Your 'Personal brand' is your reputation

To be honest, it's not hard to get sick of hearing people talk about ‘personal branding.’ Let’s not think of it as a brand, let’s understand it as your reputation.

That reputation manifests heavily into your success as an entrepreneur, especially at securing other people’s money. And a reputation isn’t something ‘artificial,’ it is something authentic that results from what you are and what you do. But, is it attractive to investors?

At an entrepreneur event at Kennesaw State University with Daymond John, founder of FUBU and a regular on ABC’s SharkTank, He said that the ‘sharks’ of the show don’t buy ideas—they buy the people behind the ideas.

That’s why you see perfectly nice people with often great ideas walk away with nothing. They don’t project the right brand—the brand of a person who has lots more amazing ideas itching to get to market. So let’s talk about what your brand means in the context of marketing it to investors.

The personal brand investors look for is one whose main strongpoint is innovation and leadership. Your reputation likely includes character attributes like integrity and tenacity, but for an investor, they want to see whether you have ‘entrepreneurial DNA.’

Investors are interested in where you’ve been, where you’re going and how big you can be. Your reputation or ‘brand’ will determine whether a prospective investor wants to have a second meeting with you. Your personal brand is the collateral you work with and offer.

Leadership and professional associations are important to building a brand that is attractive to people that will invest in you. Being a member of the downtown Chamber of Commerce and participating in Toastmasters or a local charity can make you visible to local bankers or angel investors who can help you become a large, successful local business.

However, if you want bigger opportunities—a regional, national or global player, one that will be calling on NewYork investment firms—those kind of people buy into innovators who have already begun building credibility, influence and charisma on a larger platform.

So it is very important to realise that your personal brand, in essence, is your reputation and how you manage it can affect your business, and the potential opportunities available, either positively or negatively.