When to Properly Brand Your Business
Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash
Are you thinking about doing your own thing?... About quitting your job to pursue your passion. That's exciting - and brave. May I offer a bit of advice? Wait to create your logo. Wait to create that website. Wait to pay for a branding package and fancy shmancy marketing collateral.
Many cities in the US have Small Business resources to work with you to create your business plan. Use them. Meet lots of people - go to networking events and share your services. Use a template from Vistaprint.com to design cheap and cheerful print materials that work for now as you work out the kinks in what specifically you are offering.
If your company is viable in your area, you will find that people will pay for your services even if you don't have fancy branding.
So how do you know you are ready for an upgrade?... Ask yourself these questions:
I know who my ideal client is.
I can confidently talk about my services.
I could approach bigger jobs if I had marketing materials and website to support me.
If you confidently can answer YES to all 3 questions, you are ready to work with a designer.
Designing a logo and your subsequent branding is a process of getting to know you so in order to create a visual which represents your company's purpose, ethos, products and the like. Therefore, the more clear you are in what you do, the stronger your branding can be. The opposite is also true so don't rush it - take your time and when the time is right, you'll be ready to put your best foot forward!