Chris Do: Business Designer

My momma called, seen you on TV, son
Said sh*t done changed ever since we was on
I dreamed it all ever since I was young
They said I wouldn't be nothing
Now they always say, "Congratulations" (uh, uh, uh)
Worked so hard, forgot how to vacation (uh-huh)
They ain't never had the dedication (uh, uh)
People hatin', say we changin and look, we made it (uh, uh)
Yeah, we made it (uh, uh)

I was patient (yeah)
Uh, I was patient (ayy, uh)
Now I can scream that we made it (we made it)
Now everywhere, everywhere I go, they say 'gratulation (uh)

—Post Malone "Congratulations"

ICON Refined Magazine Vol III, Winter 2023
https://iconrefined.com/why-chris-do-is-a-creative-architect/

Icon Refined
Photo: Jame Patrick
Editor-in-Cheif: Chelsea Clarke

A beginner's guide to cracking the social media algorithm. Here's how to get more shares and followers on social media.

• Social media is a value exchange platform .social
The more value you give, the more time & attention people give back.

Therefore, your primary focus should be in creating value for others. Help them achieve a desired result. Make it easier for them. Look out for them. Anticipate their needs.

If you do this consistently, without asking for anything, wrapped in your unique voice and lived experiences, they'll start to show up.

Has your account stalled out? Do you feel stuck? Feeling like you've been shadow banned? Let me know if you've hit a wall, what you tried, and where you think you're stuck.

I've been reluctant to share things about my personal life, not because I'm afraid of people's reactions.

I don't share because…
A) I don't think there's interest
B) I identify as an educator not as a "personality"
C) Prioritize giving value over entertainment

But then I realized that I was inadvertently building a wall between myself and the people who follow me. Not my intention ever.

So here I am.
Pulling the curtain back, showing you a little bit of my life.
Raw. Unvarnished. Goofy and a bit of a weir-Do.

Do you want to see/hear more? Or, just stick to the teaching?
Let me know.

Also, would love to know a little more about you.
What's something about you that you don't tell most people? I want to know.

As a whole brain creative entrepreneur, I'm driven one part by logic and one part emotion.

Statistics are hard to ignore and often reveal some deeper, profound truth about human psychology and behavior. I came across this "study" that seems to indicate some larger truth.

They measured the average length of a phone call between a control group and the discovery was startling.

What do these numbers reveal about social dynamics, gender preferences, and married people? What does it reveal about who initiates the call between a husband and wife?

I'm back from my travels and thought this would make you smile today. Take care.

Source* unknown. If you know, let me know in the comments so I can attribute properly.

I came upon this clip with Joe Rogan and Mike Tyson, where Mike defines discipline as "doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it."

Doing what you love is easy.
Doing what you hate with alacrity requires next level discipline.

The way I've been able to do the things I hate is by "reframing". I reprogram my mind to focus on the positives vs. the actual thing I'm doing.

A simple way to understand this is to change the language from "I have to" → "I get to".

My son used to complain to me every time I asked him to take out the trash. He doesn't have many chores mind you, so this was a relatively small task for him to do. But he would always drag his feet and groan.

"Awww Dad. Do I have to?" he asked.
"No. You don't have to. You get to," I replied.
"What?!!" he exclaimed.

"Do you know how privileged you are that you have 'trash' to throw away? Do you know how many people out there would be so grateful to have 2 parents that love them and each other? That own a home in a safe neighborhood? That have a full pantry of food? That have discretionary income to buy stuff they don't need?" I asked rhetorically. "You don't have to. You get to."

From that day forward, Mattias took out the trash with a new attitude.

It's all mental Jiu-Jitsu.
Tell me about how you stay disciplined. How you put in the hard, invisible work that no one sees or appreciates.

For the first time in over 5 years, I’ll be leading an intensive 2 day workshop in Miami.

I’ll teach you the exact frameworks we used ()—how we transitioned from being a production company to a brand design consultancy, charged for our thinking, became agency of record, and earned our seat in the c-suite.

Grab your seat.
Elevate your business.
Registration closes Oct. 22.
$1200

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create:
Buyer Personas
Task/Gap/Opportunities Map
Impact/Effort Graph
Customer Journey Map
Brand Attributes
Positioning Statement
Stylescapes™
Brand Voice

Held at Ampersand Studios in Miami's Arts & Entertainment district.
+

Check link in bio.
DM me for more info.

My name is Chris Do, and I'm a recovering graphic designer.

