Becoming a Decision Maker: Amy Landino's Guide to High Performance and Personal Branding

Introduction

What truly defines a high performer in today's fast-paced world? According to three-time bestselling author and personal branding expert Amy Landino, the answer is surprisingly simple: decision-making. In a recent episode of The Nathan Newberry Podcast, Amy shared powerful insights about her entrepreneurial journey, the importance of making confident decisions, and how to build a personal brand that genuinely reflects your expertise. As the founder of a successful coaching company focused on personal branding, Amy offers a refreshing perspective on what it takes to transition from employee to entrepreneur and create a sustainable business that aligns with your life goals.

The Power of Decision Making in High Performance

According to Amy, high performance boils down to one essential skill: "I believe a high performer is a decision maker. I really think it's that simple."

Amy explains that meaningful action only follows confident decisions. When you develop certainty about your choices—whether through research, outside advice, or intuition—everything else falls into place. You begin attracting opportunities that align with your vision for the future.

The key is consistently exercising your decision-making muscle:

• Choosing the right coach
• Selecting the right courses
• Establishing effective daily habits
• Knowing when to say yes (and when to say no)

Amy's own entrepreneurial journey began with a pivotal decision. While working at a prestigious law office, she discovered a talent for social media when it was just emerging as a business tool. Though she initially lost sleep over the prospect of leaving her secure job, she recognized the opportunity and made the decision to pursue it—albeit a year later, after side-hustling to build her skills and client base.

"That decision when you feel it, it's crazy, but that was the beginning...it was like a moment of very big decision and betting on myself."

Finding Your Path in Entrepreneurship

Amy's transition from employee to entrepreneur highlights several important lessons for aspiring business owners:

The Side Hustle Reality

While side hustles provide a safety net, Amy discovered they have limitations:

• Getting taken seriously as a part-time service provider is challenging
• Client acquisition is difficult when you're only available after hours
• Building credibility requires proving yourself on multiple fronts

Amy strategically used her side hustle period to:

1. Test her business model
2. Learn to create contracts
3. Develop follow-up systems
4. Gain real-world experience as a freelancer

The Importance of Immersive Environments

A turning point in Amy's journey came when she attended her first industry conference. The experience provided:

• Validation that she was in the right field
• Exposure to thought leaders and industry experts
• Confirmation of information she'd been studying independently
• A vision for her future career as a speaker

This immersive environment helped solidify her decision to pursue entrepreneurship full-time, showing the importance of surrounding yourself with people who understand your journey.

"If you don't get that outside feedback from people who actually know what you're going through...you won't make it."

The Mindset for Success

Amy's approach to mindset reveals important insights about overcoming obstacles and maintaining clarity:

The Role of Clarity and Faith

Despite minimal external support when starting her business, Amy credits her success to:

• Unwavering clarity about her direction
• Deep faith during challenging times
• A solutions-oriented perspective

She discovered valuable wisdom in stoic philosophy through Ryan Holiday's work, particularly "The Daily Stoic," which she read every morning for three years. This practice helped her recognize that others' opinions and concerns often reflect their own projections rather than objective reality.

"So much of what we have to deal with in this world is the projection of the position that someone is in... I think that's been the biggest takeaway for me after studying stoicism."

The Action Framework

One of Amy's core teachings is her action framework, which she offers to coaching clients. The foundational principle is identifying the problem you're trying to solve:

"We're so busy trying to figure out what the next action steps are all the time that we have too many on our plate and we're doing all the things and we forget which one of those things was the most important."

She emphasizes that solutions should be simple, though not necessarily easy. By focusing on the core problems that need solving, entrepreneurs can eliminate distractions and achieve more with less effort.

Building a Personal Brand That Works

In today's crowded digital landscape, Amy offers a refreshingly direct approach to personal branding:

Be Obvious

Rather than getting caught up in the romanticized aspects of branding, Amy advocates for clarity:

"Just be obvious... Be more clear about what you do to help people and that's going to take you a long way."

She encourages creators to:

• Clearly communicate how you can be hired
• Consistently create content that promotes your expertise
• Focus on connecting with your ideal customer rather than worrying about what friends or family might think

Sustainable Business Growth

Amy has learned valuable lessons about building a team and sustainable business:

• Hire to buy back your time, not just to handle new projects
• Ensure new initiatives have a proven concept before dedicating resources
• Design your business to work around your life priorities, not the other way around

Her approach allowed her to design a business that works on outcomes rather than rigid timelines, giving her the flexibility to balance entrepreneurship with family life.

"I work on outcomes, I got my life to that point, I designed my work to be at that point so that now I can make those decisions."

Conclusion

Amy Landino's journey from employee to successful entrepreneur offers valuable insights for anyone looking to elevate their performance and build a personal brand. Her emphasis on decisive action, clear communication, and intentional business design provides a practical framework for success.

The key takeaways from her conversation with Nathan Newberry include:

1. High performance begins with confident decision-making
2. Clarity about your direction is more important than universal support
3. Focus on solving specific problems rather than taking endless action
4. Create a personal brand that makes your value obvious to your ideal clients
5. Design your business to support your life priorities

As Amy puts it, success isn't about being "cut from a different cloth" but about discovering what truly excites you and pursuing it with intention and clarity.

Ready to Improve Your Decision-Making Skills?

Follow Amy on Instagram (@schmittastic) and send her a DM with the word "action" to receive her extraordinary action framework—the same resource she offers to her coaching clients. For more free content, visit her YouTube channel at youtube.com/amtv, where she's been creating valuable resources for nearly 15 years.

What decision will you make today that moves you closer to your vision of success?