Most UK founders still treat personal branding like a side project, and it’s costing them visibility, credibility, and clients.
For years, small business owners have been told to “get themselves out there.” Post on LinkedIn. Go to events. Share what you know. But when your week’s already split between clients, cashflow, and team issues, personal branding ends up at the bottom of the list. The problem is that ignoring it now has real consequences.
“We talk to founders every week who are brilliant at what they do but completely hidden,” says Libby Crossland, Co-Founder of The Leadership Visibility Co. (LVCo). “Their competitors are being invited onto podcasts, getting quoted in the media, winning work, not because they’re better, but because people can see them.”
Crossland says the biggest mistake she sees is lack of clarity. “A lot of people are shoving content out there on platforms like LinkedIn, because that’s what they’ve been told to do. But there’s often no story behind it and it doesn’t tell anyone what they actually do. You can’t build a reputation around a jumble of posts.”
LVCo’s review of 400 UK LinkedIn profiles found that only a handful made their value obvious in the headline or opening lines. Most were full of job titles or vague phrases that could belong to anyone. “If you read ten profiles back-to-back and they all sound the same, that’s not visibility, it’s wallpaper,” says Suzie Thompson, LVCo’s Co-Founder.
The agency’s work with founders shows a simple pattern: once people know what they want to be known for, everything else starts working. Clients come through LinkedIn messages, podcast invitations arrive, even local and national media spots open up, all because the story finally makes sense.
“People think personal branding is about design or tone of voice,” says Crossland. “It’s really about proof. When you can link what you’ve lived, what you’ve learned, and what you do now, you stop having to convince people.”
Both founders believe 2026 will be a turning point for how small businesses use visibility. The shift will be towards using credibility as the backbone of marketing. Putting the founder and their story at the front and centre of marketing strategy.
Instead of chasing engagement, the pair are encouraging founders to focus on five core things:
- Clarity – one clear line that says who you help and why it matters.
- Consistency – show up regularly enough that people remember you.
- Credibility – share real outcomes, not opinions dressed up as advice.
- Connection – talk like a person, not a brand deck.
- Confidence – trust your expertise and own your achievements, so others believe in your capabilities too.
“When those five things line up,” Thompson says, “you don’t need tricks. The right people start paying attention because you finally sound like yourself.”
LVCo’s upcoming Brand Builders community brings founders together to work on exactly that; practical visibility that feels genuine and sustainable.
