Why Is Branding Expensive? (And Why You Shouldn’t Skimp On Your Brand)
Branding is often a step small business owners skim over… they hire a designer on Fiverr or a friend to design their logo + website and think they can cross “branding” off their to-do list.
I get it… it feels like there are six jillion things to juggle when you’re starting your business and branding feels like a luxurious, nonessential expense.
Even as a brand designer, I overlooked my own brand for years. And I kept burning out from trying to “keep up” in the entrepreneurial hustle. It wasn’t until I invested the time + energy into aligning my brand with my truth that I started seeing massive shifts and momentum in my business—AND felt nourished and fulfilled by the work I was doing.
This is true for my clients as well.
Branding is your cheat code for a business that gives to you as much as you give to it.
To me, feeling supported in my purpose by my business is priceless. But in this post, we’ll look at exactly why branding is such a big investment… what goes into the process, why it matters, and what happens when you try to do it on the cheap.
The Energetic Exchange
Building a brand is not a quick, one-size-fits-all solution. It involves intuition, strategy, communication, concepting, designing, and refining to ensure the brand reflects the essence of the business.
My branding projects typically range from 25–90(!) hours of work, depending on the level of support and depth of the project.
(On average, it’s 25 hours for an Essential Brand Kit and 90 hours for the Brand Alchemy Holistic Design Package.)
Whereas a business coach may charge $500 for a one-hour session, designers are charging for a project that may take one to three MONTHS to complete.
But anyone who understands the value of hiring a coach knows that you’re not just paying for their time, you are paying to “be in the room” and have access to their energy…
This is also true for designers. And as a designer who straddles the realm of coaching and healing as well, I give an immense amount of creative energy to my clients and projects. This is part of what feels so fulfilling about the work I do! Yet it also means that I have limits to how much life force I can give to my work before it impacts other aspects of my life. (This is why I only offer four seats to Brand Alchemy per year.)
Designed for Longevity, Not Just “Right Now”
The investment you make in your brand can last for years, decades, or even longer. Take the IBM logo for example, developed by design demigod Paul Rand in the 1950s. As a technology company known for innovation, IBM has evolved but their logo has persisted for ~70 years (and counting).
Investing in a designer who has the expertise to know how to design a brand for longevity means that your investment may be bigger, but it will go so much further.
Steve Jobs understood this when he paid Rand $100,000 in 1986 (which would be $281,402 today) for the NeXt Computers logo(!)
You want a designer with enough expertise to know how to translate the deeper meaning of your business into a compelling logo design and brand system. Who can curate a versatile and harmonious color palette. Who understands the qualities of an effective logo—not just what looks good (which changes with trends). Who can pair a fonts that convey the right vibe for your brand while communicating legibly.
This takes more than good taste.
Many clients have come to me after working with junior designers who didn’t have this expertise. Often they’re ready to rebrand from a low budget design project after less than a year(!) They’ve run into issues with their logo or just don’t love it as much as they initially did. Or they’re frustrated with their color palette—it doesn’t portray them in the right light anymore.
In short, they feel like they’ve outgrown their brand.
Your brand should support who you’re becoming—not just who you are today.
This comes down to having a strong foundation and creating a container that supports your growth. Which brings me to the next point…
Attuned to Your Frequency
Your brand identity is a physical manifestation of the frequency you hold in your business.
Attuning to that frequency requires deep work of clarifying your unique signal.
This happens through the explorative process known as brand strategy.
Brand strategy imbues your brand with deeper meaning and creates alignment between you + your business + your audience.
This is foundational to your business... from informing the design of your logo and brand identity, to guiding your messaging and content, it’s the glue that holds everything together.
Brand strategy is a non-negotiable for me. All of my branding projects begin with brand strategy because it’s what separates authentic, magnetic brands from generic, dime-a-dozen brands.
As my client, Jewels put it:
“I tried for years to figure out how I could skimp on my brand and still have it serve the purpose and hold the frequency that I wanted it to hold… I didn’t find that so I just sat there stuck for how long? The lesson: Don’t cut costs on your branding.”
JEWELS CASTELLANO ✺ INTUITIVE BUSINESS MENTOR
(You can listen to our full conversation about the branding process here.)
The Good News: Branding may not be as expensive as you think…
Even if done-for-you brand strategy services aren’t in the budget, you can still receive brand strategy support.
To make brand strategy accessible to businesses at ANY stage, I have developed a self-led branding workbook.
This was created for those who have a greater abundance of time than money currently and want to establish an authentic, magnetic brand.
It all comes down to asking the right questions. In this fill-in-the-blank interactive workbook, I guide you through these exact questions.
“Anika has a gentle process of helping you dig deeper into what you’re about… I experienced a dramatic shift after completing the Brand Discovery Guide. I feel MUCH clearer on my brand + audience and am excited for the direction I’m going in. I would recommend it in a heartbeat!”
ELLIE HOLLISTER ✺ HYPNOTHERAPIST
