How to build a “MVB” for growth

Yung Studio was invited as a speaker to join Empowered Startups’ webinar series. Empowered Startups is a global innovative startup incubator with over 300 early-stage founders on the platform.

Our topic was “How to use brand as a growth tool.” We shared some inspiring real-world examples of how effective branding can drive success in business development, marketing, recruiting, fundraising, and product development. Not only does it unlock defined and differentiated storytelling, it puts speed in your business. We also shared some tips and tricks for founders on first-time brand-building, from forming the right team to  creating a cost-efficient process to getting to a GTM brand.

It’s so hard to unpack an hour-long webinar into a short memo, but here are our 3 key considerations to build a “MVB” (minimum viable brand):

Ignite your business with clear conviction

How do you build a “MVB” when you have limited resources & runway? This quote from Bill Gates really resonates with us: “The most important 'speed' issue is often not technical but cultural. It's convincing everyone that the company's survival depends on everyone moving as fast as possible.”  What we have learned from high-growth businesses is that they all started with a clear conviction – a clear rallying call to get going and row in the same direction. What do we believe? How does that intersect with what our customers believe - a common pain point, goal, or way of identifying? Once you clarify that, then you have a strong framework for building a GTM strategy, finding the right team, and building a community around your business.

Strategic consistency drives customer loyalty

So often, a new venture will have low brand awareness and trust in the beginning. 84% of consumers believe that design consistency across all touchpoints reinforces a brand's credibility (source). And, a survey of 200 brand-management experts found that a consistent brand presentation can lead to a 33% increase in revenue (source). Your brand is the sum total of your experience: your press release, content marketing, packaging or e-commerce experience, customer service – it all contributes to the brand.  How joined up or systematic across the customer journey from marketing into product is your brand? Do these messages and moments sound like the same person is saying or delivering them?  A quick gutcheck for you and your team: How aligned is the intent, idea, or concept behind the brand?

Don’t discount your intuition

Brand-building for startups is different: knowing we are working in an emerging market, we can’t rely on current trends or landscapes.  “Data comes from the market you have today, not who you want to have.” said Andrew Chen, GP at a16z, in his recent substack article about early user testing and competitive analysis. Sometimes intuition is the right move when a startup’s market is moving so quickly. The great thing about brand-building is that it is an iterative process. When we work with early-stage founders or VCs as a brand partner, we understand the importance of speed and only focus on high-impact, highly efficient work at launch. It’s not about precision (think the “perfect” margins around your logo, or never-ending wordsmithing on your brand positioning), it’s about doing work, from your collective knowledge, that gains the most traction and customers as quickly as possible.