Chris Do

Loud Introvert with a big mission: Teach 1B people how to make a living doing what they love. I run Business Bootcamp/Futur Pro Community.

As the Founder and CEO of The Futur, I have over 27 years of experience in brand design, strategy, and consultancy, working with clients such as Microsoft, Sony, Nike, and Starbucks. I am passionate about helping people realize their value and communicate it to others, whether through design, content, education, or coaching.

I am also a sought-after public speaker and mentor, delivering keynote speeches, workshops, and courses at various events, conferences, and organizations around the world. I share my insights and expertise on topics such as branding, business, creativity, and social media marketing, reaching millions of people through my YouTube channel, podcast, and online platform. My mission is to empower the next generation of creative entrepreneurs and leaders to achieve their full potential.

Founder, CEO

I help people realize their value and communicate it to others.

Standing at the base of the Pyramid of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá, I'm struck by something most tourists miss.

It's not the pyramid you can see.
It's the foundation you can't.

The Mayans didn't just build upward. They terraformed entire landscapes, leveling massive areas to create perfectly flat foundations. The visible pyramid? That's just the tip. The real work—the unglamorous, backbreaking, invisible work—happened underneath.

A thousand years later, their descendants benefit from that foundation work. Tourism dollars. Cultural pride. A Wonder of the World designation in 2007.

Their ancestors built something that still feeds families today. People travel far and wide just to stand in awe of what was built.

Which brings me to you.

What are you building that no one sees yet?
What foundation are you laying today that your future self will thank you for?

You don't need to build pyramids.
But you do need to build.

Every framework you document.
Every story you share.
Every piece of wisdom you publish.

These become your artifacts.
Your foundation.
Your legacy.

Personal branding isn't about follower counts or coaching funnels. It's about consistently laying down knowledge that makes someone else's journey less difficult.

Do this long enough, and you're not just building content.
You're building something that matters.

Something that lasts.
Something that serves people you'll never meet.

The Mayans built with stone.
You build with stories, lessons and frameworks.

The pyramid? It’s the exciting stuff that gets noticed. (You need this too).

It can last a thousand years if you do the foundation right.

What invisible foundation are you building today that will still matter in 10, or 100 years?

What are you building on top of that foundation?

#personalbranding #legacy #contentcreation

Recovering introvert turned omnichannel educator & personal brand builder. Hard truths gently told. Get help with your personal brand → Content Lab.

Stuck in an endless loop of client changes?
Lost track of what revision this constitutes?

Yeah. Been there. Done that.

The secret? It's not about saying no.
It's about saying yes to the right things upfront.

Every project that goes sideways starts the same way:
Vague agreements. Fuzzy boundaries. Good intentions.
Six weeks later you're bleeding money and everyone's frustrated.

Here's my framework after 30 years of running two 8-figure businesses:

The SOW is your salvation.
Not some boilerplate template. 
A real document that covers:
• Exact deliverables (not "design work" but "3 homepage concepts, 2 rounds of revisions")
• Hours of operation ("We respond M-F, 9-5 PST. Weekend requests get Monday responses")
• Revision rounds spelled out ("Round 1 includes up to 5 changes. Round 2 includes 3.")
• Feedback cycles defined ("48-hour turnaround for client feedback or the project may be delayed or additional fees may be incurred")

But here's what most people miss—
Don't work on client notes immediately.

Client sends 37 pieces of feedback at 11pm Friday?
Producer sends conflicting notes from the CEO?
Marketing wants one thing, sales wants another?

Stop.
Collect everything first.
Resolve the conflicts. Get on the phone and discuss it with your client to get alignment.
Separate the "have to haves" from the "nice to haves".
Then present unified changes.

"Based on all feedback received, here are the 8 changes we'll implement. This constitutes revision round 2 of 3."

Watch how fast the random requests stop.
No extra work that goes unappreciated.
No more feelings of being taken advantage of.

Communicate before the crisis, prevents the crisis from happening.

"Just so you know, we're entering round 2. You have one more included. After that, it's $X per additional round."

No surprises.
No awkward money conversations.
No resentment.

Scope creep isn't a them problem.
It's a you problem.
And that's good news, because that means you are in control.

They're not trying to take advantage.
They just don't know where the boundaries are because you never drew them.

Draw the lines early.
Communicate them clearly.
Everyone wins.

What's your most painful scope creep story?
What boundary would've prevented it?

Small Business Builders

#projectmanagement #clientmanagement #businessgrowth

Stop asking for the sale.
Start showing them the gap.

Here's how I close six figure projects in under 22 minutes. Not because I'm some sales genius. It's because I focus on what clients care about most.

