Most businesses panic at the price tag of marketing and forget to look at the return. Sticker shock makes you focus on the cost instead of the outcome — and that’s where good opportunities quietly die.

When a brand loses sight of its core identity, the ripple effects can be costly—both financially and emotionally. In today’s crowded marketplace, clarity isn’t just a luxury; it’s survival. This post explores why identity crises happen, how they erode trust, and what steps businesses can take to reclaim their authentic voice before the damage becomes irreversible.

For five years, every commercial I produced had to feature a golden eagle — not for strategy, not for brand alignment, but simply because the client insisted. That experience taught me how quickly marketing falls apart when opinions outweigh data, and why true partnership—not ego—is what drives results.

Let me tell you something I’ve learned after three decades of working with small businesses: the safest marketing is often the least effective.

I’ve worked with dozens of small business owners who were convinced their marketing needed to look just like their competitors’. “Let’s keep it clean, conservative, and on-brand,” they’d say. But here’s the thing: blending in is the opposite of branding.

When businesses reduce or eliminate marketing, they don’t just save money—they surrender market share. They silence their voice at the very moment customers are most in need of reassurance, information, and continuity. And when recovery begins, they face the uphill battle of rebuilding brand awareness and re-establishing trust, while others who stayed present during the downturn move ahead with momentum.

A healthy brand depends on much more than a logo. Factors such as consistency of style and messaging, employee buy-in, customer experience and patience are but a few elements that contribute to a healthy brand image.

Small businesses fail for many reasons, and the number one reason for failure is poor cashflow (50 percent). However, a staggering 22 percent fail due to lack of a sound marketing strategy, and 14% fail because they have poor marketing. Many businesses attempt to market themselves as best they can. Here is a list of five things you may be doing that aren’t helping your business and a list of five things you could start doing right now…