Paul C. Brunson reconnects family with Jamaican roots

Entrepreneur and television host Paul C. Brunson took the JMMB Elevate 5.0 stage four years after his first appearance with renewed vigour. He started out his presentation in a reflective mood, sharing a speech that his uncle had shared with him on his visit to the United States. From there, the guest speaker used his own experiences to share five life lessons that have helped to build and monetise his personal brand. On this visit, however, he was not alone.

Here on the journey were his lovely wife, Jill, and their two children, Liam and Kingston. The three played an integral in the first lesson he imparted to his eager audience: learning to kill the zombies in your life.

Since new moments create memories, his story began with a train ride. Out with the family inspired the scenario of a zombie slaying. What would his family do if he turned into a zombie? While his wife and older son, Kingston, said that they would find ways to keep him and save him, if he had in fact turned into a zombie, his younger son, Liam, told him candidly and honestly, that he would kill him.

All emotions aside, Brunson said that Liam made the right choice. That led to a journey of slaying the zombies that are blocking you from your dreams and your goals. Sometimes that zombie is the belief that you aren’t qualified enough for your own dreams.

“Everyone has a brand, but you may not know it. So kill the zombie, and by zombie I mean the tendency to overanalyse. You already possess everything you need to get to the next level, so execute,” he said.

He went on to explain that your brand is whatever people say about you when you have left the room. “It’s important for you to know that you have some ownership over that. And every opportunity comes through our personal brand.”

Other lessons included putting out consistent content to a target audience of those who share and elevate your interests. He said that you don’t necessarily have to have the skill to succeed per se. It’s about having the confidence in what you do. He encouraged others to know their avatar and build trust with them as well as knowing you have a place in a prestigious company of trendy and upscale locations like the Delano Hotel.

The world had certainly changed since the last time he was in Jamaica. “The pandemic impacted everyone around the world. But what it did mainly is it increased the desire to become a content creator. It was only through social platforms that we were able to communicate, build brands, and establish a network,” he shared. So this was a silver lining from a content creator’s standpoint.

Already familiar with this new world, he believes that Jamaica produces some of the best content creators in the world, making this a big win for the nation.“We are best equipped to leverage the new technological wave that is happening,” he added.

Brunson was also excited to be returning to Jamaica this time around with his family by his side, “It has definitely been emotional. We always travel together. And I wanted to make sure they know where they’re from. What I love is that they’re excited. They think Jamaica is the coolest place on Earth.”

He says 2023 will be his biggest year yet.

JMMB’s signature financial empowerment conference, Elevate 5.0 was held at the AC Hotel Kingston on Saturday. Other speakers included media personality, entrepreneur and community builder Dr Terri-Karelle Reid; Money Coach Anna Palomino; Keisha Bailey, financial strategist and founder of Profit Jumpstarter; David Rose, business journalist; Peter Thompson, group chief investment manager at JMMB and Camille Steer, senior corporate manager, fund services at JMMB.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com