Why Creative Entrepreneurs Need a Personal Brand [2025]

If you’re sitting there wondering whether you need a personal brand as a creative small business owner, I’m going to be real with you – the answer is probably yes. Here’s why creative entrepreneurs need a personal brand [2025].

Here’s the deal: my entire business exists to help fellow creative dreamers make a sustainable living from their passions. Because let’s face it – that whole 9-to-5, corporate girlie lifestyle? Not terrible, but also not for us. And you know what? That’s perfectly okay. You can craft your own path, break the “rules,” and build something totally unique to you. I’m 1000% here for it.

If you want to learn a bit more about me, read how I found my vanlife path and started my business HERE. Otherwise, let’s get into it!

PERSONAL BRAND, GO.

What is a Personal Brand?

First off, let’s cut through the marketing buzzwords and talk about what a personal brand actually is, because it’s not nearly as fancy or complicated as some people make it sound.

Your personal brand is basically how people remember you when you’re not in the room. It’s the impression you leave, the stories people tell about you, and the way your work makes people feel. Your business is remembered, recognized, and trusted through the consistency in how you present yourself to the world through your brand.

The Sunflower Metaphor (Bear With Me Here)

I know metaphors can be eye-roll worthy, but this one actually helps explain things. Think of it like this:

• If your personal brand was a flower, it would be a sunflower.
• Your expertise, experiences, values, and achievements are the seeds: These core elements distinguish you from every other flower. They make you grow into a sunflower. You can’t be any other flower because your seeds are unique to you. No one else can be a sunflower, because you are the only one with these specific seeds.
• You visually distinguish yourself by your tall stems and bright yellow petals: This is how people consistently see you and remember you. The more they recognize you, the more they are encouraged to learn about you and connect with you.

If you as a sunflower look different every time you sprout, no one will be able to recognize you or trust you. The consistent visual identity of how you present yourself determines whether people recognize you, trust you, connect with you, and ultimately love you.

How Your Personal Brand Helps You Compete with Big Companies

Let’s be honest – we’re not trying to be the next Amazon here (phew). While the big corporations are out there with their massive marketing budgets and fancy boardrooms, we’ve got just as valuable: real human connection.

Here’s why creative entrepreneurs need a personal brand to compete with big corporations.

A traditional brand focuses on the product or service rather than the provider. For big companies, this approach makes sense because they rely on their audience remembering and recognizing their products, not relying on the audience’s connection to the leaders of the companies. Sure, I love L.L. Bean and look for their logo on hiking pants, but do I know the name or face of the CEO? Not a chance.

Us small businesses? We’re focusing on building human relationships. They’ve got marketing teams; we’ve got real stories and palpable passion. And here’s the best part – in a world where everyone’s craving authenticity, that’s a superpower only we can harness.

For creative small business owners like us who rely heavily on word-of-mouth marketing, referrals, community, and connection, it’s super beneficial for our audience to know us personally. We pour our hearts into every product or service we provide, and our customers feel that when they buy from us. We want potential customers to feel that too, and the best way to achieve this is by letting them get to know us through our personal brand before they even buy.

Capitalize on this authentic-connection advantage and kick some butt!

Standing Out from Other Small Business Owners – Why Creative Entrepreneurs Need a Personal Brand [2025]

“But everyone’s doing the personal brand thing!” I hear you. (Trust me, I’ve had this exact thought at 3 AM.) Here’s the truth: yes, other creative business owners are out there building their brands too. But what’s amazing about capitalizing on your unique personality is that no one else has your specific blend of experiences, quirks, and perspective.

If you need an example of what I mean by being “uniquely you” and “embracing your individuality through your brand,” check out this rebrand I did for a creative small business owner: Client Showcase “The Wandering Bride”. She’s a Yosemite National Park wedding planner who needed to stand out in her niche and get her audience to see her fun, adventurous personality.

So, here’s why creative entrepreneurs need a personal brand to compete with other small business owners.

