Brand Threads

Most companies treat merch vendors like ATMs. Send a request. Get a quote. Place an order. Done. This is why your merch ends up in donation bins or, worse, landfills.

A new logo feels like progress and that’s the trap. It’s tangible. You can point to it on business cards. Show it to your staff. Put it on merch and call it a win. But a beautiful logo without a story is just decoration which is the problem most marketing pros won’t admit.

Apple didn’t invent good packaging. They invented unforgettable packaging.

Most companies waste their entire merch budget not because they pick bad items. Because they add merch like it’s an afterthought. Something to throw in because “everyone does it.”

Navy hoodies. Gray t-shirts. Maybe a branded tote if the accelerator is feeling fancy. Walk into any startup event and you’ll see fifty founders wearing the exact same uniform, like they all raided the same closet at a tech conference.