The Power of Personal Branding for Ecosystem Builders: It's less about vanity and more about respect!

How can you spur economic development in your startup community if no one knows who you are? The honest answer is you can't!

As someone who was doing ecosystem building work before it had an official title, I have experienced and witnessed firsthand the importance of personal branding for individuals involved in ecosystem building. How could I help diverse entrepreneurs be seen, heard, funded and supported if I had no power? When I started down this path 10 years ago with Derick, no one gave a damn. I had to push past impostor syndrome, and the uneasiness and discomfort of putting myself out there, and become not an influencer, but influential to have impact.

Ecosystem builders play a crucial role in fostering economic growth and innovation by connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and other key players in the business community. However, many ecosystem builders are hiding in plain sight, and have yet to realize the potential of personal branding to better advocate, attract and leverage resources to achieve their goals, or are struggling with how to do so.

In this article, I will discuss the importance of personal branding for ecosystem builders and provide a few insights on how to create a strong personal brand that can accelerate economic development.

Point blank you can't be effective in your role if people in your city with influence and funding, don't know or most importantly don't respect you. Cheryl Dorsey CEO of Echoing Green once told me, you need to have a level of resource magnetism, stickyness, thought leadership, influence and more than anything when you pick up the phone, people answer. I also quickly realized that as a result of that people will also understand there is a consequence to disappointing you and your community.

Establishing Credibility and Expertise

A strong personal brand helps with the coveted "KLT Factor", Know, Like and Trust. Building a strong personal brand, can help ecosystem builders gain credibility and establish themselves as experts in their field, or at least the best person to lead the charge to figure it out.

By building a personal brand, ecosystem builders can showcase their knowledge, skills, and experience, which will attract more stakeholders to collaborate with them. This can lead to an increase in partnerships, investments, and overall economic growth in the community.

Here are some quick ways to start doing so:

Brand your terminology: Is there something you say, you've created or discovered? Own it! 'Innovation Deserts' was the term we created, kinda inadvertently, at Black Tech Week and Center for Black Innovation. Created at a time when everyone was talking about food deserts, we would constantly say, "hey, there's an innovation desert that's happening too." It stuck, and it created a clear picture for people to lean in and be curious enough to spark a conversation or want to join forces to tackle the problem. These day's with Black Ambition, I talk a lot about being "Uninterrupted." Meaning, the pathway to entrepreneurship and through entrepreneurship needs to be uninterrupted so that it actually creates wealth for black and hispanic entrepreneurs. (You should also protect and trademark your work too, but seek legal support on that)

Produce long form and short form video content...consistently: LinkedIn Live, Facebook Live, Virtual Townhalls, Webinars, IG Live, Reels, Reels, Reels. Don't be afraid to share, and use these platforms that give you the opportunity to reach an audience directly to share wins, but also challenges. I suggest starting with video or audio first, as there's so many tools free and paid, that can take your 30 minute video and turn it into 10 easy to share reels, and transcribe the audio using otter and now you have an article, newsletter copy or a blog post.

Create Signature Content: make it findable, have it floating around. Consider it community service content, and no I'm not talking about creating dancing videos on Tik Tok to the latest trending audio (although its okay to let your hair down sometimes)

Publish your your work! Books, eBooks, articles, audio books, white papers, research, op-eds, frameworks, and guides are some ideas and many of these can be produced by recycling content in your research, funding proposal and from your events.

Get on some stages...but pick the right ones: You have ideas worth sharing, a unique perspective to solving these problems, the world needs to hear from you. Panels, fireside chats, keynotes, workshops, masterclasses, Tedx talks etc. Determine what audience you need to get in front of and get on the stages at those events to build your brand and also raise money for your organization. I go in-depth on what you need to do to get on influential stages here

Professional Headshots: I feel like this is self explanatory, but the selfie with the poor lighting is not going to cut it. Hire a photographer in your network, lots of conferences offer free headshot opportunities if your budget is tight, find one asap! Also, a really nice short video of the behind the scenes, or Day in the Life of your ecosystem building work will go a long way too.

Attracting Talent and Investment

Ecosystem builders with a powerful personal brand can attract talent and investment to their communities more effectively. By positioning themselves as thought leaders and influencers, ecosystem builders can create a magnetic pull that draws entrepreneurs, investors, and other key players to their region. This influx of talent and resources can significantly boost local innovation and economic development.

Building a Network of Influencers

Clarence Avant said in his Netflix documentary , "if you have friends you don't have problems", and I believe that! A strong personal brand can help ecosystem builders expand their network of influencers and connect with other thought leaders in their industry. This can lead to the exchange of ideas, best practices, and resources, which can ultimately benefit the entire ecosystem. By leveraging their personal brand, ecosystem builders can establish themselves as connectors, with REAL connections, who bridge the gap between entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders, ultimately fostering a more vibrant and successful ecosystem. This part is crucial, as often times, the entrepreneurs that you are serving are under networked. Build your network, to help them catapult theirs to get true access to decision makers and true buyers.

Amplifying the Impact of Success Stories

An effective personal brand allows ecosystem builders to showcase their achievements and the success stories within their ecosystems. By sharing these stories, they can create a ripple effect that inspires more entrepreneurs, attracts additional investment, and generates interest from other regions looking to replicate their model of economic development. This amplification effect can lead to increased regional and national visibility, positioning the ecosystem builder as a driving force for economic growth and someone with convening power. I have used HARO for years, to help entrepreneurs get free press for their startups and to raise the profile of our organization, if you don't have a PR budget its a phenomenal resource.

Personal Growth and Development

Finally, building a personal brand is an ongoing process that requires ecosystem builders to continually improve their knowledge, skills, and expertise. This commitment to personal growth can lead to more effective strategies and tactics, ultimately resulting in a stronger ecosystem and more significant economic impact.

Building a strong and influential personal branding is less about becoming the cool kid and more about being impactful and gaining respect to creating the KLT factor before you walk into that meeting, and is an essential tool for ecosystem builders looking to accelerate economic development.

By establishing credibility, attracting talent and investment, building a network of influencers, amplifying success stories, and committing to personal growth, ecosystem builders can create a powerful personal brand that drives economic growth and innovation in their communities.

So, if you're an ecosystem builder seeking to make a lasting impact, now is the time to invest in your personal brand and unlock your full potential in fostering an asset rich community, and economic development.

xo

Felecia