Why Branding Matters Most
Entrepreneur|October 2018

Having a brilliant product or service isn’t enough. To capture today’s consumers, smart startups are first crafting a brand strategy—one that builds a forward-looking foundation for the company. 

Leonard Sherman
Why Branding Matters Most

Suppose you’ve got an idea for a great new thingamajig. It could be anything—a luxury candle, affordable college education, or a product to prevent male pattern baldness. You can’t get the concept out of your head. You have to bring it to life. But you have no prototypes, and no experience with the intricacies of industrial design. No understanding of production and distribution. No web design experience. No detailed market projections. No money.

In this moment, logic would advise against obsessing over brand strategy—and it would definitely advise against hiring a pricey agency to help you do it. And yet, a growing number of startups are doing just that, seeing great success as a result.

Only a few years ago, product was king. Founders focused on getting a minimum viable product to market, fast—iteration could fix shortcomings. Brand strategy was a back-burner issue, one to address when time and budget allowed.

But today’s tech tools make it easier for founders to, well, produce a product. With design sprints, rapid wireframe and product prototyping, contract manufacturing, fulfillment-as-a-service, web-store design, and hosting services, some entrepreneurs can go from concept to first paying customer in a matter of weeks.

That’s a double-edged sword. Those tools that make it easy to rush a product to market? They’re available to everyone, and have resulted in unprecedented competition in the startup world. (According to Crunchbase, VCs closed more than 22,500 global funding rounds last year, continuing a multiyear trend of increasing deal flow and sizes.) Countless entrepreneurs are discovering that their supposedly game-changing idea has already been launched by others, or at best is being copied by nimble competitors.

Esta historia es de la edición October 2018 de Entrepreneur.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición October 2018 de Entrepreneur.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE ENTREPRENEURVer todo
How to Succeed With Gen Z Workers
Entrepreneur US

How to Succeed With Gen Z Workers

People often say that younger employees are different. But are they? We asked six business leaders what they've learned, and how their teams thrive.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November - December 2024
There's No Perfect Answer
Entrepreneur US

There's No Perfect Answer

I worked the same job for 19 years. I hated it, but it paid the bills. Then, in 2017, I entertained an exciting but terrifying question: Could I be an entrepreneur? I wasn't sure, so I needed something that felt like a guarantee. I searched for signs that would feel like a big, clear \"yes!\" Instead, what I found was a tarot card deck.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
10 HOTTEST TRENDS for 2025
Entrepreneur US

10 HOTTEST TRENDS for 2025

Want to buy a brand that buzzes? Here's what to know.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
BUILD YOUR MONEY MACHINE
Entrepreneur US

BUILD YOUR MONEY MACHINE

A franchise isn't just a franchise. It should be a Money Machine, creating profit even while you're out of the office. Here's how.

time-read
10 minutos  |
November - December 2024
The Top Franchises for Veterans
Entrepreneur US

The Top Franchises for Veterans

Are you a military vet looking to become a franchisee, or just want to support a brand that supports the troops? Check out these 150 brands.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
20 LEADERS WHO ARE DEFINING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TODAY
Entrepreneur US

20 LEADERS WHO ARE DEFINING ENTREPRENEURSHIP TODAY

In a year of disruption, we wanted to know: Whose work will define the years to come? We reviewed hundreds of names and picked 20 leaders across a range of industries and sizes. Meet them on the following pages, and see what it takes to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November - December 2024
How to Become a Main Street Millionaire
Entrepreneur US

How to Become a Main Street Millionaire

It started when I bought one little laundromat. Now I have a whole portfolio of small local businesses that bring in tens of millions in revenue a year. Here's why following my playbook could be your ticket to financial freedom-and saving America's local small businesses.

time-read
5 minutos  |
November - December 2024
Want to Better Serve Your Clients? Become Them.
Entrepreneur US

Want to Better Serve Your Clients? Become Them.

As a designer for brands, starting my own product company gave me a dose of humilityand it changed the way I relate to clients.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November - December 2024
I've Been a Publicist for 17 Years.Don't Hire Me.
Entrepreneur US

I've Been a Publicist for 17 Years.Don't Hire Me.

Entrepreneurs often think they need PR. Most don't. Here's why you're probably better off not hiring someone like me.

time-read
5 minutos  |
November - December 2024
The CEO's Advice to the MVP
Entrepreneur US

The CEO's Advice to the MVP

Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor knows the formula for a successful launch. NBA champ Jaylen Brown recently launched a shoe and athleisure brand. They have a lot to teach each other.

time-read
7 minutos  |
November - December 2024