“The best time to start was 5 years ago. The second best time to start is now.”
This perfectly sums up what so many founders need to understand about building a personal brand, and I can say that because I was in that exact same boat 18 months ago.
One of my biggest regrets as a founder is waiting too long to commit to building my personal brand. I didn’t lean in early. I waited until our business was already five years old before I got serious. While I can’t change that, I often think about the gains I would have seen for myself and for the company if I had started sooner.
So if you’ve been sitting on the fence about starting your personal brand, consider this your sign. Don’t wait. Do it now.
If I had to start mine over tomorrow? This is the exact blueprint I’d follow.
You don’t need to be everywhere at once, but you do need to show up where your audience is spending time.
For me, that’s LinkedIn first and foremost. But depending on your industry, Instagram, YouTube, or even platforms like Substack or Medium can work. The key is to pick 2–3 platforms you feel confident about and commit to them.
If I were starting over, I’d aim for:
That rhythm gives you both depth and visibility. While storytelling about yourself has a place, the majority of your content should focus on solving problems for your audience. Practical, tactical, solution-driven posts will do more for your credibility than anything else.
Building a personal brand takes discipline. There’s no way around that.
It’s uncomfortable at first. It’s easy to push to the back burner. I’ve done that myself, over and over again. But if you want results, you have to treat it like a non-negotiable business priority.
For me, that means blocking Tuesday mornings every week. That’s when I brainstorm, script, film, or draft. Sometimes it’s one hour. Sometimes it’s longer. But it’s always on the calendar.
And here’s the other thing…
You probably can’t (and shouldn’t) do it all on your own. I don’t. I own a company that does content marketing, and I still lean on our team at Breezy to help me produce, edit, and publish my content. If you’re serious about consistency, find support. Whether that’s someone to edit your videos, schedule posts, or handle the admin side, having help will keep you on track.
This is a trap I see founders fall into and I’ve been guilty of it myself.
It’s tempting to create content that appeals to your peers or impresses others in your industry. But those aren’t the people who will buy from you.
If I had to start again, I’d laser-focus on my target audience from day one. Every post, every video, every piece of content would be created with the buyer in mind.
That’s the content that leads to conversations, credibility, and customers. Not peer approval.
Your content is your portfolio. It’s the tryout that shows the world what you know, how you think, and why you’re worth listening to.
But if I had to start over, I wouldn’t stop there. I’d push much harder, much sooner, into opportunities like:
These third-party platforms accelerate authority, put you in front of new audiences, and build credibility in ways your own posts alone can’t.
When these pieces work together—your consistent content plus third-party validation—you become the go-to voice in your space.
I won’t sugarcoat this because building a personal brand takes work. It takes discipline. It will feel awkward at first. It will be easy to skip.
But if you stick with it, the payoff is undeniable. You’ll build trust faster. You’ll open doors you didn’t even know existed. You’ll see your company’s credibility rise alongside your own.
If I had to start my personal brand all over again, here’s the plan I’d follow:
It’s not complicated. But it does require commitment.
If you’re a founder who’s been delaying this, my advice is simple: don’t wait. Start today. A year from now, you’ll thank yourself for it.If you want someone to help you build the systems, create the content, and keep it consistent, that’s exactly what we do at Breezy. We take the heavy lifting off your plate so you can focus on running your business—while your personal brand works for you.
Savannah Abney is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Breezy Company. With over 6 years of experience, she specializes in content strategy, video marketing, and brand storytelling-helping small businesses grow through a strong digital reputation.
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