Branding for Builders

My opinion begins with a simple question: what is brand? To me, brand is a representation of you, your values, and what you think is important. Take that idea and sit on it, then ask yourself what Porsche stands for? What about Apple? Liquid Death? These companies are masters of brand, and they’re companies that inspire my thinking around it, parti... See more

After 5 years building in consumer, a huge learning is that “creating a feeling” is the most inportant thing for building a resonant brand. Product and services end up being interchangeable but the feeling in a customers mind is not. The best brands are the best storytellers with the most authentic messaging. To action this, we’ve seen success buil... See more

In 2024, it’s easy to forget that iconic brands—those that win by riding cultural waves and becoming deeply associated with new cultural aspirations—must look to cultural idea markets first. A cultural idea market comes from the collective consciousness; it’s an aspiration or belief that a culture can unite around and become excited about.

The best... See more

Often, we see this brilliance in early versions of products—born from founder-built brute force and passion—only to see it fade with scale. Ultimately, you are only as good as your team, so you better craft it intentionally and with heart. The company becomes your great work. The best designed of these organizations become durable as they scale and... See more

When you describe the culture and values and character of a company, not even through like the internal workings but in the way that the product experience feels when you use it, it’s almost indistinguishable from the founder’s personality. And very rarely does a company, even when it goes through multiple CEOs significantly deviate from that that ... See more