Why Founders Can’t Afford to Skip Personal Branding—Before or After an Exit
The Costly Mistake of Ignoring Personal Branding
Visibility fuels success.
Your personal brand builds credibility, opens doors, and gives you the platform to make the impact you’re meant to have.
Simply put: Impact needs money, and money needs visibility.
For founders, your personal brand isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a strategic asset. Whether you’re planning to exit your business or looking to grow your influence, investing in your personal brand today will pay dividends in the future.
If done right, a founder’s personal brand can increase the value of their business and set them up for success post-exit. But if ignored, it can become a liability.
Here’s the reality: Executives worldwide attribute up to 43% of company market value to the CEO’s reputation.
Yet many founders don’t realize just how much their personal brand influences the perception (and value) of their business. If your company’s identity is too closely tied to you, what happens when it’s time to sell?
Will a buyer see a thriving, independent brand, or one that can’t function without you?
Why Work on Your Personal Brand BEFORE You Exit?
Kirk Drake: Creating a Brand That Works WITH His Business (and Beyond It)
Kirk Drake is the founder of CU 2.0, an author, a winery co-founder, and a stand-up comedian.
With so many identities, his personal brand was scattered—making it unclear who he was, what he stood for, or how all these things connected. And if he was confused, so was everyone else.
He wanted more speaking opportunities, but there was one big problem: People didn’t even know what they were hiring him for. That’s where we came in. Through Brand Camp, we uncovered the common thread tying everything together: Disruption with a Side of Humor.
This became the foundation of his personal brand – a tagline that makes sense of all his ventures, while giving him the flexibility to evolve beyond CU 2.0 if or when the time comes.
By building his personal brand, Kirk:
✔ Gained clarity on his positioning, making it easier for people to understand what he offers.
✔ Built credibility and consistency, reinforcing his expertise across books, business, and comedy.
✔ Future-proofed his brand, ensuring he can grow beyond CU 2.0 without losing his audience.
Now, his personal brand and business brand work together seamlessly – giving him more opportunities and making his transition, whenever that happens, easier.
Takeaway: If Kirk had waited to build his personal brand, he would be missing out on speaking opportunities, media features, and business growth. Instead, his personal brand is already working for him—opening doors, amplifying his voice, and setting him up for whatever comes next.
But What Happens When You Wait Too Long to Build Your Personal Brand?
Let's take a look at Julie Ellis’s story, which illustrates the consequences of waiting too long to build that presence.
Julie Ellis: Life After the Exit
When Julie Ellis and her co-founders sold Mabel’s Labels, it happened fast. One day, she was immersed in the business. The next, she was out. (Okay, not quite that fast but you get the picture.)
Julie hadn’t prepared for what came next. She went from leading a successful company to feeling completely lost—so much so that she struggled to get off the couch for three years. Looking back, she admits: she wished she had built a personal brand before exiting or at least had a hobby or not neglected friendships.
Eventually, she found her way to becoming a business coach, speaker, and author. But when she tried to establish herself, she ran into new challenges:
🚫 Her business brand and book brand didn’t match (different messaging, fonts, and colours).
🚫 She was competing with a million other business coaches, with no clear differentiator.
She needed to streamline, clarify, and own her brand.
That’s where we came in.
We helped Julie bring everything under one cohesive personal brand:
✔ Tagline: Gorgeous Goals. Graceful Growth. – capturing her approach and vision.
✔ Clear Positioning: Guiding 7-figure women entrepreneurs as they dance their way to 8 figures.
✔ Unified Brand Identity: One consistent look, feel, and message across her coaching, book, and podcast.
Now, Julie isn’t just another business coach, she’s a recognized thought leader, keynote speaker, and industry expert.
Takeaway: If Julie had built her personal brand before selling, the transition would have been smoother. Instead of feeling lost, she could have stepped confidently into her next chapter.
Not Every Founder is Looking to Sell – But They Still Need a Personal Brand
While Julie's story shows what happens when you don't build your personal brand before a major transition, there are founders who aren’t planning an exit…yet. But they want to establish themselves as thought leaders, speakers, and industry experts. They need to know what they stand for, how they want to be known, and the impact they want to have.
Some founders come to us for help only with messaging and positioning, while others also need visual branding to bring their personal brand to life. Here are a couple of amazing clients we’ve worked with to do just that.
Greg Flint – Owning His Thought Leadership
Greg Flint came to us seeking help to develop his messaging and positioning from the start. Although he wasn't focused on an exit, he recognized the importance of establishing a clear identity and positioning himself as a thought leader in his field.
Brand Essence: The Curious Nerd.
Brand Position: Leveraging technology to advance business—for human sake.
Why Statement: To share my love of emerging technology to improve the lives of our clients, our team, and community.
Greg said halfway through working together that I saw him better and more deeply than almost anyone he’d ever met – a powerful testament to this work.
Tara Milburn – Blending Business & Personal Values
Other founders, like Tara Milburn of Ethical Swag, needed help not only with their messaging but with aligning their business values with their personal identity.
Brand Essence: Fueled by Family.
Brand Position: Success not at the expense of family, but because of it.
Why Statement: To create a new way of doing business where success is shared – today and for future generations.
I even helped her come up with a talk title for a keynote!
Since working together, Tara has been guesting on podcasts and positioning herself for speaking engagements. Her personal brand is amplifying her business and impact.
Dr. Pompa: Bringing Clarity to a Multi-Brand Empire
When Dr. Daniel Pompa came to us, he had multiple growing ventures – his personal brand, supplement line, coaching program, and health centers. But lacked a clear structure to differentiate them. His messaging overlapped, his brand visuals were inconsistent, and his audience struggled to understand how each business fit together.
He knew that his personal brand was the key to amplifying his thought leadership and create a seamless experience across all his ventures.
Through Brand Camp, we worked with Dr. Pompa on all of his brands, including his personal brand. We refined his positioning, messaging, and updated his visual identity to reinforce his authority in the wellness space.
✔ Tagline: Health Evangelist – establishing his leadership in cellular healing.
✔ Brand Position: Guiding you toward a new paradigm of cellular healing.
✔ Mission: To be a beacon of hope as a health and longevity evangelist; healing the world and liberating future generations.
Takeaway: If your personal brand lacks clarity, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. By defining his personal brand alongside his business brands, Dr. Pompa has set himself up for long-term growth, scalability, and trust.
Why Personal Branding Matters for Founders & Thought Leaders
Many of the founders we work with are at a transition point – whether selling their business, expanding into speaking, or launching something new.
The common thread? They recognize that their name, reputation, and expertise hold immense value.
A strong personal brand ensures:
✔ You’re seen as a thought leader.
✔ You attract more opportunities (media, partnerships, speaking, publishing).
✔ Your next chapter is clear—whether that’s exiting, scaling, or reinventing.
Ready to Elevate Your Personal Brand?
If you’re preparing for an exit, stepping into speaking, or defining your next venture, your personal brand is the key to unlocking new opportunities. Let’s make sure you’re building a legacy.