Many young parents don’t think like I do. And why would they? What I’m about to recommend will probably seem crazy to most.
As an expectant father living in the digital age, I’ve deliberately pre-planned my way into ensuring that my future children have an easily identifiable personal brand. Perhaps I’ve thought about it too much, and therein lies the contrarian’s concerns, but I refuse to accept that this type of stuff isn’t going to be even more important in the future.
I think of a personal brand online much like a birth certificate. They are both assets that determines a person’s presence. A website, for example, is an undeniable way for other humans to find out who you are. This includes, but should not be limited to, your social media profiles.
By developing a domain name, a logo, a website, and squatting on my children’s names across the most important social networks, I’m ensuring that they will be found and recognized globally under their given names. How important will that be as us parents continue to recycle the same “unique” names over time? I start to feel bad for those that won’t have the same online presence.
I’m expecting twins next month, and I’m posting this for a few reasons:
- Is what I did for my own children a marketable service? Would parents-to-be that are less web savvy pay for someone to build their kids’ online futures? I’m slowly convincing myself to launch this service to help others. I’m currently seeking validation of this hypothesis.
- I’m stressing the importance of the digital footprint in today’s society. By developing these assets for my children, I’m giving them the ultimate gift. I’m giving them an opportunity to create something – to build on top of the foundation that I built – to evolve alongside the web, and always test out their ideas.
We’re living in a creator’s world – and I firmly believe it is becoming a parent’s duty to provide their children with the paint, brush, and canvas needed to create something beautiful with their lives.
I invite you to follow @asherwildelenz and @birdiejameslenz along for their lifelong journey. Most of all, wish me luck on my own venture into fatherhood – the most important job I’ll ever have.