Jayde I. Powell Brings Personal Branding Expertise to GROWN Magazine’s FoundHER Summit

New York City, NY — Jayde I. Powell joined a lineup of creative and innovative business leaders at the FoundHER Summit, presented by GROWN Magazine and hosted at Shopify NYC, for a conversation about personal branding, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to build a recognizable brand in an increasingly crowded digital landscape.

Designed for founders, creators, corporate-preneurs, and women navigating multifaceted careers, the summit brought together a community of ambitious professionals, particularly Black women, who are redefining what career and business success can look like.

Powell joined the panel Main Character Mindset: The New Brand Building Toolkit, a discussion exploring how entrepreneurs and professionals can develop personal brands that create meaningful opportunities while staying true to their identities and business goals.

Moderated by Nya Etienne, creator and founder of RÉSONNER Media, the conversation also featured Savannah Hart, Brand Lead at Wieden + Kennedy and Founder of Casa de Selah; Eden Zeilo, Head of Marketing at Sienna Naturals; and Brittanie Antoinette, Hot Creative in Charge at Not So CEO.

The changing rules of personal branding

As personal branding becomes an increasingly valuable asset for entrepreneurs and working professionals, the relationship between visibility, credibility, and business growth is changing. For creators and founders, building a recognizable brand now requires making intentional decisions about how they show up, the audiences they want to reach, and how their individual expertise connects to the businesses they are building.

During the panel, Powell and her fellow speakers explored some of the biggest questions shaping that process. Does follower count still determine influence? How can creative professionals balance developing strategies for clients while investing in their own brands? And how much of yourself do you need to share to build a business people trust? The discussion also addressed the pressure to become the face of a brand, the challenge of maintaining authenticity in an oversaturated content landscape, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence on brand strategy and content creation.

For Powell, whose career spans brand strategy, content creation, and entrepreneurship, these conversations reflect the intersection of disciplines that has shaped her professional journey.

Building a personal brand on your own terms

Powell’s work as a creatorpreneur demonstrates how professionals can use their knowledge, experiences, and distinct points of view to create opportunities beyond traditional career paths. That experience made her a natural fit for the FoundHER Summit, where attendees represented a growing community of women building businesses and careers that don't necessarily follow conventional models.

A central theme of the panel was that personal branding doesn't have to follow a single formula. While some founders build businesses around their public identities, others find success by allowing their expertise, work, and communities to take the lead. As AI continues to reshape how content is created and distributed, that distinction becomes increasingly relevant. The conversation highlighted the importance of developing a recognizable perspective and making deliberate choices about how technology supports, rather than defines, a brand's identity.

“For me, building a personal brand has been key to creating the opportunities I want. My resume reflects years of great experience and knowledge, but it wasn’t until I started developing my personal brand that I saw real growth: new clients, income from brand partnerships, and more speaking opportunities. We’re seeing this play out in real time with founders. A personal brand isn’t the only path, but for founders who want to grow their business and drive revenue, it’s worth considering. It lets you capitalize on the expertise you already have, and today’s consumers want to support businesses where they can get to know the people behind them,” says Powell.

For Powell, participating in FoundHER was another opportunity to contribute to the ongoing conversation about how creators and entrepreneurs can build brands that reflect their ambitions while creating room for professional and personal growth. The summit also reinforced the value of bringing women from different creative and professional backgrounds together to exchange perspectives, challenge conventional approaches to entrepreneurship, and explore new ways to grow.

Interested in having Jayde speak at your next event or lead a conversation about personal branding, social media strategy, or the creator economy? Get in touch to explore speaking opportunities and partnerships.

Photography by Joshua Eli Sim