Why growing businesses need to act like big brands

Britain is a country of entrepreneurs: 846,000 new businesses were floated last year alone.

And in the South West, more than 8% of the population has launched their own startup, making it the top region in the country for entrepreneurs. What’s more, Bristol has been judged the country’s second best city to start a business in 2025.

But with so many startups, competition is fierce. For your business to gain a foothold, it has to be memorable and popular. Leading on price won’t win the day - thin margins make it difficult to grow, and a focus on price can damage a brand’s reputation.

So, even in the hectic days right at the beginning, it pays to take the time to get it right.

The temptation is to think of a snazzy logo and decide what colour it should be, and call it a day. But the foundations for solid growth need to go deeper.

Big brands spend a fortune making sure they look the same everywhere they appear, so even if you are on the other side of the world, you recognise them. But that’s not all. They make a big effort to sound and behave the same everywhere too, so you know exactly what to expect from them. Red and yellow may make you hungry, but it’s the way McDonald’s behaves that is the real driver behind its popularity. 

The brand has emotional power.

Coke is joyful. Nike is powerful. Even Amazon, which is based on efficiency and cost, goes out of its way to woo its customers with consistent emotional messaging, to keep them coming back.

That’s why global brands have brand guidelines (or brand books, or even brand bibles!) that lay out not just how they look, but who they are and how they speak. 

When you’re starting out, they don’t need to be hundreds of pages long. Just clear and honest, so you can be consistent. In any new relationship, it’s unnerving when a partner says something out of character, and it’s the same with new customers. Stay true to your personality, and the trust will grow.

A study by Lucidpress showed consistent brand presentation across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%. That’s the sort of growth that can really make the difference.

To find out how Slipway can apply big business thinking to your brand, get in touch and let’s have a chat about leaving the other 845,999 new companies floundering in your wake.