Clear Brand Strategy

09/01/2026

Karen has been shaping brands for 40 years. CreativePro sat her down to talk about the tool designers still argue about.

Canva.

Her position is that the tool isn't what dilutes a brand. The setup is. Locked templates, real guidelines, clear rules about what can change and what can't, and Canva stops being the thing that wrecks your identity and starts being the thing that holds it together.

One line from the interview says it best: "When a brand is aligned, everything gets easier."

Worth a read if anyone on your team is building in Canva right now, which is most teams.

https://creativepro.com/interview-with-karen-larson-brand-strategist-and-artist/

P.S. Karen is also speaking at the Design + Marketing Summit, September 14-15, online.

08/20/2026

That moment when positioning clicks into place? Everything else becomes obvious.

✅ What to post about - suddenly clear because you know who you are.

✅ What to charge - clear because your brand shows your value.

✅ Who to work with - clear because the right people find you.

✅ How to talk about your work - clear because you're not trying to be everything to everyone.

The business owners winning nailed clarity first, and now every other decision is easier.

Let's build that foundation: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

08/18/2026

First impression: someone lands on your website. Or they see your materials. Or they get an email from you.

10 seconds to say "this is for me" or "next."

That's how humans work. We evaluate fast. We make assumptions. We move on.

If your brand looks dated, generic, or unclear in those 10 seconds, you've already lost them. They're checking out the next option.

If it looks clear, intentional, and like it was made for people exactly like them - you win. They stay. They read. They respond.

The smartest move is making sure the first impression works.

Make sure your brand creates the right first impression: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

08/12/2026

You're all making the same mistake.

You're positioning your service like it's a product on a shelf. Features. Price. Delivery timeline.

But services aren't products. Nobody buys a coaching package. They buy clarity, transformation, results, confidence. They buy the person who can guide them through something scary.

Your brand needs to say "I know what I'm doing and I'll guide you through this" not "Here's what I offer for $X."

Product-based thinking is why your messaging feels generic. It's why you sound like everyone else. It's why you discount.

Service-based positioning is how you charge what you're worth and attract people who actually want to work with you.

Let's build a service-first brand: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

08/06/2026

You left the corporate job because you wanted flexibility. Time with your family. The ability to actually show up for the people you care about. To build something that mattered instead of padding someone else's bottom line.

Then you started your business and realized you're working twice as hard for half the paycheck (probably doing things you never thought you'd have to)!

The dream was never to be busier. It was to be free!

Most entrepreneurs can't get there alone. Not because they're not capable. But because doing everything yourself - strategy, ex*****on, admin, marketing - is a time machine that sends you back to 2005.

The ones winning? They partnered. They brought in people who could handle what they're not best at so they could actually run their business instead of working in it.

We built CBS because we remembered what that felt like. Stretched thin. Grateful for anyone who showed up to help. Now we get to be that person for someone else and WE LOVE IT.

If you started your business for freedom and ended up with chaos, the answer isn't working harder. It's working smarter with the right people.

Let's talk about getting your life back: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

08/04/2026

A business owner complains that marketing doesn't work, but doesn't understand why.

And when we dig into it, they've been throwing money at tactics before nailing positioning.

Ads. Social. Email. Website refresh. New CRM. All solid tactics. But none of them work if nobody knows what you actually do or why they should care.

Your positioning isn't a nice-to-have. It's the thing that makes every marketing dollar actually work.

Let's figure out what's actually holding you back: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

07/30/2026

Here's what the research says: businesses with consistent branding see a 23% average revenue increase. Not 2%. Not 5%. Twenty-three percent.

For a business doing $500K annually, that's $115,000 in new revenue from better positioning and professional materials.

The kicker? Most SMBs are leaving that money on the table because they're waiting for the "right time" to rebrand.

Spoiler: there's no perfect time. The best time was yesterday. The second-best time is now.

Read more: https://clearbrandstrategy.com/why-small-business-owners-should-invest-in-branding-before-they-scale-with-data-to-prove-it/

Why Small Business Owners Should Invest in Branding Before They Scale (With Data to Prove It) Jul 27, 2026 | Branding Most small business owners are waiting for the “right time” to invest in branding. They wait until revenue hits a certain number. They wait until they can hire someone. They wait...

07/28/2026

New Castle Steel acquired established manufacturing capabilities but needed to build a brand from scratch. Zero digital presence. Zero brand credibility. Competing in a market dominated by foreign imports.

In a true collaborative effort, CBS helped position them as American-made advantage, built their credibility-focused brand, created sales enablement tools, and launched an organic growth program - consistent content, strategic social media, email nurture.

Twelve months later: 8 national distributors. Website traffic up 378%. 1,300+ engaged social followers. All organic. No paid ads.

Professional positioning doesn't just look better. It moves the business.

Ready to position your business for growth? Let's talk: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

07/23/2026

We work with real estate agents, financial advisors, manufacturers, wellness founders. Different businesses. Same issue every time.

They know they're good at what they do. But nobody knows what that is.

So ads don't convert. Social doesn't land. Pipeline doesn't fill. Because the foundation isn't clear yet.

The best part of our job is watching that shift - when positioning clicks into place and everything else becomes easier.

We can help across any industry because the problem isn't industry-specific. It's just about getting clear on who you are.

Let's figure out what's holding you back: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min

07/22/2026

What a frustrating thing to witness. Someone redesigns their website, refreshes their photos, updates their copy. Everything looks modern and clean.

And nothing changes.

Because the foundation was still unclear. A real estate agent with fuzzy positioning is still fuzzy on a beautiful new site. A financial advisor with a generic story doesn't stand out with better headshots.

Modernization works when you start with clarity on who you are and why someone should choose you.

Then the design matters. Then the tools work. Then growth follows.

We love getting into the backend of your business and figuring out why things aren't working.

Ready to get clear? Let's talk: calendly.com/saunderscbs/30min