Brainstorming is your most valuable tool when starting a new business. It can help generate and refine ideas, identify potential challenges and opportunities, and foster collaboration among team members.

When starting a new brand, it is important to generate as many ideas as possible and evaluate their feasibility. Brainstorming can help identify potential challenges and opportunities that the business may face, and can help the team develop strategies to address them.

Why Brainstorm Your Brand

Before you decide exactly what you’re going to do, it’s important to first consider “why” you’re doing it. This is the only chance you’re going to have to make this company all about YOU and your own personal values. After this, other people are involved and things can start to get a bit muddy. It’s best to get this foundational stuff figured out and written down. Right now. While you’re still sound of mind and stress-free. We’ll come back to this theme later!

When it comes to starting a fashion brand, brainstorming offers a whole bunch of advantages. Firstly, it creates an inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone’s ideas are valued and heard. This means that you get a wide range of perspectives and innovative concepts to work with. Brainstorming gives you a sense of direction and focus, so you can stay true to your brand’s vision and create something truly unique. So go ahead, let your creative juices flow and embrace the power of brainstorming.

How to Brainstorm Your Brand

Sit down with a pad of paper and an inspirational beverage. Think about everything you want this company to be. Think about who you are, how you want your values to be reflected through your brand. Don’t take this lightly. The decisions you make now will be the foundation of your company for years to come. All of your messaging, your company culture… all of it rides on these first few steps! Write it all down in whatever format works best for you… Notes, sketches, diagrams, anything works.

Brainstorming with the help of friends and family can be a fun and effective way to generate ideas and gather valuable input for your brand. Here are some strategies to make the most out of your collaborative brainstorming sessions:

1. Create a comfortable and open environment: Make sure everyone feels relaxed and encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas. Create a safe space where everyone’s input is valued and respected.
2. Set a clear goal: Define the purpose and objective of the brainstorming session. This will help keep the discussion focused and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
3. Encourage diversity of perspectives: Friends and family come from different backgrounds and have unique experiences. Embrace this diversity and encourage everyone to contribute their own ideas and viewpoints. This will lead to a richer and more varied pool of ideas.
4. Use visual aids: Visual aids, such as mood boards, sketches, or even online inspiration boards, can be helpful tools to stimulate creativity and spark discussion. They can also make it easier to communicate ideas that are difficult to express in words.
5. Embrace free-flowing conversation: Encourage an open and non-judgmental discussion. Allow ideas to flow freely without criticism or evaluation at the initial stage. This will help create a comfortable atmosphere where everyone feels free to share their thoughts.
6. Build upon each other’s ideas: Encourage participants to build upon and expand on each other’s ideas. This can lead to new and exciting concepts that may not have been discovered individually.
7. Take notes: Assign someone to take notes during the brainstorming session. This will help capture all the ideas and suggestions for future reference.
8. Evaluate and prioritize: Once the brainstorming session is complete, evaluate and prioritize the ideas generated. Consider the feasibility, relevance, and alignment with your goals. This will help you narrow down and select the most promising ideas to work on.

But remember, this brand is YOURS. Listen respectfully to everyone’s input, then take time to consider it. Take from it what you can, but don’t feel pressured to put all, or even any, of the ideas into practice. Ultimately, it’s up to YOU to decide exactly what your brand is, looks like and feels like.

Resources & Links

Here are some good reads that may help kickstart your journey: 

1) The Top Reason Most Entrepreneurs Start Businesses

2) 7 Reasons to Work for Yourself

3) What Matters Most for Today’s Consumers

4) Why Core Values Matter to Your Business