Faking success with the media.

I feel conflicted about this topic. Something entirely new for me coming from the corporate world. When I entered the entrepreneurial world, I was very inspired by the celebrity style entrepreneurs; as I was interviewing Forbes features, NYT bestsellers, and TED X speakers for my podcast, learning from their success influenced the mission of my starting business.

Fast forward eight years; my view is entirely different. Not only have I learned a lot of tips and tricks, but I have learned that to succeed, many are faking their success with media and speaking organizations. 

Marketing, Public Relations, and the Speaking world is a multi-billion industry and one that, as a marketing service provider, I am part of, but there is a dark side we don't speak about; we see titles of people and believe them, we see people posting their recognitions, accolades, and features and don't question them. 

The entrepreneurship game is a survival game. To sustain ourselves, we must find aggressive ways to stay competitive because, in the eyes of others, any new feature is an opportunity to brag, tap ourselves on the shoulder, and even "make a sale" and raise our "value ." This is the driving force behind the media and public relations.

Don't let these titles fool you. Just because someone has an accolade does not necessarily mean it was given or earned. Often it is bought behind the scenes. Investing in ourselves is one thing; lying about it is another. 

I can't claim that organizations such TED X, Forbes, or others are part of the business behind the scenes or even how much they can control it, but I know for a fact that many people are paying costly speaking coaches to "coach them to speak" and get put in front of the waiting line, while others are working hard to earn that opportunity. The same goes for Forbes or other media, many can't afford the $50K price tag to promote their business in the publication, but a small PR company that has internal contacts would charge about $7K for a minor feature or to put people in the "Top 10 Most Watched People" or other fancy titles. All these are powerful shortcuts to fast-forward our profile titles, so we can look like we finally made it. 

Accolades don't always change lives nor turn impostors into legit successful people.

Many people who have earned these accolades are still living with their parents. They are still trying to succeed, mainly because they are focused on the prize rather than creating value. We all are service providers; whether working for a company or our business, we provide "value" and bring solutions. We are impostors when investing more in recognition, skipping all of the essential aspects that make us successful or great at something. The impostor syndrome is real. However, the claim is that when we become 'this speaker' or 'are featured' in that publication, we feel that's the moment we have “made it”. For many, that is not the case, especially when they are not honest about it. These accolades don't guarantee success.

"Fake it till you make it."

Unfortunately, we live in a society where this belief is the norm and applies to anything from our clothing choices, vehicles, and labels, but it applies to entrepreneurship. The more we foster this cultural mindset, the more we teach newer generations to cheat. To see their value superficially and not see their worthiness comes from their knowledge, real experience, time, and efforts. We are creating this culture of impatience and the growth process, such as putting the time on task, pivoting, changing strategies, adapting, and offering something legit to our customers. Many are cutting these valuable steps.

We are ruining the credibility of great brands and taking the value and merits of others.

With almost anything, humanity tends to find ways to ruin things, and this case is no different. Some people have put years of effort into earning recognition and have set the time to study, restructure, and research. When they earn credit, these are very emotional accomplishments that deserve pride. But when people are cheating and faking the same recognitions, they are taking the value of people that earned it the right way and, in the process, also ruining the reputation and prestige of some of the best brands because some of these don't mean the same anymore.

Not everybody cares about integrity.

Another aspect to remember is that only some people take pride in their integrity or care to earn things with hard work. Many feel successful by wearing labels despite being broke; the same goes for entrepreneurship.

Everything comes with a price. 

Where there is a need, there is an opportunity, and many people take advantage of this because this is what entrepreneurship is. Whether people like it or not, most of us have a service to provide. Everything and everybody is a service provider, including those claiming to earn free features; they, too, are looking to provide a service. I have experienced some "features" that truly get offended at the thought they may have to pay to be featured when they are trying to raise their value to charge very high for their services.

Understand the difference and value of marketing and advertisements.

Strategy, marketing, and public relations are all parts of the funnel that leads to sales. If we learn to accept this as part of the substantial need to market a product or ourselves as a provider, we can start offering our services more transparently. Remove some of the games and financial negotiations behind some of the best media brands.

Invest in things you truly believe in.

Many startups are investing in opportunities thinking that it will be their big break, but many need more money to invest in these and are making an effort and putting their hopes in these accolades. Only to find that money is wasted. So like anything, invest in media brands and service providers that you truly believe in; you genuinely like their mission and represent your values, ideas, and vision. Seek for media that will open your doors legit. Only then will you benefit from something that can grow. You are planting a seed for a fruitful career in the right soil. 

Humility.

I will only get a little into this. I believe we can change some people's grandiosity mentality if we are more transparent about our business models and how we earn recognition. There is nothing wrong with admitting we invest in public relations and marketing. Accepting and sharing why we support and believe in these and want to be part of certain media brands and speaking organizations is more valuable. Life is more than titles; truly successful people change to be more purposely focused.

Success takes time. And success is being able to remain humble. 

*This content does not claim the mentioned organizations are aware of or can control the issues. The information provided is based on disclosures from contacts and private conversations. I provide information as personal advice only, and I am not accountable for the results of people.