Building a strong personal brand can be the key to unlocking greater influence and income for small business owners. On the latest episode of The Small Business Show, host Shyann Malone sits down with Isaac Mashman, founder of Mashman Consulting Group, to share his expertise on personal branding, distinguishing it from business branding, and leveraging it for long-term success. He provides actionable strategies, real-world examples, and common pitfalls entrepreneurs should avoid when shaping their public image.
Firstly, Mashman stresses the vital difference between a personal brand and a business brand, a distinction many small business owners overlook. While a business brand represents an organization, a personal brand embodies the founder’s identity, expertise, and influence. Mashman explains that leveraging a personal brand effectively can lead to greater sales, exposure, and opportunities.
He illustrates this concept with an example from his own work: helping influencer Logan Mandeville transition from modeling to personal training by launching Mandeville Fitness. By capitalizing on Mandeville’s existing audience of hundreds of thousands, they successfully established his brand in the fitness industry, a strategy still proving effective four years later.
For small business owners looking to build their personal brand, Mashman recommends starting with a digital audit. He advises Googling your name to assess visibility, securing consistent social media handles, and creating a distinct online presence. If a common name makes it difficult to stand out, he suggests incorporating a middle name or initial, such as “John Z. Doe,” to improve searchability.
In addition, Mashman highlights social media as a powerful tool but stresses the need for strategic content planning. His “Skyline Strategy” suggests a two-to-one posting ratio—two business-related posts for every personal post—to maintain a balance between authenticity and professionalism. Additionally, he recommends building separate email lists for personal and business branding efforts, ensuring each receives targeted communication.
Moreover, a frequent mistake entrepreneurs make is using their business page as a personal profile, which dilutes brand identity. Mashman also warns against pay-to-win tactics, such as buying followers or exposure, instead advocating for traditional media outreach, local networking events, and organic press opportunities to build credibility.
Lastly, he underscores the importance of patience in personal branding. Virality can be unpredictable, and while some content may take off overnight, long-term consistency and relationship-building yield the most sustainable results. Entrepreneurs should focus on genuine engagement, content creation, and industry collaborations to establish authority in their field.
"You show me your friends, and I'm gonna show you your future. You're the sum of the top five friends you spend the most time with." – Isaac Mashman
