In the workshop and in the workplace, rebuilding isn’t just about parts or performance, it’s about identity. Brad Wentzel, finance chief of SPARK Schools, draws parallels between restoring a motorcycle and reimagining a personal brand, offering reflections on craft, authenticity and the power of intentional reinvention.
It’s been a while since the last instalment. Career transitions, a fresh relocation, and the steep learning curve of a new industry have consumed the time typically reserved for creative outlets. But the drive to write never vanished. Like a time-crunched executive phoenix, we rise again, pen in hand, spanner nearby.
In the world of motorcycle rebuilding and restoration, pride doesn’t just lie in the finished product, it’s embedded in the process. And that process takes years. Some days deliver breakthroughs, others barely a nudge forward. Then there are the frustrating ones, where a single stuck bolt can unravel a whole day’s progress, and your mood with it.
But that’s the nature of the journey. Every builder, whether consciously or not, leaves an imprint on the machine. Each stage, from blueprint to final bolt, reflects a personal philosophy. Even the decision on what to build says something: classic or modern? Café racer or scrambler? A faithful restoration or a bold reinterpretation?
Breathing personality into steel
On this particular project, the teardown is done. The frame is cleaned and repainted, the engine overhauled, the components restored. The bones are strong. Now it’s time to bring in personality. But what makes a build truly yours?
Earlier in this series, I mentioned that this would be a restomod, a fusion of restoration and modification. But what does that actually mean?
Restomodding is the art of modernising a vintage object while honouring its heritage. It’s about retaining the essence of what made something iconic, but elevating it with today’s reliability, performance, and maybe even a splash of daring design. In this case, it meant fitting contemporary internals into a shell that still looked like it rolled off a 1998 production line, a machine that looks vintage but rides like the future.
What excited me most was the opportunity to take a strong foundation and add subtle, sometimes radical, touches that reflected who I am. A trip to Europe even became part of the journey, sourcing upgraded parts unavailable locally, smuggling bits of the future back home to merge with the past.
That blend of the old and the new became a metaphor for something much bigger.
Crafting a personal brand
Which brings me to a deeper reflection: what does it mean to build a personal brand?
We often think of brands as logos, taglines or global products.
But personal branding is something altogether more human. As Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
It’s a combination of presence, perception and purpose. It’s the story you tell through how you show up, not just curated, but true. It’s a continuous evolution, shaped by choices, experiences and, sometimes, total reinvention.
I turned to the Harvard Business Review and other credible sources, the old-fashioned way, no AI assistance, to define it properly. HBR describes personal branding as “an intentional, strategic practice in which you define and express your own value proposition… ensuring that the narrative about you is accurate, coherent, compelling and differentiated.”
In my professional life, I’ve had the privilege of meeting inspiring business leaders who embody this. People like Robbie Brozin, Grace Harding and Mike Brown, all radically different in their approach, but unwavering in their authenticity. They’ve built personal brands with clarity and purpose. They’ve shaped industries, not by blending in, but by leaning into who they are.
The questions that drive clarity
Personal branding is not a checklist, it’s a conversation with yourself. But a few honest questions can help guide the process: What do you resonate with? What philosophies, values or people light a fire in you? For me, it’s Socrates. Not because I wear a toga on weekends, but because he wasn’t afraid to ask hard questions and challenge the status quo. Do you know what your values are, and why they matter?
Who do you want to resonate with? Your brand doesn’t live in isolation. Who do you hope to connect with, colleagues, mentors, family, future collaborators?
Why do you want to resonate with them? What’s the purpose behind being understood? Is it influenced? Shared growth? Better collaboration?
What do you hope that resonance achieves? What does success look like once people get your brand?
Much like a motorcycle project, a personal brand is never complete. It evolves with wear, wisdom and experience. It gets scratched, tuned, repainted. Sometimes it needs a full strip-down and rebuild.
So take the time. Ask the questions. Do the work. Shape your story, and then live it, intentionally and boldly.
And when it’s time to ride, make sure it’s something you’ve built, something that feels like you.
