The book that gave me a mental breakdown – and why you should read it.

The Book That Gave Me a Mental Breakdown—And Why You SHOULD Read It.
Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley & Mike Reid (Canadian Edition)

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I wasn’t even halfway through the book before I lost my mind with helplessness. Not because it’s a bad read—quite the opposite. It’s a blueprint for success in today’s virtual economy. But the realization that everything I had been preparing for might not lead to success—or even a livable income—was confirmation I hadn’t been looking for.

What is this book about, and why should you read it?

This book breaks down how business has evolved over the last two decades. The shift is happening faster than ever, but we’re still in the early stages. There’s time to pivot—but not in the way we were raised to imagine our careers unfolding. The point isn’t to become an influencer, perse, but to become a “key person of influence”. The former feels icky and narcissistic where as a key person of influence builds authority and command in their space through thought leadership and expertise rather than attention seeking.

The book outlines the five steps to becoming a key person of influence:

1. Pitch: The art of clear, impactful communication
2. Publish: How you gain credibility and authority in your space
3. Product: The business of scaling through “elegant” ecosystems
4. Profile: Become known, liked and trusted
5. Partnerships: How to develop and sustain strategic relationships which serve everyone

The final section of the book, “Making it Happen“, walks us through the myths and mysteries of taking and sustaining the action required to … make it all happen.

Gone are the days of locked down social accounts and quietly liking or anonymously complaining online. Becoming an authority online, complete with supporters and detractors alike, is how hard workers transition from invisibly trading time for money to building a wealthy personal brand that solves problems with innovative products. Key Person of Influence is a roadmap for understanding today’s business economy, and how to thrive in it.

You have no idea how hard I tried to build a life that did not revolve around becoming an active participant online. After being home with my children for longer than we ever anticipated, restudying and trying to curate the perfect persona to achieve a corporate, career-ladder type job, I realized that everything I avoided about starting a business was completely unavoidable in this new world of LinkedIn and online interviews requesting back-end analytics and social proof of my achievements. I was going to have to play the game no matter what. After reading this book, I decided I might as well be playing it for myself.

Key Takeaways

1. Reality Check: Traditional Careers Are Dead

Ouch, right? Hard work and diligence alone won’t necessarily tip the scales in your favor. The jobs we were trained for in our factory-style school systems? They no longer exist—or they’ve been radically transformed.

2. Personal Brands Are the New Careers

My husband, as an online personality and writer, has experienced this shift firsthand. If he doesn’t stay relevant in the online space, he has no future. I saw it too—just applying for jobs meant I had to be active on LinkedIn and network constantly, just to get someone to glance at my resume among hundreds of applicants.

3. We’re Competing Globally

Your competition isn’t just the people in your city or industry. It’s everyone, everywhere.

4. Most People Consume; Few Create

While you’re scrolling, liking, and sharing, a small group of people are out there building personal brands, creating content for you to consume. And they’re pulling ahead exponentially. You need to sell your intellectual property to build wealth.

5. The Online Space is NOT Saturated

There’s room for you, too. We are still in the early days of personal branding—meaning now is the time to carve out your space.

6. The 7-11-4 Principle

To build a successful personal brand, people need to know, like, and trust you. This happens through what’s called parasocial interaction. Before people remember and engage with you, they typically consume 7 hours of your content, across 11 interactions, on 4 different platforms. For example, signing up for live workshops, watching YouTube videos, reading blog posts, following you on social media for behind the scenes and personal sentiments.

7. Trading Time for Money Won’t Make You Rich

The wealthiest people don’t get there by working hourly jobs. They build something innovative that solves real-world problems.

8. We Were Never Trained for This

The Industrial Revolution shaped our education system, producing obedient, standardized workers. It conditioned us to value sacrifice, work ethic, and stability over innovation. Promotions and salary increases kept people tied to their jobs.

But today? The most successful people are the disruptors, the creators, and the innovators—the ones using tools and resources that were once only available to big corporations.

9. Your Unique Perspective Is Your Best Asset

The thing that sets you apart—the way you see the world—is what will make you successful in this new economy.

10. You’ve Got to Play the Game

We don’t really have a choice anymore. Unless you’re buried deep in a career that AI can’t touch, building a personal brand is non-negotiable.

Find your cause. Develop a strategy. Get started.

“You’re so close to your mountain of value that you can’t even see it” – Daniel Priestley

The 5 Components of “Your Big Game” According to Priestley & Reid

1. It must be fun.
   • Fun = motivation. Games are supposed to be fun.
2. It must have rules.
   • Reaching goals within constraints and boundaries is the point of any game.
3. There must be players.
   • Top players = invested, talented teammates
4. There must be a prize.
   • How do you know you’ve reached a new level?
5. There must be a way to win.
   • What does winning look like?
6. There must be a way to lose.
   • You’ll fail, you’ll misstep. What requires perseverance, what requires strategizing?

11. Become an Author.

Document your process, become an expert over time. Publications are “relationships on steroids” according to Priestley. It’s a deep reaching parasocial interaction that will pay itself off in spades.

12. “Environment dictates performance”.

We need community and like-mindedness to help maintain momentum in something that feels new and lonely. Join groups, courses, or meetups where you can draw inspiration from the people a few steps ahead of you, and help others who are few steps behind you. Starting a conversation is the first step to building connections that can potentially catapult your business ideas.

I had a breakdown when I read the book because I really didn’t want to be forced to become so vulnerable. I needed to grieve the idea of NOT being my own boss, and let go of an idea I had for my life. I also needed to inventory and reflect on all the opportunities I had wasted, considering how this is where I ended up anyway!

See, I wanted to do a good job at something for which I’ve paid dearly to build the skills for, get paid a decent salary, and hide behind it– like our parents did! I’m not comfortable with attention, judgement and chronic use of social media. (In ways, my wedding day felt like a nightmare for this.) But I’ve realized there more ways to show up, and however things appear now, is only temporary. You can blog rather than be a socialite, you can eventually grow your team so you’re not the only contributor, you can outsource your tasks and free up your time to focus on the pieces of your business you’re either a genius at, or that you love.

This book doesn’t just tell you how the world is changing—it hands you the playbook for thriving in it. If you’re not already building your personal brand, Key Person of Influence will convince you why you need to start. Now.