Last week I had a client intensive and allowed myself to leave the calendar open for the day to flow freely. I’m so glad I did.
I was going to meet with 2 people for a 1 hour meeting, and I ended up spending the day with 7 guys. The stories exchanged over a meal could never have been told on zoom or on the boardroom where we started. And as I walked home, I reflected on how it didn’t matter who my firm was – they had been there for me.
You see, when I left corporate I was shitting my pants about showing up by myself. Still today, before I attend a conference, I always feel this chip on my shoulder that I’m not at UBS or Morgan Stanley anymore. Surely, that was why people found me interesting and gave me their business, right?
WRONG.
The firm provided the product, but I had provided the service. And built my personal brand, meeting by meeting, call by call, success by success. My knowledge, results and personality had built me my brand. Rep by rep, one day at a time.
A common fear of my coaching clients is the loss of status or the lack of brand when leaving a job. Often, they feel they need to build an online brand before – I fully disagree.
The issue is, we are perceiving our brands to be our corporate title or our bio in a social media profile – when your brand is your body of work.”
You already have a personal brand.
If you’ve worked in leadership, solved big problems, mentored teams, gotten results, your brand is already alive in people’s heads.
The key is learning how to activate it—before you even show up online.
Leaving a job title means you lose your corporate “halo.” A strong personal brand lets you carry that credibility into your business. In other words: People buy from people.
But here’s the part most of you miss:
A personal brand isn’t just online.
Quote of the Week:
“Make your name mean something before you even walk into the room.”
Michelle Obama
What Offline Branding Still Beats Online At
Think of it like a flywheel:
- Online = discovery engine (SEO, reach, social proof)
- Offline = stickiness engine (trust, referrals, real-world authority)
Recent studies say that both online presence and your network are equally weighted in shaping your credibility.
But this is a hill I’ll die on – Offline still wins on:
- Trust: People form opinions in the first 7 seconds of face-to-face contact
- Authenticity: A coffee chat raises your perceived authenticity by 28%
- Control: Tone, timing, and body language reinforce what your LinkedIn bio never could.
Yes, social proof and SEO matter—but nothing converts like presence.
And no matter how “big” your online brand gets, you’ll still need to deploy your offline one in real human interactions.
So why not start there?
How YOU Make Money Without a Big Personal Brand
Let me say this louder for the woman lurking on her ex-colleague’s profile wondering if she needs to go viral first:
You do not need a personal website, a funnel, or a follower count to land your first consulting client.
You already have a brand. It’s just been tucked into your title and your team’s results.
Here’s how:
- Activate Your Existing Brand Ask 3 trusted colleagues: “What problem would you pay me to solve?” Their words are your raw brand material.
- Create Your Verbal Logo One sentence: “I help [niche] solve [problem] using [method from your corporate playbook].” Write it down
- Make Private Offers Before Public Content Reach out via DMs, WhatsApp, warm intros. Start with your existing network—no hashtags required.
- Use Real-World Touchpoints Coffee chats, founder meetups, small panels—these are credibility accelerators, not time-wasters.
Let me repeat this so your inner overthinker hears it:
Your first client is already in your network.
Your first client is already in your network.
Your first client is already in your network.
Own It
You don’t need a “platform.” You need a practice.
Your brand is already active in the minds of your colleagues, your boss, your mentees, and that CEO who always replied to your emails first.
You need to reactivate that equity—before a single post hits the feed.
Visibility fear? Skip the algorithm. Start with a conversation.
Your track record is already soaked in proof.
You’re not starting from scratch. You’re just finally owning the work you’ve always done in the light.
Weekly Action Plan: Make Money Before You Make Content
- Book your 1:1 Brand Audit Call → No pitch decks needed. Just real talk about your rep.
- Identify 3 work wins that made measurable impact.
- Message 2 ex-colleagues: “Curious—what do you remember me for?”
- Draft your Verbal Logo and test it in a coffee chat.
Less hustle, more leverage.
Claudia