Being Authentically You

I promise this isn’t going to turn into a cheesy “just be yourself” speech. But here’s the thing I’ve learned after years of watching creative small businesses succeed and fail: the ones that thrive aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest websites. They’re the ones that feel real.

When your business grows from the special seeds that make you uniquely you, standing out becomes inevitable. Your business won’t look like anyone else’s because you do things your way, and no one can replicate that. They could, of course, try, but they’ll never succeed.

People will buy from you because of your unique approach. They want to buy from YOU, support YOU, and follow along with YOUR journey. Your personal brand aesthetic needs to reflect that individuality so people can immediately see that you are different from what they’ve seen before. We must stop them in their trail-blazing tracks!

This doesn’t mean your personal brand needs to be super loud or wildly distinctive – it means your personal brand should be authentic to who you are, expressed in a way that feels natural.

Having a personal brand doesn’t even require showing your face constantly (unless that feels good to you). You can express your personal brand through your voice, values, and mission. YOU can become known for YOUR thing however YOU want to, which is actually the best way to stand out, gain exposure, build community, and grow your small business.

Thriving Personal Brands Currently In The World

Here are some inspiring examples of small business owners and digital nomads who excel at personal branding (none of whom are sponsoring this content):

Sarah Anderson Ceramics

Website: sarahandersonceramics.com Instagram: @sarahandersonceramics

Sarah is a ceramics artist who lives and travels in her camper van. Her personal brand embodies quirky, goofy, outdoorsy, authentic, and energetic qualities. This shows through her groovy, abstract fonts and warm, bright color palette. Her personal brand perfectly complements her ceramic art, creating a cohesive feeling that her audience easily remembers and connects with.

Parking on the Wild Side

YouTube: @onthewildside Instagram: @parkingonthewildside

Laura and Aaron are vanlife vloggers creating content for YouTube and social media. Their brand is folky, earthy, romantic, whimsical, and untamed. This shows through their nature-focused color palette, cinematic photography style, and beautifully curated aesthetic. Their personal brand expertly reflects their free spirits, attracting an audience that craves and romanticizes this whimsical lifestyle.

Rachel Pohl

Website: rachelpohlart.com Instagram: @rachel.pohl

Rachel is a world-traveling artist selling apparel, gear, fine art, and accessories. Her brand radiates vibrancy, liveliness, joy, confidence, and adventure. This shows through her distinct, nature-focused color gradients that embrace saturation, contrast, and vibrancy. Her personal brand helps her stand out significantly from other artists by presenting her audience with a consistent feeling they want to be part of.

Advice For The Next Adventurepreneur

I know this might feel overwhelming. I’ve been there – staring at my laptop screen, wondering if I’m doing anything right. But here’s what I’ve learned: starting somewhere is better than staying stuck in planning mode forever.

The best way to start building your personal brand is to define your brand personality and transform it into aesthetic visuals your audience can connect with. We want your people to start remembering you, connecting with you, and talking about you!

If you need help with this journey, consider these resources:

1. Adventurepreneur Design Den Subscription Pack: Perfect if you already know your audience, feel established, and are trying to solve specific problems in your online presence. Learn More
2. Map My Aesthetic: Ideal if you’re just getting to know your audience, moving past the DIY phase, and need help curating a strategic personal brand. Start Mapping
3. Create Your Personal Brand Guide: Great for beginners who need a quick DIY win to create their personal brand aesthetic. Get Started
4. 3 Steps to Turn Your Travel Vibe Into A Personal Brand: a blog post that gives you some insight on how to turn your travel vibe into a personal brand worthy of paid collaborations. Read Here

Once you’ve got your branding down and are moving onto creating a website around it, it might help to check this out: Best Website Platforms for Digital Nomads [2024]

I hope this helps you navigate this whole personal branding journey and gives you a solid sense of why creative entrepreneurs need a personal brand. And hey, if you’re sitting there with a million questions spinning in your head, my inbox is always open. I mean it – I actually read and respond to my emails (usually while in my bathing suit, but no one needs to know that).

Love you, good luck, and stay sane (or at least, sane-adjacent).

Alia

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