You have to be willing to invest in yourself before you can expect anyone else to invest in you

If you’re an entrepreneur, I’m going to give you a glimpse of the obvious: Investors invest in people, not ideas. First of all, Employees work for those that inspire them, not employers. Secondly, Clients buy from people they trust, not companies. The secret on how to attract investors all boils down to the same principle.

All entrepreneurs need investors. I don’t just mean those that finance your startups with capital. I’m talking about co-workers, employees, customers, partners, advisers, as well as financiers.

Do you know what they all have in common? They buy from, work for, and invest in people that they know, like, trust, and are inspired by.

How to attract investors: Build your personal brand

How do they get to know you? They search for you online. Now put yourself in the shoes of people searching your name and look at yourself from their point of view: Google yourself!

Browse the first few pages and see what comes up. What do the results say about you? Do they find someone who is an inspirational leader, visionary, or even an authority? Or do they find self-aggrandizing fluff-pieces about your company that you were mentioned in thanks to your PR firm?

If nothing comes up when you search your name, you are in trouble — your personal brand needs serious improvement.
Moreover, I have worked hard to create my Google presence and have successfully established my own personal brand. Most importantly, my personal brand gives others the confidence to invest in me.

Why investing in your personal brand is worth your time

I know what you’re thinking: Time is your most precious asset and it feels as if you are always racing against the clock.
I used to feel so busy with helping clients build their brands to the point of neglecting my own, and even well-versed in how to drive engagement on social media or how to capture attention. Yet I struggled to find the time to apply the same best practices to my own personal brand.

Think you’re too busy to spend time building your personal brand too? The answer is simple — you’re not!

Investing in yourself not only pays off but benefits those looking to invest in you. Additionally, people seek you out instead of you having to go find deals, clients, and partners. Talented individuals reach out because what you share speaks to them, and they want to work with and for you.

Your personal brand should represent your expertise

You are invited and given the opportunity to speak and share what you know at events and conferences — because your content online represents what you would bring to those sorts of experiences.
Investors see you (the founder) as forward-thinking, as someone confident about the knowledge you possess in your space.

Think about it: successful people want to do business with those that inspire them. As an entrepreneur, you can’t afford to hide behind an impersonal website or meaningless mentions in a press release about your company.

Lastly, every entrepreneur’s goal should be to frame their backgrounds and achievements in a way that captures attention, compelling others to invest.

Take the time to build a personal brand that communicates all of that to the world. It’s what makes people believe that you are worth investing their time and money.

This article originally appeared on Crunch Base.

Ron Gibori Head Creative Mind @ideabooth | Inc. Columnist | I rally the misfits to create the best stuff. Check out the latest@IdeaBooth | http://idea-booth.com