Start-up Brand Stamina

I would say our initial brand essence has not drastically changed. It has gotten tighter and more crystallized. Whether you are a start-up or not, your company should be able recite this information about your brand. If they can't, someone has work to do.

Here what the Oddpodz essence looks like today. All business activities and organizational culture are built from this platform.

Purpose (the logical reason for being):

• Build a global nation of creatives, where citizens have a clearinghouse for self-expression, inspiration, and collaboration and will be recognized for their unique gifts.
• Provide access to opportunities for citizens to create economic zones to prosper.
• Leverage the nation to offer social/business services to enhance the lives of its citizens.
• Build stakeholder value.

Points of difference:

• New category, a global nation for creatives.
• The Muzeum, an on-line experience and showplace full of thriving economic zones.
• Our Odditeaz apparel line is printed inside out and packaged in oversized tea bags.

Personality:
Creative, curious, edgy, fun, witty, and sarcastic, irreverent and confident.

Promise:
We promise to uphold our declaration of independence as creatives. Our citizens have the freedom to dream, to create, to express, to profit, and to celebrate their ideas and all possibilities that make a more meaningful world.

Back to the jungle.
While I'm always up for a good adventure, there are days that even a serial entrepreneur gets scared and questions what they are doing. Along the way in every start-up there are the pack of dubious doubters. These can include strangers and even your close buds. Their non-supportive opinions can stem from them not being your target market, or they're born pessimists, or they may even be jealous. I've had my days where I let these folks bring me down; distract me, and one even made me cry. Then I tell myself, this comes with the turf. Take what you can use from them and if it's nothing, that's OK too, then put your eyes back on the prize and get back to work.

Beyond the non-cheerleaders I just discussed, you might also run into a group I refer to as morons. They usually travel in bunches of three and when combined with the doubters, they can make for a pretty bad day. Oddpodz has had its share of these too. From printers, to big banks to hired help, there are times when I think I'm suffocating from stress and my neck feels like someone took pliers and tightened every muscle so I can't move.

One day, I was briefly whining to a good friend and mentor of mine about all this. He provided some great advice. Karen, when you are building a start-up, you are like an Olympian, training for the event of your life. Keep your eyes on gold medal, do the very best you can and be disciplined. Unless your life is in danger, stay the course.

Stay tuned for my next article. I will talk about technology and its impact on your brand and your mental state. In the mean time, if you have any questions, shoot me an email.