As an entrepreneur, building your personal brand is more important than ever. Most all businesses are branded, and can develop, market, and monetize off those brands. How well a company can build their brand will many times determine how profitable, successful, or sustainable they are. Your personal brand is no different, and as an entrepreneur who starts, builds, and runs businesses it is many times intertwined. KJ VanDerwerken realized this early in his career and has spent a decade masterfully building his personal brand. And it’s paying off.
In a digital world, developing your personal brand has never been as more easily achievable it is today. As we sat down with KJ Vanderwerken, a serial entrepreneur, he let us know a number of reasons to create and develop your own brand. “In 2022, you’re constantly going to be screened online. Everything from college applications to employment opportunities, to prospective customers. A person is going to research you, your product or service, or your company to gather as much information prior to making any decisions.” KJ stated. And he’s right. It’s better to control what you want people to see. In a time where information is accessible to the masses, selling yourself has never been more important.
KJ VanDerwerken expressed “A personal brand is the best way to help you stand out from the crowd. You can curate content that demonstrates your specific skill set and knowledge base in your particular field and what differentiates you from the rest. It allows you to show your audience what value you can bring to their lives and puts that information directly in front of them.” He continues, “It builds trust and familiarity. Consumers want to know who they’re buying from, if they are reputable, and can they be trusted. Personal branding can instill the above in them without having done a single transaction”.
Networking is also a crucial part in someone’s success. Teaming up with the right people or partnering with the best company can catapult your business. “A great personal brand will lead to more opportunities, it’s that simple” KJ says. People will naturally gravitate towards you, the more they know and like about you and your business. It could lead to meetings, interviews, or partnerships.
KJ lets us know it’s the easiest to start with your social media. “Clean up and control your online reputation. Add value to your audience any way you can. Let people know who you are and what you stand for. Engage with communities who share your interest, or field of work. Be personable, however be professional. Create content that keeps people interested and involved. You might want to even build your own personal website. All this you can do for almost no cost and can payoff big time in the long run”.
If you’d like to connect with entrepreneur KJ Vanderwerken, feel free to join him on Instagram, where he currently has over 44,000 followers https://www.instagram.com/kjvanderwerken
