Pros :
One of the biggest plusses of personal branding is how versatile it is in terms of giving a business owner more options to make a choice from. So if the owner of a certain business has sold a certain product for a few certain amount of time before realising that he needs to change track, it is that much easier for him to do so. Simply because it is his name that is the brand and not the product.
It is a little difficult to pinpoint exactly why this is but customers always seem to more readily trust an individual more than a corporation, a human of flesh and blood strikes a chord and not a machine. And a brand that is built around an influential persona always resonates with potential customers better. And thus it is that much easier to gain the trust and confidence of an average customer. And trust is what matters most for any business, especially one that is a startup.
What is going out there when you as an entrepreneur or business head opt for personal branding is essentially you. For personal branding is the most wonderful chance to showcase values that define who you are , ideal’s that make you stand apart from all the others and your outlook towards life itself. And it is this facet of yours that brings tremendous heft to the product itself.
It is possible for you to have better control over the entire business when personal branding comes into the picture. So you will have more of a say when it comes to deciding how everything shapes up, what steps are to be taken in case there is a need either to expand, diversify or reinvent your business. You are the master of your own destiny and that is a nice feeling to have.
Cons :
Though the Pros do outweigh the Cons quite easily when it comes to Personal branding, there are a few drawbacks associated with it that need to be mentioned. Here goes.
To build a successful brand that is centred around a certain individual as opposed to one that is built around a product and/or service is that much more difficult to achieve. Where in the case of the latter, the product and/or service that is on offer speaks for itself, there are several other factors that can make a difference when it comes to personal branding.
One of the biggest disadvantages of personal branding is that if for some reason the business does not take off and turns out to be a non-starter, you will have to be prepared for brickbats as well as criticism some of which might be unfair and unwarranted. Equally troublesome is the fact that if your personal life gets embroiled in any kind of controversy, it will most probably affect your business too. So tread with care.
A big practical problem that most business owners or entrepreneurs face is, being able to keep their personal and professional life separate. And it is all too common for both to get mixed together and it requires both good sense and fortune in equal measure to be able to walk this tightrope without any mishaps. Big and small.