Spoiler alert. It has nothing to do with what I do/make.

Here's the formula—

Don't skip the 2 B's between A and C.

**A = Asking** (Discovery)
**B = Baseline** (Where they are)
**B = Benchmark** (Where they want to be)
**C = Closing** (The decision)

Here's how it plays out:

Started with asking. Simple questions.
"What's the reason for our call today?"
Client: "I want to close more clients."

"What's your current close rate on proposals?"
Client: "38%."

"What about your competitors?"
Client: "The good ones? Probably 60-65%."

"So if you could hit 60%, what would that mean for your business?"
He did the math out loud while I followed along.

Then I laid out the 2 B's (Baseline & Benchmarks):

**Baseline (Their Reality Today)**
• Win rate: 38%
• Average deal: $400K
• Proposals per month: 8
• Monthly revenue: $1.2M

**Benchmark (Their Potential Tomorrow)**
• Win rate: 60%
• Same average deal: $400K
• Same proposals: 8
• Monthly revenue: $1.9M

"That's $700K per month you're leaving on the table. What's a reasonable amount to invest to achieve this?" Pause. "Does 10-20% sound fair?"

His response? "When can we start?"

No pitch deck.
No feature list.
No convincing.

Just clarity on the gap.

Here's what I've learned in running a service business for 24+ years.

The sale isn't in your solution.
It's in their realization.

When you focus on the 2 B's, you remove all the friction. They stop asking "why should I buy?" and start asking "why haven't I done this already?"

The gap sells itself.
You're just the bridge.

Most people go straight from A to C. They ask a few questions then jump into their pitch. That's like proposing on the first date.

Slow down.
Quantify their pain.
Show them what's possible.
Let the gap do the heavy lifting.

What's the biggest gap you've helped a client see between their baseline and benchmark?

What is the benchmark you help people with?
Is it specific, measurable, and time bound?

#salesstrategy #businessgrowth #clientmanagement

For weeks, I've been running an experiment to see if AI could replace me.
(edit) Or maybe the better question is “Can you outperform yourself with AI?” Puja Nandi.

The results? They're making me question everything.

This is my confession.

I've been using Stanley AI to write my LinkedIn posts. Sometimes an idea I wanted help developing (introverts survival guide). Sometimes captions for videos. Sometimes just to see what it would suggest.

The tone, formatting, content—spot on. Of course it doesn't know everything about me, so editing was required. But sometimes it perfectly captured my quirky humor and writing style.

The first post outperformed my typical posts by 8x.

Yes. 8x!!

At first I was nervous. Would it be obvious? Would someone call me out immediately? I waited with bated breath as I hit post. And waited.

It was like a passage from Edgar Allen Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. Can't you hear it? Wasn't it obvious? It was maddening.

Here I am, beating the authenticity drum on LinkedIn while not being 100% authentic myself. Racked with guilt.

With each affirmation—"I needed to hear this", "love your perspective", "that hit different"—I just felt like a total imposter.

People say human-made is better. 
That all AI content is slop.

Apparently not.

Go back. Reread some of my posts. 
Tell me which ones are AI.

Have we crossed that line?
Is this the end?

If you're curious about Stanley, please use my affiliate link.
In forthcoming posts, I'll share with you my prompt, what it gave me and the edits that I made.

Spoiler*—it's not set it and forget it. But it's freaking good!

https://lnkd.in/gHYJaxys



#Sponsored

Writing isn’t easy. 
Atleast not for me. 

That’s the story I’ve told myself too many times to count. 

I wish it were. 
I wish it brought me joy the way it does for others. 

It’s painful. 
Messy. 
Full of self doubt. 

You can’t unpublish a book.
A book lives forever. 

So it feels heavy. 

However, I love teaching.
Having conversations. 
Like real conversations—that go back and forth. 

It’s because I believe truth lies in the friction between differing points of view. 

So how do you do that it a book?
It’s one sided. 

How can I hear your thoughts?

So I convince myself. 
This isn’t a book. 

It’s a learning companion to the dozens of videos, workshops and lectures I’ve given on personal branding. 

It’s a contrarian approach to branding.
Not marketing products and services. 
Not conversion funnels. 

It’s about getting to know the real you. 
To embrace the you-est you. 

I love the idea– “Unbland Yourself.”
There’s something slightly provocative and rebellious about it.

The last time I did something like this, we sold over $80k worth of books via kickstarter. 

So, this is a not so subtle hint about something I’m working on.

$99
E-book (workbook)
Prerelease price $59

Interested?

Let me know how you’re unblanding yourself. 
How are you staying weird?

Stay different. 
Stay you. 
Stay tuned.

