An entrepreneur’s biggest asset just might be his or her brand – especially when they are small businesses. But that brand can help them become titans of industry:
Now that I’m a small-business consultant, I work with aspiring entrepreneurs who are attempting to market everything from bottled water and snack foods to toys, clothes, jewelry and iPod apps. No matter what they’re selling, my clients all face the same challenge: How to get the marketplace to sit up and pay attention.
My advice: Be the brand.
via Me & My Brand: Lively Entrepreneurs Ring Up Sales – WSJ.com.
The column then quickly profiles five titans of industry who have created empires based upon their personal brands.
Which all sounds good. But I’m a bit cautious about it. The more you base your business upon your personal brand, the harder it becomes to separate the two.
Which becomes a problem if you try to sell your business.
I do like how Richard Branson handles it with Virgin. Every business he starts is a Virgin-branded business with him as the spokesman. The Virgin brand is strong enough to stand without him.
So it means maintaining two brand identities. Which shouldn’t be a problem if the personalities are the same.
How do you balance the branding?
