This post originally appeared in our Startup Growth Newsletter.
Earlier this week, I wrote this to my colleague:
“…a good step forward with [COMPANY NAME], following our meeting with him last week…”
After I wrote it, I realized what I had done. I made no distinction between the founder/CEO and the company.
Probably one of the best things any young founder can remember is this: You are your company.
This is a very good thing if you leverage it correctly. Here are a few tips on how to do that:
Shout your vision from the rooftops. What you will become as a company is a moving target. Although some of the things we do at York IE today are not what I expected two years ago when we launched, who we are is exactly what we had envisioned. And we never lost sight of that as we iterated on the mechanisms of the business.
Promote the company and its news through your personal social media channels as you’re building up your company channels. Your company is a startup. It is brand new. You, presumably, are not a baby. You have had more years to create relationships and build a network. Tap into those and convert your connections into being followers of your company.
As the founder, you are the brand and culture of your company. Own it. Embody it. Remember that culture and brand building is not a one-off campaign. It is what you do every day, in every facet of your life. But if you make that an extension of who you are, then you will truly live it and attract people who buy into it
It is hard to build a brand. But, whether you know it or not, you’ve been building your personal brand for years. Realize that. Harness that. And then you can start building your company brand off a strong and solid foundation.
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