Build Your Entrepreneur Brand at BYUMS Asia Pacific
Using the 2019 BYU Management Society Asia Pacific Conference in Mongolia to build your personal brand as an entrepreneur works best when every activity supports a clear story. The “Believe & Achieve” business plan competition, speaker programme, breakout sessions and founder conversations offer useful moments to show how you think, solve problems and lead.
For Australian founders, the aim should not be constant promotion. It should be to become reliably associated with one valuable problem and to give conference participants a reason to remember, contact and recommend you. A focused plan also makes the schedule, competition phases and travel logistics easier to manage.
Define the problem you want to own
Begin with the audience you want to influence, not with a long list of achievements. Define the problem you understand, the people you help and the evidence that matters to them. The “Believe & Achieve” phases can become narrative milestones: explain your assumptions, show how the idea responds to feedback, and present the final business plan with precision.
Australian founders from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and regional centres often operate in a competitive small-business market, so a narrow promise usually travels better than a generic “innovator” label. Choose a defensible strength, such as ethical sourcing, regional scale-ups or customer experience, and connect it to a relevant award category and prize.
Craft a credible founder narrative
Your story should move from need to insight, then from insight to action. Use a concise explanation of your business model, one customer story and two or three measurable results. In a pitch, make each point support the next; in a breakout discussion, invite others to test assumptions rather than repeating a prepared speech.
Delivery is part of the brand. Rehearse a 30-second introduction, a two-minute problem statement and a crisp account of what you learned from each competition phase. If you also want to pursue a panel or speaking opportunity, professional speaker guidance can help you tighten the message, structure and delivery for senior business audiences.
Use conference moments as brand evidence
Treat the event as a sequence of proof points. During briefings, ask incisive questions; during breakouts, contribute a useful framework; during networking, offer an observation that helps someone else. Capture a short note after each interaction so your public story remains consistent with your actual experience.
| Brand objective | Conference moment | Best action | Proof to retain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarify positioning | Competition briefing | State the customer problem in one sentence | Your final pitch wording |
| Show expertise | Breakout session | Offer a practical framework | Notes and useful questions |
| Build trust | Award or prize announcement | Congratulate the team and share context | Permission to post |
| Create partnerships | Founder networking | Suggest a specific next step | Names, roles and commitments |
| Prove consistency | Speaker session | Ask for a relevant example | A quotable insight |
A small content system keeps this work manageable: one event summary, one learning, one founder quote and one practical takeaway per day. Obtain consent before photographing people or publishing their names, and describe any award exactly as the organiser states it so your brand remains credible under Australian consumer-law standards.
Convert networking into trusted relationships
Australian business culture often favours an early coffee meeting or an after-work catch-up, where a concise introduction can lead to a more useful exchange. Ask what a founder is trying to learn, then contribute an example, introduction or market observation. This positions you as a generous peer rather than another person waiting for a sales pitch.
BYU Management Society chapters provide ready-made context, while earlier regional gatherings show the network’s continuity. Reviewing the Taipei conference archive can reveal the kinds of speakers, chapter activities and connections that make repeat participation worthwhile. When you meet a new contact, connect your current goals to the speaker list, competition themes and chapter network rather than dropping their name into a generic follow-up.
Follow up and measure business impact
Within 48 hours, send personalised notes that reference the person’s business, the discussion and the next step you agreed. Include your competition phase, project details and one resource that adds value; avoid a long attachment. Track which conversations lead to pilots, investment conversations, referrals, event invitations or speaking requests, since those signals reveal whether your brand is producing useful business relationships.
Treat event administration as part of professional branding. Confirm payment and registration, select breakout sessions, review accommodation and travel requirements, and keep the conference contact links handy for schedule changes. If you collect attendee information for later updates, follow the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988, collect only what you need and explain how it will be used. Disciplined follow-up turns a short trip into lasting credibility.