Design Challenges and Stereotypes

Are you running a Franken-Brand? A quick, inexpensive logo here. And then someone a few months later tries to write the brand strategy. And then another junior hire adds in graphics and you don’t even know where they came from. Suddenly, you have this brand that is cobbled together, and no one on the team is feeling compelled.

Today, returning guest Adam Chaloeicheep and I are picking up where we left off in episode 259: Has your Business Brand Become a Liability, diving into Together Agency’s four personas of clients who are ready to do brand work, the three types of clients that are deal-breakers for Adam, and the perils of navigating the brand strategy process with a CEO who is in the midst of a spiritual awakening.

Be sure to check out our previous conversations, 045: Behind the Free Time Brand with Adam Chaloeicheep and 247: Has your Business Brand Become a Liability? How to Know When It’s Time for a Tune-up.

More About Adam: Adam Chaloeicheep is co-founder of Together agency with his wife, Marisol Dahl, who I had the great pleasure of working with for five years in the early days of JBE. Adam is a creative business leader with over a decade of experience in a variety of startup areas including product and service concepting, building teams, operations, and brand-focused design and digital solutions. He is one of my closest friends (12 years and counting!), and a creative business leader with over a decade of experience in product and service concepting, building teams, and brand strategy. Together Agency is behind every big brand I have launched into the world including Pivot and Free Time.

🌟 4 Brand Stages

• Blank Canvas—You have a business idea and nothing else. A branding exercise is helpful at this stage because you’re getting down, on paper, the core of what this business is and how it’s showing up in the world. It’s a really nice opportunity to align from the very beginning in a brand-forward way, from the name, to the strategy, to the identity.
• Jeckyll/Hyde—Your brand has only gotten you so far, and now it’s holding you back. You’ve got some traction, got something really special, but you are losing out on bigger opportunities and need that rebrand to launch your business to the next phase.
• Frankenstein—Piecemeal elements from different contractors, but no cohesive strategy. You have a brand that is cobbled together, and no one on the team is feeling inspired by it. It’s confusing, not inspiring and everyone hates working with it because there’s no clear way in how to use it.
• Tune-up—The foundational strategy is strong, now there is an opportunity to see what is out of date, what elements can be refreshed or tightened up.

📝 Permission

“Judge the crap out of anything you want for five minutes!”

✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next

Adam says, “If you’re feeling spiritually lost, go figure that out before starting the brand strategy process.”

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Adam on the web, IG, Twitter, LinkedIn
• Go Together Agency, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Together Portfolio Feature: Free Time Brand Strategy
• Substacks: Mind Brew, Re:Brand
• Articles: Missing Missy, Worst Client Comments Turned Into Posters
• Jenny’s Substack: Rolling in D🤦🏻‍♀️h

📚 Books Mentioned

• Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business
• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
• Life After College

🎧 Related Episodes

• Free Time: 045: Behind the Free Time Brand with Adam Chaloeicheep
• 247: Has your Business Brand Become a Liability? How to Know When It’s Time for a Tune-up
• 005: Brand Obsessed with Emily Heyward
• 003: Liberate Your Life Force with Christine Arylo
• Pivot: 12: Belly of the Pivot Beast: On Bouncing Back from Zero with Adam Chaloeicheep

📝 Check out full show notes and share with friends: https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/248

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