March 28, 2025
Do you have an entrepreneurial streak? If you’re reading this, the answer is most likely an emphatic ‘yes’ – if only for the fact that you have the drive to look beyond your present abilities in search of business success. You join a vibrant society of engaged, driven business leaders, all of whom seek powerful advantage in prime industries; no matter your own industry, you’ll find a great deal of power locked away in your personal brand.
But what is a personal brand? How do you build it? And how exactly can it be beneficial for you as the founder of a new start-up business, irrespective of industry? All this and more will be answered in the following, as we get to grips with the ins and outs of personality as startup-brand superpower.
Let’s start, then, at the beginning: what exactly is a personal brand? Put simply, your personal brand is you, in any and every professional context. The ‘you’ that prospective clients and collaborators meet; the ‘you’ that’s quoted in your startup’s mission statement; the ‘you’ that presents your product on your business’ Instagram page.
Your personal brand is the form you take as an individual steering your startup, and crucial to a great many things – from the simple selling of your product or service to your long-term commercial and professional viability. And it’s high time you paid proper attention to it.
In today’s business landscape, people are not just buying products – they’re buying stories, they’re buying alignment with values, and more often than not, they’re buying into the people behind the brand. That’s why your personal brand, while perhaps not your top priority when launching a startup, should quickly rise to the surface.
A strong personal brand sets the tone for your business. It helps communicate your vision more clearly, adds authenticity to your marketing, and can differentiate you in a crowded market. If two products are identical, customers will always lean toward the brand whose founder they trust, like, or find interesting. That’s the power of cultivating your identity as part of your business’ fabric.
Now, it’s easy to think that your personal brand takes care of itself, especially if you allow yourself to believe it is just ‘you being you’. Your personal brand is a projection, and one which clients and customers will take away with them; as such, you need to be sure that you are projecting the right values and facets of yourself, lest a perception you can’t control take root with your audience.
Establishing a clear personal brand, then, begins with introspection. Start with identifying your core values and unique skills – and don’t marry them to the product or service you currently offer. You may be, in some senses, an extension of your startup, but don’t make your personal brand an avenue of free advertising! Here, you’re advertising you, as a fundamentally valuable human being to know, to collaborate with or to fund. Self-awareness is crucial, though – authentic branding wins out over anything, as you will discover in other areas of your business.
Ask yourself: what drives you? What do you stand for? What do people naturally come to you for, and what do you want to be known for? These questions aren’t just philosophical. They shape the foundation of your content, your networking choices, and your reputation. Personal branding isn’t about creating a persona from scratch – it’s about refining and amplifying the most resonant parts of who you already are.
Also, consistency matters. If your online presence is warm and approachable, but your in-person interactions are cold or inconsistent, you create confusion. The goal is to deliver the same sense of integrity, passion, and professionalism across every touchpoint, from LinkedIn posts to industry panels.
With the fundaments of your personal brand understood, it is time to build an active and engaged following using it. Active and genuine engagement with your audience fosters trust, and builds a loyal community – wherever you engage.
Social media is, of course, the dominant area in which you might build this influence, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box. If you value personal and professional development as a core aspect of your brand, then hosting free networking sessions with refreshments at your office or local workspace may be an excellent way to physicalise your brand, and bring more into your audience both actively and passively.
Consider writing blog posts or guest articles that reflect your perspective on business or industry trends. Join Twitter (or X) chats, engage with other founders, and don’t shy away from showing some vulnerability. Sharing lessons learned from failures or behind-the-scenes insights can be incredibly powerful in humanising your brand.
Community is also built through listening. Reply to comments, answer DMs (within reason), and acknowledge your audience. You don’t need to have thousands of followers to make an impact – sometimes, a small but deeply engaged group is all you need to spark real growth.
Finally, some active approaches to proliferating your personal brand are a great way to supercharge your professional star power. Strategic PR efforts and networking can significantly enhance your visibility, here – especially with participation in high-profile industry events, or private-booking speaking engagements.
PR doesn’t need to be limited to media coverage in national outlets – it can also mean guesting on relevant podcasts, being featured in newsletters, or contributing commentary on current events in your sector. Pitching yourself as an expert doesn’t require you to have all the answers – it just requires clarity, confidence, and a point of view.
Networking, too, is more than trading business cards. It's about cultivating meaningful relationships that evolve over time. Attend conferences not just to speak, but to learn and listen. Follow up with contacts. Collaborate with peers. Over time, these efforts pay dividends as your personal brand becomes synonymous with credibility, consistency, and connection.
