Why Personal Branding Matters More Than Ever for Business Owners 

Allen Kopelman talks with Jake Spottswood of Lume about personal branding, LinkedIn, organic social media, video, podcasting and how CEOs can build trust and grow their businesses. 

Presented by Allen Kopelman, CEO — Nationwide Payment Systems-Host of B2B Vault: The Biz2Biz Podcast 

As Seen in B2B Vault Podcast

AI OVERVIEW

Your Company Has a Brand — But What About You? 

Most businesses spend a lot of time thinking about their company brand. 

They work on: 

• Logos 

• Websites 

• Social media 

• Advertising 

• Email marketing 

• Search engine optimization 

• Company LinkedIn pages 

But customers don't always connect with companies. 

They connect with people. 

That realization changed the way we approached LinkedIn at Nationwide Payment Systems. 

For years, we posted content to the company page. 

Eventually, I realized something: 

Nobody was really going there. 

So, we changed the strategy. 

Instead of trying to make Nationwide Payment Systems the personality, I started posting significantly more business content through my personal LinkedIn profile. 

The result was dramatically more reach and engagement. 

Jake sees the same thing with clients at Lume. 

He discussed one CEO whose personal content generated more than 100,000 impressions in a month while the corresponding company page produced a fraction of that reach. 

That's an important lesson for business owners. 

Your company's social media presence matters. 

But your personal brand may be the thing that actually gets people to pay attention. 

Why Personal Pages Often Beat Company Pages 

Social platforms are designed around human interaction. 

People want to comment on a person's opinion. 

They want to hear a founder's story. 

They want to know what someone learned from: 

• Starting a business 

• Losing a customer 

• Hiring the wrong person 

• Making a big mistake 

• Closing a major deal 

• Changing careers 

• Overcoming a challenge 

A corporate post saying: 

“We are excited to announce…” 

usually doesn't create the same emotional connection. 

Jake explained that his team focuses on building trust and awareness through the person behind the business—not simply publishing promotional company content. 

That can mean sharing business lessons, personal experiences, stories from childhood, career changes or other parts of someone's life that show there's a real person behind the profile. 

That doesn't mean turning LinkedIn into your personal diary. 

It means allowing people to understand who you are. 

AI Is Making Authenticity More Valuable 

We're also entering an interesting period in marketing. 

Everyone can create content now. 

AI can write: 

• Emails 

• LinkedIn posts 

• Blog articles 

• Sales messages 

• Scripts 

• Videos 

• Direct messages 

And that's exactly why authentic content is becoming more important. 

People are getting tired of obvious automation. 

You can tell when you've received one of those LinkedIn messages. 

It says: 

“Hey [wrong name], I noticed your impressive work in [wrong industry]…” 

Delete. 

The same thing is happening with cold email. 

Business owners are being bombarded with automated messages every day. 

Jake talked about seeing this fatigue among customers and business owners and how simple, authentic content can cut through it. 

Sometimes that means doing something as basic as pulling out your phone, recording a quick video and speaking directly to your audience. 

It doesn't need to look like a television commercial. 

In fact, it may perform better if it doesn't. 

People Buy From People 

Personal branding isn't really about followers. 

It's about trust. 

Someone may read ten of your LinkedIn posts without ever commenting. 

They may watch three videos without liking any of them. 

They may listen to a podcast where you're a guest. 

Then six months later they need exactly what your company provides. 

Who are they going to think about? 

Hopefully, you. 

That's one of the biggest advantages of consistent personal branding. 

You're building awareness before the customer is ready to buy. 

By the time the sales conversation starts, you may no longer feel like a stranger. 

Organic Content Can Help Smaller Businesses Compete 

One of the hardest things for small and midsized companies today is competing with enormous advertising budgets. 

Nationwide Payment Systems competes against companies such as Stripe, Square, PayPal and other massive financial technology brands. 

We cannot spend what they spend. 

Most businesses can't. 

Google and social advertising have also become increasingly competitive. 

That creates a major advantage for organic content. 

Jake explained that social platforms increasingly behave more like interest platforms. 

A person with almost no followers can publish a piece of content that reaches hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of people if the algorithm determines that viewers are interested in it. 

