Pehle banda phir dhandha, says Shark Tank India 2’s new judge Amit Jain. The CarDekho Group founder-CEO says since most startups that pitch on the show are still to prove themselves, the investors have to bet on the founders rather than their ventures or product. But how do you bet on someone that no one knows? The investors, or sharks, as they are known on the show, certainly don’t. Well, that’s where the power of personal branding comes in.
Besides a brilliant idea, strong work experience and an unappeasable hunger to succeed, investors expect founders to have a strong personal brand identity that announces exactly who they are and what they stand for. They are like founders who started building this brand from the very first year of their working life and who live and breathe the persona every moment of every day.
And, yes, to also dress for success. Always look the part or you might not get the part because perception is everything, says Daymond John, self-made millionaire and ABC Shark Tank investor who’s always dressed to the nines. That doesn’t mean entrepreneurs have to cough up big money for all their clothes. They just need to choose garments that fit well, polish their shoes and keep their nails clean. It’s not rocket science, but it could transport them over the moon.
Having a trademark look always boosts business. Politicians instinctively understand that a signature accessory or a certain gesture (like Shashi Tharoor’s constant throwing back of his hair) work as tools of identification. Indira Gandhi even had a signature walk to go with her signature hairstyle and handloom saris. Today, there’s Narendra Modi, who started out with the eponymous half-sleeved kurta and now wears cuffed kurtas with carefully colour-coordinated sleeveless jackets.
In the east, the proudly-plebian Mamata Banerjee marches around in her Missionaries of Charity-like, blue-edged saris and rubber chappals while the extremely sophisticated and born-wealthy Naveen Patnaik wins poll after poll and the common man’s heart in his long white kurta (of which he is supposed to have only two sets) and black slippers.
Today’s businessmen have got the branding memo too. Some viewers might think that Lenskart founder Peyush Bansal is making a spectacle of himself by changing his glasses every time he shows up as an investor on Shark Tank India. But customers know the brand and Bansal. And who better than the founder—and face—of Lenskart to show them all that the company has to offer?
Is personal branding only about looks then? Well, not quite. You also need to clearly define your area of expertise and tom-tom that expertise through the best channels available to you. If you work in fashion or interiors, for instance, Instagram is a good platform. For those targeting B2B clients, LinkedIn is a better bet.
But remember to have a good story to go with your pictures. It doesn’t have to be a tale of triumph. In fact, a sob story that documents how you clawed your way out of the chawl and into the Grand Chola is likely to win you a thousand new followers. And, hopefully, some sharks with deep pockets.
Shampa Dhar-Kamath
Delhi-based writer,editor and communication coach
shampadhar@gmail.com