I cofounded Angie's List. People recognize me when I'm running to the grocery store in sweats.

• Angie Hicks, the face of the online marketplace Angi, says authenticity is a branding superpower.
• She stays true to herself in TV ads by refusing a polished persona and choosing her own outfits.
• Whether she's at a restaurant with family or working in the office, Hicks says she's the same person.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Angie Hicks, cofounder of Angi, the company formerly known as Angie's List. Angi is an online home-services marketplace. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

When we started Angie's List in Columbus, Ohio, in 1995, it was called Columbus Neighbors. I was the only employee, and I was the one who answered the phones and went door-to-door signing up contractors to join. If you called, you talked to me.

We were about a year into the business when we realized homeowners thought the list was our monthly newsletter, which didn't include all the service providers we'd signed up. We decided to change our name to draw attention to the list and the fact that you could call us to help you find the kind of professional you needed for your home project. I say "call" because it was pre-internet days.

At first, we considered The List or Jackie's List. Jackie was a woman in Columbus who knew everybody. My cofounder then threw out the idea of naming it after me. It wasn't a big decision at the time because we had only about 1,000 members and were just in one city. But then we expanded to Indianapolis and other locations. We grew city by city.

The real Angie

As time passed, one of the most common questions people would ask — and still do today — is whether there really is an Angie. The marketing team asked me if I'd be in the company's TV ads. It seemed like another low-stakes decision because we weren't spending that much on marketing.

I didn't know where we were going creatively with this, but I knew it would be outside my comfort zone. I'm an introvert. I'm not a performer, but I said, OK, we can give it a try under one condition — that we do not build me a new persona. I am who I am, and I think that simple decision was what made the whole thing work, and it became really important.

As our brand took off, I was having to live my everyday life. The Angie that people saw at the grocery store or in church needed to be the same Angie they saw on TV. That's why I would pick my own clothes, and I refused to let anyone do my hair.

I would also edit the lines myself. I am very plain-spoken. If something didn't feel right, I'd say, "This doesn't sound like me." I was the client and the talent, all wrapped up in one.

In the public eye

Being in the public eye has been incredibly rewarding. I often get stopped by customers while I'm out shopping or at a restaurant, and they will tell me how we helped them with a home improvement project. Those connections are really special.

As an introvert, there are times when you want to be invisible. But if you are the face of your business, you have to remember you're not, even when you're running to the grocery store and haven't showered. I tell myself, you're going to do what you're going to do, which goes back to that authenticity thing. If you're living one life, it makes sense that customers will see you on a Saturday morning in your sweats.

People are genuinely nice, so I haven't had a scenario where it's turned negative. I've been pretty fortunate.

My family is used to the attention. We'd often be out to dinner, and somebody would say something. People don't always realize why they recognize me. They'll say, 'You look so familiar. I think we went to high school together.'

Be yourself everywhere

A few years ago, I started holding online office hours with the professionals who list their services on Angi. I didn't realize the impact that being a celebrity would have. Some pros would come on camera, see me, and say, "I didn't know I was going to get to actually talk to you!" So it's a chance for them to connect in a very natural way, and we'll talk about anything and everything.

As a public-facing leader, you have to be your authentic self. You can't have a bunch of different personas you're trying to live up to.

Authenticity is not just a value. It's a leadership tool and a differentiator. It's how you act every day — when you're out and about, when you're writing a LinkedIn post, and when you're at your company town hall. That really resonates with people, and it's an important element in making human connections.