Oliver Yonchev on Why Founders Need to Be Unapologetic Self-Promoters

For founders, especially technical ones, self-promotion can feel self-indulgent. But in a world where AI makes content cheap, your reputation is the ultimate leverage. We spoke to brand expert Oliver Yonchev about the new scarce skills.

In an age of AI, founders are facing a paradox: it has never been easier to broadcast a message, yet it has never been harder to build a brand that truly matters. For many, particularly in CEE, the cultural instinct is to let the product speak for itself. But this quiet diligence can be a critical disadvantage on the global stage.

Oliver Yonchev, an entrepreneur who has spent over a decade guiding brands like Amazon, Apple, and Coca-Cola, argues that this mindset needs a fundamental shift. Today, as co-founder of the London-listed AI company Potentially and an investor in early-stage ventures through cocreatd, he contends that the founder’s brand is an essential business asset. 

Oliver has a special sense on country brands and this September he will be joining The Bulgarian Edit in London, speaking about building brands and the challenge of creating stronger global perceptions for smaller countries.

How to self-promote when you don’t like to self-promote? 

For many builders, especially those with an engineering background, the concept of a personal brand can feel uncomfortable. "This idea feels a little self-indulgent,” Yonchev acknowledges. "Company builders want to focus on engineering; they don't like this idea of 'I have to self-promote'." yet, in the AI era, your reputation may matter more than your content.

His advice is blunt: get over it. "Your personal brand is effectively your reputation at scale.” A strong founder brand opens doors that would otherwise remain shut, whether you’re trying to hire top talent or raise capital.

"Your future success is predicated on how many great people you can convince to join you on your mission. If you have a strong personal brand, those doors open for you," Yonchev points for The Recursive.

It’s not about achieving mass reach or becoming an influencer. Some of the most potent personal brands belong to domain experts who are deeply respected within their niche, not widely known by the general public. Ultimately, he argues, you have to be your own biggest advocate. 

"If you're not going to be your biggest champion, who is?"

Founders need to work on the new set of skills

As technical and executional work gets automated, the market will place a premium on a different set of skills. The real opportunity lies in what AI cannot replicate. "Most work is going to move away from executional work to judgment-based work," he predicts.

This new landscape demands skills that are deeply human:

• Good taste: The ability to discern quality and guide AI tools toward a superior outcome.
• Critical thought: The discipline to interrogate AI-generated answers, challenge assumptions, and avoid lazy shortcuts.
• Systems thinking: The capacity to orchestrate complex workflows involving human talent and AI agents.
• Sales: The timeless skill of understanding people and persuasion, which is crucial for everything from fundraising to hiring.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Yonchev makes a strong case for a classic craft: copywriting. In a sea of soulless, formulaic text generated by large language models, great writing will stand out. 

"There's a certain phonetic rhythm to LLMs," he notes. "They lack soul. They lack personality. I'm a big believer in the craft of writing that will help you stand out."

Moving beyond the stereotypes 

The principles of brand building apply not just to individuals and companies, but to entire nations. However, countries face the immense challenges of cultural inertia and legacy perceptions. For a smaller country like Bulgaria, changing the narrative is a collective responsibility.

Yonchev, who is reconnecting with his Bulgarian roots after two decades away, shares a pointed observation. "A lot of Bulgarians are quite self-deprecating about Bulgaria," he says. "In every interaction, it's quite common to laugh about the past or joke… but ultimately that compounds if every touchpoint is propagating negative narratives."

He argues that the business community and influential figures have a duty to move beyond these stereotypes. Building a strong national brand requires a unified effort to amplify breakout stars (the successful companies and individuals on the world stage) and establish complete clarity on what the country stands for. It's a long-term project, but one that is essential for founders from the region who are seeking international investment and recognition.

This collective effort is at the heart of events like ‘The Bulgarian Edit’, which will bring together Bulgarian entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals in London on September 24. For Yonchev, who will be speaking at the event, it’s an opportunity to connect with the community, share knowledge, and explore new business ventures. "A lot can be achieved by a small group of people with a shared mission," he stresses. "That's how you punch above your weight on the world stage."

For founders from CEE aiming to build a globally recognised brand, his final piece of advice is a call to action inspired by American counterparts. You have to be "consistently unapologetic about self-promotion," he concludes. "You have to say the same thing over and over, and over again to anyone who will listen."