Do you need a personal brand that’s separate from your business? Many entrepreneurs, especially in our industry, build new brands when they decide to work with clients outside their established businesses. 

It makes sense — most of us are driven high achievers always looking for the next project. And depending on what it is, that next opportunity might require you to build a brand separate from your existing gym, studio, or physical therapy practice. 

Let’s look at some signs that indicate you’re ready to develop a new personal brand.

Sign #1: You want a personal brand for business reasons

Start by deciding why you want a personal brand. Yes, it can be nice to separate yourself from your business, but you can do that without creating a full brand.

For example, if you want to use social media (like Instagram) to post pictures of your family and pets, you can do that without building a brand. Just create personal accounts and post away!

But let’s say you want to find a new source of income that’s not tied to your brick-and-mortar business. Maybe you’re ready to start moving on from client care or focusing your efforts on a niche aspect of your industry.

That’s when you need a personal brand! Creating a strategic brand helps you build an audience that follows you as an expert in your own right. It’s your opportunity to showcase your skills outside of your role as a service provider. 

Yes, you might still post pictures of your dog occasionally, but it would be a strategic decision to do so. You’d be using that content in the context of attracting followers who want to benefit from your expertise as a coach, consultant, or mentor.

Sign #2: You have a clear idea for your personal brand

Once you’ve decided to create a personal brand to expand your business opportunities, you need to narrow down the focus:

• What do you want your personal brand to be about?
• Who is your target audience?
• What sort of offers do you want to create?

Let’s use an example of a physical therapist who has decided to branch out from her practice:

• What do you want your personal brand to be about? Teaching other physical therapists how to work with young athletes to recover from and prevent sports injuries.
• Who is your target audience? Certified physical therapists who want to expand their practice by offering athlete-specific PT services or narrow the focus of their practice to just this niche.
• What sort of offers do you want to create? An online course and live workshops.

The answers to these questions set the stage for building a personal brand (and the offers to do with it). 

Because this PT knows exactly what she wants to teach and who her audience is, she can start developing a brand that positions her as an expert therapist who can help other PTs learn the unique skills necessary to serve young athletes.

Sign #3: You can separate your offers from your existing business

Another sign that you’re ready for a personal brand is that you’re truly ready to step outside your existing business. 

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to keep their personal offers under the business brand. And I get it — you’ve worked hard to build up your business’s brand and audience! 

But it’s not the best approach, especially if you want to ensure you have a viable exit strategy from your business. If you don’t differentiate your personal brand’s offers from your business services, you essentially just put yourself in competition with your business — everyone loses.

Understanding the difference between business and personal brands

The idea of separating your personal and business brands might feel counterintuitive, especially if you’re the face of your business. 

If you’re the only therapist at your PT clinic, for example, isn’t your business brand essentially centered on you personally? Yes, but it’s not that straightforward. 

Even if you’re the main (or only) service provider at your business, your brand is still about the business itself. 

Your messaging may highlight your expertise, but you’re showcasing it in the context of your business. That way, if you bring on more team members, you don’t have to drastically change your branding. You can highlight your team’s skills along with your own under the banner of the business brand you’ve already developed.

On the other hand, a personal brand is specifically about you and your unique skills. If you decide to offer professional development clinics, for example, you wouldn’t be marketing them as a therapist to your clinic’s audience (which is mostly patients, not other professionals). 

You’d need a separate brand that highlights your PT expertise in a different context.

Are you ready for a personal brand?

If you’re thinking about branching out from your existing studio, practice, or gym, a personal brand can be helpful. Before you start, however, make sure you have a solid offer that’s distinct enough from your existing business to avoid confusing your audience. 

Once you have that foundation, it’s all about solidifying your offers, messaging, and marketing strategy. Then, you can start building your new audience and getting ready to launch offers outside of your studio or practice.

Ready to start work on your personal brand and marketing strategy? I’ve got a full training course to help you with all the steps! The 5 Pillars of Marketing Playbook includes done-for-you resources, video training videos, and valuable assets to help you start advertising your new brand! Get your course today!