No. 05 When Should You Get a Brand Identity?

Branding Should Not Come First

Aren’t sure you read that correctly? I’ll explain.

Starting a business, or any kind of venture, is very much like growing a seedling. All of the good stuff lays locked inside, waiting for the right bit of nurture to nudge it into growth. So how do you start for success? With a logo, color palette + all the rest? You might think I’d be saying a big YES to drum up the business. But, I say, no.

Businesses that begin with a highly polished brand identity may look cool + pulled together, but there’s a catch. You have to know HOW your business is working to know how it should best be represented.

It’s the chicken + the egg in the most maddening of creative circumstances. Does a brand identity beget a successful business, or does a successful business beget an established brand identity? There are people who disagree with this approach, but to them I say let the chicken hatch before you advertise what color the feathers are.

That’s the funny thing about creating—once it’s a living thing, it will start telling you what it’s going to be. The details of your success are likely known only to you, but they’re invaluable when it comes to crafting a brand identity. Don’t believe it? It’s anecdotal, but I’ve recently met a woman who was pulling in her first million dollars in business before she’d even thought of a brand identity — how amazing is all of that data to use as you build what your brand looks like? Priceless.

I’m not suggesting you wait quite that long, but once you’re in that sweet spot of your business taking off, more clients are calling + you’re gaining momentum, that is the perfect time to gain a quality brand identity.

Waiting for this step allows you to bring valuable data about your clients + the life of your business to the table. Trust me when I say, you + the designer will walk away with a heap of success in crafting the branding that amplifies + establishes the successful business you’ve crafted from scratch. Well done, you.

If you’re in that glorious space of gaining traction in your business + think you might be ready for a brand identity, I’m here to help you. Schedule a free discovery call with me at a time that suits you + hear more about this process + how it might benefit what you’ve built. I’d love to help your thriving business put down those pretty, aesthetic roots in 2021.