Chief Marketing Officer at Rockfish. Co-Founder of The Brandery & Vine St Ventures. Former P&G Digital Marketing Leader. Connector of brands and startups
After reading through thousands of applications for The Brandery, I have seen first-hand what it takes to get the attention of a Managing Director at a Startup Accelerator (or any VC for that matter).
As the co-founder of The Brandery (www.brandery.org), I have spent the last 5+ years helping startups to treat their brand as something more than just a logo. Whether you are just starting out or starting to scale your company, you need to invest energy in understanding branding.
As CMO at Rockfish (www.RockfishDigital.com) and Brand Manager, Corporate Digital Strategy at Procter & Gamble, I have seen hundreds of startups fight for the attention of CPG & Retail Brand Marketers. I can help you figure out how to get navigate the halls of the largest Fortune 500 marketers like P&G, Nestle, and many others
Every accelerator should have a very clear timeline on when the application deadline is, when the program starts, etc. At The Brandery, we let everyone know that in person interviews will be within two weeks of the deadline. If you applied and the accelerator hasn't reached out to learn more - an exploratory phone call, etc - then It's usually a bad sign. Most programs read applications as they come in and will reach out to learn more about you. I'd be happy to jump on the phone to share more, particularly around the aspect of improving your chances.
When I make this request to folks, I'm always asking for the latter. In particular, what I want is a simple email from them asking me for an intro, giving a reason for wanting the intro, and then quickly explaining their company and why it's a relevant intro. What I do is then forward that email and add my own perspective on top of it of why I think the person and their startup are awesome.
I'd recommend that you build out a range of packages with different deliverables for clients. Price them based on what you want to make per hour times the amount of time it will take you to create each deliverable (don't forget to build in time you'll spend meeting or communicating with the client). You may want to consider "theming" each package so it helps guide a client to selct the package that would be best for them. Also consider varying the packages both on the end result, as well as the process to get there. For instance, you will want to set the number of rounds of redesigns, as well as the number of options / logos they will get to see at each stage. By clearly showing what a client gets out of the process, this will also help you compete against the companies that are commoditizing logo design like CrowdSPRING.
Really helpful and insightful advice!
Incredible advice! Dave - thank you so much!
Thanks for the call! Gained a lot of valuable insight.
Dave was great! Concise and professional. Highly recommended.
This is the second time Dave helped us refine the positioning statement for our brand. He comes to the meetings well prepared. And he is very generous and open about his experience and knowledge. His advice was very well suited for a fast growth business like ours in the consumer product space.
Dave gave us 15 minutes of his time to help us with the re-positioning of our brand. In just 15 minutes he was able to give us a new way of thinking of the re-positioning that can deliver exponential growth to our brand. He also gave us a reference to a book that will help us in the process. In essence, Dave delivered 2 hours of wisdom in just 15 minutes, and saved us a at least a week of going down the wrong path.
Had a great call with Dave. For anyone looking to get a better understanding of the incubator/accelerator space -- Dave is your man. He gave me a step by step roadmap for getting into a top accelerator. Very sincere, practical and actionable advice. I'll be calling him again in several weeks.
Dave is probably one of the best digital strategists in the game. Whether you're a startup or CMO looking for that next great piece of advice, Dave is spot on.
He's also one of the most connected guys on the face of the planet, and is quick to help however he can. A lot of people talk the talk, Dave goes leaps and bounds beyond to make sure you're successful.
If you have a chance to get on his radar, definitely make sure you do.
Dave is one those unique thinkers who can balance creative and analytical thinking with a heavy dose of digital saavy. He's not scared to push the boundries and always has a fresh perspective on anything branding related. Plus, he's just a good guy.
Dave is a social media expert and innovator. I first encountered him whie he was at Procter and Gamble in which he was innovating the use of social data and intelligence for several P&G Consumer brands. Dave is a leader and ahead of the curve, capable of helping startups or Fortune 100 brands succeed.
Dave commitment to entrepreneurialism is both unique and refreshing. As the Co-Founder of a young startup Virtual Chapter, Dave went out of his way to connect us with valuable potential allies. He also brought vital insight into our growth process. A very smart businessman who actually cares about the space he is in,
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