5 quick lessons on personal branding every startup founder should know

Photo credit: Gabriel Alva.

As the editor-in-chief at Ikiguide, I sometimes get questions from startup founders about whether they should invest their limited time into building their personal brand. Should they contribute to fireside talks in schools, make media appearances, or start showing up in networking events?

These are valid concerns. But first, what is personal branding?

In our company, we define this as “superior skills made aspirational.” The logic behind this definition is intuitive. Before any startup founder invests in personal branding, he or she needs to know what he or she does better vis-a-vis the average person. The aspirational element in this definition also suggests that the branding will inspire a sense of awe and respect from the audience.

The personal brand of a startup founder should be done with an end goal in mind, that is to generate public interest toward the company and subsequently drive sales/investment. Realistically, this means that the founder’s personal brand can be measured through the startup’s revenue.

So, here are five things that entrepreneurs should know about personal branding:

1. Your personal brand puts a face to your startup

When we mention Apple, we think of Steve Jobs. When we mention Nike, we think of Michael Jordan. When we mention Facebook, we think of Mark Zuckerberg. These associations illustrate the power of personal branding.

When a startup founder invests in his personal brand, his corporate brand is humanized. The audience starts to associate a human face with the company and therefore recalls the brand more easily. Boosting a brand’s visibility this way can help a startup stand out.

2. Establish a decent product or service before doing personal branding

If your product or service is substandard, you’re at risk of being associated with the inferior quality of what you’re selling.

Remember, investing in strengthening your personal brand will only amplify whatever good or bad you have in your product or service. If your product is good, more people will come to know you and your excellent product, and they will rave about it through word of mouth. If your product or service is disappointing, the opposite will happen. In this case, your personal branding might just harm your company.

3. Know your ‘why’ and tell a good and authentic story

According to Simon Sinek, talking about “why” you do certain things will trigger parts of the brain that inspire decision making and loyalty. This part of the brain is not triggered when you talk about the “what” and the “how.”

Therefore, always make it a point to incorporate your “why” in media interviews. Talk to the audience about why you started your company. Tell them what motivates you when the going gets tough. Create meaning for them.

4. Increased positive attention on the founder is not necessarily the best outcome for startups

Not all positive attention on the founder’s personal brand is necessarily good for a startup.

One case study is Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal Inc. There was a negative correlation between Sophia’s fame and the financial performance of her company. In 2015, she stepped down as CEO of Nasty Gal to focus on the products from her personal branding efforts, but the company’s performance went downhill.

5. A strong personal brand lasts forever, while 95% of startup might fail