Today I'm joined by Darrell Vesterfelt to explore why personal brand might be the most overlooked asset for early-stage founders.

First, Darrell shows why traditional startups should borrow strategies from the creator world, sharing how he's helped companies drive sales and recruit talent through founder-led marketing. Then we dig into a step-by-step playbook for building your baseline presence - from getting your first podcast interview to crafting foundational content.

You'll learn how to develop a personal brand that supports real business goals, create content efficiently without letting it consume your time, and increase conversion rates across recruiting, sales and partnerships.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:33 Behind Mount Haley Holdings

02:29 The Stigma Around Personal Branding

03:14 The Power of Personal Branding: Practical Steps

05:47 5 Personal Branding Tips for Founders

09:05 Step 1: How to Get Interviewed on Podcasts

11:45 Step 2: Develop a Founding Story

12:24 Step 3: Setting Up Social Media Profiles

15:41 Step 4: Writing Foundational Essays

18:03 Step 5: Business Case Studies

20:38 How to Get High-Ticket Clients Through Personal Branding

25:37 Why Keep Investing in Personal Brand at $40M ARR

29:21 How to Attract Top Talent with Personal Branding

33:02 Using Personal Brand to Build Company Culture

38:40 Personal Branding Within Teams

41:59 How to Create Educational Content That Sells

53:17 Turning Personal Brand into Marketing ROI

57:30 Building Community Around Your Business

01:03:20 How to Systematize Content Creation

01:06:22 Closing Thoughts

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Learn more about The Nathan Barry Show: https://nathanbarry.com/show 

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Follow Darrell:

Website: https://darrellvesterfelt.com 

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Featured in this episode:

Mount Haley Holdings: https://www.mounthaley.com 

Good People Digital: https://mygoodpeople.com 

Boomtown: https://boomtowngrowth.com 

HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com 

Mighty Networks: https://www.mightynetworks.com 

Charli (Kit Creative Director): https://www.charlimarie.com 

Deliverability Podcast: https://deliverability.transistor.fm 

Webflow: https://www.webflow.com 

Framer: https://www.framer.com 

Hampton: https://www.joinhampton.com 

Sam Parr: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parrsam 

Leadpages: https://www.leadpages.com 

Cast Magic: https://www.castmagic.io 

Jason Lemkin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmlemkin 

Highlights:

02:19 Personal Branding: The Silicon Valley Stigma

14:46 Social Media Audit Checklist for Founders

25:59 Why I'm Still Building My Personal Brand at $40M ARR

29:21 Using Personal Brand to Improve Hiring

34:41 How Kit Creates Internal Content

38:37 Team Personal Branding Strategy

57:24 Kit Building an Online Business Community