Starting a business can be one of the most exciting times. It’s a time full of adventure, possibility, hope, inspiration and big ideas. It can also be a pretty tough time too as you are pulled in so many directions with a dizzying amount of branding and startup business advice out there. You may feel slightly lost at sea – bobbing around with no clear idea of what exactly is best for your new startup business.
what does your startup business need?
Once you’ve formed your big idea, your product has been created, service defined or shop plans put in motion, the next step is usually forming your startup branding…
the diy startup branding option (and why this often goes wrong)
Often small startup businesses jump onto a website to find the cheapest logo design possible (I won’t name any names here but you know what I’m taking about!), ask a friend to do it or find one on Canva. If you are serious about growing your startup and forming a business that will last then all of these options will fail to create a lasting impact and will often create an unprofessional, unmemorable business experience.
how much should you invest in your startup brand identity?
If you have money saved, an investment source or a business loan, then a proportion of your budget should be dedicated to branding and website design as this will be the face of your business. If you haven’t then you may find business support grants available. You may have to resort to make do options for now, with a view that if you your startup business grows you can look at revisiting your branding properly.
If you don’t have an initial amount saved to invest then you will often need to wait until you have proven your startup business is going to be successful. Once you’ve tested out your start-up business idea, and confirmed that it is profitable, then you can plan to invest in your branding in a year or two later.
Brand identity is a bigger investment than getting just a logo designed and you can read more on how much you should pay for your brand identity here.
How do you know if you should invest in your business branding from the start?
In the real world not everyone has the budget to invest in a full branding package and this is where you need to work out what is essential for your business. If you need to invest in products and test the market then a ‘make do’ DIY approach as described above can perhaps give you enough for now. You will probably find that in a year or so you have out-grown this DIY branding and are itching to invest in a full brand identity for your startup business.
are you a brand-led start-up new business?
There are many many successful startup businesses who have pretty awful branding, but because they have other strengths then they can focus on those. If they are amazing at selling, producing content and PR then these things may help their business to grow at the start.
If you are more of a brand led business, one where people will be coming to you for your brand organically, then your brand identity will be important in creating that instant striking first impression.
If you are an e-commerce startup business selling online then branding will be extremely important in making that impactful first impression. This is the type of business that will be ‘brand-led’. If you want a business that is going to grow and be around for more than a few years then getting your branding right will ensure you have strong roots and a powerful presence to carry on growing your brand.
It’s so much easier to market something that completely reflects your business, product or service and you feel proud to present it to the world.
what are your start-up goals and dreams?
When considering how important branding is for your startup business, you need to step back and see your bigger business picture and your market.
People mostly buy into brands not just products.
If you are in a competitive area then your start-up business branding will help you to stand out, become unique and memorable.
DIY affordable BRANDING OPTIONS
When getting started, if you aren’t at a stage to invest in a full brand identity then you can explore branding courses and workshops (you may like to take a look at a few of my offerings here) before you are ready to invest in a full brand identity. Finally, I have a range of blog posts, free e-book and email-course to help support you in the branding of your new business start-up.
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