Your Online Reputation Can Damage Your Start-Up

Thinking about starting your own business? Better check your online reputation first.

According to Entrepreneur.com, 87% of people believe that the reputation of a company’s CEO matters just as much as the reputation of the company does. That means you can’t just hide behind your new company name, hoping that you’re starting from a squeaky clean slate.

People will research you as well as your company. And that could impact your ability to secure small business loans, investment capital, and new customers.

Google yourself, even before you write your business plan. See what’s out there. Don’t discount the possibility that you could be burdened by someone else’s defamatory content. If you’ve ever been in trouble from the law make sure that a mugshot website isn’t exposing your past to millions of people.

But don’t assume you’re safe simply because your participation on the Internet has all been run-of-the-mill, or just because you have never been arrested. Scrutinize everything you find, because others certainly will.

For example, think about whether you’ve made any negative comments about other businesses online. This could easily come back to haunt you. What if someone who is involved with that very business is in the best possible position to help your start-up later?

Have you posted political opinions on the comment sections of blogs or in forums? The CEOs of Chick-fil-A, Papa John’s, and Applebees could tell you a lot about how political opinions have ultimately hurt their bottom lines.

Delete everything you can delete on your own. Focus on creating a positive web presence that shows you to be a stand-up expert in your field. And if you can’t do this on your own then you should seriously consider writing reputation management services into your business plan.

As it stands, you might want to factor reputation management services into your plan anyway. The same article notes that 83% of companies will face some kind of reputation crisis in the future—and that means that there’s an awfully big chance that your new company could be among them.