Would You Recognize Your Brand If It Walked Into The Room?
What the origin story of a coffee shop says about branding
When you're this close to your business, it’s easy to blur the line between who you are and what your brand is.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
But it does make it hard to shape how others experience it.
Especially when you’re launching something new…
Or when your current brand feels bloated, off-course, or strangely invisible.
That’s when it helps to take one surprising step: Personify the brand.
Literally imagine your brand as a person.
Not a logo. Not a mission statement. Not a slide deck.
A living being—with opinions, style, and a very specific way of seeing the world.
Give them a backstory. An accent. A set of rituals.
Then start making decisions from their point of view.
We did this with Greyhouse Coffee & Supply Co.
Once we personified the brand, everything clicked into place.
Greyhouse was a 1930s gentleman socialite. Think: Gatsby’s quieter, European cousin.
He didn’t show off. He delighted. He collected books but always gave them away. He lived for atmosphere, conversation, and quiet charm.
He wasn’t a business.
He was a host.
And suddenly, he was making decisions for us:
Materials: Only honest, timeworn textures—wood, glass, leather, paper. Nothing synthetic.
Colors: No on-the-nose branding. Just earthy, aged tones with stories to tell—infantry blue, dijon yellow, tapestry red.
Signage: Routed from 70-year-old doors. Lit with gooseneck lamps. A warm, uneven glow. Built to age, not to shine.
The entire space—and the entire brand—took shape through him.
Customers couldn’t name what they were feeling. But they felt it.
And they kept coming back for it.
This practice doesn’t just work for startups or coffee shops.
It works when your brand has lost its shape.
When your website says everything and nothing.
When your sales deck keeps getting rewritten.
When your message doesn’t quite sound like you anymore.
Sit down across from your brand and ask:
“Who have you become?”
You might not like the answer.
Maybe they talk too much and say too little.
Maybe they show up late.
Maybe they’re trying to impress everyone in the room—and connecting with no one.
And suddenly it all makes sense.
Your brand is showing up whether you realize it or not.
It’s engaging with your buyer while you sleep.
The question is: Who is it, exactly, that’s doing the talking?
If you don’t know, it’s time to reintroduce yourself.
It’s not just who your brand is—it’s how it makes people feel.
Explore how to reshape your buyer’s first impression—without changing who you are.