It's been 8 years and 10 months since I've used the term to describe myself.

How we describe ourselves also shapes how others see us. There we must choose our titles with great care.

Let me show you what I mean.

A graphic designer designs graphics.
An interior designer designs interiors.
A fashion designer designs fashion.

Is that all you do?

In servicing clients, are we not helping them to design their:

Strategy, identity, messaging, marketing, funnel, culture, products, positioning, customer journey, packaging, user experiences, etc…?

Pick a title that is more representative of what you do.
Let me know what title you use that accurately describes all that you bring.

I shared this concept recently at an talk titled "Uncomfortable Conversations".

It's an idea I call the 3Ms.
Mastery
Media
Monetization

I suggest that true, long-lasting success is built in a very specific sequence. You begin with learning a skill and putting in the necessary work (10,000 hours of deliberate practice according to Malcolm Gladwell).

Once you achieve a level of knowledge and proficiency, you should begin creating media. Document your process and work. Write stories. Publish it.

By building an audience around your work, ideas, insights and philosophies, you will ascend to the next level which is monetization.

This can come in many forms: public speaking, courses, books, workshops, templates, tools, brand deals, etc…

The mistake I see people make is that they jump too quickly to monetize. Though this can bring initial success, it can quickly taper off. What people don't realize is that almost all of the greats put in thousands of hours of work in relative anonymity before they became an "overnight success".

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Please share in the comments.

Ever think to yourself, how successful people seem to have it all? The perfect life, family, friends, and influence? How do they manage the perfect work-life balance?

My response—don't strive for work-life balance. Instead, focus on work-life integration.

The main problem with work-life balance is that it requires you to divide up your time between 4 key roles: work, home, self and social. It's a neat theory, but in real life, it means making a lot of compromises.

The late Jim Rohn wrote about this in his book. When you're at the office, you feel guilty for not being a good parent, so you leave work early. When you arrive at home, you're not full present because you're distracted by your unfinished work.

In this way, you're not being a good parent nor a productive employee.

Rather than look at these four key roles as individual segments, look for how you can integrate them together. How can you bring your home to work, work to social functions, and home to self-care? This is what is meant by work-life integration.

Curious to hear your thoughts. Is work-life balance optimal for you? Do you feel torn between two worlds? Are you neglecting your social or self-care obligations?

The difficulty of being a leader is that you will have to make decisions with incomplete information. All the easy decisions are made by someone else. This is something my business coach Keir taught me.

In a perfect world, you'd have all the information. But despite not knowing what the outcomes are going to be for any given choice you make today, you have to act. You can get it wrong. You can get it right.

In time, with enough experience and reflection doing it the "wrong" way, you eventually learn how to make better decisions. This thought empowered me. It helped me to get over the indecision for fear of making the wrong one.

Do what you can with the information you have at the time, with the resources you have. That's the best you can do, and that will be good enough. And when you get it wrong, give yourself some grace.

I was asked this question during a webinar today…
"How do I overcome my fear of creating content? I'm an introvert and it's so hard for me."

I felt his pain deep inside me. It was like looking into a mirror. There are many things I could've have said, but I chose to share a personal experience.

I am touched by the people who reach out to share their stories with me. They range from: "I was able to double my prices, you helped me through a dark time in my life, I wanted to quit, but didn't, you gave me hope, I quit my job and started my own company and it was the best decision of my life."

I'm not sure the fountain of youth exists, but if it did, it must feel something like this. To know, that through some part of your effort, that you lifted someone else up in their time of need. That feels good to the core.

If you need a reason, let that be your reason. Someone, somewhere, out there, needs to hear from you today. Don't keep them waiting.

Hit the record. Record the hit.
What other reason do you have to not producing content? How can I help? What have you learned so far? How have you been transformed? Please share in the comments.

This is the end…
of the beginning.
But it's not the beginning of the end.

That's right. Brand Lab™ is starting now, so if you've been on the fence and want to learn more about my new program, apply now. You'll be part of First Class of Founders.

Breaking the Mold Webinar ← (Last chance)
Thursday, Oct. 5
10am PST

Comment "Break2" to get the link.
See you in the Lab.

Who is Brand Lab™ for? If you're an entrepreneur in the high six to low seven figures, create content, and believe in long term brand building, I can help you get out the creative "dip" and hit your goals.

It's a 6 month long program.
Weekly Zoom calls.
90 minutes "Hot Seat" coaching
Intimate group
Bring your project + team, get expert help.
$18k

Warning: This may be triggering. It might make some of you angry.
This isn't for you. It's for me.

