Finding the balance between personal and private in online business
As online business owners, we often hear how we need to lean into the personal side of business. You know the advice: “Get personal.” “Share parts of your life.” “Show behind the scenes.”
But it’s scary to put yourself online. Especially if you’re an introvert, or just don’t want your business (literally and metaphorically) out in the open like that.
The good news is, there’s a way to show your personal side in your online business WITHOUT sacrificing your privacy.
Because having a point of view and a brand personality matters. Whether you’re founder-forward, have a team, or simply want to create a brand that resonates with the exact people you’re aiming to reach, you need to show off what makes you and your brand unique. Humanizing your brand and showcasing your values creates connection, encourages trust, and builds long-term loyalty. All things we want and need for an impactful business that actually feels good to run.
Where to draw the line between personal and professional as a business owner
So, do you need to show every meal you eat, every baby photo you take, every time you cry, every dollar you make, every fight with your spouse, or every vacation you take? Nope, nope, nope all around.
Instead, decide what feels comfortable to you, what’s relatable to your ideal audience, and what aligns with your brand values. If it checks these boxes, go ahead and share. If not, you have a guilt-free pass to keep that part of yourself private.
What to share—or not
Consider whether you want to share anything—or absolutely nothing, or only small bits—of the following:
Personal Interests
What lights you up? (Besides building a business that has amazing impact and results in meaningful, confident action toward your goals, of course.)
Think:
✧ favorite foods, meals you experiment with, or restaurants you frequent
✧ lifestyle snippets
✧ travel tales or photos
✧ snapshots of your personal style
✧ humor—either share what you find hilarious, or crack your own jokes
✧ insight into your cultural background or religious beliefs
✧ references to regional particularities (ope, looking at your midwesterners)
✧ your tastes in pop culture (even if it’s cringe-y…most of us like it too!)
Hobbies
What do you do outside of work? Sometimes our hobbies or the communities we’re part of beyond the realm of online business give us the best stories to share or lessons learned.
And you never know—your ideal client might also be into miniature replicas of scenes from 19th century British literature like you are. Or kayaking. Or thrifting. Imagine the conversations you can have if they are!
Personal Struggles and Triumphs
The waters can get really murky here, but sharing about challenges or big wins can also accelerate that sense of connection and trust because it can be deeply vulnerable and therefore deeply resonant.
Tread lightly. I recommend avoiding anything that’s still triggering to you, that you haven’t processed fully, or that you don’t know how you’d reply if someone said something you didn’t want to hear.
You can share a health journey, a peek into your relationships (family, friends, clients, etc.), your fears, your dreams, progress on whatever skills or certifications you’re working toward, income or other business milestones.
But it doesn’t have to be dire straits if that’s not your brand vibe. You can also keep it super light.
Share successes like a good workout, getting your kid to bed on the first try, making it through one day without checking social media. Or share bumps in the road like missing the ferry that morning, spilling your coffee, or sending out a dead link to 456 of your closest friends in your latest email.
Business Journey
This might seem obvious, but are you sharing your progress as a brand or business owner? Are you sharing client transformations or customer reviews and how those kind words make you feel? Are you sharing mindset shifts, partnerships gone wrong (or ones that are the perfect fit), or your vision for your business? Are you sharing everything that goes into delivering your offer or product?
Some of this behind-the-scenes insight might feel inappropriate if you want to keep an air of professionalism, polish, or prestige. But it might be exactly what your clients need to hear before knowing that you’re the right choice for them.
Inspo
Think about what inspires you and/or what would be aspirational to your ideal audience. You can either go the curated route, or the creation route.
With the former, simply post photos or quotes that you’ve curated from around the internet or whatever content you’re consuming—books, movies, TV shows, music, art. With the latter, create content (videos, graphics, emails, etc.) that leverages your own words of encouragement.
Family
This is a big one that people either love to share or keep close to the chest. Decide (ideally with the consent of the people involved) whether giving a glimpse into your home life is something you’d like the internet to know about. Beyond work, family is often where we put the most time, energy, and thought, so it makes sense that this is a direct window into your values.
Establish your boundaries
There is no right or wrong way to show up and get personal, as long as it aligns with your values. Choose what you’re comfortable putting on the internet without it feeling like it oversteps any boundaries. Lean into that and ignore the rest.
Or build up that “sharing muscle” slowly as your community and comfort-level grow. You can always scale back if a negative experience happens, you enter a new phase of life or business, or you just plain change your mind.
What I do personally
Here are just a few examples of where I draw the line on what I share and what I keep for myself.
It took me MONTHS before I was willing to post a photo—or eeek an IG Story!—with my face. I felt weird and self-conscious and like I didn’t have anything anyone wanted to hear. But I started sharing here or there and now my feed is sprinkled with my face and I chat on Stories nearly daily.
I waited until I was ~8 months pregnant before sharing it. And I only posted about it because I was anticipating going dark for a few months, so I wanted to offer an explanation up front. (That didn’t happen…because #solopreneurlife and Type A Enneagram 1 here.) Now, I sometimes share that I’m on mom duty with baby girl, but I never mention her name or show her face. I’m in the strictly private camp on those fronts. And that works for our family, while still connecting me with LOADS of amazing parent and caregiver entrepreneurs out there.
In terms of lifestyle, I often share anecdotes from conversations with friends or real-life experiences that I feel relate to business. [In my newsletter, which includes reflections, rants, and resources you’ll likely find useful!] I’ll occasionally post about a fun thrifted outfit or item from Senegal (where I lived for 4 years and my husband is from), one of my many daily walks, or things I’m reading, listening to, or watching. These feel personal enough, light, and fun, without being too revealing.
Start sharing
I highly recommend you have a content bank to easily capture ideas whenever you come across them. Otherwise, they’ll spark inspiration in the moment, but you’ll either forget or be unable to find it again when it’s time to share.
At the end of the day, you do you. It doesn’t matter what or how much other people are sharing. Show up only in the ways that feel good to you. That energy and intention will shine through to your audience and connect in just the right way. Which is the goal, after all.
So, what are your favorite things to share, or your always-off-limits topics?