Brand Strategy Consultant
For startups and SaaS founders.
I'm Gemma Johnson, brand strategist and founder of Emotion Brands. I help founders and small teams get clear on what their brand stands for, who it's for and how to explain it, so every pitch, page and post sounds unmistakably like you.
Remote, fixed price, and built around the time founders actually have.
What a brand strategy consultant does
Brand strategy is the thinking behind everything your brand says and shows. It answers a few big questions: why you exist, who you're for, what makes you different, and how you should sound.
As your brand strategy consultant, I help you answer those questions properly, then turn the answers into something your team can use every day: clear positioning, a brand persona, and messaging that explains your product in a way buyers and investors remember.
Is it the right time?
Founders usually get in touch at a turning point.
You might be:
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Heading towards £1m ARR and finding the brand that got you here isn't the one that will get you there
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Hiring your first Head of Marketing, who needs clear foundations to build on
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Growing beyond your own voice, with more people talking about the product than just you
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Raising or just raised, and ready to level up from your early-days brand
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Getting ready to pitch, and wanting a story investors will repeat after the meeting
If any of these sound familiar, it's a good time to talk.
Who I work with
I work with startup and SaaS founders, and small teams of two or three. I specialise in B2B SaaS and also work with sustainability-led companies.
Everything happens online. Much of the groundwork is done through structured Q&As you complete in your own time, so you can think things through properly rather than on the spot. We then come together for focused online sessions, with no more than three people from your side, so every voice is heard and decisions get made.
I'm based in Poole, Dorset, and work with founders across the UK.
If you're looking for large-group workshops for a big leadership team, a larger consultancy will suit you best, and I'm happy to point you in the right direction.
How it works
Every project follows my Brand Persona Method, or parts of it, so you always know what's happening and what comes next.
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Brand DNA and positioning Q&A. You answer a set of structured questions about your purpose, your buyers and where you fit in the market, in your own time.
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Research. I look at your buyers and competitors to find what makes you different and what your buyers care about most.
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Strategy session. We meet online for 90 minutes to test the thinking and make the big decisions together.
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Your brand persona. We shape the personality behind your brand, so it sounds like one clear voice wherever it shows up.
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Messaging and guidelines. You get the words to explain your product, plus guidelines your team can pick up and use straight away.
The Brand Persona Method
Here's how, together, we build a brand buyers can't mistake for anyone else.
1.
Brand DNA
2.
Brand Positioning
3.
Brand Persona
4.
Brand Messaging
& Storytelling
5.
Brand Identity
Ways to work together
Fixed prices, clear timings and a mapped out process.
Your first buyers, or every audience
The GTM Starter Plan gets you in front of your first buyers, with a 90-day plan to reach them. Persona Messaging adds your brand archetype, a story framework, messaging for investors, partners and your team, and a pitch deck.
I've helped brands like Talkdesk
Talkdesk had a strong visual identity but needed its teams to sound like one brand. We built a brand persona that connected its values to personality and tone of voice, so everyone could bring the brand to life consistently.
Feedback
Consultant, agency or freelancer?
Brand strategy is offered by consultants, freelancers and agencies, and the right choice depends on what your business needs next.
Working with a brand strategy consultant or a freelance brand strategist means working directly with the person doing the thinking. That suits founders and small teams who want senior input, a clear process and decisions made quickly, without a large team around the table.
An agency makes sense when you need strategy and design together at scale, rolled out across many channels or markets.
I sit between the two. You work with me on the strategy, one to one. If you want a new look as well, my design team creates your brand identity, and I manage the project from start to finish.
If you’re also comparing what branding and design cost, my guide sets out typical UK prices for each option: Brand Strategy Consultancy vs Agency vs Freelancer.
Book a Call
Book a 45 minute call with Gemma to discuss your requirements.