We’ve Launched Thousands of Brands. These Are the Mistakes That Still Haunt Us.

How to Kill Your Brand Before It Even Starts (And What to Do Instead) plus 3 Free Cheatsheets

Source: Bread Beauty Supply

We’ve launched thousands of brands over the last 15 years. Some became cult hits. Some fizzled. A lot fell somewhere in between — and not for lack of talent or tenacity.

The hard truth? Founders often get in their own way. Not from laziness, but from overwhelm, bad advice, or trying to do too much too fast.

So we made you this. Our list of the top 10 ways we see founders sabotage their own brand momentum, and what to do instead. Each one comes with a shortcut, workaround, or golden nugget we’d usually save for our clients — including some free downloadable cheatsheets. You didn’t hear it from us.

Oh, and we want to hear from you too. What’s the dirtiest, dumbest, most painful mistake you made while launching? Drop it in the comments — we’ll be collecting our favourites for a future follow-up post.

Mistake #1. Getting caught in ‘category logic’ Trying to sound like the leaders in your space won’t make you one. It just makes you blend in. If your copy could be swapped onto a competitor's site and no one would notice, you're doing it wrong.

It’s the skincare brand that says “clean, clinical, and effective” just like every other skincare brand. It’s the activewear label shouting “empowerment” in all caps, next to a woman doing Pilates on a rooftop.

Why does it happen? Because founders want to “look the part” so they copy the category leader. Because everyone simply fits into the space, lacking the courage to reimagine it. But the truth is: safe might get you nods. Brave gets you bookmarked.

DIY Shortcut: Make a list of every cliché in your category. Then actively avoid all of them.

👉 Use our cheatsheet to get started.

Source: Graza

Mistake #2. Crowdsourcing too much feedback 15 opinions in a group chat does not a strategy make. Overthinking is a brand killer — clarity gets drowned in noise. And in the name of “getting it right,” they open the floodgates: asking for input becomes a form of avoidance. Feedback isn’t strategy — it’s data. And too much data without a clear lens just breeds confusion. Before you collect opinions, know what you’re filtering for. Otherwise…