5 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Promote Themselves Business leaders need to up their game and improve their worth via self-promotion

Be it the serial entrepreneur Elon Musk or undisputed reality queen Kim Kardashian, both have earned an identity for themselves over the years. While most leaders are known for how well their company is recognized in the market, many have created a unique network where people recognize them for who they are and associate their brands with them instead of the other way round.

Self-promotion is often frowned upon by the well-established business personalities but it is an activity which has become necessary to survive in today's world of competition. However, some often misunderstand the concept and end up taking more than necessary efforts to brag about their achievements. Nonetheless, if done the right way, entrepreneurs need to promote themselves. Here's why:

Benchmark for Employees

As leaders, employees look up to you and what you have achieved in life. Unless they are aware of the sweat and blood you have spent to reach the position you are at today, they won't respect you enough. In the startup world, for an organization to be successful, entrepreneurs need to have innovative minds but more than that, they need to inspire their team.

"Promoting oneself doesn't mean extensively highlighting traits but creating a personal brand by exhibiting diligence, skills and traits that align with and enhance the work culture. An employer's identity also reinforces brand credibility in the talent market, where the employees' productivity is directly proportionate to the recognition they receive for the work," shared Ankit Garg, Co-Founder, Wakefit.co.

Networking

Communicating with experts and individuals from the same circle, exchanging contacts and staying in touch with them plays a crucial role in determining the size of an entrepreneur's network. Not every interaction needs to be related to a prospective opportunity of working together. Every business leader should have some good contacts in his kitty to cash out as and when required.

"Irrespective of the type of networking informal or formal, you should always be the first one to get the information to have a better control. This information flows through networks," said Pulak Satish Kumar, COO, Puresight System.

Brand Credibility

A brand's credibility majorly depends on how well the leader is known and how much trust has he earned in the circle over the years. For outsiders and employees, an entrepreneur needs to be transparent enough about his ways and values to be trusted.

"Leaders should be transparent and true to the employees. This increases your value for the team. Irrespective whether you lose one or you win many, people should trust you," Kumar added.

Trust Building

No leader rises alone as his brand rises with him. As recognized the entrepreneur is in the ecosystem, as are the better chances for his company to be acknowledged for prospective projects. Self-promotion is another way of building the trust of employees and potential investors in the organization. The ambitious employees are always in for more learning and who can be a better mentor than a well-known manager.

"Employer branding is the process of instilling faith in employees that they can be brand ambassadors and share their opinions honestly. In this era of digitization and transparency, branding as an employer of choice is of utmost importance for attracting and retaining the best," added Garg.

Not Over-doing it

While self-promotion is imperative for every entrepreneur for establishing an identity for him, not going over the board is equally important. From the employees' perspective, people like to work for those who have a plan, direction and have self-belief but hate those who keep boasting about their own success instead of praising their subordinates for their good work.

"If leaders are successful, they don't wallow in their own success but instead share the glory with their team. Leaders know when to step aside and let their team leaders and they are fair and honest," said Benedict Hayes, Executive Director, Ethinos Digital. He also believes that self-promotion is more about being the mentor and supporting the team instead of marketing yourself.