A symbiotic relationship between your personal brand and your business success
It takes more than just money to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. In fact, the days have come when you don’t need that much money to start a business venture. Claims floating around everywhere these days seemingly assure you that you can become an entrepreneur by paying as low as $0!
Yes, that’s quite a possibility today, given the plethora of opportunities and avenues available to people with business acumen. But, in reality, the entrepreneurial journey is not just about creating a business name and a logo and selling your offering to a bunch of people. You, as a business owner, will have to exude an entrepreneurial aura that spreads even to your business offerings.
Whether you are a product- or service-oriented company, none of your marketing efforts will lead you to success if you fail to create your personal brand as a business owner. 22 percent of startups fail because they employ poor marketing tactics. Some business founders expect lofty results from their smart marketing strategies but fail to pay attention to personal branding. Very few are aware of the vital role that personal branding plays in consumer engagement and, ultimately, in business success.
78 percent of 18-26 years old respondents in a May 2023 survey believed that lack of relevance is one of the main causes behind the lack of consumer engagement. The same study also revealed that 56 percent of respondents believed that it’s a lack of authenticity on the part of the business that leads to its downfall.
So, how do you make your business relevant and authentic? Well, that’s where you need to humanize your business and infuse life into it. Only a business owner who values personal branding will be able to ace it. While the smart use of brand colors and empathetic copies are powerful tools that seal high-value deals with customers, your identity as the business owner is equally important to make your business successful.
Your presence personifies and animates your business
As a business owner, you may have made the honest mistake of ignoring your own identity while being busy marketing your business. But that has to change now. Look at your business as a human—perhaps a newborn baby when you are just starting off. If you humanize your business in your vision, you will find it has some humanlike traits, like empathy, wittiness, intelligence, innovation, and many more. It’s also righteous, ethical, and value-driven, always striving for excellence.
Now, how do you convey these traits of your business to your audience? That’s where you step in as the business owner. It’s crucial to understand that the present era has ushered in revolutionary marketing strategies that go beyond print and television ads. The current era requires that a brand has a face, an identity that audiences can trust and relate to. Your personal brand becomes your personal online identity that shines the light on your business.
That’s what the current wave of influencer marketing on social media is all about. Celebrities, thought leaders, and brands are actively using social media not only to market themselves but to establish a long-lasting connection with their audience. They have successfully humanized and animated their business by being on the marketing frontier and strategically positioning themselves as experts who become aspirational models for their viewers.
A strong personal brand and business success share an inextricable relationship that emphasizes how one’s identity can become the cornerstone of one’s business venture success. Personal branding is all about owning up to what you are intrinsically as a business owner and positioning yourself in the marketplace in a way that builds credibility and trust. The qualities you exude as a business owner extend to your brand, which then enjoys a robust position in your niche and amplifies marketability.
The truth is that fake news, privacy concerns and data breaches—all features of a hyper-connected world—have complicated matters for brands and organizations wanting to win the trust of their audiences. Such information in the online space have created a culture of general distrust deep inside the psyche of people. As such, it’s obvious that their demand for authenticity, trustworthiness, and transparency would soar in our digital age.
Examples that shine out
Ever wondered why FUBU, the hip-hop apparel company, is still such a celebrated one, despite so much competition? Besides its catchy full-form, For Us, By Us, much of its continuing success has come from its founder and CEO Daymond John’s personal branding efforts. It’s been more than 30 years since he founded FUBU, but the brand has not gotten old. That’s because Daymond John did not allow it to fade away. He kept the brand’s competence with his pioneering entrepreneurship, which shows in his personal brand.
John is the founder and CEO of The Shark Group, a consulting and brand management firm. He plays a co-starring role in the reality business show on ABC Network, The Shark Tank. 100s of awards adorn his list of achievements, making him a powerful voice in the business world today. The 1.4 million followers on Instagram have come not because he posts jazzy content on his feed but because he posts deep-touching, practical, and real-world content.
An enormous number of aspiring entrepreneurs look up to Daymond John and other celebrities because these personalities have successfully branded themselves as expert coaches, gurus, and philanthropic moguls. They leveraged the power of social media to showcase their authentic business acumen and represented their brands memorably. That was enough for them to build trust, credibility, and, ultimately, a massive follower base.
Let’s give you an example of another entrepreneur whose personal branding has taken his business to incredible heights—Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group. Branson successfully laid the foundation of a multinational conglomerate that encompasses over 400 companies in various industries, such as travel, entertainment, telecommunications, and healthcare, to name a few.
Branson’s identity is synonymous with adventure, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship—something that is also reflected in the existence of his company, Virgin Group. He has cultivated a larger-than-life persona through his daring exploits, such as attempting to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon and launching commercial space travel with Virgin Galactic. His charisma, vision, and ability to disrupt traditional industries have fueled the success of his business ventures.
Quick tips to build your personal brand
Now that you understand the importance of personal branding in your business’s success, let’s quickly take you through some tips to build your personal brand.
#1 Weave a compelling story
People love to listen to stories. They love narratives that evoke emotions and strike a chord with them. To build a personal brand, you need to leverage the power of storytelling. Your personal brand story sets the tone for the narrative of your brand. It tells people who you are, what are your values, what your experiences have been, and how you would like to give back to society.
Your personal story, when expressed honestly, will make you authentic—something that will build trust and credibility not just for your business but also for you as its owner. It does not always have to be a rags-to-riches story (although there is undeniable truth in it), but it certainly should reflect your experiences with the utmost level of truth and emotional intelligence.
#2 Craft an avatar that people aspire
Let’s try to understand what aspiration really is. It’s a deep-seated desire of people to create a different life and, most importantly, be someone else. Everybody looks for a life that’s bigger than what they are currently living. The truth is, much of these emotional and psychological patterns are activated by the media people consume these days. If not impersonation, people look up to become like big-shot celebrities and personalities roving around in mercs, living in shining mansions, and influencing masses of enormous sizes on social media.
As a business owner, you need to exude qualities—personal and professional—that people out there wish to imbibe. While compelling your personal brand story, keep in mind the soft qualities, skills, expertise, and values you wish to convey to your audience. Your personal brand image and message are crucial messengers that express what you are and ultimately shape people’s perception of you. So, while creating your personal brand, you need to have solid core values that are authentic. Show your audience what you truly believe in and word your messages convincingly to strike a chord with your audience.
#3 Network and collaborate
Personal branding does not take place in silos. You will have to shine the light on your authentic personality and your expertise. To market yourself and, ultimately, your business, you need to be out there and not inside a closed room. You will have to connect with professional kindred souls—people who can learn from you and you can learn from. That’s what is going to boost brand visibility—both yours and your business’.
While networking and collaboration take place in conferences, events, and gatherings, there is a world of opportunities available online these days. Social media communities, most of which exist in great numbers on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms, are great starting points to start your personal brand. After opening your profile on these platforms, start engaging with other business owners and influencers from your niche. Make yourself and your business known to them by sharing thought leadership and engaging content that showcases your expertise and humanizes your brand.
Building a successful business in today’s competitive world requires a strong personal brand. It uplifts your business and gives it an authentic voice. To stay updated with information from the world of business and entrepreneurship, stay tuned to our Forever Mogul blog.