When I was younger, summer was a black hole.

Not because I didn’t like it. I loved the break.

The freedom. The illusion of time. But I used it as an excuse to pause progress.

I told myself: “Everyone else is slowing down, it’s fine if I do too.”

What I didn’t realize was that those three months were the biggest missed opportunity of the year.

Each September, I’d return to my work behind. Everyone else was picking up steam, launching, selling. Meanwhile, I was just trying to catch up.

And that feeling of always being behind? It chipped away at my confidence and momentum.

The worst part?

Watching others launch merch, offers, events, and show up with polish and purpose during the holidays while I was scrambling just to pull something together.

I had no clarity. No plan. Just reaction mode.

And nothing landed the way I hoped.

That pain stuck with me.

Eventually, I hit a point where I decided to stop drifting and start treating summer differently.

Summer became my secret weapon

Now, I do the opposite of what I used to do.

While most people kick back and unplug, I lock in.

I enjoy the season, don’t get me wrong. I’m with family, I grill, I rest.

But behind the scenes?

You better believe I’m building.

I don’t add new projects. I go deep on what I already have.

I sharpen my offers.
I fix broken systems.
I overhaul messaging.
I refine my website and funnel.
I pitch fall events before inboxes fill up.

I treat summer like the lab where you test, adjust, and dial in your engine, so when Q4 hits, you’re not scrambling.

You’re ready to floor it.

And I didn’t come up with this rhythm on my own, I learned this from an elite marketing team.

The Jordan Brand Blueprint: Be Seasons Ahead!

I saw how elite brands operate when I worked with the Jordan Brand team at Nike.

While most companies were racing to prep back-to-school or catch up on holiday campaigns, Jordan had already wrapped Q4. They were planning Q2 of the next year.

That blew my mind.

And it changed how I think.

One brand strategist told me.

“We never wait for the calendar to tell us it’s time. We’re already where others haven’t looked yet.”

They worked in cycles. They used the summer to sharpen, align, and move forward fast when the market was sleeping.

That mindset, that operating cadence, is why their launches feel smooth, strategic, and memorable.

Meanwhile, most solopreneurs and service-based experts are scrambling in November, throwing together a Canva post, slapping up a promo, and hoping something sticks during the noisiest time of year.

If you’re building during the chaos, you’re already behind.

James Clear: Build the Machine in the Quiet Season

You want to know how James Clear keeps Atomic Habits at the top of bestseller lists years after launch?

It’s not just luck. It’s summer strategy.

Every summer, he pulls back to refine the core engines:

He reviews his entire SEO ecosystem and re-optimizes top-ranking posts.
He evaluates what’s working in his newsletter and tweaks accordingly.
He A/B tests lead magnets, sign-up flows, and landing pages.
He refines keynote decks for clarity, connection, and conversion.
He treats summer like his systems lab.

Because when fall comes, he’s not figuring it out. He’s executing.

He isn’t creating under pressure, he’s compounding what already works.

That’s the difference between authors who launch once and fade, and those who turn a book into a multi-year, high-impact brand.

The Real Pain of Scrambling Late

I’ve seen it over and over:

A coach finishes a book and tries to launch it in December with no list, no landing page, no clear offer.
A ghostwriter finally builds their site mid-November and hopes people just stumble across it.
A speaker tries to pitch events in Q4—when everyone already booked their lineups in Q2.

You know what happens? Silence. Frustration. Burnout.

It’s not because they’re not talented. It’s because they’re too late.

Momentum doesn’t come from intention. It comes from preparation.

And the time to build that momentum is now.

Not six months from now. Not after your vacation. Not when you finally "have time."

If you want your fall and winter to hit hard, you build it in the summer.

The Rising Authorpreneur Brand Bootcamp

Clarity. Structure. Accountability. Execution.

This isn’t a course.

It’s not theory.

I've been developing this since January, behind the scenes, and testing every aspect of it with all of my clients.

I made this for the Experts Authors who know they can build if they have a great blueprint and accountability partner.

It’s a high-touch, high-focus, execution-driven experience for experts who want:

A crystal-clear message that sticks
An offer that converts with confidence
A visual and verbal brand that opens doors
A strategic content plan that actually builds traction
A presence that makes people say, “I need to work with them.”

Dates:

July 19–20
August 15–16 (Live via StreamYard. Max 5 people per session.)

What You Get:

2-Day Masterclass: Messaging, offer clarity, content, and funnel strategy
LinkedIn Overhaul: Full rewrite + plug-and-play content system
Online Presence Audit: We fix what’s broken, together
Content + Video Systems: Show up consistently without burning out
2 Private Strategy Calls: Post-bootcamp, tighten and execute
Pro Author Photoshoot: Photographer arranged near you
Podcast Feature: Guest spot on The Rising Authors Experience
Brand Playbook: Your custom roadmap to stay focused and scale smart
Video Power: Learn the power of creating videos and leverage your expertise

Bring a Friend: Save $200 Each

Mention it in your message. Build together, grow together.

Investment: $1,200

Spots: Only 5 per session

You can DM me if you have any questions and to apply.

Guest Helen Fanucci in the RAE-VAN Episode

Helen Fanucci is the author of Love Your Team: A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World, and a former Microsoft executive who managed over $1 billion in enterprise sales.

She didn’t wait for the perfect time to write or build her brand, she did it while leading global sales teams and navigating hybrid work environments.

What makes Helen's approach different is her ability to simplify what most people overcomplicate. Her book isn’t just a leadership manual, it’s a brand asset that created opportunities, visibility, and alignment for her speaking, coaching, and strategic consulting work.

In our conversation on The Rising Authors Experience, she broke down:

How she reverse-engineered her book to solve specific workplace problems
The exact steps she took to align her content with corporate outcomes
How writing with clarity helped her scale her impact and influence
Why she treats personal brand building like revenue strategy, not vanity metrics

Whether you’re managing a team, building a business, or launching a book, this episode is a blueprint for doing it with strategy and staying power.

Listen to the episode at rising-authors dot com

When you're ready I have three ways I can support your author brand:

Power Pack Pro Build a strong brand foundation with a strategic site, clear offer, and personalized coaching.

Power Pack Boost Expand your reach with full-funnel marketing, LinkedIn growth, and content systems.

Power Pack Ultra Launch your book and brand with a complete done-for-you growth strategy.

DM if you want to learn more.

-Hussein

Summer Is When Author Brands Are Built