I think people overcomplicate branding…

Here me out, there's this idea that in order to look like a legitimate business, you need the perfect logo, custom everything, professional photos, a completely custom website, beautiful social media and every single piece figured out before you can really get started.

I don't think that's true, and I'm saying that as someone who literally makes those things for a living.

If you're starting a business, I'd much rather see you build a solid foundation and actually use it than spend thousands of dollars on a beautiful brand while everything behind it is still being held together with duct tape.

Get a logo, choose your colors, select some fonts, build a website that clearly explains what you do.

Probably most important to me…get the business email. This should not still be some funny gmail you had since you were 17, it should tie to your business.

Set up your CRM. Get your contracts and invoicing figured out. Make sure people have a clear way to contact you, hire you and pay you. Being organized is the real star here. It allows you to operate efficiently and that is what people will remember and make you feel/look professional.

NOW….take the brand you have and use it; again and again and again!

Consistency will take you further than you think.

This is probably one of the biggest things I believe about branding.

You don't need something wildly creative at every single touchpoint — you need people to start recognizing you.

Use the same logo on your website that you're using on LinkedIn. Carry your colors onto social media. Use your fonts consistently. Put your branding in your email signature. Make your proposal, contract and invoice feel like they came from the same business.

It doesn't need to be complicated, it just needs to connect.

Because when someone moves from your Instagram to your website, then gets an email from you, then receives a proposal, there shouldn't be this weird moment where it feels like they've entered an entirely different company.

Everything should belong together.

And the more consistently you show up that way, the more recognizable you become.

That's the part people sometimes skip while searching for the thing that's going to make their brand stand out.

Repetition is what makes people remember you. We have all heard the famous "it takes 7 times hearing or seeing something before people remember it."

A pretty logo isn't a business system.

I love designing logos!!

But I also think sometimes people put way too much pressure on the logo to do everything.

Your logo doesn't need to explain your entire business.

It doesn't need every color in your palette.

It doesn't need to include five different ideas so people “get it.”

And it doesn't need to be the most interesting thing anyone has ever seen.

It needs to work. And to be MOST truthful. This is my personal opinion only (from experience) I also LOVE a more simple logo. I find that it feels timeless, I don't grow tired of it quickly. The crazier I went with it in the past, the quicker I grew tired of it.

That's why I'd rather give you a strong, simple logo that you can use everywhere than an incredibly complicated one that only works under perfect circumstances.

The same goes for the rest of your brand.

A beautiful Instagram means very little if someone clicks over to a website that doesn't make sense. A gorgeous website can only do so much if there's no clear process once someone wants to hire you. And the world's coolest logo isn't going to organize your client experience for you.

That's why I think about branding as part of a bigger system!!

Start with what you need. Then grow into what you want.

I think this is especially important for newer businesses.

You don't have to have the custom version of everything on day one.

Maybe you start with a good logo, colors and fonts. Maybe your website uses a template. Maybe your proposals aren't particularly exciting yet.

That's okay. Make them consistent, make them functional, make sure someone can move through your business without getting confused.

Then, as the business grows, the brand can grow with it.

• Maybe eventually that template website isn't doing enough anymore, so we build something custom.

• Maybe the PDF you've been sending gets turned into a real sales deck.

• Maybe your basic social graphics become a larger visual system.

• Maybe you finally invest in professional photography.

• Maybe the brand itself needs to evolve because the business you're running today is completely different from the one you started three years ago.

That's where I think custom design becomes really powerful. Because now we know what the business actually needs.

That's what “elevating your brand” means to me.

It isn't adding more for the sake of adding more.

It's looking at what already exists and asking what needs to work better now.

As your business becomes more established, there are naturally more places your brand shows up. Your website. Social media. LinkedIn. Email. Presentations. Proposals. Contracts. Invoices. Events. Packaging. Whatever makes sense for your business.

The job becomes making sure those things still feel connected as the company gets bigger.

Some pieces can be incredibly simple, some might deserve something completely custom.

But when you put everything next to each other, I want someone to immediately know: That's them!

Not because your logo is covering every square inch, not because you're using some trendy graphic everywhere.

• Because they've seen that color before.

• They recognize the type.

• The photography feels familiar.

• The way you communicate feels familiar.

Everything feels like it came from the same place.

The design still matters.

Obviously!

I'm never going to tell you that the way something looks doesn't matter. I have built an entire career around believing that it does.

Good design can change perception. It can help establish trust. It can communicate something before you've said a word. It can make a business people have seen a hundred times suddenly feel completely different.

But I don't think good branding is about making every individual thing beautiful.

I think it's about making the whole business feel connected.

So if you're starting out, start.

Build the foundation. Get your systems in place. Create something you're proud to put your name on and then use the hell out of it.

And when the business outgrows it? That's when we make it better.

You don't need everything at once. You need everything you have to feel like it belongs together.