TCB Media: Building a Brand From Scratch

From Followers, to Fans, to Friends, to Financiers

It was the summer of 2017 and “passive income” was all the rage. I was fundraising as a director at SHIFT when a friend, suggesting I also consider passive income streams, lent me a book. Skeptical, but never one to turn down a book, I read it—and with my entrepreneurial spirit as kindling, it sparked my infatuation with digital brand-building; I put the book down and created TopChristianBooks.com. Far from being my first website, it was my first attempt at building a digital community. From scratch.

My objective? Build a brand and platform that would cultivate a loyal following through genuinely helpful, meaningful, and relevant content. Figuring out how to monetize would come after. To that end, I focused my content on a trifecta of passions: a love for reading/writing, thoughtful theology, and—most critically—an empathy that translates knowledge into service. 

TCB Media: Building a Brand From Scratch

From Followers, to Fans, to Friends, to Financiers

It was the summer of 2017 and “passive income” was all the rage. I was fundraising as a director at SHIFT when a friend, suggesting I also consider passive income streams, lent me a book. Skeptical, but never one to turn down a book, I read it—and with my entrepreneurial spirit as kindling, it sparked my infatuation with digital brand-building; I put the book down and created TopChristianBooks.com. Far from being my first website, it was my first attempt at building a digital community. From scratch.

My objective? Build a brand and platform that would cultivate a loyal following through genuinely helpful, meaningful, and relevant content. Figuring out how to monetize would come after. To that end, I focused my content on a trifecta of passions: a love for reading/writing, thoughtful theology, and—most critically—an empathy that translates knowledge into service. 

It was the summer of 2017 and “passive income” was all the rage. I was fundraising as a director at SHIFT when a friend, suggesting I also consider passive income streams, lent me a book. Skeptical, but never one to turn down a book, I read it—and with my entrepreneurial spirit as kindling, it sparked my infatuation with digital brand-building; I put the book down and created TopChristianBooks.com. Far from being my first website, it was my first attempt at building a digital community. From scratch.

My objective? Build a brand and platform that would cultivate a loyal following through genuinely helpful, meaningful, and relevant content. Figuring out how to monetize would come after. To that end, I focused my content on a trifecta of passions: a love for reading/writing, thoughtful theology, and—most critically—an empathy that translates knowledge into service. 

TCB Media: Building a Brand From Scratch

From Followers, to Fans, to Friends, to Financiers

It was the summer of 2017 and “passive income” was all the rage. I was fundraising as a director at SHIFT when a friend, suggesting I also consider passive income streams, lent me a book. Skeptical, but never one to turn down a book, I read it—and with my entrepreneurial spirit as kindling, it sparked my infatuation with digital brand-building; I put the book down and created TopChristianBooks.com. Far from being my first website, it was my first attempt at building a digital community. From scratch.

My objective? Build a brand and platform that would cultivate a loyal following through genuinely helpful, meaningful, and relevant content. Figuring out how to monetize would come after. To that end, I focused my content on a trifecta of passions: a love for reading/writing, thoughtful theology, and—most critically—an empathy that translates knowledge into service. 

TCB Media: Building a Brand From Scratch

From Followers, to Fans, to Friends, to Financiers

It was the summer of 2017 and “passive income” was all the rage. I was fundraising as a director at SHIFT when a friend, suggesting I also consider passive income streams, lent me a book. Skeptical, but never one to turn down a book, I read it—and with my entrepreneurial spirit as kindling, it sparked my infatuation with digital brand-building; I put the book down and created TopChristianBooks.com. Far from being my first website, it was my first attempt at building a digital community. From scratch.

My objective? Build a brand and platform that would cultivate a loyal following through genuinely helpful, meaningful, and relevant content. Figuring out how to monetize would come after. To that end, I focused my content on a trifecta of passions: a love for reading/writing, thoughtful theology, and—most critically—an empathy that translates knowledge into service. 

Back
Next 👉