I recently responded to a question on FounderCafe

asking “How important is Founder’s Profile to be visible on website?”; this was my answer:

I do think it can be helpful for a small business to have a brief personal narrative about who you are and why you’re creating the business. How you expose that story depends.

I have a lot of anxiety about my business generally. I do have fears that by connecting the business to myself personally that my business failing is a personal failure. I have previously tried to hide behind an impersonal “business” (generic reply addresses, 3rd-person copy) but I’ve lately been trying to not hide behind that curtain.

As a small business, my customers are just as likely to interact with me as they are to interact with “the product”. From onboarding emails and messages, to microcopy within the application, these are driven primarily by a small number of people’s values and personality. Grounding that by letting people know “hey, I’m a real person whose business and personal goals are intertwined” can get you better feedback and maybe give you the benefit of a more meaningful connection (personally and business) with your customers.

If I’m understanding some of your concerns, it sounds like you’re worried that by connecting your name to it, that it will negatively impact your day jobs. I’ve personally never had a problem with that, but that’s heavily situational.

This was another experience that resonated:

When I didn’t have my founder story, I had occasional customers categorize me as some outsourced company, but after I added my profile, those emails stopped.

Your most passionate customers will care about your story, and passionate customers are extremely important in the beginning. Honestly, your story, relatability, and likability might be what closes your first sales.