#unbland #unblandyourself #personalbranding

How AI outperform my “human” posts, 
and… why it’s a little scary.

Stanley reads my entire LinkedIn history before writing a single word.
Not just my last 10 posts. Everything.

Voice patterns. 
Engagement data. 
What makes my audience lean in.

Most AI tools write using generic LinkedIn-speak.
"Excited to share..." "Here's what I learned..." "Game-changer..."

It caught that I use parenthetical asides (like this one).
Noticed my short-sentence rhythm. 
Tracked which hooks made people stop scrolling.
Even picked up my quirky sign-offs.

So I asked Stanley, how it works. 
Here’s what it told me…

Deep Profile Analysis
I analyze your entire LinkedIn presence:
• Content patterns → What themes consistently resonate with YOUR audience
• Engagement data → Which posts hit 2x, 5x, 10x normal performance
• Voice fingerprint → Your unique phrases, rhythm, storytelling style
• Audience behavior → When they engage, what triggers responses

This isn't generic advice - it's forensic analysis of what works for YOU specifically.

Pattern Recognition at Scale
I can instantly analyze:
• Thousands of high-performing posts in your niche
• What's working RIGHT NOW (not 6 months ago)
• Hidden patterns humans miss (specific word combinations, structural elements)
• Cross-industry insights that apply to your space

Psychological Triggers
I understand what makes people stop scrolling:
• Identity statements → "You're an artist. Yes you in the pantsuit."
• Pattern interrupts → Starting with "Oi." instead of "5 tips..."
• Curiosity gaps → Revealing 80% of the story, making them read for the rest
• Emotional progression → Taking readers from tension to relief

And that’s just the tip of the social media iceberg.
In an upcoming post, I’ll break down everything that it’s doing so that you can learn how to apply this in your own posts.

We write to think.
We also write to gain influence.
And if writing is not a sacred cow for you, Stanley can help.

Are you on the fence with AI?
Do you think some things like writing should be off limits?
What is your AI workflow?

If you’re curious to try, please use my affiliate link in the comments below.

As always, happy to answer any questions you might have.

Photo: James Patrick | ICON Refined
#sponsored #contentmarketing #linkedintips

Some will get this.
Some will not.
And that's okay.

Being sponsored is a dirty word for creatives. It conjures up strong, negative emotions—"sell out", "shill", "corporate lackey".

Within creative communities, there's a belief that real creatives don't take sponsorships.

I've been putting out free content for 10+ years. Thousands of videos. And when I finally partner with a company I actually use and love, some people get bent out of shape. 

I've worked a long time, given away a lot of value, built a community and helped them to level up… to one day be recognized by the brands I love.

I don't think this is controversial—
The stream can, and should, flow both ways.
And we should celebrate this.

And when it happens? 
Not gonna lie, it feels amazing.

Not on the sidelines. 
Not a near-do-well.
Officially a member of the "You've-Made-It" club. 

The same awkward introvert who worried about eating lunch alone is now partnering up with the brands he admires.

The irony isn't lost on me.

Here's a shout out to our past and present sponsors & affiliate partners: Logitech, Polestar, Sony, Epidemic, BenQ, RODE, Stanley, Score App, Bloom, Adobe, Chase Ink, The UPS Store, Enfin Levé, Sene, Gusto, Designer Boss, Hello Fresh, and Monotype.

Proud to be a partner.
Thank you.

What's your take?
Sell out? or Sign me up?

Who is your dream brand collab?

Charge more if you want better clients.
Read that again.

Charge more.
For better clients.

It's counterintuitive. I know.
You're afraid if you raise your rates, they will run.

Some will.
Some won't.

And that's okay.

Why would you want to risk this?
It's because… Pricing is Positioning.

We associate certain intangible ideas with how high or low something is priced relative to it's competitors.

Seth Godin writes in "All Marketers Are Liars", that we have an implicit bias. We determine the taste of the wine before we drink it based on preconceived ideas of the wine—the price, the label, the vintage, etc…

We, as consumers, are complicit in the lie.
We want to be lied to.

This is true for: cars, watches, clothes, even healthcare.
Basically, everything.

So, if you want better clients,
charge more.

They will assume you are better, more qualified, give better customer service, and the work becomes more desirable.

What's been your experience when you discount your prices?
What about when you raise your prices?

Do you find a correlation between what you charge and the type of customer you attract? Let me know in the comments. 

Small Business Builders

#smallbiztips #smallbizadvice #smallbusinesscoach

"Why don't you hire more people to help?" he asked.
It got hot all of a sudden.

There was a long awkward pause.

