One of my favorite parts of working with clients is conducting a brand audit, which is how I begin all working relationships. During the session, my client and I ask a critical (but often forgotten) question:

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

I’ll be the first person to admit that this question is a tough one. Sometimes it’s hard for me to think about this afternoon, let alone 1,800 days from now. However, if you’re serious about growing your personal brand, it’s important to know where you’re heading. Every call you take, every email you send, every person you hire⁠—all of these little steps define your future situation, and it’s up to you to decide what that looks like.

Since most clients are taken aback when I ask the good ol’ five-year question, I always follow up with the questions below. Ask yourself: I dare you!

“How do you want to make money?”

We all know that we want to make money, but it takes a special kind of focus to know how. I would never recommend that a client exclusively makes money from a single channel (like just book sales), but knowing where priorities lie can be helpful for shaping the brand.

For example, if someone desires to make money from speaking engagements, it’s important to get their brand as much face time as possible. I’d recommend to include Keynote Speaker as their title on LinkedIn (in addition to anything else they’d like to specialize in), and I’d recommend that they amp up video content on Instagram and YouTube. For this individual, it makes more sense to get them front and center so they can reach a widespread audience.

“Do you want to live to work or work to live?”

Some people love to work, and it’s the only thing they can imagine themselves doing. One of my clients, Simon T. Bailey, is an absolute superstar who books 100 speaking conferences annually. He is someone who lives to work.

Not everyone is a Simon, and there’s no shame in having priorities outside of your career. However, if someone doesn’t want “live to work,” this helps inform their potential brand direction. My first instinct is to put a real premium on their brand by creating a luxurious look and feel. Then, I’d recommend analyzing their offering (whether it’s a product or service) to ensure that it’s a compelling sell with a healthy margin so the client has more wiggle room to pick and choose their projects and/or sales, which would take pressure off of working all the time.

“Do you like to speak or write?”

Everyone always has an immediate answer for this one. (I bet you do too.) I’ve learned over the years of branding people that it isn’t sustainable to create in a format you don’t like.

Now, an important distinction with this question is that you don’t have to write off (forgive the pun) public speaking if you prefer writing, nor do you have to stop writing if you like public speaking. Instead, I encourage you to use your preferred medium to fuel the other. If you like writing, write scripts or notes before you go live. If you like speaking, consider transcribing audio recordings to create a blog or book.

Beyond that, if you like writing, start writing books! If you like speaking, create a course! Envision a future where you monetize what you enjoy.

“How many lives do you want to change?”

If my client is on a mission to change the world, I want them to vocalize it and have clarity about their future. If you want to inspire the masses, envision yourself as a New York Times Bestseller or TED speaker, and use that vision to drive your decisions every day.

And if you don’t want to change the world, that’s okay too! I’ve had many clients who want to help a specific and small market, and that’s wonderful as well. If you are targeting a small audience, think about the top offering you could provide that audience. You might envision yourself exclusively running group coaching programs, or perhaps you want to own a small agency and have no more than five clients at a time.

No matter how wide of an effect you’d like to have, knowing your end audience really helps narrow down what is⁠—and isn’t⁠—right for your brand.

What are your answers to the question above? I want to know! Comment below.