For the most part, I’ve preached attaching a personal brand to a business. But there are certain times where it could actually be beneficial for an entrepreneur to detach themselves from a brand they created.
1) Company has been sold
It could be contractually obligated for an entrepreneur to remove their personal branding from a company after it has been sold. The acquiring company may have a different branding strategy for the new company – or it could be that the entrepreneur’s vision for the company is different from the acquiring company. In that scenario, removing an entrepreneur’s branding could begin the process of finding a new opportunity for the entrepreneur.
2) Entrepreneur has left the company
If an entrepreneur leaves a company, many times it’s because they were forced out due to conflicts with investors or board members, or because they have taken the business to the level they imagined and they have handed over the company to other senior managers. An entrepreneur may want to remove their branding as the company’s direction may not reflect the entrepreneur’s personal viewpoints/visions.
3) Company has gone out of business
If a company has gone out of business, an entrepreneur removing the company from their personal branding is the next step in “moving on” to the next venture.
How does an entrepreneur remove a company from their personal branding?
– Remove links to an entrepreneur’s personal social media profiles from the company’s website.
– Update all social media profiles to remove any mention that an entrepreneur is still active with the company. For example, if a profile said “John Smith is a co-founder at Widgets Inc”, it should be in past tense – ie “John Smith was a co-founder at Widgets Inc”.
– Update a LinkedIn profile to indicate an end date to working at a company (it should not appear “active” on a profile).
– Reflect these changes on an “about me” section of a personal blog.
– Write a blog entry indicating you have left the company.
Happy Branding!
