#SMLive: Unlocking the power of Personal Brand for business

We are in the digital age where founders of a brand are also its leading endorser. In conversation with the leaders who have been at the forefront of being the face of the brand, we decipher how they unlock the power of personal brand for business.

In recent years, founders have taken the onus of promoting their own brand. In fact, the brand is looked at as an extension of their own personality, and the brand philosophy is ingrained in them too. In conversation with founders from new-age brands leading this modus operandi, we find the key to unlocking the power of personal brand for the business.

Speakers

• Sujata Biswas, Co Founder, Suta
• Udita Bansal, Founder, trueBrowns
• Megha Desai Asher, Co-Founder & COO, Juicy Chemistry

Building The Personal Brand

Asher mentions that back in the day, attaching the founder's face to the brand was not a common practice. She mentions that she shared her authentic self on her social handles and that is what the audience found relatable.

"When I talk on social media, skincare, personal care, all of it goes hand-in-hand. Skincare is holistic wellness and is attached to your lifestyle. When they see me, they say, she has acne, she has the problems that she was talking about, it's just not from a promotional standpoint. That is how it started, I shared my experience with PCOD and what I had gone through," she adds.

Biswas mentions the name 'Suta' which is derived from 'Sujata' and 'Tanya', the "brand is an extension of us" She further adds, "I wanted the brand to echo what we are. 7-8 years back I didn't know whether showing the founder's face was good or not, but once my face went up there was no going back. Our consumers also fight plagiarism on our behalf of us because people see my image being used, and they go hey that's Suta's founder."

She shares that her personal social media is more about the challenges she faces, what she does as an entrepreneur, and as a sustainability enthusiast.

Bansal mentions that what they wanted to do as a brand is to go back to the roots and reflect how as Indians our lifestyle is grounded, and this extends to her social handles too.

"It's organic, it's raw, it's not structured or aesthetic. When we go back to the roots of consciousness and slow living, the content around that gets a lot of traction today. I lead myself like that. As a woman who is close to arts, culture, and music, I also post a lot about that," says Bansal about her personal social media account.

Also Read: Understanding Gen Z: What the new generation truly wants

The Platform To Build A Personal Brand

Sujata mentions Instagram has the maximum number of followers, and the brand does equally well on Pinterest; LinkedIn is underutilized for building a personal brand, but "Instagram tops the list. Although, for personal branding it depends on what kind of brand you have, in the case of a fashion brand it's much more relevant for me to use Instagram."

Bansal mentions LinkedIn is a great channel to tell your story. "Connect with the right set of people and there's a whole lot of support that you can garner."

A Few Learnings

Desai shares the underlined story never changes, the idea is that it has to serve a purpose. "If you bring the founder out of the brand, then the purpose will cease to exist."

Biswas believes it's a chaotic market due to an information overload and there are different ways to break the clutter. As a founder, Biswas said that you can be an anchor, and personal branding can be another wheel of the brand. You can be your own brand's ambassador and not spend a lot of money on it.

"You are a living breathing, moving human, and you are the voice of the brand."

Bansal reckons that keeping the brand ethos at the core is the most significant part of building a personal brand. "Negative effects of cancel culture on the personal brand also affect the brand. You cannot represent a personal brand that does not match the brand ethos."