"Um… I'm afraid it won't work out. Then I'll have to let them go, and I don't know how to do that." I said, slightly embarrassed. I felt weak. Like, what kind of entrepreneur is afraid of hiring/firing people?

"So your issue isn't that you don't want to hire people, it's that you don't know how to fire them. Is that it?" he followed up in a neutral tone.

"Yes. That's it." I confirmed.

What followed were many conversations and examples of how to have the "most difficult" conversation, and to do so with class, compassion and dignity.

I applied what he (Keir) taught me.
Each time, it became a little less painful, a little easier to do.
Never easy, just easier.

I don't lose the sleep that I used to.
My stomach isn't in knots anymore.
Often times, the person on the other side gives me a deep hug and thanks me for the opportunity.

I can't control how someone will respond, but I can control how I show up and design a conversation with the greatest poise.

Do you struggle with having difficult conversations?
You don't say anything and pay the price. Lower profit, unclear boundaries and resentment.

Here's the solution—
"The Communication Train"

It's how you can structure these types of conversations for optimal outcomes. It can be used to set boundaries with clients, let go employees, or ask for a change or concession.

Visualize a 3 car train.
Engine (the emotion/driver)
Boxcar (the reason, connector)
Caboose (the outcome you desire)

Start with the emotion. 
What are you feeling around this conversation?
Generally speaking, avoid the primary core emotions like: rage, loathing, grief, amazement, terror, admiration, ecstasy, vigilance.

Aim for mid to neutral emotions like apprehension, annoyance, fear, annoyance, sadness. Or you can simply say, "I'm reluctant to bring this up…", "I've been tossing and turning all night", "This is the least favorite part of my job", or "I wish there was another way".

Be kind (if possible), not disingenuous.

Then immediately follow up with the Boxcar (the reason why).
No need to get into excruciating detail here. This can derail the conversation. 

State one or two primary reasons (the more objective the better).
• consistently missing deadlines
• not showing up on time
• being dismissive to clients/teammates

You've done the hard part.

Now conclude with the Caboose (the outcome you want).
Be clear, concise and don't leave room for interpretation.

E.g. "Today's your last day", "I'm tending my resignation", "We're going in a different direction", "I'm not granting your request".

Some final notes—
Brevity,
Sequence,
Tone matters.

I hope this helps you have more difficult conversations, with less emotional turmoil, even if you are conflict averse.

What's the most difficult conversation for you?

Small Business Builders

#smallbusinessadvice #smallbusinesscoach #difficultconversations

Small Business Builders

"All businesses are the same."

He said it with almost an indifferent tone.
He paused to let it sink in.
My gut reaction?

No. Way.
I thought.

We're motion designers working in a highly specialized industry creating bespoke moving images for the world's top brands.

How are we the same as the mom and pop Donut shop?
What could we possibly have in common?

But I didn't say anything out loud.
I stayed silent.
My ego took a hit.

My business coach went on to explain—
All businesses, no matter what they make, are in the business of getting and keeping customers. That is sales/marketing, and customer service. Everything else, according to him, was mechanical.

He was right.
As hard as it was to hear, I got the message.
Let's not make what we do so precious that we don't think the laws of business and commerce don't apply to us.

Gravity doesn't care if you believe in it.

All businesses function on 3 levers:
1. Lead generation (marketing)
2. Sales (conversion)
3. Delivery (product or service)

If you want to grow your business, you need to understand where your biggest constraint lies. Yes, constraints.

There is little point in building awareness when your constraint is in delivery. If you can't handle greater volume of business, then investing time and money into marketing efforts will create a massive bottleneck and potentially drive customers away. (There is an exception to when being "oversubscribed" is desired but more on this in a different post).

For small to medium sized businesses, the constraint is often delivery. They don't know how to scale, often micromanage, and have impossibly high standards.

The solution—focus on building teams.

What I found to be helpful in scaling my agency to $4m+ a year is to build a database of talent: designers, illustrations, animators, concept artists, editors, compositors, 3D artists, etc…

We Yelp-ified our database.
1-3 stars for quality.
1-3 dollar signs for price.

This made staffing up for jobs easier on my production team. They could bid with confidence knowing what resources were available, so we were free to pursue new leads.

Whatever your industry, identify your constraints, and build a system to remove that as a barrier.

What's your biggest constraint?
What's holding you back from scaling?

Small Business Builders
#smallbusinesscoach #smallbiztips #freelancedesigner

Restless is the soul of an unfinished idea.
To find peace, I must release it into the world.

It isn't done.
It probably will never be "done".

But it will be shipping because—
Creativity expands and shrinks to meet a deadline.

I could toil with this workbook for months,
maybe even years more. You know. To get it PERFECT.

