In short
Brand business building means not splitting a brand into separate disciplines, but building it as a business. First the brand as the foundation, then a focused portfolio, then the road onto the shelf. Each stage builds on the one before, and one person keeps all three in view.
Why brands fail at the hand-offs
In most young brands the work is neatly divided. An agency does the brand, the product team does the range, sales does retail. Each part can be good on its own. The problem sits in between.
The positioning doesn't fit the range. The range doesn't fit the shelf. And the story you grow with online means nothing to a retail buyer. Nobody is to blame, because nobody owns the whole.
The three stages
- Brand: the foundation. What do you stand for, for whom, and why should anyone believe you? Without that answer, you pay for every customer again through ads.
- Portfolio: the focus. Which products carry the brand, and which distract from it? One clear hero product is worth more than twenty variants.
- Retail: the scale. Once brand and range are in place, retail can bring reach. Before that, it mostly brings risk.
Then the cycle starts again: what you learn on the shelf flows back into the portfolio. New products, new retailers, new markets.
How to tell a stage is missing
- Your ads are running, but nobody can say in one sentence what you stand for. → The brand is missing.
- Your range keeps growing, but no product clearly leads. → The portfolio focus is missing.
- You want to get on the shelf, but all you have is a founder deck and your whole shop as the offer. → Retail readiness is missing.
Why I connect the three
I have held responsibility in all three roles: building brands, leading portfolios with direct revenue responsibility and representing both in front of retail. That's why I don't work on one part, but on the whole picture.
What I don't do: run sales negotiations or calculate prices and terms. Your team does that. I make sure brand, range and story are ready when the time comes.
Quick check
- Your team gives the same one-sentence answer when asked what you stand for.
- You know which product carries the brand and which one just tags along.
- Your story works without an ad, an algorithm or a product page.
- You know what you want to learn in retail and how it flows back into the range.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from classic brand consulting?
Brand consulting often stops at positioning and look. Brand business building goes further: it translates the brand into a range and a story for retail, and measures it by the business, not just by how it looks.
Who is brand business building for?
For smaller and young brands that want to scale, whether D2C, already in retail or both. My focus is beauty, personal care, wellness and supplements, from start-ups to brands that are already on the shelf.
Do you have to go through all three stages?
No. Many brands have already solved one stage well. What matters is checking honestly which one is missing and starting there. Going into retail without a clear brand usually costs you later.
About the author
Martin Kunze is a brand business builder based in Berlin. He has built brands, led portfolios with revenue responsibility and represented both in front of retail, in a global corporation and with start-ups.