A memoir: My short-lived Fortnite career.

When I was 14, I started streaming myself on Twitch playing competitive Fortnite. For those of you who know me now, I pray that this comes as a surprise.

I was not particularly good - but that has never stopped me. In fact, I did almost everything wrong. My video quality was awful, and sometimes the audio or video would completely cut out. Sometimes I would accidentally unplug my microphone, and I wouldn’t realize because there wasn’t actually anyone watching.

But day after day, week after week, I would stream. For 8 hours on the weekend, and as soon as I came home from school in the afternoon. I stopped exercising, I would eat at my desk, and my focus and obsession grew.

And then one day someone started watching. Then a few more did. And soon, the relationships that I had let atrophy in my real life were instead replaced by new friends and viewers in this magical, digital world.

The question is: Why in gods name did they watch? I had no special skill, no special social ability, and the production skills of a small Victorian child.

Years later, I believe I know. The secret to making great content, and to building a personal brand that others fall in love with, is rarely having some superior insight or competitive advantage - it is instead, the inevitability that there are some people out there who are going to fall in love with you and what you stand for, exactly as you are.

This is not a pathway to building a global customer or fanbase, but it might just get you your first 5 or 10 customers and fans.

Anybody can build skills. Only you can be you.