An entrepreneur’s guide to shameless self-promotion: How to get noticed without compromising who you are

The elites of Silicon Valley might be all about the confident elevator pitch, but closer to home Aussie entrepreneurs are well aware of the pitfalls of tall poppy syndrome.

Academics and company founders often espouse the values of humility in business, but that can sit at odds to the very real need for early stage businesses to shamelessly promote themselves simply to create awareness and a client user base.

So in the murky world of self-promotion, how can you put yourself forward without putting others off?

We asked company founders to explain how they overcome the ick factor — and why they promote themselves in the first place.

Keep it simple and authentic

Co-founder and chief executive of real estate startup ActivePipe, Ashley Farrugia, says his approach to self promotion isn’t traditional.

“I live in jeans and a tee and despite my PR team’s advice; I don’t intend to change that,” he says, while also acknowledging this can be a winner when persuading others to hop on board with your idea.

“My approach to self-promotion is no bullshit. It isn’t about formalities, it’s about a good product, a good team and good transactions.”

Farrugia says knowing himself and the value of his company is all he’s really needed to be able to put himself in front of potential connections, and says the value of having that knowledge is a clear message you can get across to clients.

“Businesses like this, it means they can be confident they are buying a quality product from a reputable company,” he says. Read more

Emma Koehn - Smart Company - 25 Aug 2017