The Ethical Concerns of Paid “Top 10” Personal Branding Lists
Paid “Top 10” personal branding lists can blur the line between recognition and advertising. Learn why disclosure, editorial independence, and transparency matter.
Mashman Consulting Group
Self-vetted, same seven criteriaDirectory FounderContributor: 2 pieces in the PBA editorial by Mashman Consulting Group
- Vetted The practice passed specified checks. What was checked: vetted
- Verified reviews Confirmed clients describe their experience. How reviews are checked: verified reviews
Founder of the directory and author of its vetting standard.
Mashman Consulting Group (MCG) is a private consulting firm specializing in personal branding, reputation architecture, and executive visibility. Founded by businessman and author Isaac Mashman on July 18th, 2024, the firm optimizes, positions, and scales personal brands of emerging to established executives & public figures, leading to influence, credibility, and market demand. MCG operates at the intersection of perception, strategy, and psychology, crafting brands that transcend industries and endure cultural shifts. By leveraging current and future technologies while rejecting superficial tactics, the firm’s proprietary framework, Identity Positioning™, delivers a disciplined, macroscopic approach to reputation development, rooted in organic growth, authority, and precision. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, MCG is redefining how the world interprets and understands personal branding.
- Provider Type
- Consultancy
- Engagement
- Done With You
- Service Area
- Hybrid, remote and in person
- Time Zone
- US Central
- Ideal For
- Authors · Entrepreneurs · Executives · Podcasters · Public Figures
- Specialization
- Messaging · PR and Press · Strategy
- Services
- Bespoke personal brand consultations, virtual and in person
- Years in Business
- Since 2024
- Team Size
- 2
- Clients Served
- Not yet recorded
- Business Address
- Not published. Operates from Little Rock, AR.
- Price Tier
- $$$$ $10,001 or more What the tiers mean
- Billing
- Not stated by the practice How practices charge
- PBA Power Ranking
- Unranked until enough verified reviews support a position
- Ethics Pledge
- Signed: PBA Code of Ethics Read the pledge
The people behind the practice
Who you would work with
Founder & CEO
Isaac Mashman
Isaac Mashman is the founder of Mashman Consulting Group and the author of Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, now in its second edition and a Top 10 Amazon Best Seller in Public Relations. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, and based in Little Rock, Arkansas, he also founded Mashman Properties and Mashman Investments.
isaacmashman.com (opens in a new tab)LinkedIn profile of Isaac Mashman (opens in a new tab)
COO
Eric Chow
Eric Chow is Chief Operating Officer of Mashman Consulting Group and a long-time collaborator of Isaac Mashman's since 2019. He helped develop the Identity Positioning™ philosophy itself and is the editor and foreword author of the Second Edition of the Manifesto.
ericchowreal.com (opens in a new tab)LinkedIn profile of Eric Chow (opens in a new tab)
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AI Disclosure
On fileCriterion 02 of the vetting standard. Every listed agency publishes how it uses artificial intelligence, in its own words. Using AI is not a mark against an agency. Concealing it is, and so is using it to build a perception a client has not earned.
Mashman Consulting Group believes that artificial intelligence is the near equivalent of a spotter or personal trainer in the gym. It exists to empower, guide, and help, but not to do the heavy lifting of intellectual property creation, speaking cadence, or what would otherwise be human engagements. MCG publicly acknowledges its own use of AI in business and promotional operations, but fully rejects unethical practices and misuse. In personal branding specifically, artificial intelligence is a very powerful tool that opens up avenues for misrepresentation and disproportionate perception, which we are wholly against.
This disclosure is a permanent part of the listing. An agency can revise it at any time as its practice changes, but it cannot be removed while the agency is listed.
Ethics pledge
Mashman Consulting Group self-vetted against the same standard and signed the PBA Code of Ethics before it was listed: seven commitments, kept for as long as it is listed. Breaking one, confirmed after the practice has had the chance to respond, ends the listing.
Organic growth comes first
We do not buy followers, engagement, or manufactured social proof, for our clients or ourselves. Paid amplification is a legitimate tool and we use it, but it supports earned effort rather than substituting for it.
AI is disclosed, not concealed
Artificial intelligence is a tool, and we use it openly where it helps. We do not let it do the heavy lifting of a client's intellectual property or speaking voice, we do not present generated work as human craft, and we do not use it to build a perception the client has not earned.
Earned press, honestly earned
We do not fabricate media features, pay for disguised advertorials presented as earned coverage, or invent credentials.
Truth in results
We do not promise outcomes we cannot control, and we report client results without inflation.
Identity before image
We build brands on who the client actually is, never on a persona designed to deceive their audience.
Transparent pricing
Our fees, deliverables, and terms are stated before engagement. No bait pricing, no surprise upsells mid-contract.
The client owns the brand
Accounts, audiences, and assets built during an engagement belong to the client, always.
Services in detail
VIRTUAL | Bespoke Personal Brand Consultation
Have a dedicated, untimed consultation with an MCG Consultant focused on resolving your highest-value personal branding problems. The session continues until your questions are fully addressed and a clear path forward is established, with a recording provided for your use
IN-PERSON | Bespoke Personal Brand Consultation
Have a dedicated, in-person consultation and strategy session with a top-level MCG Consultant. Ranging from 4 to 8 hours, this time is spent focused on resolving your highest-value personal branding problems. Our time together continues until your questions are fully addressed and an aggressive, clear path forward is developed.
Identity Positioner™ Brand Audit
A free personal brand audit that scores your position across five pillars: Omnipresence, Credibility, Seamless Branding, Reputational Health & Risks, and Marketability. You get a composite score, five pillar scores, every risk flag your answers raise, and the three highest-priority moves to raise it.
Video and case studies
Reviews
Every review needs a working email, is confirmed with the reviewer, and is read by a person before it publishes. Ratings and the Power Ranking cannot be bought.
Write a ReviewHow reviews are verified
Verified client testimonials
I worked with them for a while and was blown away by the quality of branding I received. I was definitely not a "typical" client, so we had to do some very creative things, but my branding turned out amazing and 100% helped me prove my legitimacy, and I'm sure it helped me land more than one client.
Before you get in touch: Before Your First Call (a printable checklist) and Questions to Ask, from the PBA Wiki.
Questions
Who does Mashman Consulting Group work with?
Mashman Consulting Group lists itself as ideal for Authors, Entrepreneurs, Executives, Podcasters, Public Figures. Its specialization: Messaging, PR and Press, Strategy. It works on a done-with-you basis: the client works alongside the practice.
What does Mashman Consulting Group cost?
Mashman Consulting Group is in price tier $$$$ on the PBA scale, $10,001 or more: the average total a client pays for one project or engagement with the practice, in US dollars, as the practice states it. The practice sets its own prices, so ask it for a quote, and if it bills monthly, ask for the total of the first engagement period. What the tiers mean.
How was Mashman Consulting Group vetted?
Mashman Consulting Group operates this directory, so it was self-vetted against the same seven criteria, and this page says so. It signed the Code of Ethics and receives no advantage in the Power Ranking.
How do I review Mashman Consulting Group?
If you have worked with Mashman Consulting Group, write a review. Every review needs a working email, is confirmed with the reviewer, and is read by a person before it publishes. How reviews are verified.
From the Contributor
Contributor: 2 pieces in the PBA editorial by Mashman Consulting GroupMashman Consulting Group writes for the PBA editorial, which publishes vetted practitioners only. Its newest pieces:
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