be the exact thing standing between you and the next level.
If you’re ready to take it seriously, not just as a hobby, but as a potential career, that’s exactly what my Influence to Income strategy sessions are for. Together, we’ll look at where you are now, what’s holding you back, and what the next steps actually look like for you. Real, tailored strategy from someone who’s done it.
One decision, for me, showing my face changed everything. For you, it might be closer than you think.