Meanwhile, someone with 100,000 followers can post something that barely gets seen. 

That's frustrating. 

It's also an opportunity. 

Businesses can study what is working inside their industry and create their own version of useful, interesting or entertaining content. 

Jake gave the example of a restaurant owner spending time studying high-performing restaurant content, then creating similar content around that restaurant's food and location. 

The tradeoff is straightforward: 

You either pay with money, or you pay with time. 

You Have to Put Yourself Out There 

This may be the hardest part of personal branding. 

You have to actually start. 

Your first video might be bad. 

Your first podcast may be awkward. 

Your first LinkedIn post might get five likes. 

Who cares? 

Everyone starts somewhere. 

When I started B2B Vault, it wasn't what it is today. 

Originally, the show was much more narrowly focused on payments and technology. 

It evolved. 

We changed the format. 

We expanded into entrepreneurship and broader business topics. 

We improved the studio. 

We improved production. 

We improved the guests. 

But none of that would have happened if I had waited until everything was perfect before recording the first episode. 

Jake made the same point during our conversation. 

His advice for people building a personal brand: 

Just start. 

Your first content probably won't be great. 

But you'll get better by doing it. 

Content creation is a skill, and skills require repetitions. 

Own Your Expertise 

Earlier in my career, before payments, I was a chef. 

When I became an executive chef, I attended management meetings. 

At first, someone would ask: 

“What's going on in the kitchen?” 

I'd say: 

“Everything's good.” 

That was about it. 

Eventually, my employer sent me to Dale Carnegie training. 

One of the things I learned was: 

You're the chef. You're the expert on the kitchen. Own your area of expertise. 

That lesson stayed with me. 

Today, I'm the credit card guy. 

Payments might not sound exciting to everybody. 

But I've spent decades in the business. 

That knowledge has value. 

Every business owner has something like that. 

Maybe you're the: 

• Restaurant expert 

• Roofing expert 

• Manufacturing expert 

• Insurance expert 

• Marketing expert 

• CPA 

• Attorney 

• Software founder 

• Financial expert 

Don't assume people already understand what you know. 

Share it. 

What Do You Want to Be Known For? 

This was one of Jake's strongest personal-branding questions. 

What do you want someone to think about when they see your name? 

That's where personal branding becomes strategic. 

You can intentionally build an online identity around: 

• Your expertise 

• Your industry 

• Your values 

• Your experience 

• Your interests 

• Your personality 

When someone searches for you online, what do they find? 

A nearly empty LinkedIn profile? 

Or do they find videos, articles, interviews, podcasts and useful posts that tell them exactly who you are? 

Jake recommends thinking deliberately about what you want people to know you for, then creating content around those themes. 

That's reputation-building at scale. 

Optimize Your Personal Profile 

Before creating a huge content strategy, make sure your profile actually tells people who you are. 

Jake recommends starting with the basics. 

Using a Strong Profile Photo 

Your face should be easy to see. 

You should look approachable and professional. 

It doesn't need to look like a corporate headshot from 1997. 

Explain What You Do 

Your headline and banner should quickly explain your expertise. 

Someone should be able to look at your profile and understand what you do within seconds. 

Establish Credibility 

Include meaningful accomplishments, experience or expertise that demonstrate why someone should listen to you. 

Show Some Personality 

You are not only a job title. 

Maybe you love golf. 

Maybe you're a dog person. 

Maybe you run marathons. 

Maybe you collect watches. 

Personal details can create connection—as long as they're genuine. 

Jake's broader point is that your profile should show people both what you know and who you are. 

The Five-Part Personal Branding Formula 

If you're a CEO, founder or business owner who wants to build a personal brand, here's a practical starting point. 

1. Optimize Your Profile

Make sure your profile photo, banner, headline, biography and featured content accurately explain who you are and what you do. 

2. Decide What You Want to Be Known For

Choose a handful of topics where you have genuine knowledge and experience. 

3. Start Posting

Don't spend six months building a content strategy. 

Publish something. 

Then learn from the result. 

4. Create Different Types of Content

Try: 

• Written posts 

• Photos 

• Short videos 

• Podcast clips 

• Interviews 

• Articles 

• Stories 

• Q&As 

Different audiences respond to different formats. 

