As an entrepreneur and new business owner, there are many ingredients to be focusing on in order to create a functioning, thriving venture. Much like baking a cake, the blend of these ingredients serves as the foundation – but when deciding which cake to buy, what do people see? They don’t see the tablespoon of vanilla or dash of nutmeg – they see the frosting.
This metaphor is perfect in explaining what branding truly is. Yes, it is the sum of its parts – but it’s all of that, and then some. Branding your business may seem like something that could be left as an afterthought, but if the frosting doesn’t look appetizing no one’s going to reach for a piece of cake (or some cookies).
When focusing on all of the encompassing ingredients, you must also figure out what your business is going to look like to the public. How will it be perceived? Accepted? Embraced? Talked about? Defining your brand comes down to the perception you want – but more importantly, what the perception really is.
Your brand signifies your product, your service, your employees, and your mission/vision (or as we call it, your “declaration”). If you don’t pay attention to your brand, both the tangibles and intangibles of what that may be, the rest of the functions of your business will be left incomplete.
It’s a D-I-Y industry and you are in control of your own business. Be in control of your brand. Understand it’s ingredients. And don’t build your cake without putting on the icing.