I won’t start this blog post telling you about the importance of storytelling or authenticity. I will however tell you one or two basic things you really should look for when building a brand or a service.

Common sense you say? Maybe to you, but trust me, many of the brands and service providers I have encountered recently have not thought about this enough! Kudos to those that asked me ( or others ) for help!

If you are a designer or a creator, you may not be at ease building many of the necessary blocks needed. But that doesn’t mean, they are not crucial. So, the gig economy is here to stay and yay to women entrepreneurs leading the way! 

Here are a few foundational steps I believe you should consider before a launch or any growth initiative.

Bear with me...

1 | The Importance of Having A Clear Purpose

       WHAT IS YOUR VISION?

Why are you doing this? Are you doing it out of a place of need, or is it an ego project? Red alarm, if so!

Are you doing it because something inspired you? Ok we are on to something...

Is this coming from a passion you have, a vision that came to you through a breath-work session? Ok getting warm...

Are you solving a problem? Hmmm.. Interesting!

I’m not saying everyone has this figured out, but do take the time to think about it if you want to have an impact on your audience, your community or your potential clients? If you don’t know why, then why would anyone understand or drink the Kool-Aid?

2 | Why Understanding Your People Matters

       WHO ARE YOU ADDRESSING?

In the past we talked about target customer or market. Then we called them "archetypes" and analyzed their behavior and their needs - we even gave them real personas! All of this is just to help humanize the process. 

You must put yourself in the shoes, home, and mind of your community, you have to truly ask yourselves, who would wear my clothes, who would come to my restaurant and with who, who would recommend my service and what would they say about it?

When you visualize and actualize your audience, you will always have them in mind while designing a product, an experience, a piece of content or an event.

The wrong launch can turn off your most loyal customer, follower, and you may lose them.

Don’t launch and design anything because it is trending, do it because it is trending with your audience and ask yourself: is launching that NFT right for me right now? Or is it because everyone else is doing it?.

3 | Know Your Business From A to Z

       ARE YOU PREPARED ENOUGH?

What I find the most frustrating is when creators don’t seek support to understand the foundations of the business. Ask someone, listen to a podcast, take a free online course, ask for mentorship… but please don’t go to a client without a clear idea of your prices or your price structure or the ‘what’s in it for me (them)’.

Consumer brands, did you define your delivery times to the stores or to the clients? Did you estimate the costs? Who will pay? 

Service providers, did you list the KPIs for the interactions? How can I value your service?

Content creator?

4 | On The Importance of a Branding Strategy

       DO YOU TELL YOUR STORY IN A HOLISTIC WAY?

Whatever you are building, a product or a service, is not enough to convince someone to buy or register interest. Take the time to create attractive content - this doesn’t have to be costly. A vision comes to life through your aesthetics and copy.

Nowadays, images, videos, articles, thought leadership IS the product. If I am buyer in a department store, you managed to secure a meeting with me, and you don’t come prepared, you will turn me off. First, I will look at your product, then I will ask for your line sheet ( catalogue ), and I will ask you for a brand deck so I can show my team or management.

Did you prepare? Or did you think your product is just going to blow my mind?

I found some of the collaterals elevate the product and many times supports the pricing: Cheap packaging, cheap product; basic visuals, basic product; cold person, cold experience.

5 | The Significance of Building Brand Awareness

       WHERE CAN I FIND YOU?

Today more than ever, if you are on people’s feeds, Instagram stories, TikTok stories or in conversations of your target circles, not only that is enough validation IT IS what will make your business scale.

If I was a buyer, I will want your product in my stores. If I was looking for a coach or an advisor, I will come seeking you or at least will research you. The best thing? Is when I look for you, I find a lot about you!

Invest in creating that hype. Don’t wait to launch your product or service or land a point of sale to be present.

Your digital and micro-community footprint is your key into the world. 

6 | Why You Need To Be The Guardian Of Your Vision

       ARE YOU STAYING TRUE TO YOUR BRAND?

There are so many stores, platforms, malls, market fairs out there. Don’t jump on the first opportunity you get. Ask yourself:

Does this opportunity match my vison and drive my ‘people’? Does it make sense with my margins? (Will I be losing money?) Will it add to my brand equity, lift it or diminish it?

You are dedicating your time and resources to build a brand, don’t just let a bad decision impact your future.

• Do the exercise of listing what value you will gain short, mid, long term from it.
• Understand your strengths and weaknesses.

Positioning of your brand is everything. They say “the better you are at surrounding yourself with people ( or brands ) of high potential, the greater your change for success”. Some partnerships, Investors, locations, collaborations, can make or break your business. 

Now, have you thought about all of this? What are you doing about it?