I am not a therapist.
I am not a guru.
I am not a coach.

I am an imperfect human, who works on my own self-development everyday. So I decided to write some of my own beliefs and thoughts as a form of public journaling. My rules for living.

This doesn't mean that I don't care what you have to say. I look forward to reading your thoughts, both positive or negative. My genuine hope is that it gives you permission to be so comfortable with yourself that you no longer live in fear of pleasing others.

To be free from fear of judgement. To be self-validated vs. other validated.

In my experience self-acceptance is one of the most attractive traits. I work towards loving myself, unconditionally, unapologetically, unabashedly. I know this is a foreign concept.

It sounds like narcissism, self-centeredness. I disagree.
A person who doesn't love themselves is difficult to love—in constant need of others to validate them. And if you're in a relationship with someone like this, it will consume all of your time, energy and emotion so that you have nothing left for yourself.

I know I've opened myself up. Let me know what you write to yourself. How do you keep consistent to your beliefs?

I often emphasize the importance of personal branding, the art of storytelling, and the power of vulnerability. But perhaps I'm not walking the talk. My friends encourage me to reveal more of myself. Maybe I've been too focused on creating value for others that I've been inadvertently hiding. Let me rectify that.

Hi. My name is Chris Do. I'm a loud introvert, husband, father, serial entrepreneur, charming razor blade, caring snob, refugee, and recovering graphic designer.

I used to run a company called Blind™. Now, I run the Futur—a content and education company with a really big mission: Teach 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love.

If you've been on this journey with me, thank you for your support, encouragement, and interaction. It would be a lot less fun for me without you.

I've shared with you my 9 lives. Having gone through so many evolutions, I think I'm going to stick with this one for a while.

What are some of your lives? Are you continuing to evolve? Please share with me in the comments.

Cdo72™
Born in Saigon
Raised in Silicon Valley
Made in Los Angeles

Stüssy, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Acronym, North Face, G-Star, Scotch & Soda, Maison Margiela, Prada, Adidas, Stone Island, McQueen, etc…

I never thought my name was cool enough to stand on its own. It's partially why my first two companies & used fictional names. Time for change.

New project based on my growing fascination of the intersection between fashion, design and typography.

Keep an eye out on this space for what is to come next. Until then, I appreciate your continued support. Stay blessed.

Happening at 10am PST today.
https://thefuturishere.com/brandlift/

Nobody ever listened to me until they didn't know who I was. —Banksy
From the book: Banksyism, the wit wisdom and inspiration of an art outlaw.

This quote highlights a few key ideas.

1) Do what no one else is doing and then all of the sudden the world notices. In the art world, every artist wants to become well known—to be as famous as Picasso or DaVinci. But this counter culture, counterintuitive approach that Banksy took is what made him famous.

Mystery = Mystique.
Who is Banksy? The world wants to know, making his art even more valuable.

Instead of hanging works in museums and art galleries, Banksy used public spaces that were "unimportant" and overlooked until they weren't.

So when they Zig, Zug!

2) Take a common phrase, idea, expression or cliché and turn it on its head. The first time I read this, I smiled. It disrupts a pattern and that's the genius of conceptual thinking/writing. Banksy's work is full of wit, sarcasm and irony.

He reimagines the urban landscape and alters it so that it takes on new meaning. He gets us to question our assumptions and beliefs. That's the power of art!

So when you write, create, design or make, think about how you can Disrupt Expectations! And if you want a personal brand that stands out, whatever you do, don't do what everybody else is doing, or you'll get what everybody else is getting. Zug!

Let me know what you think about this quote/idea. How else do you interpret this? How can you apply this lesson in your own work?

The future is uncertain. The future is not yet written. It's why so few people make bold moves in the direction of their goals. The unknown is scary.

It's why so many people fall into repeating themselves. They stay with the tried and true plan. So they do more of the same. But more of the same, just gets you more of the same.

I wish I could tell you that I knew how things turn out when I start on a new business adventure. Truth is, I only have my gut instinct to go on. I feel the winds of change coming and instead of overthinking, I choose to take action.

In 2014, I felt those winds coming—a higher calling. I was busy doing client work, and making a living, that I had forgotten to make a life. It was time for change. And it was scary. So I used up whatever accrued 'courage' I had banked and made the plunge into content creation.

