How is your branding business doing?
#02 - Shorties: A sense of branding
👋 Hello Branding Revealers. How are you doing today?
Today, we dive into an impromptu branding short, exploring a question that resonates deeply with each of us. Either how is your brand doing? How is your business doing? Well, I got how is your brand business doing. It’s a question we often ask ourselves internally, prompted by the numbers of our business, compelling us to pause, reflect, question, and even celebrate. We look at our peers and the founders we admire, those who seem to have it all figured out, mastering the art of branding with precision. Their determination and achievements show us what’s possible, and it’s truly inspiring. But it’s important to remember: that every success you see is built on a foundation of countless failures—falling flat, hitting the ground, and rising again.
Brand builders are no strangers to that sound of impact when you fall. What sets them apart is the ability to resurface, stronger, bolder, and fiercer. That’s the essence of brand building—it equips you with resilience. So, embrace the journey and find ease in that subtle yet powerful rise back up!
Branding and business growth are journeys. While branding and profitability may not always align perfectly, when the timing and strategy are right, their synergy is unavoidable. Building a brand is like tending to a fire—it requires constant attention to keep it alive, afloat, and in rhythm.
✦ Did you miss the last letter? We dived into African brands and their branding.
A question of curiosity:
How is your branding business doing?
A new contact* recently asked me this question, and I answered honestly. It took me many years to confront and acknowledge my numbers. When they’re good, everything feels great. But when they don’t reflect the energy and effort I have poured in, facing that gap can be tough.
I appreciated that she asked me, and even more, that I shared my thoughts. What’s even more striking is that this question made me realize something: Do I have a branding business? I never saw it that way before. I have a branding studio, but is it a branding business? Then, when I think about how my newsletters are tools for brand building, it clicks—yes, we are in the branding business. And every business is in the branding business.
Funny enough, a few minutes before, I had talked to a friend, and we shared our mutual feelings about the year. So, I was aligned and congruent with my experience. Even sharing it in this newsletter is quite uncommon for me. But at some point, it’s also part of what brand-building demands.
Branding will bring you business, and business, in turn, will nourish your brand. That dynamic is quite a revealing process.
*A hint there, the contact is a business coach.
Long story short, Q4 is here, and 2024 has been a tough yet empowering teacher. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the dynamic between ‘‘the client and the creative’’, and ‘‘the project and the creative’’—how both these dynamics build the creative and its business. With that in mind, my answer to this popular question and where I stand is "growth" and "momentum." As long as I keep improving and making the wisest moves, for me the vision is thriving and the business is learning.
In the business world, profit is often the ultimate measure, right? Without profit, you’re not considered a business. But many of the businesses we admire weren’t always profitable at first and all the time. Yet, they were still businesses. Do you remember the Netflix crisis? We could have missed Netflix, just a thought. Hopefully, they bounced back and disrupted everything in the industry and our ways of consuming. From DVD rentals to the monopoly of streaming services today, It's night day and a masterclass in redefinition.
When it comes to numbers and clients, I am so grateful for each one of them. They trusted my creative flair, and branding understanding and co-created alongside me. Each one of them helped me push forward and believe in the vision.
My studio is not what it was seven years ago. It has evolved, and it will continue to evolve, no matter what comes next. Creativity, branding, and entrepreneurship are the pillars that support me. With exciting side projects in the works for the years ahead, my answer is simple. Despite the numbers, things are good, and they’re growing wiser.
What about you? How would you respond if a new or old contact asked you this question? Would you be transparent enough to share some behind-the-scenes of how you are building?
Q4 and stepping stones for 2025
I have been hearing many peers and founders, including myself talk about the challenges of this year like never before. Reaching clients, securing deals, and crafting an offer they can’t resist. What about the realization and understanding that you and your audience have somewhat grown distant? What should you do to reconnect? How do you transition from your current business model and charge toward adaptation? And what about AI? Do you need to transform your business into an AI-driven one?
Well, there are many questions to ponder before the holiday season arrives. They don’t need answers right away, but what I can say is that reflecting on what worked well this year is crucial. It holds clues for 2025. These questions may not require a complete 360-degree change. But rather a full embodiment of those clues, allowing you to pivot where needed. You are the brand builder, and wherever you are in the process, you’re building better—even when it doesn’t feel like it.
I leave you with a speech by J.K. Rowling, she knows quite a lot about brand building.
It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.
J.K. Rowling
Plus my song selection of the week.
Sending stay-afloat ⚓ vibes
Keva.
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