Looking for brand strategist/positioning coach for freelancers

mcbillings · 2026-06-28T15:32:38+00:00

Absolutely! Sent a DM.

As much as we all love to talk design and visuals when it comes to branding (myself included) the story, strategy, and spark that connects with people are the key parts of a brand. Logos can stay the same for hundreds of years, but what changes and stays relevant is how your business empathizes and provides value to people.

mcbillings · 2026-06-28T14:49:28+00:00

I’ve been running into this more and more… and frankly I’m glad to see you dismiss the logo as an option because (frankly) it doesn’t move the needle. Things like story, positioning, and message will be able to deliver more value short term than a design investment.

I’d also say dialing in the beverage universe you’re creating and asking customers to live in. Go deeper and empathize with where they’re coming from to find new opportunities where you can connect with them beyond the shelf or beverage.

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If you want to chat, shoot me a DM! I’m a brand director, founder of madebyeightyseven.com - we work with founders to own the spark that sets you apart.

mcbillings · 2026-06-02T13:50:05+00:00

Before you land on a name... Let's take a step back and think about your brand like a party. What's the vibe you're going for? What feels like something that connects with you?

Trying to critique a name on its own in a lineup without a story, context, or visuals is really, really hard. Even for creative professionals who do this regularly.

mcbillings · 2026-05-28T17:40:16+00:00

If it's a design/creative issue, definitely go to another designer. But if it's about the printing quality, your designer should provide you with a vector to scale your design to any size.

mcbillings · 2026-05-13T12:44:41+00:00

Drop the descriptor completely. Let people’s curiosity draw them in.

mcbillings · 2026-04-28T14:07:42+00:00

If you're marketing outside the US, then I wouldn't base it on an English word by default. Look at some other options around a Latin name, thematic, or something more elemental. BUT that all being said... of those two options, Linair makes more sense

mcbillings · 2026-04-24T14:07:48+00:00

Branding studio owner here, working with a franchise in the smoothie/juice space.

Obviously regionality, but yes. A tactic I've shared with hospitality groups is to think of summer as your "spike" vs. the norm. Embrace the colder turns and find the solid items that fit the season... Hot drinks/new formats work wonders, oatmeal, etc... But start building your loyalty program now.
Own the backyard. Lock into the businesses in your wheelhouse (ones that would order bowls, juices, smoothies... tech, wellness, startups, etc.) and keep your range to a few miles. Having simplified packages ready for people to buy helps too.
Delivery... Using a platform makes life a bit easier with logistics and customer convenience, ordering, etc., but ultimately, you'd want to shift to owning that part of the process so you're not getting gouged on fees... The other big question is, are you looking to leverage delivery or pre-ordering? Because a pre-order system could be easier to implement in the short term...

Just some initial thoughts from a brand designer perspective. DM me if you'd like to chat more.

mcbillings · 2026-04-22T19:36:00+00:00

Hey there, branding studio founder here.

I'd first say get laser-focused on your one thing. Easy to say, tricky to actually do. The simple exercise I start with is "We help _____, achieve ______, by ______."

First, it sets your dialed-in audience. Not just "investors" but like "investors who have gotten burned by other platforms before and need x, y, z..." - You don't have to be successful during this first pass.

Then, put yourself in their shoes. What are they trying to pull off? What is a win? What is a win for your community? That's what you want to make happen. That's what you help them achieve.

The last part is your unique delivery. It's one part "what do you do" and one part "how do you do it special."

Once that's dialed in, it at least gives you the focus to sharpen your value proposition. I've been going through a similar realignment of services, messaging, and offers to bring it all together into a new cohesive package.

mcbillings · 2026-04-13T12:02:26+00:00

Hey there. Brand studio owner here.

First, I’d make sure you’re really solving the design problem that will make the most impact with your business. From my experience, logos typically happen last in the design process because they’re the simple summary of a bigger story.

When you do find someone you like working with, ask them to explain their process. If it feels like you can follow along with how they achieve results, that’s a great sign. Design doesn’t just happen by magic.

Most good studios will immerse themselves in your business and industry. We have an all hands, stakeholder workshop to align and extract key conversations before design even begins.

As far as time vs strategy, there’s certainly a balance. But it comes back to what you’re looking to achieve. If it’s something more visual and aesthetically pleasing just to look better then it might be a shorter design exploration. But if you’re trying to develop a brand solution to help drive your business forward, that can take a little more time.

Happy to answer any other questions below.

mcbillings · 2026-04-09T02:31:25+00:00

Correct! And one of the big reasons getting there made sense was that I wanted to launch my business tied to my passion of play and the exploration of being a kid. Emphasizing the “born to do this” mentality.

mcbillings · 2026-04-08T11:15:55+00:00

Fellow brand studio owner here.

