My grandfather asked me what personal branding is. Here’s what I told him.

Every afternoon at five o'clock, my grandfather waits for me for coffee. We started this routine after my grandmother passed away in 2021, and we haven’t missed an afternoon since. 

Some days we talk about family. Other days about the village, politics, or whatever happened that morning.

On the first of July, I sat down with him and told him I'd started a new job. He was happy for me then asked where I was working, what the agency did, and then came the typical question, "So, what exactly is your job?"

"I work in personal branding," I said.

"What does that mean?" he asked. 

I realised I had no idea how to answer that without using words that would only make things more confusing. I could have spoken about positioning, reputation, visibility or thought leadership. They're all terms I use at work but could mean very little to someone who has spent his life outside the communications world. 

So instead, I used language he’s familiar with, “When people in the village need advice about buying land or selling property, why do they come to you?” 

He looked at me as though the answer was obvious, “I don’t know, they just do.” 

“But why you?” I asked. 

He thought about it, “I suppose I have been doing it for a long time?” 

I nodded, “What else?” 

“They know I will tell them the truth. And if I don’t know something, I will tell them that too.” 

“And if someone asks your neighbour who they should speak to?” I asked him. 

“He’ll probably send them to me,” he said. 

“Exactly. You did not wake up one morning and decide to become the property expert of the village. You just became known for it and people understand that you are good at it. They know when to come to you, they recommend you, and they know where to find you. That’s personal branding.” 

He then asked me if that was the same as reputation. 

“It’s a lot like reputation but it’s also how easy you make it for other people to understand it. So for example, if someone has never met you before, how quickly can they understand what you’re known for?” 

“But,” he said, “everyone in the village already knows me.” 

“I know, but imagine someone coming from the neighboring village. They don’t know you, so they ask around. They will look for clues and ask who people trust around here. On the internet, people do the same thing. Instead of just asking another person, they search online to see what they can find about them.”

He asked, “So people are judging you before they have met you?” 

“No,” I said. “They’re trying to understand you. They’re asking themselves: what is this person known for? Would I trust them? Do they actually know what they’re talking about? And that’s where we come in.” 

He smiled, “So you’re helping people become easier to understand?” I said, “Yes. I’m helping them communicate who they already are.”

At Sumea Social, we spend our days helping founders, executives and business leaders answer that same question. 

And my grandfather?

He’s proudly told anyone who will listen that his granddaughter works in personal branding, almost hoping they will ask what it means. I think he enjoys explaining it the same way I did. 

Written by Romy Abdallah.