Personal Branding vs Business Branding

Personal Brand vs Business Brand: Which One Should You Build?

That's the wrong question.

I've been getting asked about this a lot since re-launching my personal site, and I think the confusion comes from how we've been taught to think about branding.

Most of what you see on LinkedIn treats personal brand as a content engine — post consistently, build thought leadership, grow your following.

But that's only one slice of what a personal brand actually is.

Here's how I think about it — and when I do, it feels like freedom.

Personal Brands Come First

Your personal brand sits at the top of the hierarchy because it's the broadest brand you'll ever build. It has to be — it needs to capture the essence of an entire human being.

The purpose of personal branding is simple: to be yourself in this world.

That's easier to do when the impression people have of you aligns with who you actually are. When your reputation supports rather than constrains you.

Here's what personal branding is not:

• Just for business owners.
• The same as your business brand.
• Primarily about selling things.

Your personal brand is comprised of the most unchanging parts of who you are, combined with the most vibrant and alive arising parts. It's more about your expression, sense of purpose, and contribution than about commerce.

Think of personal branding as life design, not business design.

Your Business Is Part of Your Portfolio

Underneath your personal brand, you have a portfolio: projects, achievements, creations, a body of work.

Your business is one of them.

That's the power of keeping your personal brand at the very top. It allows you to pursue diverse projects and passion work under your name without trying to shove everything into your business brand, which would likely overcomplicate it, dilute it, or weigh it down.

Your business gets to be focused. Simplified. Client-oriented.

You get to be vast.

How They Work Together

I believe your personal brand (who you are) is the strongest jumping-off point for crafting a meaningful business brand. That's why my branding process exists at the intersection of both.

Even if you're building a company bigger than yourself, you're still the catalyst for its vision and essence.

The process looks like this:

1. We dig up your truth and crystallize your personal brand
2. We take the gems that make the most sense
3. We weave them into a simplified, focused business brand

Your personal brand informs your business brand. But they remain distinct.

What If Your Business Is Your Name?

I get this question a lot.

Even when your business carries your name, you are not your business.

Your business is a piece of you, packaged in a way that allows you to attract and serve people. But you might reserve some spaces for the human versus the business owner — your social media feeds, your speaking career, maybe a book you write.

You don't need to put all of you into the business just because it has your name on it.

In this case, I recommend treating your offers as sub-brands that bring more definition and focus to how you communicate what you do.

Why This Matters Right Now

I think building a personal brand is smart. Especially now.

The flexibility of a personal brand opens up opportunities for collaborations, passion projects, and alternative revenue streams. It's a way to future-proof your earning as an expert in your craft.

Personal brands will build trust faster than business brands in the age of AI. And then your personal brand will feed your business brand, creating a flywheel effect.

A lot of business owners lose themselves in their businesses, wrapping their identity up in their work and their company's success. I've been there. Having a personal brand provides some shelter from this.

We have so much more to contribute to the world than what we contribute through our businesses.

Our personal brands are the container, the catalyst, the space for that fuller expression.

The bottom line:

Having a personal brand is a means for YOU to live a fulfilling life. It is also the best catalyst and a strong feeder for your business brand and success. They feed each other, but they remain distinct.

And that distinction? That's where your freedom lives.