I watched a founder friend running a fintech company redesign his strategy deck last year.
It looked so beautiful that it could be displayed in an art gallery.
Mission statements. Values. A brand promise that sounded like it was written by ChatGPT having a midlife crisis.
Three months later? His customers still had no clue what his company actually stood for.
Here's what those consultants won't tell you:
Your brand promise isn't what you write in a strategy document. It's what customers believe after they've dealt with you five times.
Most brand promises fail because they're aspirational fiction. "We deliver excellence." "Innovation at every turn." "Your success is our passion."
Nobody believes that shit.
You're not wrong if you think brand promises are mostly meaningless fluff. You're not wrong if you feel like yours sounds exactly like your competitors'.
Here's what actually works:
#1 Start with what pisses you off about your industry
Every real brand promise solves a problem that made the founder want to throw their laptop out a window. Dollar Shave Club didn't start with "convenience." They started with "Why the hell are razor blades $20?"
You can write down the one industry standard that makes you irrationally angry. That's your north star.
#2 Make a promise so specific it feels risky
Fenty Beauty doesn't promise "inclusive beauty." They promise 40+ foundation shades. The Stupidpreneur Newsletter doesn't promise "valuable content." They promise wisdom from actual business trenches, not theory.
Specificity creates accountability. Accountability creates trust.
Now take your current promise and add numbers, timelines, or concrete outcomes until it makes you slightly nervous.
#3 Build your promise into your operations, not your marketing
Your promise should dictate how you hire, what products you build, and which customers you fire. If your operations team has never seen your brand promise, it's decorative nonsense.
Go ahead and print your promise and put it where decisions get made. If it doesn't influence daily choices, rewrite it.
I learned this running my first company. We promised "same-day design delivery to every customer." Sounds simple. But it meant restructuring our entire work system, changing our hiring criteria, and turning down enterprise deals that expected dedicated designers.
Some days I wanted to kill that promise. But it forced us to be different in ways that actually mattered.
Your brand promise should feel like a constraint that accidentally makes you better.
The best promises aren't written by committees or consultants. They're born from frustration, refined through repetition, and proven through stubborn consistency.
Stop trying to sound impressive. Start making commitments that change how you operate.
Reply and tell me: What's one thing your competitors promise but never actually deliver?
— Shashank
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