There’s a layer of abstraction between business and humanity that we all participate in. It has its benefits. But one clear downside is that it makes us forget something fundamental: everything is about people. business humanity A business is people. Its customers are people. Markets aren’t mystical forces or numbers on a dashboard - they’re collections of individuals trying to make sense of the world, assign meaning, and solve problems while spinning on a floating rock. Somewhere along the way, startups forgot this. And in forgetting it, they also forgot how people build lasting identities. This is why branding is so often misunderstood. This is why branding is so often misunderstood. Many founders treat branding as something you finish: a logo, a color palette, a brand deck, a tone of voice. Once that box is checked, attention shifts to what feels more concrete - growth, scale, MRR, and the ever-growing list of abbreviated metrics. finish But that’s not how people build reputations, and it’s not how brands are formed. In reality, your brand begins when you start repeating - consistently, visibly, and for longer than feels necessary. Think back to high school archetypes: the jocks, the artsy kids, the teacher’s pets. No one declared themselves these things once and moved on. They became them through repetition - how they showed up, what they did, what they were seen doing, week after week, year after year. And as simple as it sounds, that’s the entire blueprint for startup branding. Decide what you are. Say it plainly. Say it over and over and over again. Then do the unglamorous work behind the scenes to support the claim. Over time, that repetition becomes truth in the minds of others. You can see this play out clearly with Stripe. For years, Stripe has repeated essentially the same idea: payments infrastructure for the internet. Across documentation, product design, blog posts, and talks, the message compounds: reliability, developer-first thinking, invisible complexity handled well. Stripe Stripe payments infrastructure for the internet And not to toot our own horn, but the same applies to us. When people think about HackerNoon, they think about open access to information, developer-led storytelling, and a platform that meets builders where they are because that’s who we are. But more importantly, because that’s who we’ve said we are consistently, across everything we’ve published since day one. HackerNoon HackerNoon Summarily: Summarily: Brands are learned behavior.
Stop rewriting your brand story every time growth slows.
Decide what you are. Say it plainly. Say it often. Brands are learned behavior. Stop rewriting your brand story every time growth slows. Decide what you are. Say it plainly. Say it often. Ready to start building your brand the right way?
Publish your first story with HackerNoon today! Ready to start building your brand the right way? Ready to start building your brand the right way? Publish your first story with HackerNoon today! Publish your first story with HackerNoon today! Publish your first story with HackerNoon today! Publish your first story with HackerNoon today! Now, let’s take a look at some startups building strong brands in today’s oversaturated market. Meet Ajaib, TopHire, and rekrutes: HackerNoon Startups of the Week Ajaib Ajaib is a fast-growing Indonesian fintech and online brokerage that simplifies investing for retail users. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Jakarta, it offers intuitive, mobile-first access to stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and other financial instruments, all regulated by Indonesia’s financial authorities. Ajaib’s mission is to expand financial inclusion by making investing accessible, affordable, and understandable—especially for younger and first-time investors. Ajaib TopHire.co TopHire is an India-based recruitment marketplace focused on connecting elite tech talent with leading technology and product companies. The platform curates a selective pool—typically the top 2% of software engineers, product managers, and data scientists—and showcases them to hiring managers at startups and established tech firms, enabling companies to find high-quality candidates quickly and efficiently. TopHire rekrutes rekrutes is one of Morocco’s leading online recruitment platforms, founded in 2006 to connect employers and job seekers across industries in Morocco and Francophone Africa. The platform goes beyond simple job listings by offering tools that help candidates understand themselves better—like personality assessments and company cultural insights—and by supporting employers with recruitment marketing, employer-brand services, and candidate matching technology. rekrutes These companies aren’t connected by market or size, but by clarity of intent. They know who they serve and reinforce that identity at every touchpoint. At scale, repetition is recognition. Want to be featured? Share Your Startup's Story Today! Want to be featured? Share Your Startup's Story Today! Share Your Startup's Story Today! Share Your Startup's Story Today! That’s all for now. Until next time, Hackers!

This story contains AI-generated text. The author has used AI either for research, to generate outlines, or write the text itself. 

Your Brand is What You Say It is Over and Over and Over Again

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

3 Startup Struggles Nobody Talks About (and How to Overcome Them)

How to Vote on Startup for Startups of The Year

Meet Wallet Factory, Runner-up of the Startups of the Year in Warsaw, Poland

Stand Up for the Champion Startups of the Year!

Startups of the Year 2023: Africa Winners

Startups of the Year 2023: Remote/Misc Winners

3 Startup Struggles Nobody Talks About (and How to Overcome Them)

How to Vote on Startup for Startups of The Year

Meet Wallet Factory, Runner-up of the Startups of the Year in Warsaw, Poland

Stand Up for the Champion Startups of the Year!

Startups of the Year 2023: Africa Winners

Startups of the Year 2023: Remote/Misc Winners

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Minty

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps