"Everybody knows that."

Perceptions of what’s common knowledge live in every niche. It’s usually something specific that people consider obvious because it’s second nature to them. It’s not just in engineering and tech circles that it exists,

I see it in arts and culture and, surprisingly (maybe?), in media and design disciplines too. Being relevant to wider groups of people beyond our everyday circles is often a challenge. We often have mistaken assumptions of what's obvious to others.

I love solving puzzles so with clients, its a challenge I enjoy. And it’s what keeps me coaching select startups, putting different groups of people at the centre of the problem they’re solving for a better way to package what they're doing.

At the moment, I’m helping a team tell a more compelling story by tilting their positioning towards users. Together, we're starting to shape a vision for the future with their solution. I ask why a lot. We examined the pain point they’re addressing and developed some insights to finesse their copy into something that inspires more than a set of features (though the features are quite lovely).

The result? It's a collaborative process so the brand is all theirs, not mine. I'm just helping them bring a transformative vision to what they’re developing so they can attract and users for testing and pitch investors and partners.

These kinds of projects are mostly small and nimble with dramatic effects; though for established companies, they can be more intensive for more long-term planning. I’ve helped innovators raise a seed round in San Francisco, attract first customers to establish proof-of-concept, get media attention and grow with their new audiences.

Brand strategy and creative direction alone don’t guarantee success. Budding brands need a user-centric strategy to succeed with a presence that shows they get the people, trends and mindset of customers, influencers and decision-makers. 

Reach out and get in touch if the companies you’re working with could be just a bit stronger if they brought more people into the fold with a user-centric brand vision. I'd love to hear about their challenge.