Developing and Designing a Model of SME Brand Focusing on Personal and Corporate Brand

The concept of brand and its management has roots in large companies. However، SMEs are an important part of economic innovation and wealth creation، while they are striving in the same competitive environment. Therefore، brand is becoming an important part of SME growth management. In this research، the authors have concentrated on examining the application of brand within the SME context. The research has proposed a brand concept (Total brand) which is the result of alignment between entrepreneur personal brand and SME corporate brand، and shows the causal relationships and structural modelling of SME total brand. This research is based on mixed method، combining semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The research population is entrepreneurial SMEs in Iran، focusing on Tehran and Yazd provinces. The research shows that entrepreneur’s market understanding is the starting point of branding in SMEs، which through entrepreneur’s personal brand and corporate brand and entrepreneur’s influence، results in the creation of a synergetic relationship which we call total brand. The total amount of influence for market understanding is 0. 76، corporate brand is 0. 28، and personal brand is 0. 09.