Most founders know they need a strong brand identity. But when it comes time to actually hire the person who will build it, the process can get murky. It’s easy to get distracted by a slick portfolio or a charismatic pitch and completely miss the structural red flags.
If you're bringing a brand strategist on board, here are the biggest traps to avoid—and what to do instead.
1. Hiring without a clear "why"
"We need a rebrand" isn't a strategy; it's a wish. Before you even post a job description, you need to define exactly what success looks like. Are you trying to capture a younger demographic? Are you pivoting your product line?
If you don't define your internal goals, budget caps, and available resources upfront, you'll likely end up paying for a beautiful, expensive strategy that your internal team doesn't actually have the bandwidth to execute.
2. Falling for the resume trap
A list of impressive past clients looks great on paper, but a resume doesn't tell you how a candidate handles pushback, tight deadlines, or a limited budget.
Instead of just reviewing where they went to school or who they used to work for, test how they think. Give your top candidates a paid, small-scale test project, or walk them through a real-world scenario. Ask them, "Our main competitor just launched X. How would you adjust our messaging in response?"
3. Ignoring industry-specific experience
A strategist who built a wildly successful consumer lifestyle brand might completely drown if you throw them into a highly technical B2B software company.
Marketing theory is universal, but market realities are not. Your strategist needs to understand your specific audience's buying cycles, pain points, and objections. If they don't already understand your industry's landscape, you'll spend the first three months paying them just to learn the basics.
4. Underestimating the culture clash
Your brand strategist is going to be in the trenches with your leadership, sales, and product teams. If your company moves incredibly fast, but the strategist requires a month of focus groups before making a single decision, you are going to clash.
Pay close attention to how they communicate during the interview process. Do they talk at you, or collaborate with you? A brilliant strategist who alienates your internal team will ultimately do more harm than good.
5. Skipping the whisper network
A portfolio only shows you the final, polished product. It entirely leaves out the missed deadlines, the blown budgets, or the internal friction it took to get that campaign across the finish line.
Always check references, and don't just accept the glowing ones they hand you. Find past clients or employers and ask the uncomfortable questions: "What were they like to work with when things didn't go according to plan?"