How Building My LinkedIn Personal Brand Prepared Me for Getting Fired

A person wearing an orange outfit and a bright yellow faux mustache and eyebrows, making a playful facial expression.

Why Personal Branding on LinkedIn Is More Than Just Posting

In March of this year, I decided to stop treating LinkedIn like a graveyard of old résumés and recruiter spam. I made the choice to treat it like my stage. My playground. My mouthpiece. A yapper was born.

I wasn’t chasing buzzwords or trying to be another thought leadership robot. I wanted chaos. I wanted humor. I wanted connection. And I wanted to build something that couldn’t be taken away with one HR meeting: my personal brand.

Here’s the thing about personal branding when you actually commit — it isn’t about likes, views, or humblebrag nonsense. It’s about resilience. It’s about relationships. It’s about showing up consistently until people either root for you, mute you, or accidentally start quoting you.

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That decision ended up being the safety net I didn’t know I’d need. Because this year, I got fired. And instead of spiraling, I smiled. I laughed. I even felt a wave of peace wash over me like a feral LinkedIn baptism.

How I Started Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn

When I started yapping in March, the goal was feral but simple: build visibility and build relationships. Humor became the hook, honesty became the backbone, and chaos became the brand. People aren’t looking for another lecture from a faux-guru in a Patagonia vest. They’re looking for connection.

Consistency Over Perfection

I committed to showing up. Not just when inspiration slapped me in the face, but even on the days when my brain felt like a half-charged iPhone. I posted anyway. Messy, imperfect, sometimes a little cringe, but I showed up. People don’t remember the one post you obsessed over for four hours. They remember the rhythm of you showing up again and again.

Batching My Content to Avoid Burnout

To stay consistent, I started batching my content. Every week, I carved out time to write multiple posts at once. This helped me avoid the dreaded “blank screen panic.” Batching meant I could focus on creativity when I felt inspired and execution when I needed to post.

The Power of Building Relationships on LinkedIn

I stopped treating LinkedIn like a one-way street. Comments became conversations. DMs became collaborations. What started as an audience slowly transformed into a community. I also built a Slack community where those connections could live beyond the LinkedIn feed.

How My LinkedIn Community Supported Me When I Got Fired

This week, I was let go. Instead of panic, anger, or fear, I felt peace. A wave of calm washed over me. The reason is simple: I wasn’t standing alone. I had a community who I knew would be there for me. For the first time in my career, being fired didn’t feel like a failure. It felt like freedom.

Why You Need to Start Yapping & Build a Personal Brand

Start before you need it. Don’t wait for a career crisis to build your personal brand.
Be consistent. Sustainable posting systems are the secret to longevity.
Invest in relationships. The comments, conversations, and DMs matter more than the likes.
Know yourself. Writing regularly helps you find your voice and confidence.
Lean on your community. When life hits hard, your people will catch you.

Getting fired used to feel like the end. But for me, it feels like the beginning of something bigger. Onward and upward from here, this yapper’s just getting started.