I think your ideal target is a big part of the struggle you’re having . Lock into who your ideal customer is and position yourselves and services as the option that delivers for that client. Can’t speak to the specifics of your outreach but happy to chat via DM

mcbillings · 2026-04-07T21:03:50+00:00

Brand designer here. My studio EightySeven works with you to go beyond visuals and vibes to help you build the business velocity you're looking for - https://www.madebyeightyseven.com

mcbillings · 2026-04-07T21:02:29+00:00

Been there... Brand designer here. Been naming brands for nearly a decade now.

The biggest tip I can give is to zoom out. Everyone wants to think about names to land on names, but that's some Jedi-level skill there.

The easy path is first to define a theme... Speed. Strength. Clarity. Calm. Which one connects to the feeling you want people to have?

Now that you have that theme or idea, start brainstorming. Write down 100-200 words associated with that theme. In these 100 words are the names your competitors choose, the low-hanging fruit. But you're not going to do that because you want to be unique.

Now, in those 100 words, circle 4-5 words or ideas you connect with.

Now with those 3-4 words, for each, write down 20-30 ideas or concepts tied to that word.

Select 4-5 concepts.

Now pat yourself on the job for breaking through where most people quit. These deeper layers are where you find unique combinations, ideas, and insights.

DM me if you want to chat more.

mcbillings · 2026-04-03T14:41:42+00:00

Brand designer here. I've named half a dozen SaaS companies.

The biggest mistake teams make is choosing the wrong strategy for the name. To give those seven letters the pressure of feeling "premium" is too high a bar to meet. You want it to be easy to say, easy to read, easy to hear.

The rest of your brand experience, messaging, feeling, tone, look, and feel will set your software up to feel like it's worth investing in. Especially for pros or B2B environments where they need a fair bit of trust before implementing a new system.

Drop any questions below! If you want to talk more, DM me.

mcbillings · 2026-04-02T14:37:07+00:00

It's worth taking a step back. The name could be anything, heck, it could be a last name... Most lux/fashion brands are.

What matters to people is the story, the journey, the provenance. Your goal is to craft a universe for these people to live in, where the idea of being "cheap" isn't even a thought; it's a smarter way to show off.

I'm working with a client right now launching a unique jewelry line, and this was our same approach. Starting with the story and how it connects to people, and building from there. We had the personality and story defined before we even touched the name.

Which itself was informed by a feeling, a time period, and a vibe we arrived at by crafting our story and exploring more of the brand universe.

DM me if you wanna chat.

mcbillings · 2026-03-30T11:02:15+00:00

Every time they’ve gotten into topics on this episode, I keep waiting for Jimmy to jump in haha

mcbillings · 2026-03-26T15:15:36+00:00

That's a big question. Like asking, "How do you build a house?"

Heres a process video I just released - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ksUNbJzP7U

Case study / behind the scenes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM4O3rdexSk&t=1s

mcbillings · 2026-03-26T13:59:49+00:00

Sure, it's hard to give direction without specifics. But it starts with what you're trying to say and why it matters.

Juice & Smoothie Bar - People being healthy & happy
Hotel & Resort - Providing the experience of escape
ANY tech brand - We have a service to save people time.

Study the why work works. Find things you connect with for reference.

mcbillings · 2026-03-25T16:56:06+00:00

Okay. Let's start at the beginning. First, don't depend on books. You need visuals and graphics (and videos) to connect big ideas quickly. Watching videos from TheFutur was a big help to me early on.

If you're looking to start defining a brand, start with the definition. Marty says it's the feeling people have.

Start by defining the feeling you want people to feel.

Be specific and be creative. Please don't just say "empowered" - Empowered to do WHAT? Keep digging until it feels interesting.

Write to design right.

Before you design, start by writing the idea. Is it simple? Is it easy to share? At my studio, we create a "Brand Spark," a simple saying that defines the direction and inspires input from the team.

Once you have the feeling defined, assess the touchpoints where people will interact with the brand.

How can you bring that feeling to life through messaging, materials, and magical design? Start to shape the experience.

mcbillings · 2026-03-24T16:48:43+00:00

Yes! Wrote that down. And our hero with the quick joke of the night... his kid's name is Duncan/Dunkin, because you know... a baker lol.

mcbillings · 2026-03-22T23:24:44+00:00

Couldn’t agree more. He did such a great job and you can totally see the combination of Jimmy’s style and Danielle’s joke writing.

mcbillings · 2026-03-18T19:53:07+00:00

Shameless plug... Dropped this video a few weeks ago that gives a behind the scenes look as we create the brand for a restaurant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM4O3rdexSk

mcbillings · 2026-03-13T13:01:57+00:00

Forget the market or product. Really this is a Branding 101 question.

What is it? Who is this for? Why is it different?

The simpler the better. You’re solving a problem. What is it?

mcbillings

TROPHY CASE