Before You Spend Money on Branding, Read This!

Before You Spend Money on Branding, Read This!

If you’ve ever felt tempted to splash out on a shiny new logo or invest in professional brand design right at the start of your business journey, you’re not alone. As a small business owner and founder of Inkie, I’ve seen this story unfold over and over, and my heart sinks every time I meet someone who’s spent loads on branding before really understanding their business. Here’s the honest truth: owner-led branding is almost always the best place to begin, especially for solo founders and micro-teams.

Why Do So Many Founders Rush Branding?

It’s easy to see why branding tempts us from the start. We want our business to look ‘real’, to feel grown-up and polished. A professional logo, gorgeous brand colours, and slick packaging promise legitimacy. But here’s the reality: most early-stage founders change direction more than once. Your business will flex, your values and audience will evolve, and what feels right in month one may not fit at all a year later.

Branding can be a major investment, time, money, and emotional energy. When you rush into it before truly knowing your product, your audience, and how you want to show up, you risk ending up with visuals and messaging that don’t quite fit. (Trust me, I’ve been there, and rebuilding after an expensive misfire is far more painful than starting slow.)

Your Brand Starts With You

The honest, empowering approach is to lead your branding journey yourself, at least in the early days. Here’s how:

1. Start With Your Own Style You are the heart of your business. Does your vibe lean retro, modern, minimalist, or playful? What colours make you feel energised? What fonts and imagery do you love, on your clothes, your home, your Pinterest boards? Gather all of this. Remember, your preferences matter because you are the one representing your brand every day.

2. Build a Simple Moodboard Don’t overthink it. Pull together a digital moodboard on Canva, Pinterest, or even a sheet of paper. Add colours you’re drawn to, logos you admire, magazine cut-outs, font samples and bits from brands you like. Spot what keeps appearing. There’s your starting point, something uniquely you, not just cookie-cutter design trends.

3. Choose Pillar Words Think of three to five words that capture the feeling and purpose behind your business. Maybe it’s empowering, welcoming, creative, honest, or quirky. These are your brand’s pillars, they’ll shape everything from your website copy to your customer experience. Write them down and keep them visible when you’re making brand decisions.

4. Test Everything in Real Life Branding isn’t created in a vacuum. Use your chosen colours, style, words and ideas in everyday business tasks, social posts, informal pitch decks, email signatures. Notice what feels good and what feels off. Listen to feedback, do new clients “get” what you’re about? Don’t be afraid to tweak things, but always ask whether the change feels true to you, not just what you think you “should” be.

Owner-Led Branding Is Empowering (and Safer)

Taking charge of your branding doesn’t have to mean going it alone forever. When the time comes to invest in professional design, you’ll approach it confidently, with a clear sense of direction, language, and style that genuinely fits you. Designers love clients who know themselves, it makes the process smoother and the outcome far more satisfying.

Some of the best brands in the small business world started out looking ‘homemade’ but built authenticity and loyalty along the way. Customers gravitate to brands that feel real and honest, not just perfectly polished.

Branding Tips for Solo Founders and Micro-Teams

• Forgive the rough edges: You’re building as you go, and honesty trumps perfection every single time

• Keep your brand style somewhere visible, a sticky note on your laptop, a phone wallpaper, or a page in your work diary

• Remember, brand consistency is about repeating what feels like ‘you’, not following a strict design code

• Share your brand journey openly: talk about mistakes, updates, and wins along the way (it makes your brand all the more relatable)

True Branding Is a Journey

You don’t need permission to start shaping your own brand guide. The process is creative, flexible, and uniquely yours. Saving your investment until you’re ready also means that, when you do hire a designer, you’ll get something completely authentic, no more brands that look lovely but feel like someone else’s.

In my experience, empowering yourself in the early days is more valuable than any expensive branding package you could buy. Take your time, have fun with it, and remember: it’s better to grow into your brand than outgrow it too soon.

Want more support to shape your brand (and your whole marketing strategy) without overwhelm? That’s what Inkie is here for, real advice, no sugar-coating, and affordable, step-by-step help for small business owners who want to do things their way.