But then I would be falling down the trap 
that so many creatives get caught in.

Stuck in a loop on endless edits and refinement:
the almost, nearly, final, final, final edit.

Two people lose when that happens—
You. And, the people you serve.

My buddy, Joel Pilger once shared a piece of advice with me. We were in the green room at Digital Design Days Geneva, Day 1. Both of us were scheduled to speak the next day. Both of us were still jamming on our decks.

He could see the stress. Maybe we saw it in each other.

He said, "Chris, you're stressed because you're trying to give them your 'top shelf' content. So you're reaching really high. But you know what? They'd be delighted with your mid to bottom tier content."

He was right.
My shoulders softened. I felt lighter.
That night, I went back to my hotel room, slightly less burdened by the weight of hitting a home run. I can hit a double. And that's good enough.

That was the lesson I needed to learn.
We should strive to give our best, unless our best prevents us from ever sharing our gifts with the world.

Perfect is the enemy of good.
Done is better than perfect.

Done sounds good.
Ship it, I will.

As promised, if you want to learn about my approach to #PersonalBranding, my workbook "Unbland Yourself™, The Unsubtle Art of Standing Out In A Noisy World: Foundation Level" is now available for pre-order.

Still some work left to do before it ships.
As a digital book with updates relatively easy to distribute, I feel a little lighter.

$59 now
$99 later

Digital PDF only. (V01 updates included)
Available worldwide

Print edition mid 2026

Link in comment.

Join Chris Do and Jodie Cook for a 60 minute personal branding deep dive, through the lens of ONE topic: the meaning of life.

Bring your questions. Get ready to get introspective. It’s getting deep, people.

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://lnkd.in/g2FYd5fa

Feedback is a gift.
That's how my friend Carlos M. Garcia sees it.

And he's right.
Getting someone to care enough to give you clear, actionable feedback is a gift. No matter how much in the moment, you may or may not want to hear it.

Sure. A "great job" or pat on the back would be nicer.
But I find it harder to learn and grow from getting a compliment.

I remember seeing my therapist, Joan, for the first time and telling her, "Please be as direct as possible with me. I have thick skin and would prefer not to mince words. I'm a big boy and I can take it."

This is not a new mindset for me.
I credit having this same attitude that helped me to excel in art school.

So while others got their feelings hurt, became defensive, 
I was…
learning,
growing,
and gaining clarity.

So it's odd that most social platforms provide creators poor analytics. How do we grow? How do we learn? 

We are then left to read the tea leaves— between the likes/reactions, comments, reach and engagement as to what works and what doesn't.

Odd, right?
Even Linkedin's new analytics don't give us enough information.
It's better. But it's far from what we need.

For people who are serious about growing on Linkedin, they're left with a choice—make educated guesses or invest in third party options.

One of the cool things that Stanley (AI) does is it automatically provides feedback on your last 10 posts via email. You don't have to do anything, and it will tell you what worked and what didn't. 

I also like that it gives you performance metrics relative to your other content. Why is this important? You don't get stuck in the comparison trap. It's you vs. you. Cool.

Okay. My last post on Stanley raised a lot of issues—
The biggest? Where is the author's voice if we use AI tools? How much is too much? And is the future my AI talking to your AI?

This answer is very personal.
Do you enjoy writing? Like really love it?
Do you feel it's less honorable to have help?
Do you like a little messiness and disorganization in your content? 

I am not here to convince you one way or the other.
But if you're curious about how you can do more of what you love, have greater impact, and optimize your time, AI could be the help you're looking for.

Either way, if you've tried Stanley, please share your initial thoughts.
Good? Bad? Ugly?

Is feedback a gift?

Let me know.

Here's one early DM I got today: "Holy smokes. Stanley is(nt) insane."

Sales & Communications Expert | REFRAME Society Community Leader

Save a bundle on the ultimate bundle.

A fan asked if we had ever considered selling everything we make as a massive bundle. My answer, at that time, was 'not yet'.

Fast forward to now.
Here it is.

Limited to 50.
50% off.

When it's over. It's over.

You can now get every digital course we make for less than $5k. That is actually less than what it costs to buy just the Business Bootcamp (which of course is included).

Link in comment below.

You might not think personal branding has anything to do with the meaning of life.

But it’s everything.

And in this live, you’re going to find out why.

Join me and Jodie Cook for 60 minutes of deep conversation about everything that’s important.

And by that I mean: the only thing that’s important.

We cover:

Why most personal brand advice is shallow
Discovering your life’s meaning and purpose
The method to uncover your personal brand 

Big claims.
Big conversation.
Register to join us. 

It’s getting deep, people.

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