Personal Branding

The energy in the room was buzzing. Over twenty women entrepreneurs had come together to talk about their businesses and share their creativity. It was the annual reunion of the Herman Fellows – scholarship winners at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. I had been invited to speak with them about personal branding – how to do it and why it matters for entrepreneurs. What were some key take-aways I shared with them?

• When you are building a new company, it is your personal brand that will win over investors and customers.
• Creating a personal brand involves a process of self-discovery followed by a systematic program of communication.
• Developing personal presence requires confident inner self-talk as well as attention to outside characteristics like posture, voice, and the balance of tension and relaxation.
• Authenticity is crucial to creating and maintaining an impactful personal brand – you can’t fake it.

And what did they teach me? That there is an amazing cohort of talented young women who are energizing the business world with their innovative ideas and their sheer joy in making something happen. It was an inspiring afternoon.