Becoming a Visible Founder?: Elevating Your Startup Journey to Thought Leadership

In the dynamic realm of startups and entrepreneurship, there's no scarcity of trailblazing innovators. Innovation propels our businesses, attracting attention and support from those who believe in our vision and solutions. Within the startup community, possibilities are rife.

However, some founders rise above the rest. They stand a little taller, and a few even towers above the crowd like sequoias. You might recognize them as industry stars or thought leaders, but we've coined a special term for them: Visible Founders?.

What Is a Visible Founder?

Visible Founders are entrepreneurs who have achieved prominence in their industries. They are quoted in the media and invited to speak at conferences. They are admired by their peers and sought out by clients. Their celebrity status allows them to command higher fees. And in rare circumstances, they may even become household names. Visible Founders are exactly what their name implies: individuals whose expertise and exposure rise above the rest.

At the very highest echelons, Visible Founders are often trendsetters, innovators, and leaders. But those aren't essential traits. Most of them are mere mortals whose big idea was their conscious decision to build a personal brand. There are only three things you need to become a Visible Founder (other than actual expertise, of course — that's a prerequisite):

1. A willingness to teach: Visible Founders are teachers. They willingly and openly share their expert knowledge without any jealousy or fear of revealing their secrets.

2. Good communication skills: You can't be a good teacher if you aren't a strong communicator. Visible Founders are usually very good at translating complex ideas into easy-to-understand concepts.

3. Commitment: Aspiring Visible Founders have to acquire new skills and develop new habits in the course of their ascent. And that requires a sustained commitment.

Benefits of Working with a Visible Founder

Working with a Visible Founder offers numerous benefits. They have established themselves as trusted experts in their respective fields, and this reputation translates into advantages for those who engage with them. The credibility, knowledge, and guidance they provide are invaluable to both clients and fellow professionals.

What Visible Founders Do Differently

At Venture Care Services (P) Ltd , we've interviewed hundreds of experts, many of whom are legitimate Visible Founders. And it is always heartening when we discover that most high-profile experts are ordinary people. Behind the scenes, they are no different from the rest of us. So what propelled them to prominence? What did they do differently from ordinary startup founders?

As it turns out, there are five things a founder can do to give them a distinct advantage:

1. Claim a niche: The more narrow your expertise, the more valuable it is likely to be. Most Visible Founders focus on a specialized area.

2. Study their audience: You can't build a following if nobody cares about the content you produce.

3. Sharpen their expertise: It doesn't take extraordinary knowledge or intelligence to become a Visible Founder, but it helps to have a firm command of the material.

4. Develop a visibility plan: Most Visible Founders don't happen by accident. They are the product of deliberate planning.

5. Implement the plan: Of course, even the best plan is worthless if it's never put into action.

3 Kinds of Visible Founders

Just as artists and musicians establish a signature style to attract a loyal following, Visible Founders have their distinct approaches. Here are three common types:

1. The Contrarian: This Visible Founder takes unconventional and often controversial stances on important issues. They challenge traditional wisdom, encouraging innovation and risk tolerance.

2. The Curator: These Visible Founders collect, analyze, and promote the best thinking from across the industry. They share others' content and ideas liberally, embracing diverse perspectives.

3. The Bridge Builder: These Visible Founders see connections where others don't. They link seemingly incompatible disciplines, demonstrating the relevance of disparate ideas.

There are many other ways that Visible Founders can pattern themselves, but the key is to create a memorable public persona through distinctive and consistent behavior.

The 5 Levels of Visible Founders

In our research, we identified five levels of visible expertise, like outposts positioned increasingly higher on the mountain. Most founders are content to reach the first of these lofty stages, while a few determined souls feel compelled to push through the thinning air to the summit.

1. Level 1: Resident Founders: This is where most startup founders begin their journeys. They are appreciated within their firms and by clients but remain relatively unknown outside of those boundaries.

2. Level 2: Local Heroes: Active in their local business communities, Level 2 founders expand their horizons. They may speak at business events, write blog posts, or conduct webinars, attracting new clients.

3. Level 3: Rising Stars: These founders are well-known among peers in their region, thanks to frequent writing and speaking on their area of expertise.

4. Level 4: Industry Rock Stars: Every industry has a cadre of these Visible Founders. They keynote major conferences and are quoted in top media publications. These high-profile stars are key players in their firms.

5. Level 5: Global Superstars: These are the elite founders, with reputations that often extend around the globe. They command ultra-premium fees and are in high demand.

Solo vs. Team Ascent

While many Visible Founders ascend to prominence individually, there's another way to reach the summit: as part of a team in your organization. Some firms put groups of professionals through a program designed to raise their expert profiles. The benefits are twofold: increased visibility for the firm and mutual support for the individual experts.

A Map to the Mountaintops

Every aspiring Visible Founder needs a guide to reach the peak of their potential. Here's a roadmap any founder can follow to take their reputation to new heights of visibility:

PHASE I: SET YOUR STRATEGY

1. Determine where you are today.

2. Decide how high you want to climb.

3. Find your niche.

4. Define your audience.

5. Learn about

your audience.

6. Explore the competition.

7. Choose your issues.

8. Assess your skills.

9. Develop your visibility plan.

10. Determine who is going to help you.

PHASE II: BUILD YOUR VISIBILITY TOOLKIT

1. Create your media kit.

2. Enhance your bio/build your website.

3. Get set to blog.

4. Set up your conversion tools.

5. Set up your social media profiles.

6. Select and prepare your email platform.

PHASE III: IMPLEMENT THE PLAN AND TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

1. Get going!

2. Track your implementation.

3. Track the impact on your audience.

4. Track your business results.

How to Get Started

If you want to become the next Visible Founder in your industry, the first step is to commit to it. Talk to your colleagues and explain what you are trying to do and how it will help the business achieve its goals.

And if you need assistance in your journey to becoming a Visible Founder, don't forget to explore Venture Care's Founders' Personal Branding services. They can help you every step of the way, from setting your strategy to implementing your visibility plan.

While not everyone is cut out to be a Visible Founder, it is a perfectly achievable goal for most startup founders. You have to want it and know that there is a proven, repeatable process you can follow to identify your strengths and weaknesses, set your strategy, and develop the skills and infrastructure it takes to climb to the peak of your ability. Now start climbing!

Don't miss the opportunity to take your startup journey to new heights. Learn from industry leaders and experts, and start your transformation into a Visible Founder. Join us on 25th November 2023 for this exclusive event.

Explore Venture Care's Founders' Personal Branding services and start your journey towards becoming a Visible Founder today!