The Power of Believing in Yourself: Lessons on Scaling a Business from Social Media Expert Jaleel White

Social media expert and content creator Jaleel White drops gem after gem on how to build your brand and scale your business using social media. As the founder of North13, a video production company, Jaleel has worked with top brands and influencers like EYL and documented global events.

But it wasn't always that way. Jaleel started his business hustling in his grandma's basement, proving that hard work and perseverance pay off. The key that he wants every entrepreneur and creator to realize is that you have to believe in yourself, even when others don't see your vision yet.

In this blog post, I'll recap Jaleel's main pieces of advice from the video on how to scale your business on social media through developing excellence, the power of believing in yourself, getting specific, and more. These nuggets of wisdom can help any entrepreneur build their brand into something great.

The Importance of Focusing Your Efforts

A key theme throughout Jaleel's talk is the importance of focusing your efforts on one platform when you're first starting out.

He uses the analogy of "the tale of two rabbits" - if you chase after two rabbits, you won't catch either. Similarly, spreading yourself too thin across multiple social platforms means you master none.

When you're first growing your business, pick one platform and go all in. That allows you to pour all your time and energy into building an audience there.

Jaleel highlights how different platforms have different purposes:

• YouTube is for building an authentic, loyal community with dedicated fans. It may take years to gain traction.
• TikTok offers instant gratification but fleeting attention. Views spike but fans disappear just as quickly.
• Instagram operates similarly with short attention spans, but focuses more on aesthetics.

Once you understand the nature of each platform, you can determine where to establish your "channel" and grow from there.

Consume Like Your Audience

Jaleel recommends an interesting hack for identifying the type of content your audience likes - adjust your own social media feeds to reflect their interests.

Pay attention to who your audience is and what they would search for or engage with. Then make your own explore page look just like something your target customer would see. That shapes the algorithm to show you content in your niche.

Now you can get insight into what resonates with your audience and create content accordingly. You're seeing what they see and thinking like your customer.

Remove Emotion and Focus on Business

Many creators struggle with comparing themselves to others and letting self-worth get tied up in content performance. Jaleel encourages mindset shifts to overcome this.

First, remove emotion from content creation and view it through an business lens - this video didn't perform well not because you have less value, but because it wasn't optimized for the platform. Stay objective.

Remember you're creating content to serve your audience and grow your business, not for vanity metrics. Feed your audience what they want.

Jaleel says "Facts tell stories sell." Share your brand story and why you started in an authentic way. That builds connection with supporters.

Embrace AI as a Tool

Some creators feel threatened by AI tools like ChatGPT. But Jaleel encourages viewing it as something to embrace.

AI can enhance creativity and content production if you learn how to direct it properly. The key is being as specific as possible with prompts and guidelines.

This replicates the process of briefs you would give a human creative team. The more detail you provide, the better the outcome.

Jaleel uses AI primarily for assistance with captions, copywriting and ideation. But don't fear it - get specific with how you want to leverage it.

Cultivate Childlike Wonder

To spark creativity, Jaleel recommends adopting a sense of childlike wonder in your work.

He references a children's book that flips the usual adult perspective of running errands to seeing the joy and curiosity in every activity. Apply this outlook to content creation.

Instead of viewing it as a chore, approach it with excitement about connecting with your audience. Tell the story of why you started your brand - let your childlike passion shine through.

When you love what you do, your audience will too. Don't lose sight of your origin story.

Strive for Excellence

Excellence is the key differentiator between good and great, according to Jaleel. The brands and influencers he works with maintain excellence as the norm.

It's easy to slack when you achieve some success. But excellence must be upheld every single day, not just when it's convenient.

Hold yourself to a standard of excellence in everything you do - from how you care for yourself to how you run your business. Consistency compounds.

When your brand becomes synonymous with excellence, it will reach the upper echelon. Keep levelling up.

Believe in Your Vision, Even When Others Don't

Jaleel closes by reiterating that entrepreneurs must believe in themselves, even when others don't yet see their vision.

Hard work doesn't go unnoticed. If you feel called to build something, commit fully and persevere through challenges.

You might be in the negative now, but stay focused on your bigger purpose. Use every setback as fuel to reinforce your belief.

Boldly claim your identity. Jaleel says "I believe I'm in a room full of future millionaires who will change the world." Adopt that mentality.

No matter how far along you are, know that investing in yourself and your abilities will bear fruit. Have faith and keep grinding.

Conclusion

Jaleel White provides incredible advice for creators and entrepreneurs looking to grow on social media. From concrete tips on platform strategy to big picture mindset shifts, his wisdom can help any business scale.

If you believe in yourself and stay focused on serving your audience with excellence, anything is possible. The key is consistency and perseverance. Master the platform algorithms, remove emotion, and tell compelling stories.

What resonated with you most from Jaleel's talk? What will you apply to step up your social media game? Use these lessons to keep leveling up your brand and realize your vision. Trust the process and believe.