I've been wrestling with a question for a while now: can I truly be more than one thing in my personal brand?
It's been roughly a year since I dove headfirst into taking "personal branding" seriously. I've learned a tonne(or as the Aussies would say, heaps) in that time, much of it incredibly rewarding. Yet, there's one piece of advice from many branding "experts" that's been rattling around in my head: "Find the one thing you're good at and double down on that.”
While I might be misinterpreting their exact point, the sentiment has felt incredibly restrictive lately.
But why am I even building a personal brand? Well, my journey didn’t start off as that.
A desire to connect
My personal branding journey actually started from a very practical need. Having worked mostly for smaller companies, my professional network here in Australia was pretty limited to my immediate colleagues. I wanted to expand my reach, connect with more people in the industry, learn from them, and ultimately make friends in my city. Eventually I ended up on LinkedIn, and noticed others sharing things that were more than just job updates. So, I started focusing on sharing my insights as an IT professional, particularly as a network engineer.
Over time, something incredible happened. My posts weren't just connecting me locally; they were reaching people across the world. My thoughts and words were reaching others in ways I never imagined, sparking conversations and I was introduced to a global community I had no idea existed.
But now, that initial purpose, and the "brand" it created, feels like a constraint. My content largely revolves around the technical side of IT. Meanwhile, my life, like many of yours, is so much richer and more complex than just my job title.
More than an just an engineer.
Here's the honest truth: I've been feeling very restricted in my posting recently because so much of what I'm doing and thinking about in my life has nothing to do with being an engineer.
I'm dabbling in the world of entrepreneurship as a co-founder with my other-half, building something from the ground up, and having so much fun, trying to fix a problem we are very passionate about.
I'm navigating the joys and chaos of parenthood, a journey that shapes my perspective on everything, including work-life balance and efficiency.
I'm fascinated by efficiency and processes in all aspects of life, not just in network architectures. I'm the "weird guy" who genuinely enjoys optimising workflows for everyday tasks.
And frankly, I'm just a human being experiencing a very personal and vulnerable time of growth and transition.
The thought of sharing these other aspects feels... well, wrong. My established "brand" is "the tech guy." Sure, I could just start posting about the other stuff, but it feels like a pivot, exposing myself when all these things are still very much in a state of flux.
Can We Be More Than One Thing? (Spoiler: Yes.)
This is the question I keep coming back to. Can I be an engineer, a founder, a parent, and a process-obsessed efficiency enthusiast, all under the one umbrella?
My evolving answer is a resounding yes! And in fact, I believe that embracing these multiple dimensions isn't just possible; it's essential for a truly authentic personal brand.
I’m coming to believe that the advice to “find your niche, and double down” often focuses on getting quick gains, and is in pursuit of pitching your business. But to build a personal brand that lasts and builds genuine connection, it needs to reflect who we are outside of jobs, whether we’re selling our own creations or someone else's. Our professional lives are inextricably linked to our personal lives, our core values and our unique quirks. So why hide them?
So, I’ve been on a journey lately, exploring those other parts of my personality. Exploring how parenthood informs an approach to leadership, how going for a run with similar minded people has helped shape a direction and strategy for my multi-faceted personal brand.
My partner sent me a article from
the other day and her “ Tree Approach” to personal branding is the exact validation that I needed for this thinking.The longer I spend in these other areas of my life, the more I realise the benefits of all these interests. They are never distractions.
If you've also wrestled with your professional identity, I'd love to hear your story.
For more reflections on navigating the evolving landscape of tech life and building a career unrestricted by your technical knowledge, Hit the subscribe button. 👇
Thanks to your partner for sending my words your way! It's so lovely to connect and meet someone else who's doing lots of things and writing about them all.