Sudharsanan Ganapathy! You must have come across this name in case you are active on Linkedin. He has a following of more than 80,000 but what does he do? Sudharsanan is a prominent figure in the realm of personal branding mainly on Linkedin. He does this with his agency named The Social Company.
Today, The Social Company stands as one of India’s largest personal branding agencies, specializing in LinkedIn. The company has worked with over 200 founders and CxOs across 11 countries, with offices in Chennai, India, and San Francisco, USA. Sudharsanan’s approach to personal branding is refreshingly authentic.
He believes, “Personal branding should be an extension of one’s true self, not a facade.”
This philosophy resonates in his own LinkedIn presence, where he has amassed over 81,000 followers. But for Sudharsanan, it’s not about the numbers. His focus on quality over quantity has been instrumental in The Social Company’s growth.
Sudharsanan’s early life followed a conventional trajectory culminating in an engineering degree. However, it was during his studies that he realized his true calling lay elsewhere. He didn’t want to be an engineer anymore.
His mantra? “Learning was never hard for me, stagnation was!”
In 2012, during his college years, he ventured into freelancing in digital marketing. Here, he quickly expanded his client base and secured over ten clients within two years.
In 2016, Sudharsanan founded The Social Company with just three team members. However, the agency faced significant challenges during the GST transition period that was causing payment delays and financial strain.
This was the time he started looking for a job and finally got an interview through a friend. But he got rejected.
“I failed in the group discussion round. They gave me a feedback saying they expected someone who could speak well to clients as it was a sales role.”
Sudharsanan says, “Rejection is a blessing.” If he had not been rejected that day then he might still be working to make someone else’s dreams a reality, what he is doing for himself now.
By 2021, The Social Company underwent a significant transformation. It was rebranded to focus exclusively on personal branding, particularly on LinkedIn. Today, it boasts a team of hundreds of content writers and serves over 200 founders across 11 countries.
What has been instrumental in Sudharsanan Ganapathy’s success is his organic growth strategy. Remarkably, 100% of their leads come from inbound inquiries or referrals, without spending on marketing. This success is rooted in his understanding of LinkedIn’s ecosystem.
He emphasizes, “LinkedIn doesn’t grow with just a face. It requires a personal connection.”
The company’s services are tailored to solve four major LinkedIn challenges:
- Telling brand stories to target audiences with relatable content.
- Increasing profile engagement to generate leads.
- Building a community of loyal followers.
Sudharsanan’s philosophy is visible on the homepage of The Social Company website that “growth seldom comes from what you know; growth often comes from who you know and who knows you”.
As a creator, he has amassed over 500,000 followers across major social media platforms. His speaking engagements have taken him to over 200 stages in the past two years, including prestigious institutions like IITs and IIMs.
Sudharsanan’s advice for LinkedIn users is clear: “LinkedIn is not about how many people follow you. LinkedIn is about who follows you. Build the right following!” This focus on quality over quantity has been a cornerstone of his success. It also serves as valuable guidance for anyone looking to build a personal brand on Linkedin.
