An Interview with The Modest Man: Brock McGoff

Firstly, can you introduce yourself?

My name is Brock McGoff, and I run The Modest Man, a style blog and YouTube channel dedicating to helping men dress well and feel confident, with a special emphasis on the shorter build.

What does a typical day in your week look like?

I spend most days in my home office/studio, either creating content or working on the back end of a digital media business.

This might mean writing a video script, filming b-roll for a product review, being interviewed on a podcast, answering a bunch of emails from readers and brands, responding to YouTube comments, and checking in with my team of freelancers on Trello.

Pre-lockdown, some days would involve meeting up with other content creators to take pics around the city, something I look forward to doing again!

What is one of your wardrobe essentials?

For footwear, my one staple is easily the minimal leather sneaker (preferably white or off white). I wear these more than any other type of shoe. For tops, I like solid color crew neck tees and casual button up shirts (think a navy cotton tee or medium grey OCBD).

When it's cool outside, I really like the quilted vest as a middle layer, worn under medium weight outerwear like leather and field jackets.

If I had to pick one pair of pants to wear forever, it would be a pair of casual olive green chinos.

What inspired you to create The Modest Man? Was it something you planned for a long time?

I was a combination of two interests that just happened to be growing at the same time in my life (mid-20s): dressing better and being my own boss.

I was working in corporate America and not loving the 9-to-5 grind. I also realized that I wasn't dressed very well and looked really young for my age, a combo that wasn't helping at the office (or out on the town).

So I started learning about online business and started trying to improve my appearance. I realized that my height made it particularly hard to dress well because most clothes didn't fit well.

I figured if I was struggling with this, other men probably were too. So I started documenting my experience and learnings on themodestman.com. It got some traction and eventually became something I could do full time.

One of the struggles short men have is choosing the right clothes that fit them and match their style. How do you select the clothes that will match your style and fit perfectly?

You definitely have to find brands that work for your build, but the real answer is finding a tailor you can trust. Even with custom clothing, chances are you're going to need some basic alterations for at least 50% of the clothes you buy (if not more).

These aren't too expensive and are well worth the money. I honestly think that tailoring is one major difference between guys who dress really well and guys who don't (regardless of height).

You can also use color to your advantage. Dark, solid colors, small scale patterns and low contrast outfits will always be flattering, especially if you want to look as tall and lean as possible.

But most importantly, just make sure your clothes fit properly. Go to the tailor!

What are the three best tips you can give to people who wanted to be more confident especially with how and what they wear?

You can't will confidence out of nowhere. People are quick to say "be more confident" but never actually give you specific ways to do that.

Confidence is a byproduct of action. It happens when you trust yourself.

If you want more confidence, start dressing better (it will be uncomfortable for a while, but that passes quickly).

Do something physical like martial arts, dance or weightlifting. Trust me...this is a huge confidence producer.

Go to Toast Masters and speak in front of people.

Read more. Fiction, self-help, nonfiction, whatever.

All of these things will feel very uncomfortable at first, but they will make you feel more confident. I promise!

What would you say is the greatest satisfaction of being an influencer?

I don't really consider myself an "influencer". I look at TMM as a small digital media business. I run the business, but my job is largely empowering other people to produce high quality, helpful and entertaining content (and, of course, I produce some of this content too).

The biggest benefit of being self-employed or running a small business is time freedom. It's not about working less. It's about working when and where you want to.

And lastly, some words for your fans and our readers out there who aspire to be an influencer like you!

Don't do it for fame. Don't do it for money. It takes a LONG time and LOTS of work to build any sort of significant audience online, so make sure you have a very powerful motivation/reason for wanting to do it.

It's going to take longer than you think, and it's going to be hard, so you need staying power.

Also, don't create "me too" content. Try to niche down or do something unique. It's more competitive than ever right now, but it's also easier than ever to grow quickly.

My best advice is to just start...like, now.