Make that Total One Eighty in style
SOMETIMES, ALL it takes is the right style to make a difference, changing your game from distress to success in no time. But don’t take my word for it: meet Daniel Edwards. This sales-style savvy businessman has been riding on that rise-and-fall roller coaster in his own life, and has made it his mission to share the highs and lows with other gentlemen of the world with Total One Eighty. Since embarking on this exciting journey, he has gone on to create waves with the introduction of Total One Eighty via YouTube.
Total One Eighty on YouTube is Jamaica’s and the Caribbean’s first and only personal branding channel of its kind for men. According to Edwards, his reason for starting this channel is simple: we live in a social-media-driven
world, where people are shying away from television and getting most of their information from social media and video content from YouTube. “Studies have shown that interactive videos are the most powerful tools for marketing. I also enjoy doing the videos; it gives me an opportunity to showcase my personality and drive home the most effective points I am trying to make,” he added.
The founder and owner seeks to spread his bountiful knowledge through four main pillars: style, grooming, wellness, and lifestyle – it also includes personal development and miscellaneous stuff that appeal to men generally such as test-driving cars, discussing food destinations, and, of course, sports. “The overarching theme is ‘transformation and aspiration’. It has been said that for a brand to be successful, it has to be aspirational, not motivational. It can’t be boring: it has to be sexy, it has to be glamorous, it has to have that packaged appeal.”
Some of the videos released thus far range from how to make an inexpensive suit look expensive, wardrobe must-haves for men, what to do after you buy an ‘offthe-rack’ suit, best dressed men in Jamaica, to how to lose a sale, ways to know if you are in financial slavery, Porsche shopping in Jamaica, and many more. “Interestingly, half of our viewership is female so a lot of the content isn’t gender specific. But it is for men, we need something for us: the women can level up to us,” he revealed.
EXCITING JOURNEY
The journey, thus far, he says, has been exciting. It has shown Edwards how much can be done with very little resources. The channel got its start with the use of a smartphone, an inexpensive lighting kit, and the support of a small team: producer Nickel Rhoden-Haynes, Matthew Morrison, and Brian Lawrence, “These editors have been doing it free of cost because they see the vision in the company,” Edwards highlighted.
Getting persons to take it seriously and sourcing editors to come on board have been two of the obstacles faced in this process. Amassing tons of content from last year, Edwards didn’t get a break until August this year, when an editor jumped aboard the style ship, and it has gained traction since then. Other challenges were creating videos that looked good, going through a long learning curve of getting the delivery right, building confidence along the way, and overcoming that fear of putting yourself out there to the world. “The naysayer from within questioned everything. But as we got deeper into the process, the negative voice quieted and we came out with something amazing. Growth is really jumping out of your comfort zone and trying new things.”
Next up is, hopefully, turning the channel into a television programme. Already, a television network has shown interest in bringing the concept mainstream and seeing how that market will receive it. Also, he would like to use the brand as a promotional tool for the core arm of his business – workshops and events. He has renamed the ‘dressing for success’ workshop, ‘Brand new, brand you’. He aspires through this medium to put back the men in mentorship, sharing life lessons in his informative, engaging, and entertaining videos.
His advice to men wanting to step out of the box and pursue their passion, “Identify your real gifts: those you do best with the least amount of efforts. Sometimes we’re chasing dreams because they are hinged on external results like fame, fortune, and money. But if we are to harness our dreams, they require back-breaking grind, fuelled by passion, to take us to super stardom.”
Check out Total One Eighty’s YouTube channel for more information.