That’s the message that I took away from my 20 years at major companies like IBM, KPMG and Lotus. What matters most in business is people. Without committed employees, loyal customers and hard-working partners, you really don’t have much. 

It all came together for me in 1997, when I read management guru Tom Peters’ article — ‘The Brand Called You’ in Fast Company. That article cemented the connection between my two greatest passions: Branding and People. In reading that article, I took my first step toward launching the premier global branding company focused on the human side of branding. 

The rest is history. I told a Boston-based friend and award winning designer, Vartus, that I was starting a personal branding company and calling it Reach. The next day in my inbox I saw the Reach logo for the first time. Days later, I experienced similar generosity from a friend Hans in Stockholm who built the first prototype of the Reach Personal Branding web site. Countless other friends and colleagues appeared from nowhere to support my burgeoning business. It reminded me of the incredible people in my life and the amazing talent that exists in the world. 

My career is now exclusively focused on the human side of branding. I have the privilege of being in the personal branding industry longer than anyone in the world and having delivered more personal branding presentations than anyone else. I’m proud to work with executives in organizations who share my belief that personal branding is a strategy for developing leaders and increasing engagement, performance and retention — that personal branding delivers competitive advantage. 

I cannot say enough about the role people play in building strong brands and the role branding plays in developing successful people. I welcome the opportunity to share my passion and expertise with the people in your organization. I’m confident that you’ll agree with me that business truly is a human endeavor. 

— William