Some people laughed. Others were angry. Some people questioned my business decision making. Was I having a mid life crisis? That's the problem with doing something new, no one can see what you see. It's only after achieving the goal that the supporters come out of the wood work.

I'm here to encourage you to make your move. Leave your mark. If you need me, I'm here to help.

Successful business owners, creatives, and content creators get the attention they deserve in today’s noisy world because they have the right content, strategies, and systems.

They understand the power of content at scale and how to use it to create an impactful personal brand.

Growing to 2 million+ followers doesn’t happen by just winging it. Becoming an “overnight success” is a myth.

In truth, the entrepreneurs that built multi-million and even billion dollar businesses leveraged the science of branding with proven systems for growth.

FREE, live, interactive Zoom webinar
Sept. 27th 10:00 a.m. PDT
90 mins

Limited to 300 people
https://thefuturishere.com/brandlift/

Admittedly, I'm not good at marketing my own products, courses and workshops. So I'm always delighted when I get to learn something new about marketing.

In my conversation with , he described the Oversubscribed concept as it applies to: coaching, products, and services.

The principles are simple:
1. Know your community. Build an audience. Create value for them. Be remarkable.
2. Reduce your capacity.
3. Collect signals before sales.
4. Gather soft interest.
5. Migrate people into a wait list
6. Create and communicate supply tension (more people that want to buy than what is available)
7. Open sales page
8. Sell out
9. Offer to buy back at a premium for anyone who has changed their mind.

Do this consistently and people will buy without hesitation and know that they can, at a minimum, get their money back and even make a profit. It also reinforces the value of what they bought exceeds the price they paid.

Genius! If you want a deeper dive on this, go watch our video interview on YouTube, or listen to it on the Podcast. Don't forget to pick up your copy of Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley.

It's not called "Anti-Social Media", so stop using the Hit & Run strategy of posting and disappearing.

You want people to engage with your post right? It helps with reach and increases your chances of having a post go "viral".

Yet after posting, you disappear like a vampire at dawn. You don't hang out to your own party, to which you've invited guests to.

If you want to build genuine connection and community, I suggest you stick around. Spend 10-15 minutes answering questions, replying, and liking comments. It lets people know you care and gives them the opportunity to engage with you.

Over time, people show up early just for a chance to chat.

It helps with the algorithm to see activity on a post. And it's the right thing to do.

Helpful? Leave a comment or question. Have you been guilty of being anti-social on social media?

After years of hiding my true self, weighed down by self-doubt and inner turmoil, I eventually found the strength to embrace who I am.

As Audre Lorde once said, "Nothing I accept about myself can be used against me to diminish me."

This is the second part of our conversation about identity and harnessing personal power. If you haven't already, I encourage you to read the first part, titled "This is a story about losing yourself and finding your way back again."

The path to turning your perceived weakness into a strength involves leaning into discomfort and reshaping your perspective. Ask yourself, how can this supposed hindrance be converted into a beneficial feature? How can you disarm something that's been used against you?

If you're on the shorter side, embrace it as, "I enjoy extra leg and head space when traveling".
If your childhood was challenging, see it as, "I've been tested by life and have emerged resilient".
If your skin is of a darker shade, love it as, "I am beautifully mocha-skinned".

Embrace your uniqueness. Wear it proudly. Lead with it.
Stand in your power.

I invite you to try this exercise of personal rebranding. Get creative. Enjoy the process and see what you come up with. The potential outcomes are boundless once you let your imagination run wild.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

c

"You know my name, not my story. You've heard what I've done, but not what I've been through."

It was only until my graduation day at that I truly confronted a shame I had been shouldering for over 20 years. It was during this ceremony that I observed something entirely new and eye-opening.

Graduates from Japan, Korea, and China were adorned in vibrant traditional attire representative of their heritage. It was a joyous occasion for them, a chance to showcase their rich culture! I was deeply moved— witnessing individuals proudly embracing their non-American origins.

This experience sparked a profound introspection about how I'd been suppressing my own cultural identity just to conform. Why was I unable to join in the same cultural celebration? Why was I filled with such self-consciousness and unease?

During high school, I even found myself being critical of peers who were seemingly too Vietnamese. I allowed the ridicule I faced to internalize and, regrettably, mirrored it.

My journey to this point has been a challenging one. However, I have learned to reclaim my identity, transforming my pain into strength. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please look forward to part 2.

I'd love to hear about your personal struggles with identity, shame, and self-acceptance. Where are you in your journey?