Let me tell you something I learned the hard way:
When I lost my first business in Egypt, I realized something painful—people remembered my name, but they didn’t know my story.
And if they don’t know your story, they can’t trust your direction.
“A personal brand isn’t a logo. It’s your reputation in someone else’s mind.”
Medhat Zaki
Most people think personal branding is:
That’s surface-level.
The real brand?
It’s what stays in the room after you leave it.
Think of the last person you trusted instantly.
Was it because of their website?
Their Instagram aesthetic?
Or was it how they spoke, how they listened, and how they made you feel?
Your personal brand is not a marketing tactic.
It’s a trust signal. A compass.
It tells the world:
“Your name becomes your shortcut—if it’s built on truth.”
Medhat Zaki
Here’s the part most people miss:
You already have a personal brand.
Even if you’ve never worked on it.
Even if your social media is silent.
Because your brand is not what you say—
It’s what people experience.
Your consistency (or lack of it) speaks.
Your tone speaks.
Your story—told or untold—speaks louder than any logo.
Ask 3 colleagues or clients:
“If someone mentioned my name in a room, what would people expect from me?”
Don’t ask them to flatter you.
Ask them to be honest.
Then compare their answers to the story you’re actually telling the world.
That’s your real brand audit.
Don’t build a version of yourself for the world.
Build a version that reflects your journey, your failures, your lessons—and your promise.
“The personal brand isn’t the goal. Trust is.”
Medhat Zaki
Because people don’t buy from names.
They buy from names they believe in
