This reminded me of another piece I read recently that pointed out the gender disparity in this particular area. Female founders are tending to "become" the brand and market themselves as well as their products far more than their male counterparts, even becoming "influencers" in their own right. It will be interesting to see if this approach either 1) gives the brands a long term substantial advantage, or 2) eventually fades as women led businesses become less of a novelty.
Yes, I actually commented on the piece you’re referring to for Beauty Independent’s NSQ series! It was a substack by Ali Kriegsman. I actually think that founders can be both. They can be consumer facing and provide a ton of growth opportunity for their brands because they can connect with consumers and communities directly. Lowering the cost of customer acquisition by creating organic traction and demand. But only if that is in their wheelhouse and is one of their superpowers. If it is not, it really should not be forced (enter the “A” word - authenticity). I have also seen plenty of great founders who are in the background and leverage their unique abilities in creative, product development, or other aspects of brand building. It truly depends on where your strengths lie, and what team you are able to surround yourself with to complement your strengths and augment your weaknesses.
In some respects, I think female founders can tend to be more forward facing in situations where they have created products to meet specific needs of consumers (often women) and who better to demonstrate that than the founder themselves? I don’t think founders need to be influencers, but they are inherently creators. Those that can connect with their communities in a bigger way, whether online or IRL, have the ability to supercharge their brand much more capital efficiently. It’s something we have observed time and time again.
Small world! Forgive me, I open too many tabs and lose track of who is writing or quoted in what. Totally agree that authenticity is the key and that founders should play to their strengths!
Yes I read the same post on here too, I'm leaning towards a bit of both – the power of personal branding will likely endure, but hopefully, the necessity of it due to gender bias will diminish. As someone with a brand myself, I do enjoy some parts of marketing but these days find myself craving to be more private and finding ways to market offline. Especially with digital fatigue these days.
Exactly. A good founder story and relationship to the customer is powerful but I have no desire to be constantly on my phone filming my whole day. It will be good if in the long run there are no expectations around the amount of content founders put out, and everyone can just do what feels right for them.
For me the most resonate takeaway is: Know your story, live your values and lead with purpose.
We live in a world of Likes, Hearts and Followers. Having a strong opinion — expressing your aspirations, hopes, frustrations and dreams — lets others know who you are with confidence and conviction.
Have a clear POV on what’s not good enough about the status quo – and the knowledge as to how you will fix it.
Don’t try to be all things to all people. What offends some will be a call to action to others and will stir up a memorable emotional response. And create believers. When people believe what you believe they will go to extraordinary lengths to be part of your brand. Ask Apple, Nike or Patagonia.
Above all, remember your personal brand is not some jacket you reach for just when you’re about to head out the door...or off to a pitch. It’s who you are all the time. Every time you make a phone call, send a text or e-mail, attend a meeting or give a presentation, etc., you are branding yourself. Consistency says you will be the same brand wherever I find you. Be consistent and persistent.
In closing, remember — It’s not what you do or what you’ve done — but who you are.
Love this "Her brand was born from her own life transition of navigating aging and identity, and noticing how her skin (and expectations of beauty) shifted in her late 30s, 40s, and 50s."
Super interesting to see how the landscape is evolving and the importance of a personal brand. My friend and I were just talking about this and wondering, what kinds of businesses don’t “require” the founder to build in public? It was hard to think of any that wouldn’t benefit from the founder also building a personal brand…
This was great!! Thanks for the reminder of how critical allocating time to developing your personal brand is.
This reminded me of another piece I read recently that pointed out the gender disparity in this particular area. Female founders are tending to "become" the brand and market themselves as well as their products far more than their male counterparts, even becoming "influencers" in their own right. It will be interesting to see if this approach either 1) gives the brands a long term substantial advantage, or 2) eventually fades as women led businesses become less of a novelty.
Yes, I actually commented on the piece you’re referring to for Beauty Independent’s NSQ series! It was a substack by Ali Kriegsman. I actually think that founders can be both. They can be consumer facing and provide a ton of growth opportunity for their brands because they can connect with consumers and communities directly. Lowering the cost of customer acquisition by creating organic traction and demand. But only if that is in their wheelhouse and is one of their superpowers. If it is not, it really should not be forced (enter the “A” word - authenticity). I have also seen plenty of great founders who are in the background and leverage their unique abilities in creative, product development, or other aspects of brand building. It truly depends on where your strengths lie, and what team you are able to surround yourself with to complement your strengths and augment your weaknesses.
In some respects, I think female founders can tend to be more forward facing in situations where they have created products to meet specific needs of consumers (often women) and who better to demonstrate that than the founder themselves? I don’t think founders need to be influencers, but they are inherently creators. Those that can connect with their communities in a bigger way, whether online or IRL, have the ability to supercharge their brand much more capital efficiently. It’s something we have observed time and time again.
Small world! Forgive me, I open too many tabs and lose track of who is writing or quoted in what. Totally agree that authenticity is the key and that founders should play to their strengths!
Yes I read the same post on here too, I'm leaning towards a bit of both – the power of personal branding will likely endure, but hopefully, the necessity of it due to gender bias will diminish. As someone with a brand myself, I do enjoy some parts of marketing but these days find myself craving to be more private and finding ways to market offline. Especially with digital fatigue these days.
Exactly. A good founder story and relationship to the customer is powerful but I have no desire to be constantly on my phone filming my whole day. It will be good if in the long run there are no expectations around the amount of content founders put out, and everyone can just do what feels right for them.
Agree 100% with everything you say about the power of personal branding. I have written about it often. https://medium.com/@robinalbin/branding-this-time-its-personal-da0f681018ce
For me the most resonate takeaway is: Know your story, live your values and lead with purpose.
We live in a world of Likes, Hearts and Followers. Having a strong opinion — expressing your aspirations, hopes, frustrations and dreams — lets others know who you are with confidence and conviction.
Have a clear POV on what’s not good enough about the status quo – and the knowledge as to how you will fix it.
Don’t try to be all things to all people. What offends some will be a call to action to others and will stir up a memorable emotional response. And create believers. When people believe what you believe they will go to extraordinary lengths to be part of your brand. Ask Apple, Nike or Patagonia.
Above all, remember your personal brand is not some jacket you reach for just when you’re about to head out the door...or off to a pitch. It’s who you are all the time. Every time you make a phone call, send a text or e-mail, attend a meeting or give a presentation, etc., you are branding yourself. Consistency says you will be the same brand wherever I find you. Be consistent and persistent.
In closing, remember — It’s not what you do or what you’ve done — but who you are.
Love this "Her brand was born from her own life transition of navigating aging and identity, and noticing how her skin (and expectations of beauty) shifted in her late 30s, 40s, and 50s."
Would love to see more brands targeting this!
Super interesting to see how the landscape is evolving and the importance of a personal brand. My friend and I were just talking about this and wondering, what kinds of businesses don’t “require” the founder to build in public? It was hard to think of any that wouldn’t benefit from the founder also building a personal brand…