Personal branding works best when you measure results, not follower counts. That is the view of Shem, an entrepreneur who helped build Safety Pup XD, a company that began when a friend's dog ran into a dark forest. In this conversation with his childhood friend Jeremy Van Wert, he explains why a smaller group of people who believe in your mission is worth more than a big audience.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Shem says followers and likes matter for getting attention, but real reputation comes from who you connect with, not how many.
- He judges Safety Pup XD by the dollars in the bank account and by one mission: he wants vests on dogs, whether they are his brand or not.
- Whatever you build, Shem says to decide what you will measure and how people will get from social media to your website.
- Safety Pup XD sold nothing from March to about August, because the people who think about dog visibility start shopping around hunting season.
- Shem believes you have to learn things for yourself, in faith and in work, and that the one thing you control is what you decide to do next.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠPersonal branding: why followers don't equal business success
Jeremy and Shem have known each other since first grade, and Jeremy opens by blaming Shem for a lunch pail incident in 1983. Jeremy says he has been building one alongside Shem for his own therapy, coaching and retreat work.
Shem has built a few brands, including wine brands and a personal brand, and he says followers, likes and engagement do matter for getting attention. But he sees something deeper in personal branding: you are building a reputation, and it matters who you connect with, not just how many. Someone who connects with your mission and everything you stand for will ride with you, he says, which is far more powerful than a number of followers who like your posts.
He is candid about the numbers. Shem says he posts a lot and makes no money from his personal social account. The Safety Pup XD account has modest views and followers, though he believes it lifts sales in ways that are hard to attribute, especially on Amazon.
ᚢHow to measure real success in business
Shem says you need some level of measurement. He compares it to a diet: if you never track what you eat or check the scale, you cannot know if you are improving. So before you post, he suggests deciding what your product or service is, where you will sell it, and how people will get there from social media. A website with no plan to bring people, he says, is like a store in the middle of the desert.
For Safety Pup XD, Shem looks at the dollars in the bank account, not followers, comments or subscribers. Still, he says the mission comes first: he wants vests on dogs, whether they are his or not. He adds that the company cannot keep dogs safe unless it makes money.
Jeremy says the advice to post daily for 90 days has not worked for him: after a year, he still wonders where the money comes from. If you want a free place to follow what Jeremy shares, his newsletter is the feed.
ᚦPersonal branding mistakes small businesses make with agencies
Shem entered the wine industry in 2018 and saw agencies that, in his view, took advantage of smaller wineries who did not understand digital marketing. They were asked to do things that were not working for them. He started his podcast and social posts to teach some of the basics, because when you are doing nothing, even the basics get you up to speed.
Jeremy has strong opinions about the personal branding agency model. He describes coaching programs and agencies that promise to take you through the roof, point to a client with huge results, then refuse refunds when nothing happens. Shem does not consult for a living. He gives advice freely, because many people gave it to him without charge.
He adds that wineries openly compare software and what brings people to a tasting room. In his words, a rising tide raises all ships.
ᚨHow a lost dog became Safety Pup XD
Jeremy explains why the product matters to him. A dog loves you whatever has happened, and in his therapy work he has known people for whom a dog was what kept them going.
Shem says Safety Pup XD began about 15 years ago with his friend and business partner Stacy. At a campfire in the Stanislaus Forest, unexpected fireworks sent her small black dog, Yuri, bolting into the cold, dark, snowy woods. A flashlight happened to catch Yuri's eyes as she cowered in a foxhole. It could easily have been missed.
The only product on Amazon for dog visibility was poorly made, with terrible reviews. Shem and his partner bought a bunch, tested them, read every complaint and decided to build a better one. They launched in March and sold nothing until about August. Rural dog owners tend to think about visibility only when hunting season approaches, and the founders nearly quit before sales picked up.
ᚱHow retroreflective dog vests work
Shem explains that the gray stripe on a reflective vest is retroreflective, meaning light that hits it bounces straight back to its source. When a car's headlights hit the vest, the light returns to the driver's eyes, which forces them to see the dog. He says drivers are often distracted and not looking for something so low to the ground.
He and his team chose not to focus on lights because lights add technology and batteries, which can fail or be forgotten. Reflectivity is always ready, while an LED on a collar can be washed out by bright headlights. The vest has a utility strap where owners can add a light, and Shem recommends layering visibility: bright colors, reflectivity and a light together.
Shem says awareness of high visibility for dogs has grown 140% in the past year, and his message is simple: even if it is not his product, put something reflective on your dog.
ᚲHow different generations buy wine
Shem describes a consumer panel he saw at the DTC Wine Symposium in Monterey, with six wine lovers from different generations who did not work in the industry. Except for the boomers, he says, most chose wine by label, recommendation or a vineyard visit. Boomers, as more experienced drinkers, tended to look for high-scoring wines.
His point is that people still drink wine in every generation, and wineries keep working to reach younger buyers. Jeremy also tells a story about being handed a box of wine from a closed winery, and later finding a pallet of the same wine at a bargain.
ᚷFaith, thinking for yourself and what you decide next
Raised in a Christian household that valued reading the Bible and asking questions, Shem says you should not accept something at face value just because someone told you. Even people you trust, he says, so you go learn for yourself. He compares this to free throws: you cannot just be told how, you have to put in the reps.
Jeremy shares that his own path comes down to healing, acceptance and changing consciousness through meditation, prayer or other practices, and that he finds a poverty of spirit in many people he works with, including regular churchgoers. If that resonates, Jeremy hosts a three-day small-group retreat in the Sierra Nevada for deeper work.
Shem says the one thing you control is what you decide to do next, whether that means changing your mental state or choosing to pray. It takes practice, he says, and the more reps you put in, the easier it gets. Jeremy has ADHD himself and mentions how rejection can feel like a personal indictment; if you want help with that, he also offers ADHD coaching for high achievers.
Both agree that people need positive community. Jeremy invites you to continue the conversation in the Mindful Mutiny community, where there is real conversation and live Fireside Chats.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Do followers matter for business success?
Shem says followers and engagement matter for getting attention, but he does not judge his business by them. He looks at the money coming in and at whether vests end up on dogs. In his view, a smaller group who truly buy into your mission is worth more.
How do retroreflective dog vests work?
Shem explains that retroreflective material sends light straight back to its source. Headlights hit the vest and bounce back to the driver's eyes, so the driver sees the dog. He says reflectivity needs no batteries, unlike LED lights.
Why did Safety Pup XD have no sales at first?
Shem says the product launched in March, but the people who think about dog visibility are mostly rural owners who start thinking about it around hunting season. The company sold nothing until about August or September and almost quit before sales picked up.
How do different generations buy wine?
Based on a consumer panel Shem saw, he says most people choose wine by label, recommendation or a vineyard experience. Boomers, he says, tend to seek out higher-ranked wines with scores.