Your logo is just the clothes. Your brand is the person wearing them. In this episode Arthur, Sydney, and Josh get into what a brand actually is, when a founder should start working on theirs, and how to tell when it's time for a refresh instead of a full rebrand.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Cold open: your brand is the person, the logo is just the clothes
05:41 When should an entrepreneur start thinking about brand?
07:05 The tension: how you want to be seen vs. how customers actually see you
09:40 Naming your business, SEO, and standing apart from competitors
11:00 Arthur's framework: the problem, the person, and the channel
14:18 Rebrand vs. brand refinement, and why McDonald's and Walmart keep changing
21:16 Rolling out a new brand without losing your customers' trust
28:05 Brand voice: what Wendy's gets right on social media
33:01 Signs it's time to up your brand game
36:05 Sydney's gut check and a Tulsa rebrand story

If you've been putting off a brand refresh, or your look no longer matches the quality of your work, this episode is for you. Listen now, then come tell us about your brand in the 10Fold Founders community.

About this episode
A hosts-only conversation on branding for trade and local-service businesses. Arthur reframes brand as the person, not the decoration, and the three dig into naming, brand refinement vs. rebranding, brand voice, and the triggers that tell you it's time to invest in your brand.

Your hosts

Arthur Tew, co-founder of 10Fold and co-host of the 10Fold Founders podcast, on a mission to equip faith-led entrepreneurs to build thriving businesses that serve God's kingdom
Sydney Andress, co-founder of 10Fold and co-host
Josh Staab, co-founder of 10Fold and co-host

Key takeaways

Your brand is not your logo, colors, or slogan. Those are the clothes. The brand is the person wearing them, and it sets the tone inside your business as much as outside it.
Every brand lives in a tension between how you want to be perceived and how your customers actually receive you. A funny brand fails when the customer's kitchen is under water.
Arthur's framework: know the problem you solve, know the person who has it, know the channel you reach them through. Revisit all three on a cycle, because they change.
A rebrand and a brand refinement are different moves. Big shifts in audience, offering, or medium call for a rebrand. Staying modern calls for refinement.
Before any big branded spend (signs, websites, truck wraps), get the brand right first. And when you do roll out a change, tie the new look to better results for the customer.

Resources & links

Join the 10Fold Founders community: [link]