I was sitting at the table in our little blue kitchen on Cedar Street, greeting Kyle as he took off his boots. He still hadn’t taken off his coat when he uttered a sentence I don’t think I will EVER be able to forget.
“ I decided today that it’s just going to be easier for us to knock the kitchen down, but the foundation is good so we can rebuild on the same footprint”.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
Depending on how long you’ve been on my list, you may or may not know that in November of 2021, we bought a 1930s house that was a total gut (and then some).
We spent the first few months cleaning out everything the old owners left behind and taking the place down to the studs.
Behind the kitchen walls - we found a few surprises, including:
- Newspaper & Burlap in place of well…insulation
- 16 different kinds of wallpaper, lot’s of them UNDER the insulation (which tells us this is what they were using in place of insulation at one point)
- And, most surprising - the walls were basically scrapped together and severely underbuilt.
It was so much worse than we had imagined.
Our only chance of saving the house was if the foundation was still in good shape.
I think we have all watched enough HGTV in our lifetime (or maybe that’s just me?) to know that the foundation is the MOST important part of your house.
If the foundation isn’t strong - anything you put on it will eventually fail.
The same goes for your brand.
We were lucky that the foundation was still in good shape - or honestly - this house could have been a total loss.
(Three years later - that whole house wing is still closed off and mainly used to store construction materials. This should be the summer I get to watch an excavator eat the back half of my house and take it down to the foundation we will be rebuilding on, so stay tuned for that newsletter/anxiety attack 😂✌🏼.)
Your Brand's Foundation is just as important and sets the stage for everything else, like your messaging, identity & content.
If you are struggling to describe the value and find the common threads behind your brand & offers - checking in on your Brand's Foundations are the first place to start.
Brand foundations are the essential building blocks that form the core of your brand's identity and purpose. Think of them as the DNA of your brand - they define who you are, what you stand for, and how you show up in the world.
At its heart, brand foundations include:
- Your mission, vision, and values - the purpose that drives your brand forward, where you see it making an impact, and the principles that guide your decisions
- Your brand story - the stories that connect your journey with your audience
- Your brand personality - how your brand expresses itself and relates to others through your personal brand, persona, and archetype.
These elements work together to create a strong foundation that supports all other aspects of your brand, from it's visual design to content marketing strategies.
When properly developed, brand foundations provide the clarity you need to position your brand effectively & sell its offers.
Here is a more in-depth breakdown of each of each section ↓
Mission, Vision & Values
- Your mission articulates how you currently serve your audience
- Your vision statement captures future impact and transformation
- Your values become guiding principles for every brand decision
Brand Storytelling Framework
Your brand should tell three core stories that build trust and connection with your audience:
- Founding Story: Share your journey of starting the business, including your motivation, challenges faced, and key milestones that shaped your path
- Value Story: Demonstrate how you solve specific problems for your clients by sharing concrete examples of transformation and results
- Purpose Story: Communicate your deeper “why” – what drives you beyond profit, your core values, and the impact you aim to make in the world
📖 For help crafting these core brand stories, I highly recommend reading “Stories That Stick” by Kindra Hall. Her framework for strategic storytelling provides excellent guidance on how to structure and share these foundational brand narratives effectively.
Brand Personality
Your brand personality consists of three key components that work together to create a cohesive and authentic brand presence:
Founder Profile: A comprehensive profile that captures both personal and professional elements of your brand, including:
- Who you are and what you do
- Your expertise and unique point of view
- Personal Brand overlap
- Professional credentials and brand vision
Brand Persona: The strategic framework for how your brand shows up in the world, defined by:
- Core Characteristics: The fundamental traits that define your brand’s presence
- Shows Up As: The specific ways these traits manifest in your communications
- Never Shows Up As: The characteristics that would misalign with your strategy
- Natural Habitat: Where and how your brand authentically operates
🤖 Pro-Tip For Your Robot Friends
Copy & Paste into Perplexity AI & Ask: “Based on this information, which brand archetype would best align with this brand’s values, approach, and audience needs?”
Ps. I've been working behind the scenes on something special - a done-with-you offer that will help you build rock-solid brand foundations (just like we talked about today). If you've been stuck trying to figure out your brand's core elements, this will be perfect for you.
Until then, start thinking about which elements of your brand foundations need the most attention.
Is it your mission and values? Your brand story? Or maybe you're struggling to define your brand's personality.
Understanding where you need the most support will help you hit the ground running when we work together.
Want to dive deeper into building your brand foundations?
I've just written what might be my most comprehensive blog post ever about the Brand Strategy Framework—one I've designed through years of helping businesses build and rebrand strategically.
Get an in-depth understanding of how to develop your mission, craft compelling brand stories, and define your brand personality. You'll find practical exercises, real-world examples, and actionable steps to strengthen your brand's foundation.
|
|
FROM THE STACK
everything I've done to reposition my brand in the last year
My rebrand has been a slow and strategic one where business and life have sidetracked the progress more than once.
|
|
|
FROM THE BLOG
Brand Strategy Framework
Learn how to build a proven Brand Strategy Framework that transforms your business. Discover my step-by-step guide to creating strategic foundations that scale.
|
|
|
FROM THE STACK
my plan for a "feel good" february
Choose to get The Snowed In Stratgey workshop recording with or without 1:1 support or feedback.
|