Maybe you’re not a Shark Tank investor like Kevin O’Leary, or a serial-entrepreneur like Kevin Surace, disrupting industry after industry. But you know you’ll be there soon. You’ve got the idea—the one you’ve run past anyone who will listen, some even put money on it—and you’re working hard to turn it into the “next big thing.”
There’s more to success than having a great idea. You need a strong personal brand.
Just ask Chris Barton, co-founder of Shazam. He came up with the idea of a music-identifying app before apps or iPhones even existed. An idea worth millions of dollars to Apple in 2019, but at the time no one would even listen to his elevator pitch.
Barton, just like every other successful entrepreneur, has built a personal brand that prevails. Before their startups were even companies, and they were the sole employee, all successful entrepreneurs relied on their personal brand to push them through rough patches.
Drag performer and branding expert Jackie Huba has 3 recommendations for all of us trying to build a personal brand to help launch a company.
- Be Bigger Than Yourself
Starting at the bottom can be intimidating. From investment pitches to haggling with manufacturers and distributors, you will feel overwhelmed and out of your wheelhouse at some point. Huba uses her experience as a drag performer to tackle this issue.
She explains drag is the act of being a bigger, bolder version of yourself (regardless of gender or sexual orientation). Stefani Germanotta turned herself into Lady Gaga, using 10-inch heels, jetting shoulder pads, and all the flair you can imagine to make herself larger than life. Her drag paid off when a room full of indifferent music producers were forced to notice her, instead of glancing over little 5’1” Stefani. Now she is a globally adored talent.
Even Kevin O’Leary, a world-renowned entrepreneur, has an alternative identity that gives him the illusion of being untouchable. O’Leary is known as “Mr. Wonderful.” Can you imagine saying no to an investment offer from someone known as Mr. Wonderful?
When you feel like the pressures of entrepreneurial life is too much, try using an alter-ego or a persona that’s bigger than you. It’s easy to let your self-doubt pick apart what you’ve built, so create someone who’s bigger and bolder than self-doubt.
- Be Authentic
You can be bold without changing who you are, even if you’re naturally reserved. The key to giving yourself an alter-ego is to amplify the qualities you already have, not create a fake version of yourself.
Even though O’Leary is Mr. Wonderful, he never changes his business style or values to appease an investor or partner. He’s a no-nonsense, straight-shooter regardless of who he’s advising or speaking with.
Your personal brand needs to be authentic. People can see through charades. No one wants to waste time on someone they can’t trust. Define your values and your beliefs and then hold true to them even in times of adversity. This is not only a guide for your business, but it will also gain you a lot of respect.
- Take Risks
In drag performances, risk-taking is what draws people in. If everyone played it safe and fell in line with the rest, there would be no excitement. If you’re breaking the mold and ignoring the negativity that will inevitably follow, you are doing something right. In business, it’s the same.
When starting Shazam, Barton was told over and over again his idea was impossible. There was no technology that could isolate music playing in a crowded bar setting, let alone identify what song it was. Even if there was, there was no convenient device for people to use the technology on.
So Barton took a risk. He knew Shazam was an industry-changing idea and he ignored the nay-sayers. In his keynote speaking, he tells stories of people calling him crazy and putting him down in every way you could imagine, but he pushed through until he found a sound engineer genius who helped him create the technology.
As the new entrepreneur on the block, the noise around you may feel overwhelming. As long as you have your personal brand to fall back on when times get tough, maybe you’ll end up being the next Mr. Wonderful.
