The Journey to Day 1 of Building a Personal Brand

Starting something new can feel overwhelming, especially when you think you need to have all the answers from the get-go.

But here’s the truth—waiting until you feel “ready” might mean you’re waiting forever.

More often than not, perfectionism is just clever procrastination in disguise. The hardest step isn’t day two, or day fifty—it’s day one. There’s no momentum yet, no positive reinforcement to fuel you forward, and no feedback to confirm you’re heading in the right direction.

All you have is a leap of faith, trust in yourself, and the courage to make the start anyway.

For me, getting to day one of something I’d been dreaming about wasn’t easy. Year after year, I found myself stuck in a cycle of planning, re-working the details, overthinking until I psyched myself out, and never actually starting. I spent so much time preparing that I forgot to just begin. But, here we are.

Today, I am proud to say, is day one of something I’ve wanted to create for over a year.

What changed?

My "why" finally outweighed my excuses. I got tired of waiting for the perfect conditions. I wanted this bad enough to stop hesitating and take action.

I am going to take you inside the process of building a personal brand from scratch. My goal? To inspire YOU—someone who might have been daydreaming about starting their own business at home—to finally take that first step.

Over the next three months, I’ll share everything I’m doing to go from zero. That’s right, starting with zero followers, zero community, zero subscribers, and zero revenue—into a fully functioning and monetized personal brand.

Why am I doing this? First, I want to prove to myself that I can still do it. Second, I want to show you that YOU can do it too. I’ve built businesses before, including scaling one to seven figures, and I’ve been in the digital marketing space for nearly 13 years. But instead of leaning on my credentials or trying to convince you that my strategy works, I’d rather just show you, step by step. There’s no smoke, no mirrors—just raw, real progress.

Throughout this series, I’ll be sharing daily updates on Instagram, and within a live brand-building journal. The journal, available through the Behind the Brand community, will give you all the nitty-gritty details I can’t squeeze into videos. Every step of my process—why I picked building a community over just growing an email list, the ins and outs of my business plan strategy, and exactly how I intend to monetize this brand—will be documented for you. I’ll also track my business metrics like follower growth, community engagement, ad spend, and revenue, so you can see what works and what doesn’t, in real-time.

To make this even more valuable for you, I’ve purposefully kept this project beginner-friendly. I’m starting with minimal resources—no fancy website, no elaborate products, and hardly any upfront investment. Compared to most businesses I’ve built, the entry cost was near zero. I want to show you that starting small is not only okay, but it’s the best way to kick off a personal brand business.

What I didn’t do is just as important as what I did. I didn’t get stuck obsessing over a niche, I didn’t spend weeks building products to sell, and I didn’t design an elaborate business website. The goal here is to keep things simple so I can focus on what really matters—starting and staying consistent.

Of course, none of this guarantees success. Right now, I have no feedback to tell me if my strategy is working. But the antidote to self-doubt is action, and the momentum will build as long as I show up every day. I consider the next 30 days critical for laying the groundwork. By staying consistent, I’ll be able to evaluate what’s working and adapt where needed.

This project isn’t just about me—it’s about you, too. If you’ve been dreaming of building a business or making money from home, but something (fear, doubt, overthinking) has been holding you back, this is your chance to follow along and see how it's done.

When it comes to personal branding, the beauty is that you don’t need to have it all figured out to start. A personal brand is the perfect beginner’s business plan—it’s low-cost, manageable, and flexible enough to evolve as you grow. And truthfully, the hardest part is just starting. Once you do, the path ahead becomes clearer step by step.

For me, that’s where this all begins. Day one is officially in the books, and all that’s left is to prepare for day two. I’ve already mapped out the main topic I’ll focus on tomorrow, and I’ve built a journal format that’s easy to update daily.

This is just the beginning, but if I’ve learned anything today, it’s that starting before you think you’re ready might just be the best decision you’ll ever make. Follow along—this series is meant for you. Here’s to starting where you are, using what you have, and building something amazing together.

Kacy Saccameno