Sasha Rowe

Photo: Getty Personal branding is more than telling people who you are as a founder so they’ll believe in your company/brand. This digital world we live in builds us up, allowing us vast opportunities, unlimited (surface) connection and space to tell our story. But, more often than not, personal branding is used solely as an external form of communication — projecting a controlled (and incomplete) view of the individual.

It’s often said that 50% of startups fail within the first three to four years, and most don’t even make it past two. I used to have a hard time understanding why there was such a high failure rate, despite all the facts and statistics, but after pushing through those first four years, experiencing the excitement, humility, stress, gratitude, uncertainty, anxiety, joy, determination, frustration, support, pride and accomplishment, I now completely understand why.

What does your brand say? What value does it invoke? If you can't immediately answer these questions, the probability of your audience connecting with your brand is extremely low. Branding is a big factor in determining a company’s success or failure. And in order to avoid the latter, it’s important to create a brand that grows with you, not one that will limit you. Be careful not to start out with a long, descriptive, niche business name that limits you before you even get going.