Shira Stember on Warpcast

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1/ We all focus on building community and social metrics. But so often I meet founders who think of brand as just colors & logo or something to focus on later. That is a risky move! Your brand is an asset. And in the early stages, it can be your only moat. Here’s why early stage startups cannot afford to ignore brand...👇

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2/ Brand is the only asset that compounds over time. It turns customers into evangelists. Everything else is ephemeral: - Great tech can be copied or forked - Hype fades (📉 see Gartner Hype Cycle) - Social metrics are vanity Most companies ride the Hype Cycle, peaking fast and crashing into irrelevance. Brand (if built well) is what carries your beyond the Trough of Disillusionment.

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3/ Think of brand as strategic infrastructure. It is an accelerant. It is an investment. It adds focus & power to your business. - It aligns your team and guides decisions beyond just features and code. - It speeds up hiring, funding, partnerships, and adoption. If you ignore brand, you are limiting growth. Don't do that. Obvs.

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4/ But what I hear over and over again, is that investors & founders think brand = marketing spend. It's not, but why does this keep happening? Brand is an asset, but accounting treats it like air. Your laptop shows up on the balance sheet. Your brand? Nowhere. This financial quirk could be why so many founders/CFOs disregard brand leading to underinvesting in brand.

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5/ The best founders invest in brand because they know how valuable it is. Take Apple’s acquisition of Beats for $3B. They paid $2.2B for "goodwill" (brand value). Meaning 2/3 of that valuation wasn't for hardware. It was for brand. Some VCs & founders will ignore brand building, but when it is time to sell... brand becomes VERY real $$. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000119312514383437/R12.htm

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6/ Investing in brand is not about aesthetics (but looking cool doesn't hurt). It is about influencing business outcomes. Strong brands: 📈 Raise money faster 🧲 Attract customers without burning marketing dollars 🏆 Command higher valuations In the S&P 500, intangibles like brand now make up 90% of market value. So while your tech might be great, intangibles like brand and trust will drive your valuation.

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7/ The best founders know that brand is an investment, not a cost. And investing early is the best time to bake your brand into your DNA. If you wait until Series B, and you will be playing expensive catch-up. If you don't invest in brand, you are just renting attention instead of owning trust.

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8/ Brand should be part of your growth strategy. And the strongest brands do this from day one because it helps you: ⚡ Shift market perception 🎯 Build credibility in new spaces 🏗️ Strengthen strategic partnerships 🚀 Attract top talent

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9/ When everyone has access to similar technology and open-source data, your real competitive advantage is not what you build. It is how people feel about what you build. Brand multiplies your growth potential. It is what separates projects that survive bear markets from those that disappear. Build brand early. Let it compound.

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10/ So where should you start investing in your brand? 1️⃣ Define your core story & values – Who are you for? Why should they care? If you can't explain your value in one sentence, you have work to do. 2️⃣ Build in public – Share insights, struggles, and wins. This builds brand equity & the transparency compounds into an invaluable asset that competitors can't copy. 3️⃣ Audit every touchpoint –Look at everything through your users' eyes (landing page, email signatures, social profiles, onboarding flow, etc..) Is the experience consistent? Small inconsistencies erode trust. The strongest brands are built with clarity and consistency which costs nothing but attention to detail. Your brand is arguably the only asset you'll build that can't be forked, copied, or made obsolete by the next great tech.

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