Becoming This Type of Author Changes Everything

I made the mistake of waiting more than once and it cost me every single time.

In 2005 I waited to put together my architecture school portfolio, not because I did not have the work but because I was afraid it was not good enough. That fear of not being ready cost me an entire year of my life because I could not bring myself to finish and submit what I already had.

In 2019 I waited to sell my print shop business even though I had an awesome offer on the table. I hesitated, and then Covid came and that offer disappeared. I ended up selling for a fraction of what it was worth because the window I had was gone.

Both times I had everything I needed and both times I did not finish. The world is full of people with great ideas, half written books, almost ready websites, and businesses that are always one more tweak away from launching. Starting has never been the problem. Finishing is the part where most of us fall apart.

Here is what I have learned since then. Speed is the name of the game and you have to move fast while staying patient with the process. The things outside your control are outside your control and there is no use dwelling on them. But the things inside your control demand one thing from you and that is the willingness to finish them and ship them into the world.

A draft is not a book until you publish it and a brand is not a brand until people can actually see it. A strategy is not a strategy until you execute it. The gap between where you are and where you want to be is not more information or another course or one more revision. It is the willingness to call something done and put it out there knowing it will never feel completely ready.

When I started Rising Authors I moved fast because I saw an immediate solution to an overwhelming problem. Most experts and authors are not trained in marketing, PR, media, or how to attract the right kind of attention to their work. I watched it happen over and over where someone launches a book and then asks the biggest question of all which is now what.

The "now what" is different for every expert but most of the time they are unclear about what comes next. And that lack of clarity invites fear. What if I post about this and I am annoying. What if I bother people with emails. What if nobody cares. So the draft stays a draft and the video stays unrecorded and the website stays unpublished because fear does not stop you from starting, it stops you from finishing.

For me it was wondering who the hell am I to write about resilience or art. Turns out I have lived a never give up mindset my whole life and that story motivates others in ways I did not expect. So I lean on my story and my skills to share tools and ideas that help people. But none of that mattered until I actually finished the book and put it out into the world. The moment I shipped it everything changed because it was no longer an idea sitting in my head, it was something real that people could find and connect with.

That is the difference. Finishers build trust and audiences and businesses not because their work is perfect but because their work is actually out there where people can see it.

Who thinks about you when they think about a problem they have. That to me is the holy grail of building a personal brand. But nobody will think about you if there is nothing to find. They will not reflect back to your book exactly but they will see something you recently posted that reminds them of you, or they will watch your video, or read your article, or see your upcoming talk. That is how trust compounds over time but only if you finish the work and ship it.

If there is one thing I have learned since I started my first small business doing t-shirt printing and graphic design when I was young it is that clarity on who you serve and what you offer is the biggest thing you can do for yourself. And then you have to act on that clarity, not endlessly but decisively. Finish the thing, ship the thing, learn from the thing, and then finish the next one.

I know there is a lot happening in the world right now that may be dampening your energy, your efforts, or your messaging. Trust me when I say I understand that because I am a byproduct of situations that continue to unfold in the Middle East and it is not easy to stay focused on the work at hand. But I know what I cannot control and I know what I need to keep paying attention to. Finishing what I can control is the only thing on the table.

I always ask myself one thing and that is if this week I leave this earth, did I finish the things that mattered. Did I make the most out of today and did I make the most out of my family time, my relationships, and my creative work.

There is no better time than right now so here is what I want you to do this week. Pick one thing you have been putting off and finish it. Record that video and post it, update that bio and publish it, write that pitch and send it. Do not pick five things, pick one and see it all the way through. The people who build real brands are not the most talented people in the room, they are the finishers.

Become a finisher.

One More Thing

If you are someone who is ready to stop sitting on half finished assets and finally build a real foundation for your brand, I put something together for you.

I am hosting a live, in-person experience here in Tucson called Author X Brand Camp and it is three days of building the core assets most authors and experts are missing. A personal brand building workshop, professional photoshoot, podcast recording, video shoot with an optional talk on a real stage, and time to connect with other authors face to face.

You walk in and over three days we finish the core assets you need to show up with confidence. If you choose to work with my team after that, great, and if not there is no pressure because you still walk away with real materials and a clear direction.

Around $300 for ten spots and five are already taken. I am opening sign ups next week.

If this sounds like something you need, send me a DM and I will send you the details.

Stop tweaking and start finishing, and if you need a hand building the foundation you know where to find me.

Hussein