Do you need a personal branding agency?

You are reading this article, which means that personal branding is on your mind. No surprise there: we have seen a surge in search numbers of the term, as well as an exponential increase in the number of academic research conducted on the topic. Personal branding is likely on your mind for one of these reasons:

• You want to attract more clients to your business, and you know that people are interested in Founder stories and compelled by them more than they are by businesses
• You recently exited your business (congratulations!) or are preparing for an exit and want to remain relevant
• You have a story (or perhaps stories) to tell, and you feel that now is the time
• You’ve learned a lot throughout your entrepreneurial career, and you want to share your key lessons learned to pay it forward to up-and-comers
• You are wondering what else is there for you and are considering putting yourself “out there” to see what opportunities may come up

Regardless of your exact motivation, you are in great company: many GenX entrepreneurs are considering putting themselves out in the public eye and are sharing some of the same concerns as you:

• What if I don’t have anything of value to bring to the public?
• Who am I to build a following and why would anyone care?
• I am an introvert or simply hate the spotlight; is this for me?
• What should I be talking about?
• Is social media right for me or should I be writing a book instead?
• How time consuming will this be?

At Brand of a Leader, we work with entrepreneurs from all over the globe, and these questions are quite common. Without knowing your exact journey and your specific questions, the most important thing I can tell you is this:

A properly designed personal brand discovery process will bring you the clarity you need and will help you answer these questions, and more. The one thing you do not want to do is jump into writing social media posts, booking a speaking gig, or launching a podcast (i.e. all marketing moves) before you create your brand strategy. You simply cannot and should not execute before you understand what your brand is all about, whom it will serve, and what steps you should take to ensure effectiveness and reduce time commitment.

You may be thinking that I am about to tell you that you must work with a personal branding agency to achieve that (I am biased, after all!). And yet, I won’t. I am fully cognizant that working with an agency may not be within everyone’s budget, but I nonetheless believe that the reach of every entrepreneur’s voice must be scaled. So, I will not tell you that you must hire a personal branding agency to help you (although I will share key tips on finding the right one, should that be the route you decide to take), but I will tell you this:

You do not want to work on your personal brand on your own.

At Brand of a Leader, we have worked with countless branding and marketing experts who came to us for help with their own brand work. Regardless of how savvy or smart you are, working on your own brand is simply not the same: we do not have the impartiality of observation when it’s our own life.

So, find someone to go through the process with you. It may be a friend, a colleague, a coach – someone who can notice things, point out your blind spots, and ask deep questions to pull out important information. Typically, it’s best not to work with someone you are too close to. Our significant others, best friends, and parents have their own blind spots as far as we are concerned and tend to project rather than listen to hold space.

Hiring a personal branding agency is the fast track to a clear and defined path, but if budget is of concern, don't let it hold you back. Find someone to guide you on your journey to brand clarity. As the wise saying goes, "Invest in yourself, because no one else will." Don't let time or money be an obstacle in understanding the core of your personal brand and getting the roadmap you need to succeed in marketing it.