The Essence of Branding for SMEs

“My superpower is being able to see what others can’t yet – an ability to identify the essence of a brand or person, and being able to pull out the most powerful, authentic, and aligned aspects. And I’m lucky enough to get to do this most days at Dapper.” Emma Donovan smiles while she shares this tidbit about herself. She is the co-founder and CEO of Dapper, an agency that specialises in both personal and business branding.

“The simplest way to describe Dapper is that we play at the intersection of personal discovery and professional brand development,” she explains. Our promise is to help you elevate your personal brand with confidence and clarity so you can open the right doors and ultimately make a shift towards your definition of success.

Dapper serves as a business that creates space. “People and businesses need space,” she says. “Space for connection, creativity, and self-discovery. We create that space and give you the tools to elevate your brand meaningfully and authentically.”

From the Ashes of a Pandemic

As for many individuals across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Donovan to take stock of her life. “I needed to slow down and reassess what matters. I realised I needed to do something more aligned to my purpose.” At that point in her life, she had been part of a marketing agency for almost a decade. “While I still valued the people, the work didn’t fill my cup anymore.”

Donovan instinctively knew that her next venture would be deeply rooted in her values, one of which is authentic human connection. This business would be one that holds space for creativity and self-discovery. “Founding Dapper helped me find my voice and build my confidence.”

Over the course of the next year, she gradually transitioned from the company where she was employed to Dapper, which she co-founded with Lindsay Martin. “It was tough to play an operational role in two different businesses, so take my hat off to all the serial entrepreneurs who get it right! I’m definitely more of a single-focused kind of founder,” she shares.

One of the elements that Donovan and Martin found to be vital to the success of their partnerships is focusing on what matters.

“We having conversations that matter – sometimes the’re the hard ones. It;s also important to make space to connect as humans, not just as business partners. We pencil in a walk or lunch together at least once a month to connect without an agenda.”

Branding for SMEs

Donovan explains that entrepreneurs can easily become confused about what the term branding refers to. One of the most important things that SMEs must understand about branding is that when you speak about your brand, it doesn’t mean your logo, Instagram grid or your website. “It’s the feeling people get when they interact with you – and the story they tell about you when you’re not in the room,” Donovan elaborates.

“For SMEs, especially, branding isn’t a luxury or a nice-to-have once the business is “bigger”. It’s what helps you stand out, connect with the right clients, and build trust before a sales pitch even happens.

“It doesn’t need to be complicated. If you’re clear on who you are, what you value, and how you show up, and when you’re consistent about those things, people begin to understand not just what you do, but why you’re the right person to do it.”

Donovan says that a small business can also be a brand. “At Dapper, we believe the question isn’t whether to create a brand for yourself or your small business, but whether you choose to shape the narrative, your story is already out there.

“As Tom Peters said back in 1997, ‘you’re not defined by your job title and you’re not confined by your job description. Starting today, you are a brand. You’re every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop,” she concludes.