I’m not a rebel for the sake of being a rebel.

When you’re building a business, there are certain things that make sense. And then there are certain things where there are no rules, and you can make it your own.

Let me give you two examples.

I will die on the hill of this one: Do not build a brand until you’ve done a proof of concept. Anything else is foolish. And I’ll even be so blunt as to say it’s stupid. I said what I said.

Every brand should be focused on email retention because that’s where the money sits. It’s easier to take care of customers you already have and build their lifetime value than to constantly chase new customers.

I use those two examples to show you that these aren’t things you should go against the grain on just for the sake of being different. These are things you should look for ways to do better.

Now, when it comes to building a personal brand on social media, this is where you have the freedom to be you.

When I got back on social media in 2024, everything had shifted. And nowadays, things are moving even faster.

You have to look at the market and ask yourself, Does this make sense for me? Does this fit my personality and who I am?

One thing I didn’t want to do was get trapped creating content I didn’t love. I didn’t want to follow guidelines just for the sake of following guidelines. I wanted to be me.

So, in 2024, I created some content formats and used them for a while. I liked some, and I didn’t like others. So I got rid of the ones that didn’t work for me.

I continued experimenting in 2025, and now I’ve landed on four pillars that I absolutely love. They give me the freedom to be myself while still having structure and direction in my content.

My content pillars look something like this:

Henry C. Murphy’s Content Pillars

1. What I Know

Entrepreneurship, branding, and e-commerce.

2. What I Believe

My convictions, opinions, and the things I stand for.

3. What I’ve Lived

My experiences, lessons, and storytelling.

4. How I Live

The freedom of entrepreneurship, life through my Meta Glasses in Vietnam, and everything in between.

These pillars give me direction without putting me in a box.

I’m not trying to do what everybody else is doing, and I suggest you don’t either.

If something about my pillars works for you, take it and use it. That’s what it’s there for.

But whatever you do, don’t get so caught up building your personal brand that you become somebody you don’t want to be, creating content you don’t even enjoy making.

Build a brand that gives you the freedom to be yourself, not one that forces you to become somebody else.