322: How to Build a Personal Brand with Mallory Erickson

What actually makes a personal brand memorable?

According to Mallory Erickson, it's not a perfectly curated aesthetic, a complicated content strategy, or having the perfect business plan. It's getting crystal clear on the problem you want to solve—and how you solve it differently from everyone else.

In this solo episode of What the Fundraising, Mallory pulls back the curtain on how her own personal brand and coaching business actually developed. Spoiler alert: it wasn't particularly strategic, linear, or polished. It started with a problem she was experiencing herself, a desire to help other fundraisers, and a willingness to keep talking about the same problem over and over again.

Mallory shares the unexpected origins of her coaching business, how the Power Partners Formula™ became an anchor for her brand, why vulnerability and authenticity have been critical to her growth, and what she did when people told her to talk less about mindset and nervous system work and give people more templates instead.

She also talks about the importance of repeating your message—even when you are sick of hearing yourself say it—and why she recommends giving yourself 180 days of creating content before obsessing over engagement metrics.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

— Get clearer on the specific problem you want your business to solve.

— Understand why specificity is more powerful than simply calling yourself a coach or consultant.

— See how your own lived experience can inform your business and brand.

— Understand how consistency can create a strong brand identity—even when your services evolve.

— Learn why vulnerability can strengthen rather than weaken your authority.

— Resist the temptation to shape-shift based on other people's opinions.