Sometimes you just need someone to ask the right questions.
You can't see your own business the way your customers or your competitors do. That's why the best strategic decisions are usually made through conversation, not isolation.
This is a mini, self-guided version of the workshop I run with founders before we talk about websites, messaging or marketing.
Over the next 15 minutes, you'll answer 7 questions. Some you'll answer immediately. Others may make you pause. The questions that make you pause are usually the ones worth paying attention to.
This isn't a test and there isn't a right answer or a score to beat. The aim is simply to leave with more clarity than you started with.
Your debrief
You've just worked through 7 of the most important questions behind every strong brand. This wasn't designed to test your business or give you a definitive answer. It was designed to help you think differently.
The colours below don't tell you whether your brand is "good" or "bad" (only your clients can do that). They reflect how confidently you answered today, based on the responses you chose. Some decisions may already feel well made. Others may need more thought, conversation or evidence. And that's exactly what this workshop is for.
What the colours mean
Your decision summary
Before you move on
Read back through your answers and ask yourself these four questions.
1. Which answer feels strongest?
The one you'd happily defend in front of your team. Protect it. It's likely part of what you're becoming known for.
2. Which answer made you hesitate?
Those moments are rarely accidental. They're often pointing to a decision you've been avoiding, or one that simply needs more thought or insight.
3. Which answer surprised you?
Sometimes writing something down reveals what you've been thinking all along. Pay attention to that.
4. Which answer would be hardest to prove?
For every claim you've made, ask yourself: "What evidence gives us the right to say this?"
4 exercises I'd recommend next
These are four exercises I use regularly with clients. Whether your answers were mostly green or mostly red, they're worth doing. The best businesses keep asking these questions long after they think they've got the answers.
1. Listen to your customers
Speak to three recent clients and ask: "When you recommend us, what do you actually say?" Don't lead them. Don't explain. Just listen.
2. Find your best clients
Write down your last ten clients. Circle the three you'd happily work with again tomorrow. What do they genuinely have in common?
3. Review your competitors
Visit five competitor websites. Write down every promise they make. Now compare them with yours. If you're all saying the same thing, customers are probably hearing the same thing too.
4. Challenge every claim
Print your homepage. Highlight every promise you've made. Next to each one write: "What evidence supports this?" Anything without evidence deserves another look.
Already know you'd like to talk it through? Book a Brand Power Hour →
Get the tools to do this properly.
The four exercises above only work if you do them right. So I'll send you the two things that make the difference.
The client interview questions. The exact questions to put to your clients so you get honest, useful answers instead of polite ones. This is what makes exercise one actually work.
The competitor review checklist. My checklist for reviewing competitors properly, so you spot what matters instead of drowning in five websites' worth of marketing speak.
Do the first two exercises with these in hand and you'll have better raw material than most businesses ever gather about themselves.
Where would you like to go from here?
This workshop is designed to help you ask better questions and identify the decisions your business needs to make. For some businesses, that's enough to get moving. For others, it's the start of a much bigger conversation. If you'd like to continue, there are two ways we can work together.
Brand Power Hour
Ideal if you need to think something through. Perhaps one question kept coming up as you worked through this workshop. Or maybe you realised you've been putting off an important decision. The Brand Power Hour gives you 60 minutes to step away from the day-to-day and work through that challenge together. We'll challenge assumptions, pressure-test your thinking and help you leave with greater clarity and a clear next step.
Best for: founders with one strategic question they want to explore with an experienced sounding board.
Book a Brand Power Hour →The Difference Audit
Ideal if you need evidence before making important decisions. This workshop is built around better questions. The Difference Audit is about finding better answers. We'll gather insight from your customers, stakeholders and competitors to understand what's really driving choice, where your business genuinely stands apart and which strategic decisions the evidence supports. The outcome isn't more information. It's the confidence to make important decisions based on evidence rather than instinct.
Best for: businesses ready to replace assumptions with customer insight before investing in branding, messaging or marketing.
Find out more about The Difference Audit →Every strong brand is built on a series of good decisions. Sometimes those decisions come from asking better questions. Sometimes they come from gathering better evidence. The important thing is having someone to challenge your thinking before you commit to them.