Stop Spinning Your Wheels: The Case for Hiring a Brand Manager in Your Startup
In 2024 itself till date, I’ve spoken to over 150+ startup founders and only maybe 10 of them have a brand manager on board to run the ship. Most founders attempt to juggle this essential role themselves, but this approach leads to missed opportunities and inefficiencies that can stifle growth.
Brand is a full-fledged entity that requires dedicated time, expertise, and strategic thinking and is built with time, content, and connections. The brand being in the founder’s hands is not always for the best.
Startup founders have to juggle being involved in daily operations and product development, fundraising, team building and so much more — a brand manager can be a great asset for establishing a strong brand identity that drives growth, customer loyalty, and ultimately, revenue.
About 68% of surveyed employees, including founders, claim they don’t have enough time to dedicate to what truly matters — uninterrupted deep work. This reflects a widespread struggle with prioritizing high-value tasks over low-impact activities (Source: Clockify).
The case against founders managing brand
- When you don’t have the expertise, don’t try and be a jack of all trades — if a founder’s core specialty is product and running the business, leave brand management to the experts.
Every brand manager’s focus is broadly broken up into two parts.
One, build differentiation and create messaging that supports it.
Two, ensure as a brand a 360-degree approach is taken with all campaigns, leveraging every channel’s quirks. This in itself is an elephant task.
This involves understanding market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive positioning — tasks that demand specialized attention.
68% of companies report that maintaining brand consistency contributes to a revenue increase of 10% to over 20% (Marq)
2. Brands are built first in the heart, then in the mind. This requires time, effort, and love-creation across channels simultaneously. A founder who does not have time to deep dive into the ‘why we’re doing what we’re doing’ is going to inadvertently allow for discrepancies to arise in communications due to divided attention.
A brand manager however will develop clear brand guidelines that outline your startup’s voice, messaging, and visual identity and then ensure all marketing materials adhere to these guidelines.
77% of marketing leaders say branding is critical to growth, underscoring the necessity of having a focused strategy (Source: HubSpot, 2024)
3. Keeping a tab on consumer’s pulse and trends. Consumers these days have a lot of power to decide what they buy, why they buy, and from whom they buy. Founders managing their brands may lag in recognizing and acting on emerging trends. A brand manager can however implement targeted marketing strategies that are on-brand to create visibility and engagement with potential customers.
4. Unpredictable things happen in a startup journey, and when you have a trusted brand, loyalists will still stick around. Amongst all the stakeholder management a founder has to do, add consumers (and the most important one!) and sooner than never the founder is overwhelmed. A brand manager in place can focus on reinforcing your promises, keep an open communication channel and craft messages that resonate in a timely manner.
As a founder, your most significant asset is time. How you manage it directly impacts your startup’s success.
While you are extremely important, specialized skills such as brand management is best handled by an experienced brand manager. Delegating this function not only frees up your time but also ensures that your customers receive the focused attention they deserve.
Here are some long-term advantages you’ll see when you have a brand manager on board
- A brand manager with strong leadership skills can provide clear guidance and motivation to the team. By establishing a shared vision and aligning team members around common goals, the brand manager creates a collaborative environment where everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.
- A brand manager has the skills to analyze market trends, understand consumer behavior, and craft compelling narratives that resonate with the target audience. This expertise is crucial in differentiating the startup in a crowded marketplace.
- A brand manager ensures that branding evolves alongside the company, facilitating easier market entry for new products or services.
- A brand manager can develop a credible image for your brand through effective branding strategies that convey reliability and expertise.
For startup founders looking to make their mark, hiring a brand manager is not just advisable; it’s essential for long-term success. With the right person managing your branding efforts, you can focus on what you do best while ensuring that your startup develops a strong identity that resonates deeply with customers.
Thanks for reading! I’m the founder of The Fingerprint Labs, a strategic brand studio for challenger brands. We’ve worked with 100+ brands in DTC/E-comm/FMCG and Tech to create, build and evolve their brands.
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