6 Things I Wish I'd Known 20 Years Ago

5. What I wish I had known about the message: Messengers matter. We can have a stellar message, but if you have the wrong messenger, it won't matter. We're in an era where faith in traditional spokespeople and marketers is at a historic low, so people are turning to trusted friends, family, independent authorities and peers for their recommendations. That means we're best off with messengers other than ourselves. Who can speak for us? What champions, leaders or community members can reach out on our behalf? They matter more than our own words.