‘Guru, Inc.: Win in the Creator Economy, Build an Iconic Brand, and Become the Go-To Authority in Your Niche’ is a hardcover book by AJ Kumar with a foreword by Neil Patel. It gets published on February 24, 2026, by Matt Holt Books (256 pages).
Kumar, a digital marketing specialist since 2011, co-founded Single Grain – an agency that served clients such as Salesforce and Airbnb – and now focuses on helping experts create personality-driven media companies.
He draws from his background around spiritual gurus, collaborations with TV personalities, and work scaling million-dollar personal brands.
The book targets experts, creators, and professionals who possess deep knowledge but struggle to gain visibility and default recognition in their field. It addresses the shift from skill improvement to perception management in social media-driven attention economies.
No reader reviews exist yet, as the release date remains in the future. Pre-order information appears on Amazon, Simon & Schuster, and the author’s site (ajkumar.com).
What You Will Learn
You will learn frameworks to elevate beyond typical expert levels and achieve guru status in your niche. The book introduces the Guru Ladder, which identifies plateaus most experts face at Level 3 and maps steps to higher recognition.
You will explore three strategic moves that position you as the default name people recall for specific problems. Kumar explains Return on Attention Created (ROAC), a metric to evaluate content impact beyond views.
You will study the Personal Media Company Model, which treats social channels like a television network to produce binge-worthy material.
Additional topics cover the hidden triggers of virality through emotional resonance and scroll-stopping techniques, plus methods to overcome the Virus of Limited Thinking (VOLT) that confines many to obscurity.
The core emphasis rests on an internal mindset change – deciding you belong at the top – rather than relying on algorithms or volume posting. This approach will suit you if you aim to convert attention into sustained influence, trust, and income streams.
Our Key Takeaways:
Guru, Inc. explains why visibility and mental ownership matter more than raw expertise in today’s creator landscape. It provides concrete tools for experts to build iconic personal brands.
- The core message centers on shifting from skill mastery to perception mastery, so your niche automatically links to you.
- The book directs itself to knowledgeable professionals and creators ready to operate their presence like a media company.
- It is worth reading this book to understand systematic ways to command respect and attention without depending on luck or louder promotion.
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