What does it mean to be famous?

And do you really want to be famous?

When we think about famous people – movie stars, billionaires, business icons, online ‘influencers’, celebrity authors – we might think “that seems great – I want to be famous!”

But in reality, if you read enough stories about them, you realize that famous = no privacy. That most of them cannot just go outside their home and do normal things. They must wear a disguise, have bodyguards and/or deal with the constant stream of attention.

Most of it can be good, flattering. Sometimes it can be dangerous and scary.

Turns out most people don’t want that. What they might want is some level of recognition and acknowledgement, and to feel special. To be recognized. To stand out. To be seen as the Hero that we all see ourselves at from our view of the world.

Now, as a business broker, my guess is that you don’t have a strong desire to be a Celebrity Broker. You probably don’t aspire to have your own television show or need to fly on a private jet because you would get mobbed at the airport.

Very few people have a deep need to be famous.

However, my goal for you is that you are famous.

But let’s use the definition of famous that I prefer to use – being able to enter a ‘room’ (conference, meeting, networking event, call, etc.) without needing to introduce yourself.

If we really look at it – that is what ‘famous’ means in the standard sense for celebrities. It’s when enough people know who they are that they don’t need to tell people who they are. Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Tom Holland, Tom Selleck, Tom Brady…really anyone named Tom – they don’t need to give their elevator pitch. [However famous someone is…it’s always funny when a person doesn’t know who they are and asks them anyway… and they make that ‘how do you not know who I am?’ look]

For you…as an expert, professional business broker who is the Guide that business owners need, your goal should be to be famous with them, transaction partners, referral partners, and industry partners/players.

What happens when you go to a conference or association event? How about a networking event? What about when you have a scheduled call with a new prospective listing?

Do people know who you are?

If not, how do you get to that level?

Content that affects people in a valuable way for them (Educating and Entertaining).

Relationship building (one-way and two-way).

Having a service that goes above and beyond.

When you combine those three areas, you will become famous to your tribe/audience.

If you think of an actor – they are a part of content that affects people in a valuable way. Could be escape, excitement, thought provoking, humorous. Could be anything that the audience member finds valuable for them (value = what someone will exchange their time/money/energy for with the goal of receiving more than they invested).

So your job is to create content – in various forms – that your target audience will get value from. At scale. Across multiple channels. This is no longer the area of being famous for being on a) just the big screen, or b) just on tv where there were 3 channels, or c) just famous for writing something.

It takes a full on, strategic wall of content that brings value while educating and entertaining.

When you do that, and people start to consume your content, they will build a relationship with you in their mind. In the same way we want movies that star a Tom in it, and if you run into that Tom on the street, you would feel like you knew them because they were saving the world or stuck on a desolate island. You probably don’t know anything about them, but that is not how it feels in your mind. You and they go way back!

That is what will happen with your audience. That is the one-way relationship building that occurs because of valuable content. This is what will result in that first phone call with them where they share a lot of deep, personal info that will shock you. They already feel like they know you and trust you.

It’s also what will cause people at events to walk up to you and know your name (and then you probably panic trying to recall how you know them…but you don’t). Then the two-way relationship starts that will hopefully lead to you providing value to them with what you do as a business broker.

And of course, as every businessperson knows, the more value you create for clients, the more word will spread, or the more valuable testimonials you will have to share with the world. That will go a long way to reinforce the relationship where they see you as the trusted authority and Guide. A history of helping people succeed means that you should be able to help them succeed as well.

This is how you become famous for a given group. Within your tribe that consists of business owners who will one day want to sell as well as the transaction/referral professionals. Your fame will speed up conversations and skip many of the trust building steps because you have built so much online that shows the world why you are an expert Guide.

Even if you don’t have the desire to get constantly interrupted while having dinner, you need to become famous to the people who you can truly help. And hey, if they do see you on the street and recognize you, that’s pretty amazing well!

Featured Podcast Episode

What if the information you’re sharing is no longer enough for your clients, or even holding you back?

Are you chasing attention and audience size, or building true authority that earns trust during critical, high-stakes moments?

In this solo episode, Jason Cutter challenges business brokers to rethink the pursuit of influence, followers, and viral content. The landscape has shifted from the information age to the instant-answer age, where data and facts are free and plentiful, but wisdom and practical transformation are rare.

The real value now lies in guiding clients with battle-tested experience, not just offering knowledge. Brokers who position themselves as trusted authorities, rather than entertainers, will unlock deeper engagement and become indispensable advisors in the transaction process.

Check out the full episode: https://businessbrokergrowth.com/podcast/building-authority-in-the-instant-answer-age-with-jason-cutter/

Until next week!

Jason

PS. Take the Digital Impact Assessment (free)

→https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentNL