Building a strong brand is more than just elevating a service industry business. It requires cultivating both the organizational brand and the personal brands simultaneously. This dual approach not only strengthens the company’s reputation but also enhances the personal growth and career trajectory of each team member.
Marc Cenedella, CEO of TheLadders.com, insightfully explains that branding is not a new concept. It has evolved through history and remains a cornerstone of personal and professional success:
“Building your personal brand might strike you as a funny way of thinking about your career, but the idea has been around for centuries.
The ancient Greeks called it arête, and it meant being the best you can be. During the time of knights and castles, it was called “honor,” and you were expected to defend it to the death. George Washington and men of his era were extremely concerned about maintaining and protecting their reputation. And in the 20th century, it might have been referred to as your standing in your community or your industry.
So ‘personal brand’ is simply a new phrase for an old concept—how do you present yourself to others?
You see, you know all the wonderful experiences you have had, and you are intimately familiar with all the capabilities you have developed as you have made your way through your career. That has always been an integral part of personal success.
Throughout history, it has also been important for men and women to understand how others perceive them, to manage that perception, and to guide it so that all their other goals can be achieved.
It is the recognition that living in society with people, your success is as dependent on what others think about what you can do, as well as it is on, what it is you actually do.
The big change in modern times is scale.
The Greeks had only to be concerned with people living in their city, knights with their honor within the kingdom, Washington with his reputation within the colonies, and in the 21st century your standing was dependent on your community and your industry.
What is changed is the modern economy. Companies can vaporize overnight. Whole industries can be upended by a change in technology, regulation, or globalization.
So, what is important now is that your brand be known and available not only to the people of your city, state, country, or industry but to any professional at any time. You never know when you will be tossed into a new industry, a new city, or a new company, so you need to consider how you’ll be perceived and how your background and skills will be interpreted by others.
Adding to the tumultuousness of the modern economy, modern technology has bestowed upon us Google, social networks, blogs, and a host of other means for others to learn about your arête, your honor, your reputation, and your standing, in ways other than speaking directly with you.
In that sense, then, building your brand is about understanding how you want your professional life to be seen by others, and then managing your presence in both the offline and online worlds towards that end.”
Whether we realize it or not, each of us already has a personal brand. Some may be acutely aware of the impression they’ve cultivated, while others might be less intentional. Regardless, the beauty of branding lies in its fluidity. Every day presents an opportunity to refine, reshape, or amplify your brand to align with your aspirations and values.
Establishing a lasting brand—whether personal or organizational—requires deliberate effort and a clear roadmap. Momentum, much like in physics, plays a critical role. Picture your brand as a fully loaded train: the initial energy needed to start moving is immense, but once it gains momentum, sustaining it becomes significantly easier.
A Personal Story: Branding in Action
To illustrate the power of personal branding in alignment with organizational goals, let me share a real-life example. At my HVAC and plumbing company, we had an employee—let’s call him Steve—who was picking up supplies at Home Depot. While in the plumbing aisle, an elderly couple approached him, mistaking him for a store employee, and asked for assistance. Instead of dismissing them, Steve chose to help.
As the conversation unfolded, the couple mentioned their water heater had broken, causing water damage throughout their home. They were looking for solutions to both replace the water heater and address the damage. At this point, Steve explained that he wasn’t a Home Depot employee but worked for our company, which could handle both the water heater replacement and the water damage mitigation.
What began as a simple act of kindness turned into a $21,000 project involving water heater replacement, water mitigation, and reconstruction. Not only did the company benefit from this, but the property owners received timely assistance, and Steve earned a well-deserved bonus for his initiative. This story highlights how personal branding—defined by professionalism, helpfulness, and alignment with company values—can directly impact organizational success.
The C.U.P.E.S. Framework for Branding Success
So, how do we begin the branding journey? A structured approach is essential, and the C.U.P.E.S. framework provides a robust foundation:
- Communication: Clear, concise communication is the lifeline of any brand. From leadership to team members and internal stakeholders to external customers, transparent and effective dialogue fosters trust and alignment.
- Unity: A shared vision, articulated through well-defined goals and action plans, unites the team. Writing down objectives and collaborating on a clear path ensures everyone strives for the same outcomes. Without this unity, efforts can become fragmented and counterproductive.
- Promises: Consistency is key. Keeping promises—whether to customers, colleagues, or partners—is fundamental to building trust and credibility.
- Education: Lifelong learning is a cornerstone of personal and service industry growth. Staying current through certifications, books, seminars, or other resources elevates expertise and adaptability.
- Systems: Systems drive scalability and consistency. For a system to succeed, it must be learnable, teachable, and replicable—a principle exemplified by the success of franchises.
A Call to Action
Building a brand is a collaborative effort that starts with individual commitment and extends to the team’s collective energy. As we embark on this journey, I invite your thoughts on how leadership can support your personal brand development and how we can strengthen our organizational brand together. By aligning our efforts, we can achieve excellence in both personal and organizational branding, creating a legacy of success.
Scott Maysura
Scott Maysura is a business advisor, fractional executive, and project consultant with more than 25 years of experience in restoration, construction, plumbing, HVAC, and other service-based businesses. His background includes business ownership, operational leadership, commercial large-loss management, complex project support, and helping organizations build the structure needed to grow profitably.
Through Clarity Business Solutions, Scott partners with owners, leadership teams, insurance professionals, and contractors to improve financial visibility, strengthen operations, develop leaders, and implement practical systems that drive accountability and sustainable growth. He also provides project-based consulting and executive support for large-loss, commercial, and complex property losses when organizations need experienced operational leadership or subject matter expertise.
Scott holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a diploma in Small Business Management, and the designation of IICRC Triple Master Restorer.
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn or at [email protected].
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