Personal Branding

[vangogh]

I have a hunch that those cheesy commercials actually play well or at least better than we expect for the target market. But I also think they're cheap to produce and give an ego boost to the sales people in them.

[Paul Elliott]

Take your particular case. Would your business do better because people know Joel Brown or Orion Networks? You're probably better off branding Orion Networks in this case. If you brand your name then you'll have the additional task of making sure your name is tied to the company name.

On the other hand if you brand your name well then you could more seamlessly move between different businesses. You could in theory sell Orion Networks, start a new company and pick up close to where you left off.

People who brand a business with their name find it more difficult to sell, since the buyers may not be willing or able to effectively continue the appearance of that relationship. Changing a brand name, when it must be done, is a process of careful transition.

Recall 20, or so, years ago when Datsun morphed into Nissan. For a time their signs had DATSUN nissan, then Datsun Nissan, then datsun NISSAN, and finally Nissan. They made this transition over at least 5 years.

In the process Nissan had to change all the identification of their vehicles, but all signage, printed materials, and advertising worldwide to ensure that the customer made the transition with them.

Notice how few major businesses are named after a founder. One example would be Ford Motors, Inc. However, it isn't the Henry Ford Motor Company, Inc.

I would suggest a focus on a "saleable" brand that you can sell or pass on to your heirs without it being inextricably related to you by name.

Of course, you are currently part of that brand in that you are the guarantor, so to speak.

Paul

[Dan Furman]

In my post that Joel referenced, I do indeed talk about branding myself. But that's also because of the nature of the business that I'm in - it's very personal. Obviously, I'm not advocating Ford be Henry Ford...

But Ford is effectively branded - to their diehards, no other brand will do - that was my whole point. It doesn't matter how you brand yourself (or what name you use) - the point is to make it so your brand becomes just as much the reason to buy as the actual thing you are selling.

See, by doing this, you eliminate some competition (to a degree) - nobody else can make a Ford but Ford.

[Paul Elliott]

In my post that Joel referenced, I do indeed talk about branding myself. But that's also because of the nature of the business that I'm in - it's very personal. Obviously, I'm not advocating Ford be Henry Ford...

But Ford is effectively branded - to their diehards, no other brand will do - that was my whole point. It doesn't matter how you brand yourself (or what name you use) - the point is to make it so your brand becomes just as much the reason to buy as the actual thing you are selling.

See, by doing this, you eliminate some competition (to a degree) - nobody else can make a Ford but Ford.

Thanks, Dan. I agree completely with your position. I should have done you the courtesy of reviewing your referenced post before commenting.

Paul

[Dan Furman]

Thanks, Dan. I agree completely with your position. I should have done you the courtesy of reviewing your referenced post before commenting.

Paul

Oh, it wasn't really you, Paul (your post just happened to be last and mention Ford, which then I keyed on). The whole thread was really too literal on personal branding

[vangogh]

People who brand a business with their name find it more difficult to sell

I hope I didn't leave the impression that personal branding means you have to name your business after yourself. In Joel's case he could work more toward building the business name or his own name and still be successful given the nature of his business. My business is the same way. It's me. I could care less whether people hire me because they know me as Van SEO Design, or Steven Bradley, or vangogh. Any or all of the three could be branded and bring business my way.

I would argue though that selling a business isn't necessarily the goal of all businesses.

By the way there are plenty of businesses that were named after real people that people would gladly buy. Just a few examples.

Wendy's, Arby's, Tupperware, Converse, Adidas, Keebler, Macy's, Chevrolet, Proctor & Gamble.

Once the name is branded well enough it doesn't matter that it was at one time associated with a very specific person or persons. That's the power of branding.

[KristineS]

I think the size of the business makes a difference too. Look at the ones you mentioned Vangogh. They're all quite large companies. A smaller company may be easier to tie to one person and also more likely to be dominated by one person. Part of the equation is how much the founder of the business is willing to let other people do. You have to release some control and recognize the ideas of other people if you want the business to continue on past you. For some entrepreneurs, particularly in the beginning, that's hard.

[vangogh]

I agree. I just wanted to point out that using a name in your company and branding that name could still result in a big business that would be attractive to buyers.

[Aaron Hats]

It's funny that vangogh should mention Wendy's. Our local Wendy's just shut down all of a sudden. The newspaper did a little story and said that Arby's bought Wendy's back in the spring but that ever since Dave Thomas died in 2002 they company has struggled with its image and sales. Was the business tied too much to Dave Thomas?

[vangogh]

From what I understand about Wendy's, Dave Thomas was the perfect pitch man. He was great at selling Wendy's to consumers. I think they've struggled with their advertising since and have tried a variety of different ad campaigns, but none seems to be sticking or doing as well as when Dave Thomas was doing the commercials. They're still looking for a new image.

I'm not sure if anything more was so tied to him, but it's always possible. Then again if Arby's bought them the Wendy's name certainly wasn't an impediment to a sale of the company, but it could be a case where Dave Thomas was much more branded than than the Wendy's name.

It's interesting, because you could argue that without the Dave Thomas brand Wendy's might never have grown to what they became in the first place. I think the whole concept of personal branding vs. company branding is one that comes with pros and cons on each side and your best bet is to see which one aligns better with your company goals. I think it's also possible to brand both personally and as a company, though of course it would take more work and money than it would to brand one.