Rookie Mistake: Ignoring the Person Behind Your Brand – YOU!

Reputation is important in the marketplace. Whether you’re a consultant, coach, freelancer, expert or small business owner, I don’t have to tell you that.

Companies like Google, Apple, Tesla, Amazon and Virgin spend millions on managing their brands and therefore their reputations.

Now tell me something: do you know who founded these companies?

I’m guessing you do. At the very least, you know a little about the personalities or vision behind the brand. (If you’re not familiar with them, it’s not because they’re not successful – it’s because you’re not their target audience!)

Whether they actively put themselves out there from the start, or inspired a following through doing amazing work, the people behind these companies are very much part of the brands.

Building your company’s brand is essential – we all agree on that – but you also need to build your personal brand.

Why do you, the business owner, matter?

It’s tempting to stay behind the scenes, but you’d be doing yourself and your clients a big disservice.

Here’s why:

People want to do business with other people. They want to know WHO is behind the service or product and what that person stands for.

We are no longer talking B2B or B2C. There is only one type of business today: H2H (human-to-human).

It’s a mistake to build your company’s brand without any kind of personal voice. Your brand story and the company brand story are not exactly the same, but they do overlap. After all, YOU are the voice and visionary behind your company brand. You shape the brand culture and lead your staff (your brand champions).

By proactively building your personal brand – rather than staying anonymous or waiting to be known “when your business does well” – you can create momentum for your company’s brand today.

So how do you go about building your personal brand?

You may not have the millions those big names have, but there’s something you do have: no matter what you sell (products or services), you are the EXPERT in your field!

So start building your personal brand by sharing your expertise, whether you’re a business coach or selling shoes or household heating.

Today Tooliers is the premier online platform with high-end accessible business growth solutions. But no one bought anything until I showed my face.

It’s only when I started to put myself in front of my potential clients that they started to buy. And by “in front”, I don’t mean literally.

I wrote a book, Shortcut to Business Success, which made as Amazon Best Seller within a week of its launch in London, and now became the Business Unlimited Collection (7 Volumes). Many of my efforts were also online. I wrote blog posts and created videos and webinars that explained my vision and showed I knew what I was doing; that I really could help small business owners accelerate their profits and live their dreams.

The big Tooliers launch achieved very little, but being voted as one of the “Top 100 Women in Tech in Silicon Valley” (a milestone for my personal brand) brought plenty of sales!

The best part?

Personal branding is cheaper and easier than company branding and the two work hand-in-hand to accelerate your success.

I strongly suggest you build your personal brand online – write blogs, build up your YouTube channel, revisit your LinkedIn profile and SHARE your knowledge with your potential clients. You also want people to find great info when they google you! (And if you’re thinking “I don’t have the necessary expertise” or “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t like the limelight”, read my response here.)

I wish somebody had told me this 10 years ago. I wouldn’t have spent so much of my budget on trying to convince the world that Tooliers is better than Apple or Accenture!

Watch my lecture at Cass Business School, London NOW to discover more about how personal branding can fast track your business profitability and growth.

How are you building your personal brand? What success has it brought your business? If you’re reluctant to build your personal brand, what stops you?