When it comes to branding your business, there’s a ton of different advice out there on what you should be doing in order to grow and scale for long term success. But, the reality is that success doesn’t look the same for every business owner out there, and so each person would take a different route to brand their businesses depending on the stage they’re in, and what they are able to invest at that particular point of their journeys.
Often there is a massive pressure felt by business owners, especially newer business owners, to go all out and splurge on a professionally designed brand.
But is this really the best advice for all of us?
Is this really the best way to spend money at every stage of business?
So, for how long can you skirt by with DIY branding? And when exactly should you hire a pro?
In this post I’m going to share my honest opinion, so you can make the best decision for your business that will still give you room to uplevel and grow (and enjoy the fruits of labor – aka the profit you’re making in your biz)…
The best brand investment to make at your current stage of business
Stage 1: Starting your new business
If you’re starting your new business and have yet to work with clients, or you’re still figuring out exactly what your business will be, I would suggest that you hold off on outsourcing your branding for the time being.
The reason I say this is because sometimes we start something only to be guided into a different direction once things really begin to take off. You may still need to figure out exactly what your business mission is or how you’ll be serving your clients. You probably have no clue WHO your dream client is and therefore you can’t know what your brand style should be.
That’s okay! You don’t have to know everything at this stage – you’ll start to see things clearer once you actually begin the work.
That being said, you still want to have a professional looking appearance online.
If you want to get the ball on the roll quickly, I would highly recommend taking my quiz that will give you a stunning brand to get your business off the ground. This way you can dedicate your time, energy and resources on things that will actively grow your business until you are ready to invest in a brand that speaks to your audience and clients.
Stage 2: Wetting your feet with client work
Once you’ve started working on your first few projects you’ll begin to develop a better understanding of the kind of work you’d like to continue doing and the type of clients you’d like to sign on. This means you’ll want to consider revamping your current branding so you can attract more of these clients to your business.
It’s completely understandable if you’re still not financially ready to hire a brand designer. When starting a new business, you will find yourself wearing many different hats, and perhaps you’ll try a hand at DIYing your brand so that it’s a bit more custom. That’s totally okay!
In this situation you could either piece together all the free information out there on how to create your own brand, which can become overwhelming and time consuming. Or you could invest a bit of money in a course to help you get to your desired outcome of creating your own brand, faster.
You may even find some free resources such as challenges or workshops that can help you do this.
Having a basic understanding of what goes into your branding is incredibly valuable as an online business owner, especially when you do decide to outsource the design work later down the line. For this reason, it wouldn’t hurt to get a little clued up on branding basics and educate yourself on the design principles that play a part in creating a brand. The insight will ensure that you give a professional brand designer the correct information so they can create the perfect brand for your business that will successfully attract the kind of clients you want to work with.
Stage 3: Ready to start investing in your brand
When you reach a point where you feel a bit more comfortable to invest in your business, but are still not at a level where you can hire a designer, you could try your hand at Done for You Branding Kits.
There are a number of benefits in choosing this route, such as:
- Saving time by not having to create everything from scratch
- Having peace of mind knowing your brand is designed by a professional
- Knowing your graphics all look beautiful and cohesive
- Being able to show up for your future dream clients with the confidence of an expert
- Saving money on outsourcing your branding until you are 100% ready and able to invest in a designer
These kits may not be custom, but they are created by professional designers, so you know that you’ll be getting a quality brand even if it’s not one that you’ll be using later down the road when you want to grow and scale your business.
An example of these kits are my Beautiful Biz Brand Kits which contains all the necessities for an online business brand; including a moodboard, logos, social media graphics, and even onboarding documents, to give you an all round cohesive look online. All that’s needed is for you to plug in your own copy and you’re good to go!
Take a look at the different brand kits available in my shop…
Stage 4: Time to upscale and grow
Every entrepreneur hopes to reach a level in their business where they can uplevel and scale. This is the point where they realize they’ve outgrown their current brand, and know they need to invest in a professionally designed, custom brand for their online space in order to reach their big picture goals.
Hiring a designer to create a brand for your business is one of the best investments you can make, as it will take your business from where it is currently, to where you want it to go. In other words, the expertly designed brand created specially for your business, is meant to look the part of what you envision for the future of your company.
It’s like the saying goes: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”
This brand is meant to speak to the clients you wish to work with in the long run, and not the clients you worked with when you first started out. It’s meant to help you show up as the expert your dream clients want to hire so they can benefit from your skills.
Remember, you can talk about how amazing you are, you can even share proof of your incredible skills in the form of client testimonials. But, if your business does not look the part, your dream clients will have a hard time believing it, and they’ll be more reluctant to invest in your services.
It is important to remember that each business is different, and every entrepreneur is at a different stage in their journeys. This is why I believe there cannot be a “one-size-fits-all” approach to branding – or more important, the investment that comes along with it.
Using the different options I listed above is a great way to keep your business looking professional while capturing the attention (and hearts) of your dream clients so you can start working with them no matter where you’re at in your business.
To help you get started with your branding, take my quick quiz. In just 2 minutes,you’ll find out the exact brand style you should have to start attracting, wowing and booking your DREAM clients.