How I stopped my client making a $20,000 mistake and losing 12 months of marketing
Making a wrong move with your strategy will cost you thousands without realising!
When this client first came to me, she was juggling three big ideas.
She had a concept for a new venture called Switch My House, a buyer’s agency, and a podcast titled From the Outside In. While the ideas were exciting and filled with potential, there was one glaring issue: none of them connected, and the strategy to bring them to life wasn’t cohesive.
She was set on diving headfirst into Switch My House, planning to run ads and pour a year of effort into building its brand. Her plan? Invest at least $1,000 a month on ads, plus the associated spend, hire someone to manage it, and dedicate herself to creating organic content to drive traffic to the website.
It all seemed solid until she casually mentioned something that stopped me in my tracks: “Once the brand is built, I’ll rebrand the business in about 12 months to better fit where I want to take it.”
🚨 Hold up. 🚨
Her strategy was setting her up for a $20,000+ mistake – one that went far beyond the financial cost. She was about to spend an entire year of effort and energy building a brand she knew she’d need to rework later. All that time creating content, nurturing an audience, and driving website traffic would go to waste.
I knew we couldn’t let her move forward without addressing the real issue: her brand didn’t have a clear direction yet. Investing in ads or building awareness without aligning the brand first would mean starting from scratch in a year.
Here’s what happened next……
We hit pause and re-evaluated everything
First, I zoomed out to find the common thread between her three ventures. What tied Switch My House, her buyer’s agency, and the podcast together? By digging deep, we uncovered a messaging strategy aligned all three under one cohesive umbrella.
The result? We pivoted her brand’s positioning to make sense to her audience now, instead of waiting to “fix” it later. We reframed what Switch My House stood for and tailored its offering to resonate with potential customers right out of the gate.
But we didn’t stop there. We turned her podcast into a tool to feed both the Switch My House business and the buyer’s agency. With a clear strategy, the buyer’s agency could leverage the Switch My House brand as a key touchpoint, creating synergy instead of separate, disconnected efforts.
What she gained
By taking this strategic detour, my client avoided wasting $20,000+ and 12 months of energy on building a brand she’d have to rebuild later. Instead, she gained:
- A cohesive and unified brand strategy
- Messaging that made sense to her target audience
- A seamless connection between her ventures
- The confidence that her efforts were building something lasting
The big lesson
This isn’t just a story about avoiding a costly mistake—it’s a reminder of why getting your brand strategy right before diving into execution is so important. Building a brand isn’t just about pretty logos or catchy taglines; it’s about creating something cohesive, intentional, and scalable.
If you’re thinking of launching something new or feel like your brand isn’t connecting the way it should, take a step back. Align your vision, clarify your messaging, and ensure your strategy supports where you want to go. Trust me, it will save you time, money, and a whole lot of headaches.
Ready to Build a Brand That Works?
If this story resonates with you, and you’re ready to avoid costly mistakes while building a strong, impactful brand, let’s chat. Whether it’s a fresh idea or a full rebrand, I’d love to help you make it a success.
