Welcome back to Brand New. I’m Donovan.
Quick recap from our last episode. As a small business, you need professional branding more than the big guys do, not less. Because you don’t have their budget to win on repetition. You need to win on distinction instead.
Now today’s question.
When is the right time to think about branding? There isn’t one answer to that. There’s three. And which one applies to you depends entirely on where your business actually is right now.
Let’s start with number one, the startup. If you’re launching a company or a new service, the best time to think about branding was yesterday.
The second best time is right now. Before your website goes live, before your business cards get printed, before you walk into your first client meeting, a strong launch makes a great first impression. A weak one is almost impossible to undo. You don’t get a second first impression. Nobody does.
Number two, the brand refresh. Your business has grown, your offerings have evolved, but the visual identity has not kept up. You’re looking at that quickie logo your cousin cobbled together, and you’re cringing just a little bit. Maybe your logo cost $25.00, maybe you picked your favorite color instead of the right one. I mean, it did the job, right? Now it’s a liability. A refresh doesn’t mean starting over, it means finally getting it right.
Number three, the rebrand. This one is never easy. The rebrand is structural, it’s disruptive, and it’s expensive. And it’s exactly the kind of decision that gets delayed because of how big it feels. Don’t delay it. The longer you wait, the more there is to fix, the more it costs to fix it. If the rebrand conversation is already happening in your head, that’s your signal. The problem doesn’t go away on its own, it just gets bigger. Rip off that band-aid, stop the bleeding, make the right decision.
So brand new, refresh, or rebrand.
You know which one you need. Not the one that’s cheapest or easiest, or the one that you can put off until next quarter. Trust me, you can’t. Oh, and one more thing. When you do, give me a call. I’m just the guy to get it done.
Now, before I go, let me hit you with a bonus point. Here’s a question I hear a lot. Can I build my brand myself or do I need a professional? I have to say no to this. Sure, you can bootstrap a basic identity to test an idea. There’s nothing wrong with that. But scaling requires objectivity, and objectivity about your own business is nearly impossible to find in the mirror. I hear those magic words a lot. Look, I designed this myself. Trust me, the rabbit they pull out of that hat is never pretty.
Here’s the thing. I’m not a businessman. I don’t know a single designer who is. We’ll admit to that freely, no ego about. The smart entrepreneur, he knows the same about himself, in reverse. What you’re good at and what you’re not. You need somebody who lives and breathes design. Somebody who doesn’t think like you do, doesn’t see the world like you do, and doesn’t solve problems the way you do. That’s the entire point of hiring a creative.
Okay. In our next episode, we’ll get into a difference between two words that people use interchangeably and really, really shouldn’t.
What’s the difference between a refresh and a rebrand? I’ll give you a hint. One is a haircut, one is surgery. You need to know which one your business needs right now.
And that’s it for this episode of Brand New. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I know your time is valuable and I don’t take it for granted. If this show saves you from a bad design decision or just makes you think differently about your business for five minutes, do me a favor, share it with another business owner who needs to hear it. And please hit subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next one.
I’m Donovan. This has been Brand New. See you in the next episode.
WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO THINK ABOUT BRANDING?
Quick recap from last time: as a small business, you need professional branding more than the big guys do, not less. You don’t have their budget to win on repetition, so you need to win on distinction instead.
Today’s question is one I get asked constantly: when is the right time to think about branding?
There isn’t one answer to that. There are three. And which one applies to you depends entirely on where your business actually is right now.
There isn’t one answer to that. There are three. And which one applies to you depends entirely on where your business actually is right now.
NUMBER ONE: THE STARTUP
If you’re launching a company or a new service, the best time to think about branding was yesterday. The second-best time is right now, before your website goes live, before your business cards get printed, before you walk into your first client meeting.
A strong launch makes a great first impression. A weak one is almost impossible to undo. You don’t get a second first impression. Nobody does.
A strong launch makes a great first impression. A weak one is almost impossible to undo. You don’t get a second first impression. Nobody does.
Number Two: The Brand Refresh
Your business has grown, and your offerings have evolved, but your visual identity has not kept pace. You’re looking at that quickie logo your cousin cobbled together, and you’re cringing just a little bit. Maybe your logo cost $25.00, maybe you picked your favorite color instead of the right one. It did the job, right? Now it’s a liability.
A refresh doesn’t mean starting over. It means finally getting it right.
A refresh doesn’t mean starting over; it means finally getting it right.
Number Three: The Rebrand
This one is never easy. The rebrand is structural, it’s disruptive, and it’s expensive. And it’s exactly the kind of decision that gets delayed because of how big it feels.
Don’t delay it. The longer you wait, the more there is to fix, and the more it costs to fix it. If the rebrand conversation is already happening in your head, that’s your signal. The problem doesn’t go away on its own; it just gets bigger. Rip off that band-aid, stop the bleeding, make the right decision. Not big. Intentional.
Rip off that band-aid, stop the bleeding, make the right decision.
SO, Which One Do You Need?
Brand new, refresh, or rebrand. You know which one you need. Not the one that’s cheapest or easiest, or the one that you can put off until next quarter. Trust me, you can’t.
Oh, and one more thing. When you do, give me a call. I’m just the guy to get it done.
You know which one you need. Not the one that’s cheapest or easiest, or the one that you can put off until next quarter.
CAN I BUILD MY BRAND MYSELF?
Here’s a question I hear a lot. Can I build my brand myself, or do I need a professional? I have to say no to this.
Sure, you can bootstrap a basic identity to test an idea. There’s nothing wrong with that. But scaling requires objectivity, and objectivity about your own business is nearly impossible to find in the mirror. I hear those magic words a lot: “Look, I designed this myself.” Trust me, the rabbit they pull out of that hat is never pretty.
Here’s the thing. I’m not a businessman. I don’t know a single designer who is. We’ll admit to that freely, no ego about it. The smart entrepreneur knows the same about himself, in reverse: what he’s good at and what he’s not.
You need somebody who lives and breathes design. Somebody who doesn’t think as you do, doesn’t see the world as you do, and doesn’t solve problems the way you do. That’s the entire point of hiring a creative.
Objectivity about your own business is nearly impossible to find in the mirror.
In my next episode, I’ll get into the difference between two words that people use interchangeably and really, really shouldn’t: refresh and rebrand. I’ll give you a hint. One is a haircut, one is surgery. You need to know which one your business needs right now.
Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I know your time is valuable, and I don’t take it for granted. If this show saves you from a bad design decision, or makes you think differently about your business for five minutes, do me a favor: share it with another business owner who needs to hear it. And please hit subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next one.
I’m Donovan. This has been Brand New. See you in the next episode.
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