What Entrepreneurship Has Taught Me About Personal Branding

What's more important? Your personal brand or company brand? What happens when you put them together?

Since starting my company 3 and half years ago, I have learned many important lessons – few are more significant than the following:

I’ve learned that the entrepreneur’s personal brand is just as important, if not more important, than the brand of the company he or she is building.  In fact, they are inseparable, especially in early-stage startups.

You may be able to debate this statement and claim that a strong company brand should transcend any one person’s brand.  You could even point out that most can’t name the founders of many great companies.  Also, you may be able to say that if the entrepreneur’s personal brand is as strong as or stronger than the company brand, it will be difficult for the entrepreneur to one day separate themselves from the company through sale or retirement.  These are all valid points – but I am going to explain why, especially in early stage start-ups, that the entrepreneur’s personal brand is tremendously important for the success of the company and establishment and longevity of the company brand.

People Buy From a Person, Not a Company

As we go through the painstaking task of finding and hiring a solid group of sales reps for Sand Shack’s products, I have to constantly remind myself that no matter how good our products are, store owners buy from the salesperson, not the company – therefore, it is important to make sure that the people we hire are friendly and likable.  And although I love the products my company sells, I have been told multiple times by some of my larger accounts that they buy from me because they like me, and that if I get somebody to replace me as their sales rep they may not buy from Sand Shack anymore!  Because an entrepreneur is usually the company’s most prominent spokesperson or salesperson, it is important that the entrepreneur’s personal brand is likable – because a company’s early success is based largely on people buying into the entrepreneur, not the company (especially for companies with less than innovative products).

Your Personal Brand Attracts and Retains Talent

It may be difficult to attract and retain talent when you are a small company, and it is even harder if you have a crappy personal brand.  Luckily, if you have a solid personal brand you are much more likely to attract and retain top talent without having to offer them a high salary.  In fact, attracting and retaining top talent is one of the most important things your personal brand can accomplish.  I have been lucky enough to hire and work with a group of very talented people, and although they may read this I will still say that I believe one of the main reasons I have been able to attract them to Sand Shack and not have to pay them too much is that they respect and admire my personal brand (enough bragging already ☺).

The Company Brand and Culture Reflects Your Personal Brand

Just as your personal brand influences your employees, your personal brand is what shapes your company’s culture and brand.  Many times, an entrepreneur’s company has a mission, culture, and brand that is a replica of their own personality.  For instance, Sand Shack’s mission is to protect and conserve our world’s oceans – this is something I am very passionate about.  Growing up, I studied and raised countless species of fishes and at one point had over 30 fish tanks in my room.  Sand Shack has allowed me to leverage and express my love and desire to protect the oceans by organizing and hosting ocean conservation events in addition to donating 5% of our proceeds to the movement.  This mission is not only having a positive impact on our environment, it is shaping the Sand Shack brand – and increasing business due to the associated ‘goodness’ the mission entails.  But the Sand Shack brand would not be associated with this cause had it not been for my personal interests.

The Media Focuses on the Entrepreneur’s Story More Than the Company Story

Any press coverage Sand Shack has received has begun with my story.  My favorite story lead about Sand Shack goes, “He’s the Jacque Cousteau of the fashion world…” This illustrates the importance of my personal brand in relation to the company brand. The press has deemed my story a more appropriate focus for their articles than my company brand.  Reason being? People like to read about people – we would much rather read human-interest stories as apposed to faceless stories about a company.  The lesson I’ve learned from this that you are more likely to get press attention by pitching your personal brand and story than you would by pitching your company’s brand or story.

To wrap things up, I’d like to write a few sentences for those of you who may not know my company or me.

I started Sand Shack after my freshman year in college in 2006 and have since grown it into the most prominent ocean-friendly fashion company in the United States.  Sand Shack products are sold in nearly 200 stores across 25 states.  As for my personal brand, it is growing just as fast, if not faster than the Sand Shack brand.  Recently, I have been able to leverage my skill sets and position myself as a leader in the blue movement, gaining media attention and speaking gigs across the east coast.  As a result of the growth my personal brand has experienced, my company brand has experienced residual growth.  But the catch is that my personal brand relies on the success of my company brand and my company’s brand largely relies on the success of my personal brand.

If you’re an entrepreneur, what have you learned about personal branding through entrepreneurship?