Power Positioning: The Secret Behind Successful Personal Brands

We’ve worked with celebrities, founders, business leaders, and even high-profile partners

(McKinsey, no less). And we’re happy to let you in on a little secret:

Personal brand isn’t just about being seen. It’s about being seen in the right way.

There’s a common myth that to build a successful personal brand, you need a big, noisy profile. But the truth is - positioning matters far more than profile. Positioning - and a strategic plan around that, is the crucial and very important starting point.

To be known is one thing, to be known for the right things is another. You can have all the

visibility in the world - but if people don’t know what you stand for, or if you keep changing

direction rather than doubling down on a strategic position - your efforts are diluted in the long term and you don’t reach your full potential.

Profile (or awareness) without clarity is just noise. The world is noisy enough.

These Guys I Know specialise in power positioning.

This is the strategic positioning of your personal brand in the right space with the right authority - aligning with your values and where you want to go.

It’s how you:

● Get offered roles and opportunities that align with your values and goals

● Build platforms that support future business or product ventures

● Become top of mind for the right people at the right time

● Transfer your personal brand equity into real life business opportunities.

One of our favourite real-world examples comes from a client with a very public profile.

They were known for what they called “shiny floor shows,” light entertainment, and glossy big magazine spreads - high visibility, high shine!. They were charming, media-savvy, and very recognisable. But behind the scenes, they wanted to make a shift.

What they really wanted to be known for? Business and finance.

We were surprised too - but, yes in discussions and sessions together could see they had the knowledge and genuine passion to back it up.

The problem? No one else knew.

Not the public. Not the press. And critically, not the decision-makers in the industries they

wanted to move into.

So, in our first session, we did what all great strategists do (jokes!) drew a Venn diagram on an A4 sheet

● Circle A: Current State - What they were currently known for - hero career moments,

public perceptions, media narratives.

● Circle B: Future State - how they wanted to be seen, the industries they aspired to

influence, the ideas they wanted to lead.

● Circle C: Combination of the two - that is the Future State + elements from Circle A

Current State that were helpful to achieve the new position.

That power position drove strategy and decision making. We mapped the transition, identified transferable credibility, reframed the narrative, and started influencing perception from the inside out - made decisions and sought out opportunities that actively dialled up desired position points, and no longer participated in opportunities that diluted or took away from the power positioning.

The lesson? Being well-known isn’t enough. If the positioning is wrong, the profile can actually become a barrier. Because, whilst visibility Is Great - positioning is power.

At These Guys I Know, we help people and brands move with intention. We craft positioning

strategies that align with your goals, open doors, and support the next chapter of your career or business.

We’ve built and evolved the personal brands of some of Aotearoa’s most well-known faces -

and supported ambitious founders, professionals, and entrepreneurs to take control of their

narrative and create meaningful opportunities and pathways for themselves.

Ready to make your brand work for you? Personal Brand packages are now available here.

These Guys I Know is an on-demand strategy & execution partner for ambitious businesses and brands. We work with smart individuals and organisations to develop, launch and grow businesses, concepts and ideas. We’re laser focused on results and we’d love to introduce ourselves.