Such a classic Fast Company cover.  It managed to lead so many people astray.  Thinking of oneself as a brand imposes an artificiality — creating a persona that one is expected to maintain.  That persona can also inhibit the financial growth of you/your company, as Martha Stewart found out.  That entanglement of the personal and the professional has recently led to another business divorce:  Danny Sullivan and Search Engine Watch.

A legend in the world of search, Danny Sullivan became more than an expert; he was search in many people’s minds.  While he did create products, e.g. Search Engine Watch, he didn’t create a company or brand that was larger than he.  Accordingly, when he was purchased by Jupitermedia and then Incisive Media, he became a tiny cog in their larger corporate wheels.  Ultimately expendable because when he would eventually retire or decide to pursue another interest, his brand would end because Danny Sullivan = the brand.  

Arguably, Sullivan was not treated with the respect he had earned and deserved.  (For further details, read:  http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2006/08/29/danny_sullivan_leaves_sew_ses/ or his blog at: http://daggle.com/060829-112950.html )  But Sullivan made a fundamental marketing error, he never built the company brand – a unique, corporate, impersonal identity.  The ”Brand Called You”, best case scenario, means you are a recognized expert on a particular topic.  That doesn’t equal a business or even an income.  When the winds of change blow, your brand could be obsolete.  A company can relaunch itself much more easily than a person.

Danny Sullivan has been a tremendous asset to those of us in the search industry.  His contributions should not be underestimated or diminished.  Some other company will certainly snap him up.  He does serve as a cautionary tale.  Reminding all entrepreneurs or experts to create a corporate