People will always judge you by your appearance, but at some point, you just have to stop giving a sh*t.
For the first six years of being an entrepreneur, I almost always wore long sleeves. Not because I was ashamed of my tattoos, but because I wanted people to see my work first and my appearance second.
These days, I don’t do that at all anymore. Or sometimes 😉
My tattoos, beard, and style are part of who I am. Of course, I also understand that context matters. I show up well-groomed to meetings and adapt to the situation. But hide who I am? No.
And yes, people will judge. They’re going to do that anyway.
The funny thing is: my appearance may have cost me opportunities, but it has brought me at least as many. Probably more. People remember me. And in the end, what matters is what you deliver.
You don’t have to look like the stereotypical entrepreneur to be taken seriously.
In fact, maybe it actually helps if you don’t.
Great to have been interviewed about this in depth by Baaz.nl.
Thank you Baaz.nl and Mediatic for the great article!
Be yourself. Understand the context. And then let your results do the talking.
📸 Angelique Merks
