I spent this past weekend at one of my favorite conferences, the Financial Bloggers Conference. Don’t let the name fool you. FinCon is way more than a conference for financial bloggers.
This year’s conference was different for me because for the first time I was not just an attendee. This year I was fortunate enough to be a speaker in two sessions.
I’ve said this before but it bears repeating, attending conferences should be a part of your personal growth and development. You will learn a lot about yourself by attending an in-person conference.
In addition, to speaking, I was paired with a fellow blogger for the blog mentoring program which is a featured part of FinCon. The program pairs two bloggers together to discuss various aspects of blogging. One person acts as the mentor, the other the mentee.
My mentee was a self-proclaimed introvert. I could tell it took a lot of courage for her to be there, yet she decided to push herself personally by attending the conference anyway.
She is a great example of how attending conferences can help you grow professionally and personally by making you step out of your comfort zone.
Thank you, Dustin Hartzler, from Yourwebsiteengineer.com for putting together this video from my expert roundtable discussion.
PERSONAL BRANDING FOR ENTREPRENEURS
As a personal brand reputation management coach, I usually work with career-minded individuals looking to build authority and credibility in their area of interest or niche.
These individuals understand the importance of a good online reputation. They understand they can leverage their brand online to their advantage so opportunities start to come to them.
Turns out entrepreneurs are just as interested in personal branding and leveraging their online reputation but their challenge is slightly different from the career-minded individuals.
Instead of identifying themselves as employees looking to advance in their corporate career, entrepreneurs tend to identify themselves almost solely with their business.
After both of my sessions at FinCon, several entrepreneurs asked me about the benefits of developing their personal brand.
They all had very similar questions and nearly every one of them asked the identical question, “Will developing my personal brand help my business?”
My answer, of course, was a resounding yes.
3 REASONS ENTREPRENEURS NEED TO DEVELOP THEIR PERSONAL BRANDS
1 – YOU are not your business
Nearly all of the entrepreneurs I spoke with had wrapped their personal identities into their business. I understand this.
As an entrepreneur, you pour your heart and soul into your business. It’s your baby. It’s what you talk about when people ask what you do, it’s what you talk about during your spare time. If you’re like most entrepreneurs I know, you are rarely if ever, very far from your business.
But, it’s not who YOU are.
Your business is just that, a business. If all of sudden your clients dried up and you had to close the business would YOU disappear with the welcome mat? Of course not.
You are an entrepreneur. You are the person who sees things others don’t and acts when others won’t.
This is who YOU are at your core. This is the person people hire to perform work for them not the name of your website or business.
My small business is Hubris One Media. My clients don’t hire Hubris One Media, they hire Ryan Rhoten.
It’s the same for you. Your clients hire you and the solutions you provide to their problems.
2 – Know, Like, and Trust
You’ve heard it a thousand times but hear it again, people do business with those they know, like and trust.
Recognizing and acting on this in the reputation economy will determine who gets business and who does not. Which opportunities come your way and which ones pass you by.
People relate to people. This is true for small business owners and especially true for small business owners of internet based businesses.
You need to bring the person behind the website, out into the open. Let people know who YOU are and what you stand for. Just having your name as the author on the post or on the About page of a website doesn’t necessarily make you a “real” person.
To bridge, this gap entrepreneurs need to let the world know who they are and how they add value. The best way to do this is by stepping out from behind the business.
3 – Own your domain
I was surprised to learn the number of entrepreneurs, internet entrepreneurs no less, who do not own their domain. I recommend this to everyone you need to own your domain.
So I’m clear. When I say “own your domain” I’m referring to the URL meaning firstnamelastname.com. If you don’t know how to do this here’s a link to get you started.
If you do not own your domain you run the risk of someone who shares your name using it in a manner that may not align with your values. You’ve put in a lot of work building your business don’t let something as easy to control as owning your domain cloud your efforts.
In addition to keeping the domain from being used for “nefarious” reasons, owning your domain provides you with additional flexibility to explore your other interests and aspirations.
Many of the entrepreneurs I spoke with felt their business tied them to the topic or the specific area of their business.
If this describes you, stop worrying. Sharing more of yourself gives potential customers a look at the person behind the scenes. The more they see, the more they will be able to identify with you on a personal level.
In other words, the more they will know, like and trust you. When customers trust you, they will also trust your business.
And we know what happens when someone trusts your business.
WRAP
As individuals, we have a multitude of interests. This doesn’t change once you’ve started a business.
Your business is just that, a business. Business’ come and go but entrepreneurs will always be entrepreneurs. Don’t let your personal identity get wrapped up in your professional one.
As hard as it is to remember, keep in mind your blog is a product. Your podcast is a product. Your online course is a product. Your business is a product. They are all products of you, your creativity, your drive, your actions.
You are a freelance writer. You are a copywriter. You are an author. You are an entrepreneur. You are not your business.
People will hire you, not your business. So let the world know who you are and how you value. Build your personal brand and help boost your business.
