How to Build a Standout Brand w/ Mo Ismail | Ep 421

The Futur with Chris Do

The Futur

Arts, Education, Marketing, Design, Business, Self-improvement

4.9 • 998 Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Mo Ismail sits down with Chris Do to explore the dilemma of having multiple passions while trying to build a focused personal brand. Chris explains the concept of "picking a fight" to cut through the noise and why being a "correct contrarian" is essential for true thought leadership. They discuss the difference between symbiotic and parasitic interests, using the analogy of a shark and suckerfish to determine which side hustles actually support the main business. Chris shares his personal journey of integrating his background in design, video production, and business coaching to build The Futur, emphasizing the importance of building a strong "trunk" before branching out. Timestamps (00:00) - Intro (00:58) - The concept of "picking a fight" (02:33) - Becoming a "correct contrarian" (03:13) - Bullying vs. punching up (Big Pharma example) (04:35) - Professional concerns regarding speaking up (06:22) - Contributing to the noise vs. true expression (09:47) - Marketing disguised as thought leadership (14:21) - Staying in your lane and avoiding virtue signaling (18:08) - The difference between facts and opinions (24:34) - Defining your lane and passion (27:24) - Symbiotic vs. parasitic interests (30:17) - How Chris integrated design, video, and coaching (36:56) - Building the main trunk of the tree (40:07) - Intrinsic vs. extrinsic validation Check out today's guest, Mo Ismail: LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/moismai⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/moismai/?hl=en⁠ Check out The Futur: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thefutur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thefutur.com/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-futur/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thefutur.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturishere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theFuturisHere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out Chris Do: LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechrisdo/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BizOfDesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thechrisdo/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://x.com/thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Behance: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.behance.net/chrisdo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	One of the biggest dilemmas that I've personally faced in my pursuit of growing my presence online while building a business has been my desire and passions around many other things and feeling like I would limit myself when showing up in my lane.
0:14.1	And I think many people also feel that way.
0:16.1	So in this conversation with personal branding expert, Christo, we're going to dive into what it means to
0:21.3	even have a lane, what it means to pick a fight, as he calls it, to develop that, but also
0:27.4	how to integrate the other parts of you that feel very resonant, but you may not have the
0:33.3	words or skill set to do so. So stick around. It's a deep, deep dive. Can't wait for you to enjoy.
0:46.0	You made a post on LinkedIn and you told people to pick a fight. And I think if people didn't read the
0:53.0	whole thing, they would assume like,
0:54.3	oh, I'm supposed to just go out here and absolutely just dog something or be like a rebel
1:00.6	without a cause or whatnot. I'd love for you to expand for us where that notion came from for you.
1:06.4	Pick a fight. And why is that so important when it comes to showing up online or showing up in general?
1:11.9	I guess as a person who feels worthy, who feels like I know who I am, that I accept it, and I love
1:19.9	who I am. I'm more free to speak my opinions and I find that the more people I speak to,
1:25.4	so many people are afraid of speaking up, sharing something
1:29.4	that might ruffle a few feathers. I think a lot of it surround their professional concerns.
1:34.9	They're afraid if they say something, then they'll lose a client or lose a potential client.
1:39.0	Or it could be divisive. And I'm not trying to be divisive, but I got to speak my truth into the
1:43.3	universe.
1:53.0	And then I think it was like a year and a half, two years ago, I came across a video or a post by Mark Manson, the author of The Settled Art of Not Giving It Half.
2:02.5	And he said something like, if you want to be a one percenter, and I thought this was about money and wealth, it was just like the top 1% of people are contrarian by nature. They go against the mainstream. They do things that are counterintuitive.
2:10.0	And the reason why they do that is because if you do and say and think what everyone else
2:14.3	is saying, doing, and thinking, what is the point of you saying and doing and thinking anything?
	...

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