Personal branding: Leading with your passions & engaging with authenticity

When I began to develop my ideals as a freelancer over a decade ago, my goal was to let my work speak for itself. I thought all I needed was a fancy logo. I didn’t think that people needed to know the person behind the logo. I was weary of self-packaging, self-marketing, self-promotion, or self-anything for that matter because I thought I would have to serve my person and my personal life on a platter, for public consumption. Overexposure has never been an aspiration for me. So naturally, if branding myself to sell my business meant putting myself out there with constant selfies and photoshoots showcasing my person and what I am up to, I will genuinely struggle. Instead, I focussed on delivering business with heart and tried to hide behind testimonials. If potential clients were being told that the work is good, what else do they need to know?

One day in a discovery consultation with a client who is also very protective of her personal life, I was forced to reflect on this from a more critical standpoint. Regardless of what my personal views or reservations are, I was now being paid by a client who was trusting and relying on me to help her put her best foot forward. She was so protective that as we discussed her brand identity and visuals for her website, she insisted that she didn’t want any pictures of herself on it and that she would rather have images of her work take the lead.

There are people who genuinely enjoy sharing every aspect of their personal lives and that works for them. But those who do not should never feel pressured into doing so if it doesn’t feel authentic to them. It is a lot harder to maximise reach and engagement if potential customers can see through you and recognise that your approach to branding and marketing is forced. No one should ever feel like the success of their business is compromised because they want to keep their personal lives private. However, before deciding on a route to take, you need to be clear about whether your reluctance to forge ahead with a personal brand is valid, or whether the thought of it just leaves you feeling vulnerable.

For that very special client of mine, it was my job to help her bridge the gap and find ways to lead with her passions, and inject her personality without compromising her authenticity or sharing what is too personal to her. So she did end up having pictures of herself on her website. But they were mostly pictures of her hands – at work. For sole proprietors like this client, it is even more crucial that consumers are given a personable first-class experience. That is what will make it memorable enough for them to keep coming back. The trick is to focus on the personality and not the personal, leading with passion instead of actively seeking a following or applause, and staying true to your authentic self.

When I think of global iconic personal brands, the first that comes to mind is the house of style and fashion that Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel built. Coco Chanel is an undisputable personal branding legend who was way ahead of her time! Back then, her simple and sometimes androgynous ideas of fashion were unheard of. As a woman, she saw a problem with society defining and dictating who women should be and what they should look like, so she set out on a mission to solve it. She empowered many women to define their own style. She captivated many with her eccentricity and her passion for women’s liberation, but many who were likely trapped by the culture of the times, found her to be strange. Yet she refused to be limited, inhibited, or prohibited by the naysayers and that was how she developed a brand like no other! It was this mindset and strong sense of purpose that birthed a brand that tore apart the traditional ideals for womanhood and brought us a range of women’s clothing that included sportswear, trousers, and in general, fashion that was less restrictive and more practical.

One of the core lessons I’ve learned is that personal branding starts with self-awareness. It is not just about photoshoots and choosing fonts and colours. Being aware of who you are and staying true to that when showcasing your personality and upselling yourself can be crucial to the kind of opportunities you attract. It isn’t so daunting after all.

Thinking about building a personal brand? If you’d like a confidential sounding board to talk it through with email pam@thepenwarrior.com.