It starts with an idea. You’ve found the product, honed the skill, or identified the perfect solution. And you want to share it with the world. And, naturally, you’d like to be well compensated for your hard work and wisdom. So you’re turning your idea into a business. But how do you avoid getting lost in the surging sea of commercial enterprise? 

To cut through the noise of an overcrowded marketplace and get noticed by an overstimulated public, you need more than a business. You need a brand that will stand out, command attention, and make a meaningful impression. But where do you begin? 

Like nearly every business-related question, the answer is, it depends. It depends how much time you’re willing to spend, and how much money you can afford to spend. If you just got out of school, you’re young and single, and you’re launching your first business, you probably have more time than money. But if you’ve been in business for a decade or two, and you’re also raising a family, then you might have more money than time. 

We understand that the best solution will be different for everyone, and that the right answer always depends on a variety of personal factors and circumstances. That’s why we offer a range of services to cover all the bases. There’s no one-size-fits-all program for building a brand. So let’s look at three different strategies, depending what balance of time and money you’re able to commit to the project. 

Brand Excelleration: The full-service strategy

Our flagship product at Balanced Brands is the Brand Excelleration. We can’t do this without some contribution of time and energy from you, the business owner, but we try to minimize that commitment, to allow you to concentrate on what you do best. 

After several rounds of coaching and strategizing, we’ve refined this process to include two intensive sessions of three hours each. We can do one-on-one meetings, or you can invite your team, to allow for greater input, more consensus, and stronger synergy. 

Like all brand strategies, our process starts with why. We dive deep into your hopes, dreams, fears and values. Most of our clients have compared it to therapy, as we’re not afraid to get personal and ask tough questions. This might not be what business owners expect, but it is essential to what we do and how we develop a brand that is powerful, meaningful and authentic. 

If you were hoping to fake it till you make it, then step aside. This is deep and real. There is no substitute for a genuine, emotional connection with your audience. So prepare to lower your barriers, bring an open mind, and bring a box of Kleenex. 

Yes, we’re going to explore some real feelings. And we’re going to make some breakthroughs. We need to know everything we can about your journey, the journey of your ideal client, and the journeys you make together.

Without this process, you can only achieve superficial results. A superficial brand will come across as generic, impersonal, corporate. If you’re a small business with a genuine purpose, this is not the way. 

From these two meetings and some extensive research on or end, our team should have enough material to formulate a complete strategy to best represent your brand and provide you with a powerful set of tools, including a meaningful persona, an effective visual identity, and a useful body of language and phrases.  

• Done for you
• Two 3-hour workshops
• Two additional 1-hour strategy calls to fill in gaps if needed
• 1 printed, branded hardcover Brand Master Guide
• Cost: $6000
• Timeline: 4 weeks

Brand Collaboration: A balance of time and money  

To reach these same results but save some money on your end, you can invest a bit more personal time into the process. The steps and components are all the same, but instead of walking you through every piece, we give you the tools and worksheets to do most of the research on your own. 

• Access to Branding Bootcamp
• Weekly 1-hour strategy calls to guide you through the process
• 1 printed, branded hardcover Brand Master Guide
• Cost: $3000
• Timeline: 10 weeks

Branding Bootcamp: Strategy on a Budget

For those who aren’t ready to commit the time and resources for the complete Brand Excelleration process, we recently launched an online course that guides you through every step of the process. Worksheets and questionaries prompt you through the same potential breakthroughs, but you have to be self-motivated and hold yourself accountable. 

Branding Bootcamp takes place twice a year, so you’ll be participating alongside other business owners, attending weekly presentations with Pacha, and doing the bulk of the work on your own.

You also have a private Facebook group where you and your classmates can ask questions, compare notes, and share your struggles (as well as your victories!)

With Branding Bootcamp, we also offer a VIP option, where you can have two one-hour coaching calls over the period of the course. 

• 5 Training Modules
• 13 Strategy lessons delivered over 8 weeks
• 2 weeks of implementation, including visual identity/design and workshops
• 10 weeks of support through live Q&As in a new private FB group
• Over 30 workbooks, cheat sheets, checklists and templates
• Cost: $1995 Independent Study, $2250 VIP (two 1-hour one-on-one strategy calls)
• Timeline: 10 weeks

Brand Coaching

If you’re an Outlaw type who doesn’t want a prepackaged program, you might prefer to enroll in Brand Coaching. This option allows you to move at your own pace and discuss whatever challenges you’re currently facing with your business and your brand. 

If you’ve already got a Brand Strategy, created with us or own your own, Brand Coaching is an excellent way to stay on top of your implementation. And if not, we can guide you through that process as well. With an expert coach on your side, you can be sure your brand is showing up consistently and effectively on Social Media, at public events, and wherever your business takes you. 

• Includes:
  • ⇒ Extra support and accountability so you continue to implement what you built. 
  • ⇒ Answers to questions that Google doesn’t have about YOUR brand.
  • ⇒ Access to my 20+ years of experience in design to help guide you or your virtual assistant to create effective social media content
  • ⇒ Opportunities to work with me and my team for as long as you need.

You spent a considerable amount of time, money and energy on your new brand. Let’s make sure it’s implemented properly!

• Access to all my mini-courses (Canva, Time Management)
• Social Stream included
• 1 hour of design work/month
• Cost: Weekly 30-min calls – $600 month, Monthly 30-min calls – $250/month
• Timeframe: 3-month commitment with existing strategy, 6-month commitment without strategy

Get up and grow

Ready to get started? Or curious to learn more? The Brand Strategy Workbook will give you a good starting point to answer some questions regarding your brand. And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out for a Discovery call or join our online community. It looks a bit confusing and overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, it all makes sense in the end. You got this! 

• Schedule a Discovery Call with Pacha
• Join our brand strategy Facebook Community: Balanced Brands
• Get professionally designed and curated content for your social media channels: Sign up for Social Stream

Dive deeper and take a look at these related articles.

• An Introduction to Brand Archetypes
• Adopting Brand Personas
• Speaking with Brand Voice
• Building Company Culture
• Issues with Ethical Marketing