Personal Branding Without Limitations

What I Consider The Perfect Example Of Authentic Branding

For most people, the name David Solomon doesn’t ring a bell. 

However, if you work in finance or on Wall Street, you probably know the name. If you follow electronic dance music, it might also sound familiar. 

David is someone who I’ve been deeply fascinated with for many years. For me, he defines all the best attributes of what personal branding can and should be.

He is the CEO of a $70 billion company called Goldman Sachs - a brand that you’ve probably heard of. His compensation last year was more than $25 million.

Did I also mention that he’s also an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ with hits that have made it on the music charts? He goes by the performer name DJ D-Sol.

Yes, David is both of those things and he does them successfully. He’s performed at festivals and concerts from New York to Miami and he’s also considered one of the most powerful people in the financial markets

How can one man operate as those two things, with credibility?

Personally, I think it comes down to authenticity. He loves making music and he loves his leadership role at the financial powerhouse Goldman Sachs. He doesn’t feel the need to compromise and doesn’t think that one discredits the other.

This 2017 quote from a Goldman Sachs spokesperson says a lot:

“David’s always believed that having a wide range of outside interests leads to a balanced life and makes for a better career,” said Jake Siewert, a Goldman spokesman. “He’s preached that regularly to younger employees in the firm and tries to lead by example.”

His personal brand is his true self. Depending on who you are and what you are interested in, you see David in a certain way. I see him as both because I love business and really love EDM music.

We are all multi-dimensional and have numerous things that make us who we are. Our personal brand should reflect that. Whenever possible, don’t compromise your profession for your passion, or vice versa. The best case is about making your passion your profession.

If you spend enough time with me, you’ll quickly learn that outside of my family, most of my life revolves around work, working out (exercise), and writing. I try to blend those as often as possible because that’s the purest representation of who I am.

Today, I challenge you to take a moment to ask yourself how you can constantly ensure your personal brand a 360-degree representation of who you are and what you are interested in. It’s hard, I struggle with it too, but it’s a worthwhile task.

By the way, if you are interested in how he manages his DJ brand, check out his Instagram account.