As with most of these brain dumps, this was sparked by a conversation with a friend. 

Conversing always turns to dreaming in the right company.

Then you’re alone again and on comes the questioning and crippling self-doubt. What dream is right? 

Do you build yourself up, offer advice, make sure everything you do points back to your smiling face and personal brand? 

Or

Do you work to build something bigger than yourself, something that can adapt in the future and live on past your taste?

Ultimately it’s entirely up to you and your goals.  

Here are the major pros and cons I see. 

BRANDING YOURSELF

Pros: 

Facial Recognition - If you brand yourself right, everyone will know your face and be able to talk to you when they see you in person. Although brand logos and a portfolio of work are important, no one can have a conversation with them. Human connections are real.

On Brand - No one can tell you that you’re off-brand. If you develop a following and grow over time, they might try to say that you’ve changed, but at the end of the day you are you, and you can do whatever the hell you want. 

Freedom -  If you build a strong enough personal brand, you have the power to work for whoever you want, to stop and start as you please. No one to answer to other than yourself. Much easier said than done though, very few people are this good, but who knows, you might be.  

Cons: 

Fear - It’s scary to put yourself out there. People love to hate, and the internet is made for it. You won’t be able to hide behind a carefully constructed brand identity. They will be hating you personally. 

Scaled Up & Aged Out - There is only one of you, if you base everything solely around yourself, your personality and your skills, then you will limit the number of things you can do and take on in the future. You will get old, your tastes will change, but the young buyers will remain the same age. Ask yourself, will your personal brand age well? 

Strength in Numbers - The best ideas come from conversations with others and collaborations to make up for our weaknesses. Unless you’re one of those people that excel at everything, you will likely benefit from working with a team. 

BUILDING A BRAND

Pros: 

No limits - A brand can grow larger than a single person. You can be the biggest personality in the world, but when you’re dead and gone, that’s it. A well-built brand has a chance to live on. 

Community Built -  When branding is done right, it elicits a cult-like following. Fans become part of the brand because they helped build it, and wrapped their identity up in it. Fans are more likely to get your brand logo tattooed on their neck, rather than a picture of your face.

Power to adapt - The best brands can change and adapt over time, it’s not to say that a personal brand can’t do the same, but it’s much more difficult. When personal values, looks, and traits are involved fans are more critical. Brands can be a little more fluid to keep up with the changing times. 

Cons:

Blame Management - Building a brand will most likely involve working with people, and they will require management. It is the single hardest thing to do and the downfall of a lot of companies. If managing people is not something you’re looking for, a personal brand is the way to go.

Easier said than done - Building a successful brand with a believable voice is very difficult. Being yourself tends to come a little more naturally to most.  

Weight of the world: As a brand grows, so do the stakes. More success, more work, more fans, more employees to pay, more blood, and tears invested. Overall great things, but they come with a lot of pressure and people’s expectations to live up to. Make sure you’re ready for the weight on your shoulders.

WIN-WIN

The good news is, whichever direction you choose to take, in the beginning, you can try doing both. Unless you’re starting with a significant outside investment, you’re most likely starting with a company of one. Your personal brand will be heavily tied to the overall brand’s story as it grows. 

Ultimately the two will always go hand in hand. Try to think of the most recognizable brands; the personal brand of the founder is usually deeply intertwined within the larger brand itself. Microsoft - Gates, Apple - Jobs, Amazon- Bezos, Nike - Knight, Facebook-Zuckerberg, and so on. 

You get the picture; the best have both covered, you should too.