Can a business owner's personal brand become the primary battery for moving forward?

On the one hand, your business will look more credible if you back it up with a strong personal brand. On the other hand, not everyone is comfortable being a frontman.

It is believed that in order to develop a personal branding campaign, you need to have a big ego, say, like Donald Trump. Or extreme perfectionism, like Steve Jobs. Or even a crazy lifestyle like Richard Branson.

Today I will tell you why this is not the case and why business owners need to develop as a brand not only their company, but also themselves.

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Business has changed

Even 10 years ago, no one would have thought that thanks to the Internet and social media, the line between companies and personal brands would become so blurred.

Those were the rules. The business looked professional and was created only in ties. At work, it was forbidden to show emotions, and everything said that it was better to leave your personal brand outside the door.

And today, whether you like it or not, they will talk about you. And you won't be able to hide behind the company logo for a long time. Do you work in B2B? Forget this acronym. Companies are nothing more than groups of people. Therefore, business does not work with business - it is people who work with people.

Now imagine that you are going to do business with a new person. Where do you start? Is it because you will try to find out more information about him?

All people do the same, and the fact is that you won't get a second chance to make a good first impression. Especially if you remember that today the first impression of you begins to form as soon as your name is typed into the Google search bar.

Therefore, I will now name the first 3 reasons why your personal brand will seriously help your new (or existing) business:

1. You Demonstrate Authority

Give people useful content. Share your achievements and successes, show what you are inspired by and what you have learned. Finally, talk about your failures.

Everyone is wrong, so show that you are a living person. People will appreciate this boldness, and your brand will become closer to the consumer.

And the next time they hear about you or your business, they will not stop perceiving you as “one of the masses”. And it will be much easier for you to get clients.

2. You are laying the foundation

If people trust you as an individual, they will support you in any endeavor. So when a celebrity opens a restaurant, there is usually no problem with customers.

You, too, can be a celebrity at your level. Start a blog, connect with people, gather an audience, encourage the creation of user-generated content and its distribution ... And at the right time "X" you will already have your first clients and a wide circle of those who heard about you from friends or colleagues.

What's more, having a strong personal online presence increases your chances of attracting new business partners, investors, and employees.

3. You are investing in the future

Sooner or later, the time will come when you become a well-known guru. You will be asked for advice and invited to speak.

Your personal brand will become the platform for all new communications.

Role model for insiders, brand for others

Your personality serves not only as a quality assurance for customers, but also as a model for your team.

It doesn't matter how many people work for you - 3 or 3000. Your task is to make them all understand your mission and work towards the same goal.

You will have your own method of how to achieve this. You may have to toss a single iPod prototype in an aquarium to show its imperfection, as Steve Jobs did. Perhaps you will personally go to the quarry to select the very best marble for your building, like Donald Trump. Or maybe you want to break the world record on a sailing yacht to keep your crew motivated like Richard Branson.

This awaits you in the future. Now make it so that the next client, having googled your name, understands that it is possible to work with you.

Questions to answer yourself when building your personal brand

1. Who do you want to be known? What's the easiest way to describe your personal brand? Who are you - marketer, artist, developer? Try to find a word or phrase that best describes you.

2. How are you different from others? Don't think you're the only one who knows how to set up contextual and targeted ads / defend clients in court / collect furniture, etc. But you can find the traits that make you unique anyway. Experience, history, difficulties, a gold medal at school ... What sets you apart from the crowd?

3. Why would someone want to work with you or be friends with you? How can you help? What to teach? What to give?

4. What does your inner voice say? What doesn't he like? What would you like to change in the world? What are your values?

5. What makes you happy? What are you willing to work for? Why would people want to join you and follow you?

These questions will help you define the foundation of your personal brand. Or are you still not sure if you need it? When is this - google your name right now.

Didn't find anything? Why?

Wasn't that you doing the Forbes interview last month?

I guess I missed ...

But don't be discouraged. You start from scratch. If your new video cannot reach your desired popularity, buy YouTube views.