You Have 755 Days Left to Build a Personal Brand

755 days. That’s how long we’ve got until 30 November 2027 rolls in before it becomes too late to build a defensible personal brand.

I wrote about this on LinkedIn and spoke about it on YouTube, and in short, it was joining a webinar presented by Daniel Priestley that made me realise that this is extremely important.

It’s no longer optional and if we don’t get this right, we stay invisible. And invisible means being overlooked, ignored and forgotten.

Most people will waste those days waiting for the right moment. For the confidence. For things to slow down. But the truth is, the longer you wait, the harder it gets to stand out. Not because you’re less capable. But because someone else with half your talent started sooner.

This is your reminder: every day you delay, someone else is gaining ground, visibility and leverage.

Stop Waiting for Perfect

The perfect time doesn’t exist.

You will never feel 100% ready. You will always want to tweak, polish and refine. But perfection is a trap. It’s a form of procrastination dressed up as high standards. And if you let it run the show, your ideas will stay stuck in your head while others move.

Your personal brand is not something you “launch” once it’s ready. It’s something you build while you’re figuring it out. That’s the point. You learn by showing up. You find your voice by using it.

If you keep waiting, you’ll lose relevance, you’ll blend in and you won’t even be considered as an afterthought.

Time Isn’t the Issue. Avoidance Is.

When someone says, “I don’t have time to work on my brand”, what they usually mean is:

• I’m scared to put myself out there.
• I’m unsure what to say.
• I don’t want to get it wrong.

All valid feelings. But none of them are reasons to stay invisible.

You don’t need a content calendar, a rebrand, or a photoshoot to begin. You need a decision. A decision to stop hiding. To start sharing what you know. To show your face. To say the thing you keep editing out.

You’re not “too busy.” You’re just avoiding discomfort.

You’re Already a Brand, You’re Just Not in Control of It

Whether you like it or not, you already have a personal brand. The only question is: are you shaping it, or is someone else doing it for you?

Your colleagues, your social media posts, your emails, your search results, they all tell a story. If you don’t define that story, people will fill in the gaps on their own.

Invisibility doesn’t protect you. It just removes you from the conversation. And when you’re not part of the conversation, you miss opportunities, not because you weren’t qualified, but because no one knew you existed.

Being Good at What You Do Isn’t Enough

This is the part most people get wrong. They think, “If I just do good work, the opportunities will come.”

No.

I used to think like that for a long time, and it got me nowhere.

You’re not being judged solely on your talent. You’re being judged on your visibility. Your clarity. Your presence.

That’s what makes someone referable. Hireable. Trusted.

You can be the best at what you do, but if no one knows, it doesn’t matter. Meanwhile, someone with less skill but more visibility will lap you every time.

755 Days Is Enough to Do Something LIfechanging If You Start Now

Let’s break it down:

• That’s 108 weeks.
• 25 months.
• 180 Mondays.

Enough time to publish 100 LinkedIn posts.

Enough time to speak on 15 podcasts.

Enough time to build an audience from scratch and convert it into opportunities.

But only if you stop overthinking and start.

Pick one platform, show up once a week, talk about what you know, share your work, share your thinking and share your progress.

If you don’t know what to say, talk to the version of you from two to three years ago. What do they need to hear? Start there.

You Don’t Need to Be Loud, You Need to Be Clear

A lot of people resist personal branding because they think it’s about being flashy, fake or self-promotional. That’s not what this is.

Personal branding gives you a fighting chance in the next economy.

The most effective brands are built on trust. You don’t need to shout to be remembered. You just need to be clear about who you are, what you do, and why it matters. And you need to say it enough times that it sticks.

A Personal Brand Protects You

When the job market tightens, when funding dries up, when algorithms change, your personal brand is what gives you leverage. It’s what turns cold leads into warm intros. It’s what keeps people thinking about you when you’re not in the room.

The right brand means:

• You’re easier to find.
• You’re easier to trust.
• You’re easier to refer.

It builds career security. Not overnight, but steadily. Post by post. Introduction by introduction.

Moving Forward

You need only three things to get started:

1. A point of view
2. A way to share it
3. The courage to keep going when no one claps at first

It doesn’t need to be complicated. You can build a magnetic personal brand using your phone, your voice and one hour a week.

But you do need to start today.

In 755 days, you’ll either have a brand that opens doors or regret about why you never built one. One of those outcomes starts today.

See you next week!