Let the hunger guide your strategy.

Yesterday, my son walked in from school STARVING. Not just hungry - but that teenage athlete kind of starving where they could eat the fridge (and try to).

I had all these grand plans to try a new recipe I'd been dying to make. You know the one - that perfectly plated, Instagram-worthy dish that would make me feel ... great.

But here's the thing:

That dish would have been a bad choice.

Did my audience care about presentation? No.
Did my audience care about culinary artistry? LOL.

My audience needed fuel as fast as possible.

So I heated up 3 hot pockets and I officially earned "Best Dad Ever".

Your Customers Are Hungry Too (Just Not For What You Think)

This got me thinking about a conversation I had with a client last week. They wanted to enter the marketplace with a new service. They were all excited about all the money they would make. But they couldn't find customers. Shocker, I know.

Why? Because they started with the solution instead of the hunger.

The Recipe for Brand Failure

It's a common pattern I see:

1. Create something "life changing"
2. Make it look absolutely perfect
3. Try to persuade customers
4. Start spending $ on ads
5. Spend more on $ ads
6. Run out of $ for ads
7. Blame the market

Sound familiar?

Flip the Recipe

Let me tell you about another client - Abbie. Abbie. she spent many years in the publishing world before branching out as a brand strategist. She started with the service-first approach, but quickly realized that it isn't working.

After a few conversations together, I helped her realize that her experience in publishing was her strength. I urged her to focus on that community and their common pain point:

Authors that have a book or series but no brand strategy at all.

She knew their pain points:

• Not niching down past genres
• Trying to appeal to everyone
• Forgetting their core values
• No consistency in identity
• Ignoring social media

Only after analyzing the market problems could she realize her solution: The publishing focused brand strategy.

The Results?

Her brand didn't need to convince anyone they had a problem. They already knew their problem. She just needed to show them she understood their hunger and had the right recipe to fix it.

• Clients found her
• Her messaging just "clicked"
• Her positioning was focused
• Deals were increasing in value

Your Brand's Kitchen Check

Ask yourself:

1. Did you start with a solution looking for a problem?
2. Do you know what your ideal customer is truly hungry for?
3. Are you trying to convince people they have a problem, or are you solving one they already know they have?

Remember: The best chefs don't create dishes and then search for hungry people. They understand what people are hungry for, then create the perfect dish to satisfy that specific hunger.

Until next time, Brand Uniquely.

Asaf "The Brand Chef" Bochman

PS. I recently judged a meatball competition with two friends. Here's a quick pic!