The mistake that many entrepreneurs make is that they decide to brand themselves rather than brand their business. This isn’t too much of a concern when you work as a freelance writer or a consultant, but it does become a problem when the business should be more of a separate entity from the individual.

Even when you look at the blogosphere, you can see this in action. When Kumiko Suzuki first started out, she did a great job of branding herself as a budding “make money online” guru. She branded herself. When it came time to separate Kumiko from the money-making blog — which became known as CashQuests.com — it is much more difficult. People went to the blog to read Kumiko’s thoughts and not someone else’s. After the site was sold, “Kumiko” was gone. Many of the dedicated readers left also. By the same accord, can you imagine a site like JohnChow.com without John Chow? Shoemoney.com without Jeremy Schoemaker? I didn’t think so.

The same can be said about most other businesses. While the more tech-savvy amongst us may immediately think of Steve Jobs when we consider Apple, the company is working hard to create a strong Apple brand, not a strong Steve Jobs brand. This way, if Steve Jobs ever steps down (and he’ll have to step away at some point), the company can continue to be profitable and recognizable.

If you work to brand your company rather than yourself, selling the company is infinitely easier. The branding for the company will already be done and customers would have already grown accustomed to the branded products and services, regardless of who is actually selling them. If you brand yourself, the company isn’t worth much without you.