The 10-Day MVB Checklist: Build Your Brand's Foundation The Smart Way

Last week, we defined the Minimum Viable Brand as the leanest, clearest version of your startup’s promise—built to build trust, align your team, and stand out early.

This week, we’re making it real.

Whether you’re pre-launch or just trying to level up your seed-stage presence, here’s a step-by-step 10-day checklist to go from “we’ll figure out this brand thing later” to “hey, we’ve got a solid foundation here.”

You don’t need a creative director. You don’t need a six-figure agency budget. And you don’t need to pause everything. You just need an hour or two per day, and a bias for clarity over polish.

Ready? Let’s do it. 

Day 1: Define Your Audience

What to do:
Write a short, detailed paragraph describing your ideal early customer with as much specificity as possible. Include:

• Who they are (role, context, behavior)
  

• What they want (goal or outcome)
  

• What’s in their way (pain point or limitation)
  

• Why what you’re building would matter to them
  

Why it matters:
Your product is a solution, but solutions only make sense in context. Whose problem are you really addressing? And how are you really addressing it? A well-defined audience grounds everything else—your messaging, your design choices, even your pricing. Vague brands don’t resonate. Specific ones do.

Pro tip: If you think you're building for "everyone," you're setting yourself up for failure. Even Facebook started out by just focusing on Ivy League students. Narrow to your most passionate early adopters—the people who will forgive your bugs because they need what you're building so badly. Startups grow first by dominating niches, not pleasing crowds.

Day 2: Clarify Your Core Promise

What to do:
Write a sentence that clearly explains the core value proposition your product delivers on. What outcome does your product deliver—and why does it matter?

Use this simple structure:
“We help [audience] do/achieve [outcome] by [how you do it].”

Good example:
"Rippling helps fast-growing companies manage employee payroll, benefits, devices, and apps—all in one integrated platform, instead of across dozens of disconnected systems."

Then, go one level deeper and write a short paragraph expanding on:

• What makes your approach different
  

• Why your solution is better, faster, or more suited to your user
  

• Why alternative solutions can’t or don’t meet the moment
  

Why it matters:
This is the heart of your brand. It’s what your customer is “buying”—not just a product, but a promise. At seed stage, you’re selling belief as much as functionality. The clearer your promise, the easier it is for others to identify with and spread your story.

Day 3: Craft Your One-Liner

What to do:
Distill your promise into a one-sentence summary. 

Formula:
[Product category or function] for [audience], built to [unique benefit or result].

Examples:

• “Canva is online design made simple—for everyone.”
  

• “Linear is issue tracking, reimagined for speed.”
  

• “Slack is your digital HQ—connecting teams, tools, and workflows in one place.”
  

Why it matters:
This is your hook—the line that shows up on your homepage, your deck, and your socials. It should be instantly understandable and easy to repeat. Think of it as your brand’s elevator pitch in 10 words or less.

If someone can’t repeat it back to you easily, it’s not working. Rewrite it.

Day 4: Write Your ‘Why Now’ Story

What to do:
Write a 3–4 paragraph origin story answering:

• What problem did you see?
  

• What made it urgent or frustrating?
  

• Why are existing solutions broken or outdated?
  

• Why are you (or your team) the right people to solve it?
  

• Why is now the right time to build it?
  

Why it matters:
This story isn’t just good for blog post content—it frames your pitch, inspires your team, and becomes part of your differentiation. Founders often underestimate how much people buy into the why. I've watched investors fund companies with lesser products but stronger narratives because the "why now" was compelling. People don't just buy what you make; they buy into why you're making it. It’s worth nailing.

Day 5: Choose Your Brand Voice

What to do:
For this step, you need to answer this question for yourself: “If your brand could talk, what would it sound like?”

Pick 3–5 adjectives that describe the tone of your brand. Is it:

• Bold, clear, and confident?
  

• Friendly, practical, and energetic?
  

• Calm, authoritative, and warm?

Or something else entirely? Whatever the tone is, define it. And own it.

Then, write a short paragraph introducing your product or company in that voice.

Why it matters:
Your tone is how people experience your brand across all touchpoints—from your homepage to your help docs to your founder’s LinkedIn posts. A consistent voice makes your brand feel human and cohesive, even before you’re a household name.

Coming Up Next Week: Days 6–10

So you’ve just laid the groundwork for your Minimum Viable Brand — the heart, voice, and story that everything else will build on. And if you’re feeling like, "Okay, this is starting to feel real," you’re exactly where you should be.

Next week, we’ll take it even further. I’ll walk you through how to bring your brand to life visually, tighten your messaging, get your team aligned, and make sure your story actually lands with the people you’re trying to reach.

Stay tuned — we’re just getting started.

Until then, keep building to win.

Best,

Edwin