The concept of “brand” is widely misunderstood

Let's break down the typical view of what a brand is:

The common perception is that...

1. You start a company.

2. You develop a product or service

3. You create a "brand"

4. The brand helps sell the product

Sound about right?

In this first way of thinking, you start with a product or service and then you “brand it”. 

i.e., You make a flask, and then start branding it to “elevate” it and make it seem “special”.
But the truth is, it’s not this way around at all. It’s the opposite.

But the truth is, doing it this way is flawed. You’ll end up (for example) a “flask company” with nice branding but no real substance.

You’ll struggle to differentiate when similar products come to market as there’s no real meaning behind it all.

If you’re doing it strategically, it should look more like this...

1. You start a company
2. You create a brand
3. You develop a product or service
4. Product/service helps sell the brand.

Let’s look more closely at the final bullet.

The product or service helps sell the brand.

The whole point of building a brand first is to create meaning and value.

And a platform for you to make whatever kind of products you choose.

“Brand” is an expression of your ideas, point of view, beliefs, philosophies, vision. This will inspire your products.

Let’s use (sorry for being obvious) Apple as an example.

If Apple had just started making iPhones (skipping their vision, beliefs, principles and philosophies) and then added some fancy branding, sure they’d have probably sold a bunch of generic phones, but they wouldn’t be the iconic, unbeatable tech brand that can literally make anything they want and have it sell like hotcakes.

People are so deeply inspired by and committed to everything the brand stands for.

So, what should you do?

Flip your thinking.

• Make your brand the foundation of your business – not the afterthought

• Start with a super clear idea of your brand – it’s meaning and philosophy

• Reframe your thinking – see your products/services as an expression of everything your brand stands for.

If your product is coming before your brand, it’s time to refocus.