The year was 2015. I was standing on a stage, accepting the award for “Young Entrepreneur of the Year.” I had just launched Branded.ng, a project that pulled me—sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully—into the complex world of personal branding.
Back then, I didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of what I was building. I simply understood a fundamental truth: talent alone is rarely enough. People needed clarity, they needed positioning, and most of all, they needed visibility. If the market couldn’t find you or understand you, your value remained potential, not actual. My mission was to help people show up, be seen, and communicate their worth.
Fast-forward to today. The title on my business card has changed from “Entrepreneur” to “PhD Student,” but as I navigate the rigors of academia, I’ve come to a startling realization.
The specific skills that built a business in 2015 are the exact same mechanisms propelling my research career in 2025.
I used to view academia and entrepreneurship as separate worlds. One was about profit and speed; the other about theory and rigor. But I was wrong. The principles of success are universal:
- Clarity: Research is useless if it cannot be understood.
- Consistency: A reputation is built on showing up, day after day.
- Storytelling: Data without a narrative is just numbers; data with a narrative is impact.
- Visibility: In a “publish or perish” world, visibility is survival.
There is a misconception that personal branding is reserved for influencers, CEOs, or consumer businesses. The truth is, academics need personal branding the most.
Your brand is how you build a reputation before you walk into the room. It is the magnet that attracts collaborators, mentors, and grant opportunities. It is how you future-proof your career in an era where AI is democratizing knowledge production. If nobody knows your work exists, does it really matter how brilliant the methodology was?
Looking back at that newspaper feature from 2015, I smile, not just out of nostalgia, but because the lessons haven’t expired. Personal branding wasn’t a temporary phase for me; it became the lens through which I view my entire career.
Today, I show up online not just to post, but to document my journey. I share my knowledge publicly to refine my own thinking. I build digital footprints intentionally because I know that in the modern academic landscape, success is a by-product of a strong brand.
The journey is far from over, but the foundation was laid long ago. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
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