Article · Short read, roughly 5 minutes

Start-Ups Need a Minimum Viable Brand

Denise Lee Yohn · Harvard Business Review Freemium Beginner

This is the piece that put the phrase minimum viable brand into circulation, and it argues the opposite of both extremes: you do not need a full brand manual, but build it and they will come is not a strategy either. Yohn frames the smallest useful set of brand decisions an early-stage company should make before launch. Read it as a way to decide what to skip, not a checklist to complete.

• A minimum viable brand is the smallest set of clear brand decisions that make you look real, not a full brand book.
• Skipping brand entirely (assuming a great product sells itself) is as risky as over-investing in one too early.
• Brand maturity should track business maturity: nail purpose, audience, and a clear promise first, add polish later.