The Power of Personal Branding

You Don’t Need All The Answers To Make A Difference

If you’ve ever stopped at a LinkedIn post from another landscaper thinking, “I should be sharing my thoughts too”—but haven’t done it—this is for you.

If you’ve ever hesitated to put yourself out there because you weren’t sure anyone would care what you had to say—this is for you.

And if you’ve ever told yourself, “My company’s work should speak for itself. I don’t need to post online,”—this is especially for you.

Because here’s the truth: the green industry doesn’t just need businesses. It needs leaders. And if you’re reading this magazine, that means you.

Yet so many landscape professionals stay quiet. Not because they don’t have anything to share, but because putting yourself out there can feel uncomfortable. Maybe you worry about saying the wrong thing. Maybe you don’t think your experience is “big” enough to matter. Maybe you’ve seen others post and thought, that’s just not me. Or maybe you’re using lack of time as the excuse.

I get it. But here’s the thing—we’re all busy and the people making an impact aren’t the ones who have all the time or all the answers. They’re the ones who are willing to share what they do know.

Company Page Vs….

A company page has its place. It serves as the storefront of your business, showcasing finished projects, promoting services, and reinforcing credibility. It’s where a landscape design-build firm in Michigan might post before-and-after photos of a backyard transformation or where a commercial maintenance company in Texas might highlight a contract renewal with a major HOA. A strong company page helps validate expertise and professionalism.

But a company page alone isn’t enough. It can show polished work, but it’s tough to start a real conversation. It can display the finished product, but it can’t tell a personal story of what went wrong on the job site and how the crew problem-solved in real time. 

A company page might generate inquiries, but it won’t build deep trust the way a personal connection will.

… Personal Profile

People don’t build relationships with logos. They build relationships with people. That’s why your personal profile is where real impact happens.

A general manager sharing lessons from a pool install derailed by unexpected bedrock will resonate with others facing job-site surprises. A second-generation business owner reflecting on taking over their father’s company will strike a chord with others in family-owned enterprises. A crew leader explaining how they trained a new employee to master a technique will resonate far beyond just the company’s team.

These personal stories, insights, and experiences are what make someone stand out as a leader. The more you share your knowledge and experiences, the more people start to see you as a trusted voice in the industry.

Start Small

It’s easy to assume that sharing your perspective means making bold, confident statements or having decades of experience to back up your words. But that’s not what people connect with. They connect with honesty and with people who are learning and growing just as they are.

If speaking up feels uncomfortable, start small. Comment on a post that resonates with you. Share a quick tip that helped you on a job site this week. Reflect on a challenge you faced and how you handled it.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real.

The more you show up, the more comfortable it becomes. The more comfortable it becomes, the more opportunities you create. And before long, you’ll realize that people weren’t just waiting to hear from your business. They were waiting to hear from you.

Kelly Dowell

Founder

onlawn.io