5. Be Consistent

One viral post isn't a personal brand. 

Showing up repeatedly is what creates familiarity. 

Podcasting Is Personal Branding Too 

You don't have to start your own podcast. 

You can become a podcast guest. 

This is one of the most overlooked personal branding strategies. 

There are thousands of podcasts looking for knowledgeable guests. 

Create a simple podcast media page that includes: 

• Your biography 

• Professional photos 

• Areas of expertise 

• Suggested interview topics 

• Previous podcast appearances 

• Contact information 

Then start reaching out. 

Being interviewed gives you: 

• Long-form content 

• Video clips 

• Audio clips 

• Social media posts 

• Website content 

• Backlinks 

• New relationships 

• Credibility 

One 40-minute conversation can turn into weeks of content. 

Jake also discussed how interviewing founders and executives allows their experience and knowledge to reach far beyond the small number of employees or people they may traditionally mentor one-on-one. 

That's another way of looking at personal branding: 

Taking knowledge, you already have and making it available one-to-many. 

Don't Start a Podcast Without a Plan 

If you do want your own podcast, build a system first. 

One of the mistakes I made early was trying to do too much. 

Our current B2B Vault formula is much more structured. 

We generally release one episode per week. 

Before launch, it's smart to have several episodes already recorded. 

That gives you a buffer. 

Then build a promotional schedule around every episode. 

For example: 

Monday: Guest announcement 
Tuesday: Quote or clip 
Wednesday: Topic teaser 
Thursday: Additional clip 
Friday: Episode release 

Then continue promoting the episode afterward. 

A lot of podcasts die after 10 or 20 episodes because the creator didn't build a sustainable process. 

As the saying goes: 

People don't plan to fail. They fail to plan. 

Build a Content Ecosystem 

Personal branding shouldn't depend on one platform. 

Jake recommends building an ecosystem around both the person and the business. 

That doesn't mean you need to post on 12 social networks every morning. 

Pick a few places where your audience actually spends time. 

That might include: 

• LinkedIn 

• YouTube 

• Instagram 

• TikTok 

• Facebook 

• X 

• Podcasts 

Then repurpose. 

A podcast can become: 

• Three short videos 

• A LinkedIn post 

• A blog article 

• Several quotes 

• An email newsletter 

• YouTube Shorts 

• Instagram Reels 

A single idea can generate an entire week of content. 

That's how a small business can increase its marketing output without producing something completely new every day. 

Consistency Creates Familiarity 

This is where personal branding becomes powerful. 

Someone sees your post Monday. 

Another Wednesday. 

A video the following week. 

Then you're a guest on a podcast. 

Then they see another post. 

Maybe they don't need your company right now. 

But three months later, they do. 

And your name is already in their head. 

Jake described this as building continuous awareness: when people repeatedly encounter your content, you're more likely to come to mind when they eventually need the service your business provides. 

Personal branding is a long game. 

But the compound effect can be enormous. 

You Don't Need to Become an Influencer 

This is important. 

Personal branding doesn't mean dancing on TikTok. 

It doesn't mean showing everybody what you ate for breakfast. 

And it doesn't require becoming Gary Vaynerchuk or Alex Hormozi. 

You need to become recognizable to the right audience. 

If 5,000 business owners regularly see your content and understand exactly what you do, that may be dramatically more valuable than having 500,000 random followers. 

The objective isn't fame. 

It's: 

Trust + Awareness + Expertise + Opportunity. 

Final Thoughts 

Marketing keeps changing. 

Thirty years ago, businesses depended on newspapers, trade publications and the Yellow Pages. 

Then websites changed everything. 

Google changed everything again. 

Then social media. 

Now AI is entering the picture. 

I've always liked the business book Who Moved My Cheese? because the concept never stops being relevant. 

The cheese keeps moving. 

Your job as a business owner is to move with it. 

Right now, one of the biggest opportunities available to founders, CEOs and entrepreneurs is building an authentic personal brand. 

You already have the knowledge. 

You already have the stories. 

You already have the experience. 

Start sharing it. 

Because your company's next customer may discover the business because they discovered you first.