Why ignoring Brand early costs you later
“Brand? I’ll think about that later…” If that’s what you’re thinking, you’re not alone. When your to-do list as a Founder is endless and your product isn’t even fully figured out, brand can feel like a vague, optional exercise.
But here’s the thing, even early-stage brand thinking, messy, unfinished, evolving, sparks conversations full of value, helps align your team, and sets you up for smoother decisions down the line.
Brand is more than visuals
Your logo, colours, typography, yes, they matter. But they’re just the “outfit.” Your brand is the story, the intention, the way your company feels to the world, even in the earliest days, thinking about these things forces clarity: who you are, why you exist, and how you want people to experience your products and your company. That’s the soul of your brand, and where the magic starts.
Early brand thinking also helps you identify gaps or contradictions in your product, culture, or messaging before they become bigger problems.
Early Brand is a WIP
At the start, your brand is less a “rulebook” and more a “vision board.” It’s a mold, not a stamp, you set it with intention, send it out into the world, see how it reacts, and shape it over time. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s direction.
Ask yourself:
How do I want people to feel?
How do I want our culture to show up?
How can we twist what’s already out there and do it differently?
Here’s the secret: your brand is forming right now, in every interaction, every decision, every meeting, every post. The question isn’t if you have a brand; it’s whether you’re shaping it or letting it shape itself. Start early, even if it’s messy, nail the fundamentals first, and future tweaks will be easier, cheaper, and more intentional.
When to start
The earlier, the better, always before any marketing happens, even before product development and launch. Brand is the framework that makes your marketing, product, team, and culture all make sense.
An easy way to frame it is to start defining 4 main pillars:
Your story
Your belief
Your purpose
Your actions
Say Nike
Nike is a classic example of a brand that got its story and purpose right, and let it guide every decision.
Story: Bill Bowerman, a track coach, making shoes for his athletes.
Belief: If you have a body, you can be an athlete.
Purpose: To inspire everybody to move.
Actions: Building products that support movement, creating tools that inspire movement, telling stories that make people believe they can move.
It’s simple, powerful and strong. And it runs through every Nike decision.
Get started
Want to start digging into your own story and purpose? Here’s a free PDF to help you define your brand foundations and set the direction for your startup.
