For three years, I’ve taken on projects that paid less than the cost of my own growth.
We all do it.
“I just need to do this one project for exposure” and then I’ll land a big client that changes my life.
Or, if you’re a founder you might think if only you had a Stallion – a multidisciplinary powerhouse creative – then everything you need to do to start and scale your brand would be easy.
I recently completed event branding for an event moderated by Tisha Campbell (My Wife & Kids).
No – Issa Rae didn’t call me afterwards with a dream brief. I was paid well for the work, and that is the only valid compensation for my perspective, skills and expertise.
Dollars.
Having business ideas is easy. Building a business is HARD.
Founders are eager to acquire a Stallion, yet lack the resources, vision, or stamina to truly invest in what it takes to make their business thrive. Before you go looking for a Stallion, you need to ask yourself: "Do I have land?" Because you can’t put a Stallion in a suburban backyard.
You’ll ruin your backyard, and the Stallion.
Without proper investment, no brand strategy—no matter how brilliant—can reach its full potential.
According to Shopify, over 60% of new DTC entrants rely on discounts and promotions as their primary competitive edge. This is not differentiation—it’s desperation. Competing on price alone in saturated markets like fashion, beauty, and wellness is a guaranteed race to the bottom.
The gap between a great strategy and successful execution is not just talent – it’s money, time, and resources.
5 ways underinvesting in talent and resources is killing your brand:
- Spending too much money to get new customers: 80% of marketing budgets go into getting new customers, but many brands fail to keep them. This means they’re constantly losing money.
- Not standing out from the crowd: 47% of brands don’t do enough to be different, so they’re forced to compete by lowering prices, which eats into profits.
- Growing too fast without the right systems in place: 44% of fast-growing brands run into problems with operations like shipping or customer service, which damages their reputation and stops growth.
- Relying too much on ads to make money: Brands that spend over 40% of their income on ads often see their profits shrink, leaving them vulnerable when ad costs go up.
- Selling a product that people don’t really need: 40% of startups fail because their product doesn’t solve a real problem, leading to high returns and unsatisfied customers.
Do You Have the Guts to Be an Entrepreneur?
Paying a brand strategist is the smallest cost you’ll face. If you’re starting a lifestyle brand, especially in the masstige category (where affordable luxury is key), you must have the guts to take the following risks to start and scale your brand:
- Build a Strong Foundation: Make sure your business has the systems it needs to grow—things like managing your products, handling customer service, and making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
- Make Sure People Actually Want What You're Selling: Test your product and listen to customer feedback to be sure it solves a real problem. Be ready to make changes if things aren’t working.
- Keep Your Customers Coming Back: Don’t just focus on making one sale. Create products, services, content and experiences that make people want to stick around and keep buying from you.
- Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: Don’t rely only on paid ads. Focus on building a brand that people connect with through different channels, like social media and word-of-mouth, to create lasting relationships.
- Make Sure You Have Enough Money to Grow: You’ll need funds to get your business off the ground and keep it going. Whether that comes from your own savings, loans, or investors, make sure you have enough to support your growth.
The Stallion Needs Land, Not a Backyard
- I earned a double major in Visual Communication and Interaction Design from Open Window Institute.
- I gained practical experience by working at two digital agencies, specialising in User Interface Design.
- I balanced my academic responsibilities with pastoral duties, engaging over 100 high school and university students weekly.
- I led the production of a weekly show on DStv, overseeing content creation and stage direction for large audiences.
- I managed large-scale event marketing campaigns, engaging audiences of 5,000 to 15,000 while ensuring impactful creative collateral.
- After personal loss, I made a radical life shift at 25, refocusing my career.
- I’ve successfully attracted international clients from Berlin, London, and Atlanta, expanding my global reach.
- I achieved an 80% open rate on a limited-budget newsletter.
- I have mentored interns and creative professionals who excel in their fields.
- After investing nearly $20,000 in mentorship and education over three years, I’ve packaged my approach into a $350 course—making it an accessible way for founders and CMOs in food, fashion, beauty, and wellness to start exit-worthy direct-to-consumer brands without having to pay premium rates for 1:1 strategy work.
I am a Stallion 🐎
When you underpay top talent, you’re not saving money. You’re missing out on experiencing the real power of a Stallion with room to run.
I’ve turned down multiple project briefs and agency roles over the last three months because I refuse to put myself in a backyard ever again. My perspectives and expertise are worth every cent, and any founder who collaborates with me is getting a powerhouse creative ready to drive their brand forward.
If you truly believe in what you’re building, you must take the risks necessary to cultivate growth. Remember:
Having business ideas is easy. Building a business is hard.
Without the money, I don't budge, what's the budget? - Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Latto), Budget
Stay Hot,
Lineo (Dinewo) Kakole | Strategist, Designer, Twerkulator 🍑
If you read all that and still don't want to give me your money, at least take my FREE 5-day email course unboxing the 5 critical branding mistakes sabotaging your food, fashion, beauty or wellness business and how to fix them
Reading List
- McKinsey & Company. "Five traps to avoid: The long game of DTC and e-commerce." Growth, Marketing, and Sales, September 2, 2021. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/five-traps-to-avoid-the-long-game-of-dtc-and-e-commerce
- Morris, Malique. "How to Save a DTC Brand Without Crushing Its Soul." The Business of Fashion, June 21, 2024. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/direct-to-consumer/how-to-save-a-dtc-brand-without-crushing-its-soul/