Should you build a personal brand as an entrepreneur?
What’s the main reason for building a (personal) brand online?
It’s probably not what you think.
I just shared my takeaways from 18 months of posting with the founders of our portfolio companies. Nobody guessed the right answer.
👇
To learn? No. To network? No. To open doors? No. To generate leads? No. To build credibility? No. To make new friends? No. To meet potential investors? No. To meet potential employees? No. To demonstrate thought leadership? No. To promote specific people and services? No. To create a free marketing channel? No. To become a better storyteller? No. To meet like-minded people? No. To find founders to invest in? No. To build “a tribe”? No. To satisfy my ego?
…Maybe. (Joke.)
Sharing regular posts has literally resulted in 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 of the benefits listed above. Pretty awesome.
But none of them are the main reason I would suggest building a brand.
So what is?
It’s this:
Because it builds trust.
If you’re in business—no matter what kind—you’re selling something to someone. A product or service. Sooner or later, you probably need to convince someone to invest time and/or money in 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 thing, as opposed to someone else’s.
At DQventures, we’re no different. In fact, although we budget to invest $50,000 of our own and our investors’ money into every venture we help launch, our “sales” job is perhaps harder than most.
When aspiring founders agree to start their company with us, they’re committing to what will probably (hopefully!) be a ten-year partnership.
They also need to trust us with their beloved business idea… the concept that’s been burning a hole in their brain for the last X years!
(P.S. All with no NDA.)
For these founders to agree to the above takes an incredible amount of trust, and belief that we will do a good job.
So why should they trust us?
Who are we, after all?
This is the true value of a brand.
By putting ourselves out here on social media, we are signalling to potential founders that they can rely on us. We are demonstrating our investment in our business and our brand. We are showing the world that our business depends on our professional and personal reputations, and that our reputations depend on the way we conduct business.
We have a lot to lose.
Who would you rather buy from: someone unknown, or someone who has spent years thinking about, investing in, shaping and building their brand?
Which one are you?
DQ founders: Don’t worry about perfection. If it’s a rubbish post, very few people will see it! Just get started, and start iterating.
Good luck!
