The Developer’s Guide to Building a Personal Brand with Corey House
The Developer as the Product: Cory House on Building a Personal Brand in Tech 🚀
In this engaging episode of Product Driven, host Matt Watson reconnects with long-time colleague Cory House, a renowned React consultant, Pluralsight author, and software development thought leader. They explore the fascinating journey of building a personal brand in technology. Cory shares his evolution from full-time developer to independent consultant and how he leveraged content creation, conference speaking, and specialized expertise to create a sustainable business.
Cory reveals how narrowing his focus to become a React specialist dramatically increased client inquiries, and shares practical advice on risk management for those considering the independent path. He emphasizes the importance of building your reputation and client base before making the leap to independence, noting that true independence requires intentional preparation rather than impulsive decisions.
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Connect with Cory House:
Twitter/X: @housecor
Website: https://reactjsconsulting.com
Courses: https://pluralsight.com/authors/cory-house
Key Discussion Points:
The incremental path to independence: building a side business while maintaining full-time employment
Specialized marketing strategies that generated client opportunities without traditional advertising
Balancing work, personal time, and productivity as an independent consultant
The power of consistent content creation and reputation-building in technical fields
Strategic specialization and how to navigate technology trends without getting trapped
Episode Chapters:
00:01 - Introduction and Background
01:16 - The Beginning of Cory's Consulting Journey
03:12 - Balancing Personal Time and Productivity
04:51 - Building a Reputation Through Speaking and Content
07:23 - The Path from Social Anxiety to Public Speaking
09:33 - The Long Game of Building a Personal Brand
11:27 - From Side Business to Full Independence
14:22 - The Transition to Full-Time Independence
16:45 - Finding Clients and Managing Risk
18:47 - Content Marketing as a Business Strategy
21:00 - Finding Focus and Audience on Social Media
23:41 - Technology Specialization and Future Trends
27:54 - The Flexibility of Software Development Skills
29:17 - Single Page Applications and Technology Trends
31:42 - Where to Find Cory Online
Discover the strategies that transformed Cory from a developer with anxiety about public speaking to a globally recognized technology consultant who's worked with 75 companies over the past decade. A must-listen for developers considering independence or looking to strengthen their personal brand in the technology space!
