Unsinkable Brands: How I'm Turning a Digital Nightmare into Thought Leadership & a Strong Personal Brand

June 28, 2011...

A date seared into my memory, much like the scar a lightning bolt leaves on a tree.

I had spent nearly a decade building my digital empire as the 'Google+ Gal'.

My success, my reputation, my identity, my connection with thousands of six-figure business owners...

It was all wrapped up in that thriving Google+ ecosystem.

But one morning, it all came crashing down.

As I scrolled through my emails over a cup of Colombian coffee, an unexpected message hit me like a tidal wave.

"Google+ is shutting down."

It was like someone had pulled the rug from under my feet.

My world spun into chaos.

Think of a bustling city, vibrant with life one moment and then obliterated by an unforeseen disaster.

That was my Google+ world.

A digital sinkhole opened up beneath me, swallowing all my content, my ranking, my entire brand, and most of my audience.

That platform, which I had treated like a solid bedrock, was rented property, and the lease was suddenly up.

My safe haven, my kingdom, was being pulled right out from under me.

I felt as lost and vulnerable as a child abandoned in a forest, my guiding stars vanished.

The next weeks were like walking through a fog of disbelief, a nightmare that wouldn't end.

Every deleted post, every vanished follower, every lost ranking was a stab in my heart, a stark reminder of my vulnerability in the fickle digital world.

It was like watching my house burn down, powerless to stop the flames.

My heart ached with the loss, and my mind whirled with panic.

What would I do now?

How would I rebuild?

And then, two realizations broke through the fog, like lighthouses guiding me out of a storm.

The first: I vowed to "never build my home on rented properties" again.

I would not allow my hard work and vision to be swept away so mercilessly by a change in the digital wind.

The second: I realized I couldn't bear the thought of other entrepreneurs experiencing this same heart-wrenching loss.

If I could help it, no other business owner should have to witness their digital home, their community, their brand get sucked into a platform sinkhole.

With those twin resolves pulsing in my heart, I set about clawing my way out of the sinkhole.

My recovery is not swift - it's a slow, grueling climb.

I took what I'd learned from Google+.

All those strategies and tactics that had put me at the top.

Being on the biggest stages.

Being the first organic result on Google search.

I took all of that, and I started applying it to content marketing.

But this time, I had a different goal in mind.

This time, it wasn't about building my home on rented properties.

No, I had learned my lesson all too well from that.

This time, it was about creating something that couldn't be taken away from me.

It was about building thought leadership.

A personal brand that would withstand the test of time... and the whims of digital landlords.

So, I went to work.

Every day, I hustled.

I studied. I practiced. I implemented.

Every win was a stepping stone. Every failure, a lesson.

Bit by bit, my brand began to take shape.

It was like watching a phoenix rise from the ashes.

My ashes.

I was creating something new. Something strong. Something resilient.

Something uniquely me.

No longer was I just the 'Google+ Gal'.

I was Yifat Cohen - a woman with a message. A woman with a mission.

My tribe gathered around me once again. But this time, our bond was even stronger.

We had weathered the storm together. We had risen from the rubble together.

Now, we were ready to conquer the world together.

And today, here I am.

Not just a survivor, but a thriver.

Not just a student, but a teacher.

Not just a follower, but a leader.

And I'm here to share my journey with you.

My trials. My tribulations.

My successes. My strategies.

All in the hopes that you can learn from my experiences.

So that you don't have to go through what I did.

So that you, too, can build a personal brand that stands the test of time.

A brand that can't be sucked into a digital sinkhole.

And together, we can navigate this brave new world.

So, stick around.

There's so much more to come.